From Publishers WeeklyMartin compresses the wild and crazy end of the millennium and finds in this piercing novel a sardonic morality tale. Lacey Yeager is an ambitious young art dealer who uses everything at her disposal to advance in the world of the high-end art trade in New York City. After cutting her teeth at Sotheby's, she manipulates her way up through Barton Talley's gallery of "Very Expensive Paintings," sleeping with patrons, and dodging and indulging in questionable deals, possible felonies, and general skeeviness until she opens her own gallery in Chelsea. Narrated by Lacey's journalist friend, Daniel Franks, whose droll voice is a remarkable stand-in for Martin's own, the world is ordered and knowable, blindly barreling onward until 9/11. And while Lacey and the art she peddles survive, the wealth and prestige garnered by greed do not. Martin (an art collector himself) is an astute miniaturist as he exposes the sound and fury of the rarified Manhattan art world. If Shopgirl was about the absence of purpose, this book is about the absence of a moral compass, not just in the life of an adventuress but for an entire era. (Nov.) (c) Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. FromThis thoroughly engaging primer on the art world is unusual on a number of levels. Although the lead characters are unlikable, the novel is hard to put down, offers an enlightening explication of how the market for art is created, and includes photos and absorbing detail on many of the artworks under discussion. The narrator, Daniel Franks, is an arts journalist who relates the story of avaricious, amoral Lacey Yeager, who is willing to do almost anything to move ahead in the art world. After landing an entry-level job at Sotheby’s, where her stint cataloging dusty works in the basement helps develop her eye for good art, Lacey moves on to working in a gallery, where she makes many important connections among collectors and dealers before opening her own gallery in Chelsea. Along the way, she sleeps with artists, collectors, and, finally, an FBI agent who investigates malfeasance in the art world. This page-turner is likely to make readers feel like they have been given a backstage pass to an elite world few are privileged to observe. HIGH-DEMAND BACKSTORY: The best-selling author draws on his experience as a renowned art collector for this clever, convincingly detailed depiction of NYC’s art scene. --Joanne Wilkinson Views: 62
In a very different world following total financial and social meltdown, it seems that one-to-one relationships between men and women no longer exist. The women are prevented from living in the towns, and are banished and trapped in isolated ghettos, and forced to perform sexual acts in payment for the necessities they need to survive. Caitlyn and a group of other women must escape. Surely there is somewhere they can live without the abuse? But the men of their nearby town will do everything they can to find them and bring them back, and there are other communities where the men are more interested in keeping their women as full-time sex slaves and subjecting them to bondage and pain. Views: 62
SPUD -- he's scatty and accident-prone -- but good with the gadgetsSTAR -- she's super smart and ready to pounce . . .Together they're SPY PUPS, following hot in the paw prints of mum LARA (that's Licensed Assault and Rescue Animal to you).Beaches up and down Britain are in terrible danger. A greedy trickster is polluting the seas -- soon there'll be nowhere safe to swim. But when Spud discovers a mysterious underground secret, only he and Star can save the day -- and the seaside! Views: 62
Walter McCloud is a boy with dreams unlike most. Introduced as a child to the genius of Balanchine and the lyricism of Tchaikovsky, Walter has always aspired to be a dancer. As he grows older, it becomes clear that despite his desire, he lacks the talent, and he faces the painful knowledge that his more gifted friends have already surpassed him.Soon, however, that pain is overshadowed when his older brother, Daniel, finds a strange lump on his neck and Walter realizes that a happy family can change overnight. The year that follows transforms the McClouds, as they try to hold together in the face of the fearful consequences of Daniel's illness, and Walter makes discoveries about himself and his friendships that will change him forever.Decades later, after Walter has left home and returned, he must come to terms with the memories of that year, and grapple once and for all with the challenge of carving out a place for himself in this all-too-familiar... Views: 62
Katie loves Halloween. Everyone is buzzing about the costume contest, the Halloween parade is just around the corner, and a mysterious black kitten has captured Katie's attention. But the busy holiday doesn't stop the magic wind! Join Katie in this Switcheroo Super Special for twice the switcheroos, and find out how she saves the day! Views: 62
