Customer Reviews

Little Stalker

5 star:		(14)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(0)
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1 star:		(2)

 

 

I love Jennifer Belle, she's the most stream-of consciousness oriented writer I've read in a long time. She lets her freak flag fly and is proud. Her books are authentic and you can tell they're pretty autobiographically driven, while at the same time being totally fictional. As a writer, she's brave enough to scratch the surface of her own soul to bring her protagonists to life. On the other hand, it doesn't read like an indulgent memoir. She addresses the whole annoying "chick lit" term, suggesting that pigeonholing female writers are going to cause them to start using pen names again. (Interestingly, there's an allusion to Harper Lee in the book.) Interesting to hear her thoughts about it since I always suspected that she sparked the genre (unwittingly) to begin with. And she's freaking funny; I'll start laughing out loud reading this on the subway. Enough accolades?

I stopped reading chick-lit when I realized I could just read the back cover and save myself the trouble. Big-city heroine? Check. Materialistic? Check. Boyfriend trouble? Check. And so on...

Little Stalker is one of the few books I've read this year that truly surprised me. I had to flex that suspension of disbelief muscle, but the heroine is realistic (well, for a New Yorker) and quirky enough to smooth over the fantastical elements. Jennifer Belle's writing is funny and poignant. I wouldn't categorize it at all...just appreciate it!

Everybody's had a crush on an actor or singer, but Rebekah Kettle's is something a little strange.

And that's because "Little Stalker," Jennifer Belle's third novel, is a polished, intricate affair that tackles the concepts of celebrity, fannishness, and how to make your life go back on the rails. No way is this chick-lit -- it's femmelit, with detailed writing, real-life crises, and tongue distinctly in cheek.

Rebekah Kettle was thirteen, and recovering from a bad abortion, when she first saw an Arthur Weeman film. As her family, friends and past pregnancy fell apart around her, she clung to Weeman films as her lifeline.

Twenty years later, Rebekah is single, unhappy, living in an unfurnished apartment, and unable to come up with a second bestseller. And she's still obsessed with Arthur Weeman. When she assists a mildly senile old lady in a swanky apartment, she finds herself hanging out literally across the street from Weeman -- and starts writing him letters. Turns out he has a penchant for Lolitas.

But after an annoying gossip columnist introduces her to a cute -- if overtolerant -- photographer, Rebekah begins to slowly bring her life together, dealing with her parents, her tumor, her bad teen years, and the secret stepfamily she has never known. But will she finally break off her starry-eyed crush on Weeman, and reveal his secret to the world?

Early in "Little Stalker," Belle takes a moment to lambast the whole concept of chick-lit. Which is okay -- "Little Stalker" doesn't qualify, because Rebekah is concerned not with designer shoes, but with a brain tumor, her sad past and a "friend" who doesn't know when to get a "go away" clue. In other words, "Little Stalker" is far more like real life.

But despite the heavy topics, Belle doesn't let the storyline get bogged down. Half of it is funny, quirky and even frothy, but the other half is concerned primarily with the half dozen plot threads that slowly wind together. At times, it feels a bit like a female version of "High Fidelity," only with more life crises, and an ending that manages to be satisfactory, witty and slightly surreal.

And Belle threads a sly commentary through the book, focusing on the folly of celebrity (Rebekah collecting Weeman's movie props), and the irrational crushes that result from it ("I had Arthur Weeman's cold, and that was something").

Rebekah is a thoroughly likable heroine, although at times she seems to be stuck back at age thirteen (seen in her "Dear Awful Writer" letters). She's neurotic, sensitive, strange, awkward and kind of confused, yet she's also endearingly aware of her issues. She's surrounded by an even odder array of characters: her emotionally chilly parents, the quirky Isaac, the deeply annoying Ivy, and an old lady who gives Rebekah an odd, wordless friendship.

Jennifer Belle's femmelit reaches a new high with the charming, quirky tale of a young woman's crush, and how she manages to get her life going forward again. "Little Stalker" is worth tracking down and observing.

I enjoyed this book because I found the journey of the main character to be quite funny, and interesting enough to follow with exciting anticipation. The delivery of the end was a nice touch, which almost seemed formulatic at first, but a little research of the author reveals her source of original content - herself! Perhaps the best of her three novels.

I have been waiting for a new Jennifer Belle book for a while. I was desperate enough to get it, that I bought the hardcover. I don't do it that often!

Rebekah Kettle is a writer living in New York. She is obsessed with Arthur Weeman, who bears a strong resemblance to Woody Allen. She sees every movie of his, the first day it comes out, constantly tracks him in the tabloids, and even buys furniture and props from his films to furnish her near empty apartment. She is beyond a typical fan.

What a lucky break it is for Rebekah, to meet Isaac, a younger Arthur Weeman lookalike, who happens to be a papparazzo! She also begins caring for an older woman with dementia, who lives across the way from Arthur, himself!

Aside from stalking Arthur, she finds time to date a little, work for her dad in a doctor's office, and watch too many episodes of Little House on the Prairie. It's safe to say that there is not a lot going on in Rebekah's life. But, this doesn't matter. The creativity of this author fills in the missing pieces.

Though I would have to say that Going Down is my favorite book to date, Jennifer Belle keeps readers entertained with her strange sense of humor, and caused me to laugh out loud several times. Also, I made a habit of calling friends just to quote from the book. The first 150 pages were a bit better than the rest of the book, but the author is so imaginative, that I had to keep reading just to see what was going to happen.

This book was extremely funny and well written, and best of all a very clever and complex story. If you liked her other books you will not be disappointed in the slightest. If you haven't read any of her other books, buy it, read it, and then read Going Down and High Maintenance. Like the heroine's book, it would be an insult to call "Little Stalker" chick lit; it is so much more than that.

Ms. Belle, if you're reading this, please don't wait another 6 years to publish another novel. I read this one as slowly as I could to make it last but only made it 4 days.

Jennifer Belle's fiction is fascinating. I enjoyed this book and although I am certain Ms Belle spent a great amount of time writing her novel, I couldn't put the book down and finished Little Stalker in 2 days.

I have waited years for Jennifer Belle to pen a new novel. So needless to say that when I heard she was writing her third novel 'LITTLE STALKER' I was very excited. A few years ago, I'd read and loved her second novel 'HIGH MAINTENANCE', so much so that after reading it I rushed out to get her debut 'GOING DOWN' which although it possessed the same dark humor didn't grab me like the former.

Therefore I was anxious to see if her third novel was going to live up to the standards of 'HIGH MAINTENACE' or be a bit of a let down like 'GOING DOWN'. Now after having read Belle's newest book I am happy to say that it is everything I hope for it to be and more.

Jennifer Belle's dark humor works extremely well here and had me laughing out loud several times before I even hit page 50! If you have never read any of Belle's work I definitely suggest you pick up either 'LITTLE STALKER' or 'HIGH MAINTENANCE' ASAP, I promise you will be in for a reading experience like no other!

Its another one of her books i cant put down...but like so much, im prolonging the last few pages cause i dont want it to end!!
Thank you Jennifer for making me laugh out loud! I read this in bed while recovering from having my wisdom teeth pulled, the part about the "Grolsh" nearly made me split my stitches! :P

Read slowly, closely and carefully for if you don't you will miss the brilliant one liners and insipid tartness of Jennifer Belle. She is so smart, although at times quirky, her wit makes up for anything that may be lacking in plot. To keep this kind of dialogue going you have to have such a sharp mind. This book is deserves to become a screenplay. I say treat yourself and read Jennifer Belle. She is reminiscent of the Woody Allen we used to love...the one who brought us Annie Hall and Hannah and Her Sisters.