Boogie-Woogie (Hardcover)

by Danny Moynihan (Author) "When Elaine woke she immediately focused on the double row of shoes parked neatly against the wall..." (more)
Key Phrases: Art Spindle, New York, Bob Maclestone (more...)

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly
The hip, trendy New York art scene provides the backdrop for Moynihan's satiric debut novel, a montage-like collection of scenes in which the author tries to mimic structurally the energy of the Mondrian masterpiece that links the fates of his art world characters. Moynihan introduces his wacky crew in rapid-fire succession. At the top of the heap is Art Spindle, a powerful gallery owner who shows the work of established artist Jo Richards and fights to extract money from rich patrons like the elderly Rhinegolds. Lower down on the totem pole are up-and-coming agent Beth Freemantle, who eventually opens her own gallery, and intriguing young artist Elaine Yoon-Jung Yi, a lesbian who seduces and stalks her paramours and then turns her sexual escapades into video pieces. What comes after the introductions is a nonstop series of scenes and snippets from the lives of the various characters, covering deals, conversations and sexual encounters that wander into some kinky terrain. The author, a curator and art dealer, clearly knows the world his characters inhabit, and he sketches some convincing scenes, though his prose is occasionally breathy and awkward. The lack of narrative structure presents some problems in its own rightAthe early chapters of the novel are particularly jarring and scattershot, and the lack of a story line makes the book an uneven read. The result is a novel that works as satire, but fails to quite cohere as fiction. Art world denizens will appreciate the gossipy slant, but the tale has little to offer a more general audience. (Feb.)
Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From The Washington Post
"Danny Moynihan has been having a marvelously grand time biting the hands that feeds him... Boogie-Woogie is a lot of fun."

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 256 pages
• Publisher: Thomas Dunne Books; 1st edition (February 14, 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0312272812
• ISBN-13: 978-0312272814
• Product Dimensions: 8.5 x 5.8 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 15.5 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.6 out of 5 stars See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #1,666,150 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars saddie-waddie, April 30, 2001

By A Customer

This volume has received mostly favorable reviews and has been promoted as an excellent guide to the 90s art scene in New York. Unfortunately, the neurotic fixation of the author on graphic sex detracts from any appreciation of the "art scene". The organization of the book, especially the 3-5 line interspersed episodes, are distracting. It would have been better to have had 4-5 short stories, than snippets interwoven, so that keeping track of all the characters (with similar fixations on sex, rather than art)might be more easily accomplished. Gives the tone of NCY 90s art scene- but not the substance.

5.0 out of 5 stars great book, July 17, 2006

By	Lena Sunnby (østfold, Norway) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This review is from: Boogie-Woogie (Paperback)

This book captured my attention from the first to the last line.
I really love all the characters!

1 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Vapid to the Max., November 10, 2002

By A Customer

This book focuses on the most mindless aspects of the art world--the parties and openings that are the least interesting aspects of the scene. If you read this, don't think you're getting anything but the most obvious and vapid commentary. I was really disappointed by this book.