A Model Summer [Paperback]

Paulina Porizkova (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: April 8, 2008

<strong>An incisive, beautifully written first novel by a former supermodel that explores the glamorous and gritty world she inhabited</strong><p>Only a handful of women in the world have experienced what Paulina Porizkova has -- being whisked away to model in Paris while still a teenager, reaching the pinnacle of the profession before her schoolmates had even graduated -- and fewer still have the insight to capture it on paper.<p>In her first novel, Paulina tells the story of Jirina. A tall, scrawny fifteen-year-old girl from Sweden, she's much more accustomed to taunts and disdain than admiration and affection, whether from her classmates or her own family. That all changes when her only friend, Hatty, asks to practice her makeup and photography skills on Jirina. Almost before she knows it Jirina is on a plane to Paris, where she will spend the summer in a milieu entirely alien to her. Living at the home of her modeling agency's owner and constantly subjected to blunt physical assessments, catty and often cruel fellow models, and womanizing photographers -- and, miraculously enough, while sometimes feeling truly beautiful -- Jirina embarks on a journey beyond her wildest imaginings. Between photo shoots in Italy and Morocco and parties with models and musicians, Jirina manages to make a few friends, fall in love, and, eventually, feel the very adult pain of betrayal and heartbreak.<p>Told with the grace, simplicity, and accuracy that can only come from real-life experience, <em>A Model Summer</em> is both the debut of a notably talented novelist and an unusually well-informed look behind the scenes at a world many people fantasize about, but few really know.

--This text refers to the Kindle Edition edition.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Set in 1980, this smooth, predictable first novel by model, actress and children's book author Porizkova tells the story of Jirina, who arrives in Paris a beautiful 15-year-old aspiring model. A Swede of Czech background, Jirina escapes teasing classmates when she's discovered and shipped off to a well-known modeling agency. Leaving behind divorced, unsympathetic parents and a beloved little sister, Jirina moves into the apartment of agency head Jean-Claude; his depressed ex-model wife, Marina; their neglected baby daughter; and another Swedish teen model. As household tensions rise, Jirina strikes out on her own, befriending the famous model Evalinda (also from Sweden), a gay makeup artist and a rich, cultured man who worships her—all while nursing a crush on a dashing Australian photographer. Jirina slowly gains confidence; meanwhile, those around her abuse drugs, have abortions, attempt suicide, get gay-bashed and die tragically. Jirina loses her virginity, finds disappointment in love and learns to use sex to forward her career. Her drive is palpable and her voice believable, but Jirina isn't much fun (others, bien sûr, are downright mean), and you can see the plot points coming from way down the runway. Too many loose ends make for an unsatisfying finale. (Apr.)
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

From Booklist

Jirina is a tall, lanky 15-year-old Czechoslovak from Sweden. Teased and taunted for her inability to fit in, Jirina jumps at a chance to model in Paris. However, the idea of being a glamorous model doesn't live up to the reality. Subject to harsh physical scrutiny; smarmy photographers; long, grueling days; and hostile fellow models, Jirina has to grow up fast or go home. And grow up she does--experimenting with alcohol, drugs, and sex, eventually becoming pregnant. A Model Summer is the debut novel by Porizkova, a very famous model herself. But while revealing modeling's dirty secrets, Porizkova loses sight of her narrator, sacrificing Jirina for the expose. Jirina is supposed to be a teenager; her voice is more like that of a 35-year-old. And for a girl who is supposed to be smart--commenting on classical music and existential literature--she questions nothing about what is happening around her. Ultimately, it is a novel full of contradictions that ends without any real closure. Carolyn Kubisz
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 18 and up
  
• Paperback: 336 pages
• Publisher: Hyperion (April 8, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1401309364
• ISBN-13: 978-1401309367
• Product Dimensions: 8 x 5.3 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 7.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (37 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,139,359 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars COMPELLING!!!, April 16, 2007

By 

Tracy W. Rapp - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: A Model Summer (Hardcover)

This is a must read! You cannot put it down! If you have ever wondered what really happens in the modelling world, then you must pick this up! Paulina Porizkova is honest, witty, clever and a compelling storyteller! Great read!

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars I hope you like feeling unfulfilled., July 1, 2007

By 

M. Rhode - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: A Model Summer (Hardcover)

I read an article on Poritzkova a few months ago where she was talking up the release of this book, and I couldn't wait to get my hands on it. So when I saw it on Amazon, I ordered it right away. After finishing it in 2 days, I have to say it was 'candy for the senses'-- and great at that-- but the ending left me with too many questions, and a kind of 'Is this it?!' feeling; so many loose ends. With that said, the writing style was gratefully more than your standard chick lit. However, one can only read about so many alcohol-infused evenings and partner-switches before the book becomes a little boring.

11 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars It's all about the girl, April 14, 2007

By 

NY mystery fan - See all my reviews

This review is from: A Model Summer (Hardcover)

"A Model Summer" follows Jirina, an insecure, vulnerable fifteen-year old thrown into a very adult world that she doesn't know how to handle. And yes, Paulina is a super famous model writing about that world, but there's a lot more to this book.

What I loved were the fast pace - from the moment she gets off the plane in Paris she is thrown into one situation after another, the interesting and well-drawn secondary characters, and above all, Jirina.
Most of us don't become models when we're fifteen or grow up so suddenly, but we remember (or still feel) the alienation, the helplessness of being in love, and the insecurities that Jirina faces.
She's so richly developed as a character that her humiliations and her rare moments of triumph become your own.