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Good Girls Gone Bad [Hardcover]

Jillian Medoff (Author)
4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (19 customer reviews)


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Book Description

October 1, 2002

In her eagerly awaited second novel, critically acclaimed author Jillian Medoff demonstrates once again her unique ability to tell an utterly original story. A hilarious tale of revenge and redemption, Good Girls Gone Bad celebrates the indomitable strength and ingenuity of the female spirit.

Janey Fabre knows she isn't exactly the average thirty-something woman. After all, she has found herself stalking her ex-boyfriend on more than one occasion. But when she joins group therapy, she is convinced that the other women she meets are ten times loopier than she is. Suzanna aka "The Dream Weaver" prefers the company of her dog to human beings, Laura is a record-breaking gold medalist in the one-night-stand Olympics, and Bethany, a forty-year-old divorcee, still lives with her mother and shares her toe rings. Not to mention Valentine, a painfully shy beauty who binges on Dove Bars; Ivy, a sweet-talking southern belle who binges on Botox; and Natasha, who wears a face mask to protect herself against unseen airborne pathogens.

Over time, however, Janey and the girls learn to trust one other, so much so that the outrageous scheme they concoct for asserting themselves actually begins to make sense. And suddenly they're embroiled in a reckless and exhilarating misadventure that wreaks havoc on their lives but ultimately illuminates for them the power of loyalty and the true meaning of friendship.

As fiercely intelligent as it is laugh-out-loud funny, Good Girls Gone Bad showcases Jillian Medoff's dazzling and distinctive voice, and clearly establishes her as a writer of rare and remarkable gifts.


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Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Medoff's debut novel, the well-received Hunger Point, leavened the serious topic of eating disorders with a healthy dose of wry humor. In her sophomore effort Medoff takes aim at therapy, female bonding, low self-esteem and revenge with mixed results. Janey Fabre joins group therapy when she admits to herself that obsessing about (and semi-stalking) a man who dated and dumped her might not be entirely healthy. An actuary, the 30-something Janey also spends her time composing highly methodical lists of ways to commit suicide, and despairs of ever being married or having children. The six other women in the group represent a grab-bag of recognizable psychological profiles: bossy Laura sleeps around, overweight Valentine can't stop eating, nervous Natasha fears germs, Ivy is a plastic surgery junkie, Bethany still lives with her mother, and Suzanna is more connected to her dog than to other people. What they all have in common is low self-esteem as well as a seemingly pathological distrust of men, even though they complain incessantly about not meeting Mr. Right. Rather formulaically, Medoff tracks the members of the "pussy posse" as they learn to stand up for themselves. The plot takes an unexpected twist, however, when a plan to get revenge on Janey's ex turns violent, but all is cozily resolved in the end. The metaphorical use of actuarial probability (a la John Lanchester's Mr. Phillips) is clever, but the psychological insights, such as they are ("maybe it's never been them... maybe it's us") are less than revelatory. Still, readers in thrall to the current crop of light gal-power lit may find some kick to the antics on display here.
Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

From Library Journal

Janey Fabre, a thirtysomething actuary, can't get over her ex-boyfriend, Tobias Teague, who had a fiancee the whole time they were dating. Unable to deal with her obsession alone, Janey joins a therapy group and finds six other equally neurotic women. Eventually, Janey learns to trust the group members and explore her feelings about her mom's death, her emotionally unavailable father, and Oberjerk Tobias. But when the women decide to assert themselves by getting revenge on the man who did Janey wrong, their plan goes miserably awry, and Janey is left feeling betrayed and wondering whether even these women whom she loves so dearly are truly her friends. But she comes out of it all a stronger woman. Chick lit fans will enjoy this well-written look at what happens when group therapy members bond a little too well. Medoff's second novel (after Hunger Point) is recommended for all collections of contemporary women's fiction.
Karen Core, Enoch Pratt Free Lib., Baltimore
Copyright 2002 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Product Details

  • Hardcover: 304 pages
  • Publisher: William Morrow; 1st edition (October 1, 2002)
  • Language: English
  • ISBN-10: 0066212693
  • ISBN-13: 978-0066212692
  • Product Dimensions: 9 x 6.3 x 1.1 inches
  • Shipping Weight: 1.3 pounds
  • Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (19 customer reviews)
  • Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,410,072 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Jillian Medoff's bitterly funny, shocking new novel, I Couldn't Love You More, will be available from Grand Central Publishing in May, 2012. She is the acclaimed author of Hunger Point and Good Girls Gone Bad, both of which received surprisingly great reviews (surprising to her). A huge seller in the US, Hunger Point was the basis for the Lifetime movie starring Barbara Hershey and Christina Hendricks ("Mad Men"). Although Jillian is proud of Hunger Point, had anyone asked, she would not have selected such a bright pink (any pink, frankly) for the trade paperback edition. Her books have been translated into many different languages, including French, Spanish, Hebrew, Turkish, Hungarian, Japanese, Polish, and German, but her big wish is for an edition in Tagalog.

