Every Crooked Pot: A novel [Paperback]

Renee Rosen (Author)

Book Description

Release date: June 26, 2007

In her heart, Nina Goldman knows that beauty is only skin deep.  But as a teenager growing up in Akron, Ohio – with her larger-than-life father Artie, a colorblind carpet salesman and frustrated musician – the only thing Nina wishes for is…to be beautiful.  Or at least normal.  As if having such an eccentric dad wasn’t enough, Nina has another issue to face: the mirror.  Born with a strawberry birthmark over her eye, Nina spends countless hours applying makeup and trying out ridiculous hairstyles designed to hide her eye.  Convinced that her birthmark is the only reason she’s not popular and can’t find a boyfriend, Nina must find other ways to survive high school.  With a string of crazy exploits that have her riding in dryers and appearing on TV, Nina proves she’ll do just about anything to fit in, and even more in the hope of finding love.

Editorial Reviews

From Booklist

*Starred Review* In a debut novel that could easily have been published as an adult memoir, Rosen looks back at the life of Nina Goldman, whose growing up is tied to two pillars: a port-wine stain around her eye and her inimitable father, Artie. The birthmark, she hates; her father, she loves. Both shape her in ways that merit Rosen's minute investigation, which begins with an incident both funny and shocking. Stopped for speeding, her father tells the officer he is rushing young Nina to the hospital and shows him her eye, which looks as though it's hemorrhaging. When the cop leaves, father and daughter take off for the beach. The story highlights how Nina's eye is both liability and excuse, and it reveals the high-wire act that is her father—an emotional man who shapes reality and the people around him. As Nina grows older, readers feel the pain she endures by being physically marked (boys bark at "the dog"). Difficult in different ways is having a father whose love feels like sunshine; withheld, all is dark. There's real power in the writing as well as a subtle message when a grown Nina finds a cache of notes, showing how she clung to her disability, even after treatment. Rosen writes honestly about sex, and there are some raw words, but this story offers hope for teenagers who, as ever, are trying to separate from their perceived flaws, and from their parents. Cooper, Ilene

Review

"Every Crooked Pot is a beautifully nuanced tale about an extraordinary family and even more extraordinary young woman. Not since Myla Goldberg's Bee Season has a first novel so deftly captured the complexities, joys, and frustrations of daughters and their families. It's hard to believe this is a debut - Rosen's voice is already as good as it gets. Keep an eye out for this rising star." - Sara Gruen, New York Times bestselling author of Water for Elephants
 
"Every Crooked Pot is a funny, heartfelt, and beautifully perceptive novel.  In her insightful character study, Renée Rosen takes the reader deep inside the heart and mind of a delightfully real protagonist.  In her spirited portrayal of an ordinary - yet improbable - American family, Rosen illuminates great unspoken truths about young women, about daughters, and about all families." - Adrienne Miller, author of The Coast of Akron
 
 
"It's so tempting to compare Renée Rosen's debut to similar auspicious literary starts - Anna Quindlen's Object Lessons comes to mind - but that would be doing the book a disservice since Every Crooked Pot stands in a class by itself. Populated with vivid characters, at the center of which is resilient heroine Nina Goldman, this bittersweet novel will lift hearts while at the same time making readers wonder, Where has Renée Rosen been hiding all these years?" - Lauren Baratz-Logsted, author of Angel's Choice
 

"Told with wit, wisdom, and characters so realistically drawn that they breathe, this poignant story of angst and redemption will touch the heart of anyone who ever longed to be "normal" enough to be loved." - Sandra Kring, author of The Book of Bright Ideas

"Every Crooked Pot is a work of courage, with a dose of sassy audacity thrown in for good measure. Humiliation, sorrow, tears, humor and candor, this is a novel so full of heart and emotion, it's impossible to detach yourself from it. Renée Rosen is a rare find in today's jungle of women's fiction!" - Carrie Kabak, author of Cover the Butter

"Realistic, sharp and funny, Renée Rosen perfectly captures what it's like to be stuck on the outside longing to get in.  A beautiful, poignant, and impressive debut - I didn't want it to end." - Alyson Noel, author of Laguna Cove

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 227 pages
• Publisher: St. Martin's Griffin (June 26, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0312365438
• ISBN-13: 978-0312365431
• Product Dimensions: 5.5 x 0.6 x 8.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (18 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,305,599 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Renée Rosen is the author of DOLLFACE, A Novel of the Roaring Twenties. DOLLFACE tells the story of a flapper who falls in love with two mobsters from rival gangs during Prohibition Chicago. Coming November 5, 2013 by Penguin/NAL.

She is also the author of EVERY CROOKED POT, a YA novel published by St. Martin's Press.

Renée has contributed to many magazines and newspapers, including Chicago Magazine, The Chicago Tribune, Complete Woman, DAME, Publisher's Weekly and a slew of now sadly defunct publications. She lives in Chicago where she is at work on a new novel also coming from Penguin/NAL in 2014. Visit her at www.reneerosen.com.

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars A WONDERFUL EYE August 8, 2007

By Sachin Waikar

Format:Paperback

Renee Rosen's eye for detail, emotion, and meaning is truly superior. Perhaps that's not surprising, given the centrality of her main character's eye in EVERY CROOKED POT. Growing up with an overwhelming family--larger-than-life dad, pipe-smoking mom, requisite beautiful and self-focused sister, and cypher brother--is hard enough for Nina Goldman as she nears the challenges of junior high and beyond. On top of that, she has an eye condition that's impossible to hide. Rosen's beautiful writing and storytelling allow us to join Nina for most major steps of her journey through life, toward self-acceptance; we watch her grow both physically and emotionally, navigating the dark waters of loneliness, rollercoaster friendships and, of course, love (i.e., boys). With grace, wit, and poignance, Rosen shares Nina's voyage of self-discovery with the reader, proving a simple truth: that which is most personal is most universal. Hope we get to go on many more journeys with this talented writer.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Wow. August 28, 2007

By Lisa McMann, author of the WAKE trilogy

Format:Paperback

I am stunned. I'd read the first chapter on Ms. Rosen's website, and was intrigued by the main character and her unusual father. Reading the rest of the book swept me into a new world that felt so familiar, I could have sworn I knew these people. I was spellbound by the intricate relationship between the main character and her father, who controls the entire family's feelings and sometimes their actions through his own subtle (and sometimes blatant) ways. I loved the honest way the author explored the effects a facial birthmark has on a teenager. I adored the fluid, natural writing style.

Every Crooked Pot is one of the best books of the year.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Wonderful August 27, 2007

By Lesley Kagen

Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase

Rosen has brought to life a family you're sure to fall in love on so many levels. Every Crooked Pot is ripe with poignancy, humor and coming-of-age angst. A terrific read!