Dreaming of Gwen Stefani [Paperback]

Evan Mandery (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: January 20, 2007

Dreaming of Gwen Stefani is a quirky and compelling riff on the nature of romantic obsession, celebrity worship, free will versus determinism and the Joys of Papaya King Hot dogs.--Jay McInerney

Mortimer Taylor Coleridge is a unique man. With a mind of rare mathematical precision, he is obsessed with imposing order upon the chaos of every day life. A once brilliant student of evolutionary biology at Columbia University, he has turned his back on a promising academic career to devote his life to selling hot dogs at Papaya Queen. And Mortimer has used his keen intellect to become the quickest and most efficient of hot dog men, devising a numerical-based system to sell hot dogs which maximizes both time and effort.

One day while watching TV, Mortimer comes upon VH1, and his life is instantly transformed. While watching Behind the Music: No Doubt, he decides that he and Gwen Stefani are soul mates, destined to be together. When Mortimer discovers that her favorite food is a Papaya Queen hot dog, he dedicates his life to preparing for the day, which he knows will come, when Gwen Stefani will walk into the Papaya Queen where he works, order a frankfurter and fall in love with him.

In the comic tradition of writers such as Carl Hiaasen and Lydia Millet, Dreaming of Gwen Stefani takes our culture’s obsession with celebrity to its logical—or illogical—conclusion.

Editorial Reviews

From Booklist

Mortimer Taylor Coleridge used to study evolutionary biology at Columbia. Now he is a dedicated employee of Papaya Queen hot dogs. Master of the bun flip and speedy with the condiments, Coleridge feels he has elevated his job to an art form. Then he stumbles on the episode of TV's Behind the Music featuring Gwen Stefani, and his life is never the same. He buys No Doubt's entire catalog of CDs, jettisons his longtime girlfriend, and undertakes a strenuous fitness regime. He is preparing himself for the day when the glamorous star, who has declared hot dogs as her favorite food, will come strolling into his establishment. Mandery's offbeat debut novel contains a long history of the popularity of the hot dog as well as an in-depth and often absurd parsing of Stefani's lyrics. But Mandery's droll send-up of celebrity worship is more odd than effective since his deadpan reciting of every single detail of Stefani's life is not quite as humorous as he intends. Still, this may appeal to pop-culture junkies looking for a quick read. Joanne Wilkinson
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

About the Author

Evan Mandery is a graduate of Harvard College and Harvard Law School. He has published two works of non-fiction including Eyes on City Hall (Westview Press), a comical chronicle of his experience working on a doomed mayoral campaign. Dreaming of Gwen Stefani is his first novel.

Product Details

• Paperback: 192 pages
• Publisher: Ig Publishing (January 20, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0977197263
• ISBN-13: 978-0977197262
• Product Dimensions: 7.9 x 5.6 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 7.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (19 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,388,854 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Evan Mandery was born in Brooklyn, New York and raised in East Meadow, Long Island. He is the author of three novels: Dreaming of Gwen Stefani, First Contact (Or It's Later Than You Think), and, most recently, Q. He has also written two works of non-fiction: The Campaign, a memoir of the 1997 New York City mayoral campaign, and Capital Punishment, an introduction to the major debates on the death penalty. He is currently writing a history of two senminal Supreme Court death penalty cases from the 1970s, which will be published late next year by Delphinium Books. Evan is a professor at the City University of New York, and an avid poker player and golfer. He lives in Forest Hills, New York, with his wife, Valli Rajah-Mandery, a sociologist, and their three children.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars You don't have to like Stefani to love this book, February 7, 2007

By 

Kevin Low "hiphopbjj" - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Dreaming of Gwen Stefani (Paperback)

Mandery's writing style makes for a quick and entertaining read. The pop culture references and dead pan delivery are reminiscent of Chuck Klosterman and the Family Guy's Seth Macfarlane. I am not a particularly big fan of Stefani or No Doubt but enjoyed the Behind the Music-esque background stories and asides. Mandery uses Coleridge as a spigot for rantings on a myriad topics from hot dogs toppings to evolutionary biology. At times the plot becomes secondary to the narrative but is never overwhelming. I would recommend this book to anyone who is looking for something different and funny.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Genetics, Hot Dogs and Pop. Oh My!, February 8, 2007

By 

Sean Ferrell (NYC) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Dreaming of Gwen Stefani (Paperback)

Mandery's novel is a smart and funny deconstruction of our pop-obsessed culture. With a Vonnegut-esque eye for the absurd in our daily lives he points out how pop culture fails to fill the gaps in our inner lives, and its virus-like quality (once infected by an obsession we begin to see everything through a certain lense, and become self-blind, losing any perspective). And while it does use the history of the hot dog, evolution, and No Doubt to make its point, the asides on these topics are not merely for show--they are the lens through which the main character, an emotionally myopic college drop-out, views the world. For this reason I whole-heartedly disagree with the Booklist review which stated "But Mandery's droll send-up of celebrity worship is more odd than effective since his deadpan reciting of every single detail of Stefani's life is not quite as humorous as he intends. Still, this may appeal to pop-culture junkies looking for a quick read." Mandery's use of No Doubt's history and lyrics are not there for comedic relief; they are there because the main character (also the narrator, who's pushed himself into a 3rd person perspective) finds them important in his attempt to reclaim a place in the world which isn't dictated by simple biological needs. Not everything here is for laughs. And that's what makes it so strong a novel.

Well worth reading.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Good Laugh Along With Some Thought-Provoking Themes., February 3, 2007

By 

Glen M. Bianchi (Ho Ho Kus, NJ) - See all my reviews
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Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Dreaming of Gwen Stefani (Paperback)

Mandery serves up a hilarious little gem told through the eyes of his uniquely oddball protagonist, Mortimer Coleridge. Interspersed with witty, entertaining asides on topics ranging from the history of hot dogs and ska music to more earnestly thoughtful takes on evolutionary biology, Mandery uses Coleridge's journey as a comic vehicle to ask deeper questions about the nature of free will. This is a fun, quick read, with Mandery's clever sense of humor in evidence on nearly every page. He leaves you laughing while stimulating your mind.