The eldest daughter of a traveling salesman, Jillian moved 17 times by age 17, ultimately ending up in Atlanta, where her new novel is set. She has a BA from Barnard and an MFA from NYU, and is grateful for having studied with such luminary writers as Mona Simpson, Jonathan Dee, Robert Coover, and Alice Walker. She also attended Master Classes with Toni Morrison, Joyce Carol Oates, and Grace Paley. Although each author continues to influence her work in powerful and diverse ways, she suspects few of them, if any, remember her. A former fellow at the MacDowell Colony, Blue Mountain Center, VCCA and Fundacion Valparaiso in Spain, Jillian taught at NYU and the University of Georgia, but for only, like, five minutes.

You can read more about her books at www.jillianmedoff.com. She currently lives in New York with her family, and has no plans to move anytime soon.

 

Customer Reviews

19 Reviews
5 star:
 (9)
4 star:
 (5)
3 star:
 (4)
2 star:
 (1)
1 star:    (0)
 
 
 
 
 
Average Customer Review
4.2 out of 5 stars (19 customer reviews)
 
 
 
 
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars This Book will Haunt and Delight You--Must Read It, October 3, 2002
By A Customer
This review is from: Good Girls Gone Bad (Hardcover)
Good Girls Gone Bad is a wonderful, wholly original, delightfully rendered novel. It's characters, especially Janey, are all parts of ourselves--gone to an extreme that puts us in touch with our deepest fears and desires. Not only are we all Janey, but we are every woman in this book. And we are also Tobias, who surprisingly does not turn out to be just an enemy, but becomes a full character through the course of this novel. The sharp humor, dazzling prose, and gripping plot all underscore the psychological depths this book explores. It is engrossing, engaging and absolutely unique. I laughed, cried, and was truly affected by Good Girls Gone Bad.
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4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars Darkly hilarious!, January 6, 2003
This review is from: Good Girls Gone Bad (Hardcover)
What a clever read! Medoff leads the reader toward one direction and then the course of the story changes dramatically. Good Girls Gone Bad is a dark comedy that is to be relished from cover to cover!

Janey Fabre suspects that she isn't quite normal. After all, she's stalked her ex-boyfriend for two years and is tormented with a painful past. But when she joins a support group that consists of female patients, she is comforted with the fact that there are far more neurotic New York women out there. The women in the group are all middle-aged single women. There's Suzanna -- a.k.a., the Dream Weaver -- a woman in love with her dog; Laura, a one-night stand enthusiast; Bethany, a forty-year-old divorcee who now lives with her mother. And there are the neurotics-bordering-to-insanity -- like Ivy, a sexy southerner who thinks that getting plastic surgery is like brushing her teeth; Valentine, an attractive overweight woman who overeats when she's anxious; and Natasha, who is preoccupied with contamination and diseases. Each of one of these ladies supplies laugh-out-loud situations.

Despite the dark language in the novel, Good Girls Gone Bad is a tale of friendship and sisterhood. The women, namely the protagonist, face events that change their lives. I loved this novel and I look forward to reading more books by this talented author.

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3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars So Funny !!, February 8, 2003
This review is from: Good Girls Gone Bad (Hardcover)
Who would have thought that a book about group therapy could be so funny? This book is hilarious! I have caught myself laughing out loud many times, (and that can be really embarrassing while in public!) and I can't help thinking that this book would make a fantastic movie. It's that funny. The women in this book all have major physcological problems, but when they team up they don't seem so crazy. Together these women go on a revenge rampage getting even with anyone and everyone who ever wronged them.Makes me want to join group therapy myself!I loved it and will definitly look forward to more book by Jilliam Medoff.
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Inside This Book (learn more)
First Sentence:
We met in Group, the girls and I. Read the first page
Key Phrases - Statistically Improbable Phrases (SIPs): (learn more)
love red hair, coffee rings
Key Phrases - Capitalized Phrases (CAPs): (learn more)
Aunt Honey, New York, Municipal Life, Lynden Falls, Janey Fabre, Dream Weaver, Twenty-third Street, Bank Street, Kathryn Falco, Sheridan Square, Tobias Teague, Lawrence Hilton, Ole Miss, Shepherd Center, Bagel Land, Debby Dupont, Blue Cross, John Doe, Sherilyn Andrews
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