Lulu Meets God and Doubts Him (Hardcover)

~ (Author) "The auction startsLadies and Gentlemen, we begin this evening's sale of postwar and contemporary art with lot number 1, blah, blah, blahand I hold myself..." (more)
Key Phrases: orange sneakers, gallery girl, art adviser, Dane O'Neill, Martin Better, Jeffrey Finelli (more...)

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

In this enjoyably tart art world sendup, winsome, aperçu-spouting Mia McMurray (think Party Girl–era Parker Posey) is a gallerista—one of the invariably decorative young women who act as a gallery's de facto concierge, and "who is always, always watching," as Mia herself puts it. A mysterious portrait by the recently late Jeffrey Finelli (killed by an errant cab in front of Mia's Simon Pryce gallery) gives the novel its winningly clumsy title and sets up its main conflict, between grasping art collectors and representatives of Finelli's estate. Former Mademoiselle and Woman's Day editor Ganek, herself a significant art collector, offers sharply drawn characters and convincingly savvy details. That the book's most important female collector is presented as a loudmouthed and overdressed refugee from Absolutely Fabulous gives a sense of its waspish humor. But Ganek stops short of crude caricature, and Ganek's portraits of the variously sneaky, ridiculous and pretentious art world denizens are tinged with affection and depth. The tone is sophisticated chick lit, and there's a sweet love story threaded in, but what most clearly animates this debut, and sets it apart, is a real sense that art matters. (June)
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

From Booklist

Mia McMurray, assistant to Simon Pryce, a medium-level art dealer, ushers readers into the Soho gallery scene as they launch a show by Jeffrey Finelli, who is unknown but extremely talented. His major piece provides the novel's title. On opening night, Finelli is hit by a taxi and dies. Demand for his pieces skyrockets, and niece Lulu becomes part of a world she never wanted to know. Ganek portrays hangers-on, wannabes, nouveau riche, powerhouse dealers, poseurs, and artists. As for Mia, a blocked painter, she wishes the shows were hers, and her accurate though cynical observations reflect both her dissatisfaction and her intellectual acuity. Lulu becomes the darling, finding her place in this crazy scene. Mia, despite the lies and backbiting, not only survives but also finds a new path. Former Woman's Day editor and art collector Ganek has written a debut that reads like an amusing fairy tale as it offers a view into a world few readers are likely to have experienced. Danise Hoover
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 288 pages
• Publisher: Viking Adult (May 31, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0670038660
• ISBN-13: 978-0670038664
• Product Dimensions: 8.3 x 5.8 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 14.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (38 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #513,581 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

23 of 24 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars It Starts Out Well, June 7, 2007

By	UES - See all my reviews

You don't need to be a collector, or even interested in contemporary art, to enjoy the first half of "Lulu Meets God and Doubts Him." Ganek writes entertainingly about a world she knows well, where tycoons spend millions and "art is the new cocaine."

But something happens to the novel around the middle. The story becomes a chiché, and the "surprise" manages to be both predictable and, in the way it is revealed, absurd. It's almost as if a different, and lesser, writer had penned the second half of the novel, or as if Ganek had given up and decided to get it over with quickly. It's a shame, because this could have been a good novel.

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A light, enjoyable yarn, November 13, 2007

By	Bookphile (USA) - See all my reviews (TOP 1000 REVIEWER)

What I most liked about this book was how very easily I could relate to Mia. I was initially reluctant to read it after reading many rave reviews that highlighted the novel's peek into the New York art scene. I was afraid of being trapped in yet another pretentious, boring novel about unlikable characters. I was very happy to find that this is not the case with this novel. Mia is refreshingly awkward in the world in which she lives and Ganek vividly portrays her heroine's feelings of being an outside who somehow managed to make it through the door. Mia is self-effacing and honest and doesn't try to gloss over her shortcomings. I especially liked how she never tried to sugar coat her jealousy with respect to Lulu. Who hasn't sometimes felt jealous of the good fortunes of a close friend? Mia harbors Lulu no ill will but she's not above a bought of self pity every now and then when she compares her life to her friend's.

While the insider's perspective of the art world is interesting, it is not the central focus of the novel, as many reviews would lead one to believe. The novel is really about people--Mia especially--and their simple pettiness, their generosity, the goodness, and their regrets. Though some of the characters are flamboyant, they all seem real and approachable. They have conversations that sound genuinely like conversations that real people might have. The absurdities of the super rich are certainly on display in the novel but, unlike similar novels (The Right Address in particular comes to mind), these characters are what they are. Ganek presents them as people rather than as ciphers and that is refreshing.

Perhaps the most enjoyable aspect of this novel is the pure love for art that Mia possesses. While others snap up paintings to win bragging rights or because it's the trendy thing to do, Mia loves the art for the pure joy of its expression. This is the real irony of the book, that those who actually appreciate the art are the ones who could never hope to own it.

5 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Fun escape, July 6, 2007

By	C. Clark (Boston, MA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

I went through a phase of heavy political novels, and Lulu was a serious breath of fresh air. A big part of the fun is the dish on the gallery world of New York City. Sadly, the protagonist is underdeveloped and plot vapid...but I think that's what I signed up for. If you're looking for a relaxing peek into the gallery world and you're not expecting a literary masterpiece, I think, like me, you will enjoy Lulu.