If Andy Warhol Had a Girlfriend [Bargain Price] [Paperback]

Alison Pace (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: February 1, 2005

Initially, gallery manager Jane Laine isn?t very impressed with ?it? artist Ian Rhys-Fitzsimmons. Which could be kind of a problem, since she?s the one who has to accompany him on a five-month international art fair tour. To get through it all, Jane figures she?ll be a good sport and keep her critiques to herself. She?s preoccupied enough with mending her own broken heart, re-thinking her career path, and dealing with her Schnauzer-obsessed family. But now, traveling with this alleged genius from London to Rome and beyond, she starts to understand the connection between art and love?and the fact that in both, perspective is everything.

--This text refers to an alternate Paperback edition.

Editorial Reviews

From Booklist

Art-gallery assistant Jane Laine, recuperating after a failed love affair, really hates her odious martinet of a boss. So she is ready to go when famed sculptor Ian Rhys--Fitzsimmons conceives a project that will take him on a six-month tour. Assigned to accompany him and take care of gallery business, Jane becomes good friends with Ian, but continues to look for love in all the wrong places. This very Bridget Jones's Diary-like chick-lit novel turns laugh-out-loud funny when Jane's parents and their schnauzers are on the scene, especially during a Christmas dinner in Santa Fe during which schnauzer Elijah is the object of a bizarre ritual called "Pass the Schnauzer." Ian is an endearing character, kind and thoughtful in spite of his renown, and he is not even taken aback when Jane's aunt suggests he convert to the Lutheran faith and take up accounting. Andy Warhol quotes at the beginning of each chapter add to the alluring art-world ambience of Pace's novel. Diana Tixier Herald
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved --This text refers to an alternate Paperback edition.

Review

"A funny, feel-good fairy tale set improbably in the high-powered international art world." -- Pam Houston, author of Cowboys Are My Weakness and Sighthound

"A funny, snappy, beauty of a read – I loved it!" -- Sarah Mlynowski, author of Milkrun and Bras and Broomsticks

"This book is GENIUS! I stayed up all night laughing hyena-style." -- Jill Kargman, co-author of The Right Address --This text refers to an alternate Paperback edition.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 304 pages
• ISBN-10: 0425200248
• ASIN: B000BNPGCS
• Product Dimensions: 7.9 x 5 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 7.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (32 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #592,516 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Hi. I'm the author of the novels IF ANDY WARHOL HAD A GIRLFRIEND, PUG HILL, THROUGH THICK AND THIN, CITY DOG and A PUG'S TALE. My second novel, PUG HILL, was just released in mass-market paperback and my next book, a collection of essays titled YOU TELL YOUR DOG FIRST, is set for publication in November 2012. I live in New York City where I teach creative writing (and I'm working on another book.)

For some more about me and my writing, please visit my website at www.alisonpace.com, follow me on twitter @alisonpace, and say hi on facebook.com/alisonpacebooks. If you'd like a signed bookplate for one of my books, please just send a note to alison[at]alisonpace.com with address and inscription instructions, and into the mail it will go...

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

13 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Sweet, endearing story, March 16, 2005

By 

Bearette24 (New York, NY) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: If Andy Warhol Had a Girlfriend (Paperback)

Other than a cliched boy-meets-girl, boy-cheats-on-girl beginning, this book has very few flaws. It has a somewhat slow pace that is relaxing, and folds you into the world of the book.

Each chapter starts with a fun Andy Warhol quote, and each chapter contains an interesting idea. In fact, the chapters could almost stand on their own as short stories.

Jane Laine, the main character, is smart, funny and a little uncertain of herself, while Ian Rhys-Fitzsimmons is a kind artist who doesn't let his celebrity inflate his ego. Jane Laine's boss, Dick Reese, steals many scenes as the jerk we've all worked for or worked with. Jane's mother's obsession with her schnauzers is funny.

I read in one of the other reviews that this book leaves a smile on your face, and it's true; it does.

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An Excellent, Quietly Brilliant Read, February 6, 2005

By 

Rian Montgomery "Rian Montgomery" (Tulsa, Oklahoma, USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: If Andy Warhol Had a Girlfriend (Paperback)

Don't you love when a book leaves you smiling at the end? I can't say every book does that to me - in fact, very few do - but this novel certainly did. It turned out to be one of the sort that somehow gets under your skin and makes you think for days after reading it.

Meet Jane Laine. She works for the prominent Dick Reese gallery in New York City. At the beginning of our story she has just been dumped unceremoniously by her boyfriend Jack. She enjoys her artsy job, although Dick Reese, the gallery owner, is a complete tyrant, and at least one of her coworkers is catty and annoying. Jane holds a Master's degree in Art and usually is really good at figuring out the meaning behind each artist's piece. That is, until she comes across Ian Rhys-Fitzsimmons. Ian is known as a genius, and his work is highly regarded throughout the art world. When Jane's boss drops the bomb on her that she has to accompany Ian on a five month international art fair tour, Jane is disappointed. How is she going to promote an artist's work she doesn't even "get"? And why now, when she is trying to get her love life started back up?

Thus begins Ian and Jane's tour, which starts in England and continues on through Rome, Chicago, and many other places. Through their time spent, Jane begins to slowly learn just what it is about Ian's work that is so popular. And she begins to wonder if maybe she had someone great in front of her the whole time, but just didn't know it...

This book was a very satisfying read. It's a little difficult to pinpoint exactly what it was about this book that I liked so much. Jane as a main character was great - intelligent, down-to-earth, and funny. Ian was a great supporting character - he was very smart, polite, funny, interesting and a bit eccentric. Jane goes through the typical ups and downs of dating while trying to juggle her career and personal life. The book's plot moves smoothly and doesn't waver. If Andy Warhol Had a Girlfriend simmers with a quiet brilliance and polish that will stay in a reader's mind for days.

Overall, I definitely recommend this novel to all readers who enjoy a superb, feel-good yet realistic book.

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Loved it!, January 29, 2005

By 

Sami Raynor "Sami" (Tampa, Florida) - See all my reviews

This review is from: If Andy Warhol Had a Girlfriend (Paperback)

This is one of those fantastic books that you can't put down once you start reading. If you're a fan of dogs, art, or love (and, come on, who isn't?) then you're going to adore ANDY WARHOL. Everything about this novel is fantastic. The pacing is awesome, the setting is divine (you get a world-class tour of Europe and the US), and the characters are unique and loveable. Can't wait to see what she comes up with next!