Grub [Hardcover]

Elise Blackwell (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 1, 2007

Eddie Renfros, on the brink of failure after his critically acclaimed first book, wants only to publish another novel and hang onto his beautiful wife, Amanda, who has her own literary ambitions and a bit of a roving eye. Among their circle are writers of every stripe-from the Machiavellian Jackson Miller to the 'experimental writer' Henry who lives in squalor while seeking the perfect sentence. Amid an asortment of schemeing agents, editors, and hangers-on, each writer must negotiate the often competing demands of success and integrity, all the while grappling with their inner demons and the stabs of professional and personal jealousy. The question that nags at them is this: What is it to write a novel in the twenty-first century?

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Three no-longer-so-young irony boys and their put-upon wives and girlfriends write, drink, pace the streets of contemporary New York City and occasionally manage to publish a novel or two in this biting remake of George Gissing's 1891 novel New Grub Street. Writer Jackson Miller is willing to give the masses what they want, so long as his star rises. Eddie Renfros, his best friend, is dejected, determined to hold onto both his literary ideals and his increasingly wandering wife, Amanda, who, like Jackson, is bent on worldly success. Henry Baffler is an ascetic devoted only to his craft; and Margot Yarborough is the stern, self-reliant daughter of an aging, cruel literary critic, painstakingly making her way through a novel about lepers in Louisiana. By novel's end, Amanda, Margot and Jackson are all treated to a meal (or several) at Grub, the restaurant favored by the literary elite they long to join, but the costs are many. The author of The Unnatural History of Cypress Parish and Hunger, Blackwell offers a sharp take on the market-driven foibles of fiction and publishing. The milieu is familiar; the characters' grasping behaviors blur and strain credibility. Caricature, however, is the point here: Blackwell nails the contemporary forms taken by some very old ambitions. (Sept.)
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From Booklist

In Hunger (2003) and The Unnatural History of Cypress Parish (2007), Blackwell has proven herself to be an especially thoughtful writer. Here she skewers the publishing world with an insider's perspective. Updating George Gissing's New Grub Street, a satire of the Victorian literary marketplace, Grub features a cast of struggling young writers: anxious Eddie Renfros, who peaked early and whose creativity has been sapped by his efforts to match the success of his debut; his wife, ambitious Amanda, who is tired of supporting Eddie and who has literary talent of her own, as well as a gift for self-promotion; hustler Jackson Miller, whose single-minded goal is to spur a bidding war for his manuscript; sweet Marguerite Yarborough, a true talent who is overshadowed by her father, a once famous critic; and poverty-stricken Henry, fanatically devoted to experimental fiction. The young writers meet with wildly varying fortunes that have nothing to do with their talent and everything to do with marketing. Blackwell keeps the plot churning and the mood light, but there is a disheartening undertone throughout. A cautionary tale for aspiring writers. Wilkinson, Joanne

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 355 pages
• Publisher: The Toby Press; First Edition edition (September 1, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1592641997
• ISBN-13: 978-1592641994
• Product Dimensions: 8.8 x 6.1 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 7.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (12 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,167,395 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Elise Blackwell is the author of three critically hailed novels: Hunger, The Unnatural History of Cypress Parish, and Grub. Her books have been chosen for numerous "best of the year" lists, including the Los Angeles Times, Sydney Morning Herald, and Kirkus. Her short stories and cultural criticism have appeared in Witness, Topic, Seed, Global City Review, Quick Fiction, and elsewhere. Her fourth novel, An Unfinished Score, will be published by Unbridled Books in spring 2010. For more information about Elise and her books, please visit her website: http://eliseblackwell.com/

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars "If I had to choose between literary reputation and contemptible popularity, I think I might take the bestseller.", September 28, 2007

By 

Mary Whipple (New England) - See all my reviews
(COMMUNITY FORUM 04)    (TOP 100 REVIEWER)    (HALL OF FAME REVIEWER)   

This review is from: Grub (Hardcover)

(4.5 stars) Casting a satiric eye on the publishing business, author Elise Blackwell shows the agonies and excitements of several young authors as each tries to find the magic formula for getting a book published, publicized, and sold to the public. Most have been successful with a first novel--at least to the extent that it has been published--and all now have second novels which they are trying to "place" with a publisher. Trying to support themselves with contributions to small literary journals while looking for the "right" connection for their next novel, they must negotiate literary minefields filled with agents, editors, publicists, manuscript "fixers," and influential bookstore chains, all of which affect their sense of mission and, ultimately, their self-worth.

Following Jackson Miller, Eddie Renfros and his wife Amanda, and Henry Baffler, all long-time friends, the novel also includes their lovers--writers all, though some of them write secretly. As they share their successes and failures, the writers' attitudes toward writing and their craft become obvious. Jackson has decided on the "commercial" route, stating that "If I had it in me, I'd write the trashiest of trashy novels...I'd sign my name proudly." Eddie Renfros wants to be true to his craft, having written a "literary" novel in which "there's a plane crash, death, adultery, bribery, surgery on a child's ear, a world premiere, a drunken cellist, and a beautiful shameless slut of a violin player."

Eddie's wife Amanda, tired of supporting her husband, soon begins to write secretly herself--under two names. "Clarice Aames" is the author of popular short stories which quickly find an audience in journals, while "Amanda Yule" (her maiden name) is working on a pop novel, "not too weird, historical, pretty, and--this was key--full of sexual possibility." Henry Baffler, a believer in the New Realism, which he has not completely defined, has written a plotless book. "If it's a book you really want to write," he asks, "does it matter if anyone wants to read it?"

As the reader becomes engaged in following the various characters and the wonderful cast of supporting characters, Blackwell vibrantly (and mordantly) depicts the inherent conflicts between artistic success and commercial viability. Her characters are not fully developed, since her intention is to show them primarily as writers, and her depiction of their lives shows the artistic commitment of some, the naivete of others, and the crass commercialism of still others.

Though Blackwell has based this novel on George Gissing's 1891 novel New Grub Street, her lively prose, contemporary characters, and modern conflicts show how little life has changed for the writer. Delightful, thought-provoking, and full of rapier-sharp insights into the tenuous connections between writing and publishing, the novel is assured, perceptive, and often hilarious. The glimpses Blackwell provides of the strange, literary world she inhabits are unforgettable. n Mary Whipple

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great Read, July 22, 2008

By 

perfectourchemistry (Maryland) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Grub (Hardcover)

I really enjoyed this book. I often find it confusing to read novels with multiple POVs, but Blackwell did a marvelous job of juggling the many perspectives. After reading one too many awful novels, I'd lost interest in fiction. This was the first novel I'd read in months, and I just ate it up! Even though I know very little about the world of publishing, I still found the characters hilarious and honest.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Clever comedy of errors with wry undertones, July 16, 2008

By 

M. Redic "lunarwoozle" (San Francisco, CA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Grub (Hardcover)

A great find and well worth picking up. Reading this book was like hanging out with a whole new group of friends, and the insights on the writer's world were spot-on. An engaging and delightful read, all the more so because it is written with such compassionate intelligence.
Highly recommended.