Perfectly Plum: Unauthorized Essays On the Life, Loves And Other Disasters of Stephanie Plum, Trenton Bounty Hunter (Smart Pop series) [Paperback]

Leah Wilson (Editor)

Book Description

Series: Smart Pop series | Publication Date: June 1, 2007

** COMPLETELY UNAUTHORIZED **

 

Speculating about the cultural metaphors in Janet Evanovich's wildly popular mystery series (which includes 11 books, from One for the Money to Eleven on Top), this anthology takes a look at lingerie-buyer-turned-bounty-hunter Stephanie Plum and catalogs her bad luck with cars (she's blown up quite a few), her good luck with men, her unorthodox approach to weapon storage, and the rich tapestry of her milieu: Trenton, New Jersey, also known as The Burg. The contributors praise the way the series smartly spoofs that familiar chick-lit epiphany—I have a bad job and what I really want is a good man!—in "Bounty Hunting as a Metaphor for Dating," "Why Stephanie Should Quit Her Job . . . but Never Will," and  "Nothing Better than a Bad Boy Gone Good." Several essays veer from the chick-lit perspective and focus instead on the comic theme of luck and chance that ties Stephanie to the barroom gamblers and gangster meanies of her home town in "Luck of the Italian?: Skill Versus Chance."

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Leah Wilson is the coeditor of King Kong is Back! and Mapping the World of Harry Potter and the editor of Welcome to Wisteria Lane. She lives in Dallas, Texas.

Product Details

• Paperback: 185 pages
• Publisher: Smart Pop (June 1, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1933771046
• ISBN-13: 978-1933771045
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 6.6 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 10.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (29 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #167,744 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #34 in Books > Mystery, Thriller & Suspense > Mystery > Reference
  • #96 in Books > Politics & Social Sciences > Women's Studies > Women Writers

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

16 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A great dessert after your next Plum entree, July 4, 2007

By 

Joshua Benton (Dallas, TX USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Perfectly Plum: Unauthorized Essays On the Life, Loves And Other Disasters of Stephanie Plum, Trenton Bounty Hunter (Smart Pop series) (Paperback)

This is the perfect book for a big-time Evanovich fan. It makes you think about the Plumverse in all sorts of new ways. If you're the kind of reader who's always suspected you could find their way around The Burg without a street map -- or the kind who actively wonders how Evanovich will work numbers 14, 15, and 16 into future titles -- you'll love it. I really liked the Devon Ellington essay on Jersey girls.

19 of 22 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Perfectly delightful, July 9, 2007

By 

D. Young (Long Beach, CA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Perfectly Plum: Unauthorized Essays On the Life, Loves And Other Disasters of Stephanie Plum, Trenton Bounty Hunter (Smart Pop series) (Paperback)

First off, before I begin this review of "Perfectly Plum: Unauthorized Essays on the Life, Loves, and Other Disasters of Stephanie Plum, Trenton Bounty Hunter," edited by Leah Wilson, the latest entry in the Smart Pop series of books published by BenBella Books, I must confess. I've never read Janet Evanovich's Stephanie Plum series of crime novels. But "Perfectly Plum" made me want to start.

The nineteen essays are testament to the power of well-done characterization to spark our imagination, engage our hearts, and make real a character in a novel. Stephanie Plum is so well loved by Evanovich's readers that like the Velveteen Rabbit, she becomes REAL.

The book is divided into 3 sections: "Life"; "Loves"; and "Other Disasters." The essays chronicle aspects of Stephanie Plum's bounty hunting life under each of these major headings. My one nitpick, "FTA" is not defined in any of the essays. Not having read any of the books, I had no idea what the acronym stood for. It distracted me every time I ran across it. What's a FTA?

The "Life" section opens with Bev Katz Rosenbaum's "Destiny: Disaster!", an engaging exploration of why Stephanie Plum proves Murphy's Law time and again.

Devon Ellington's, "The Myth of the Jersey Girl" gives us the lowdown on the Jersey girl, explodes the stereotypical view and underscores the point: the Jersey Girl has unplumbed depths. (No pun intended.) Really. Janet Evanovich, as Ellington points out, redeems the cliche. Being a fan of noir movies, I enjoyed Amy Garvey's The "N" in New Jersey Stands For Noir." She gives a deft portrayal of why the Plumverse fits the noir paradigm.

The essential questions in the "Love" essays focus on the two irresistible men in her life, who will Stephanie Plum finally choose? Which man is best for her? Morelli or Ranger? Rhonda Eudaly proposes a perfect solution in her tongue-in-cheek essay "The Fast and the Furry-ous" wherein Stephanie Plum's pet hamster ruminates on these questions.

Among the essays in the third section, "Other Disasters," Brenda Scott Royce, in "The Gun in the Cookie Jar" proves that the intrepid and tenacious Stephanie Plum is not as inept at her job as a bond enforcement officer as she seems. There's method in the chaos of her professional bounty hunting life.

I thoroughly enjoyed the book. Each essay is written with verve, humor and affection for Stephanie Plum. Readers of the Plum novels will love these essays about their favorite heroine and even if you're not a reader (like me), "Perfectly Plum" is a delightful introduction.

11 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Some choice plums, July 26, 2007

By 

L O'connor (richmond, surrey United Kingdom) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Perfectly Plum: Unauthorized Essays On the Life, Loves And Other Disasters of Stephanie Plum, Trenton Bounty Hunter (Smart Pop series) (Paperback)

An amusing collection of essays by various authors about the Stephanie Plum novels. Some of the essays are more amusing than others. Of the essays that focus on Stephanie's complex love life, my favourite is 'The Fast and the Furry-ous' in which Rhonda Eudaly argues convincingly that the only man Stephanie really needs in her life is not Morelli or Ranger, but Rex the hamster. J A Konrath's 'Could Stephanie Plum really get car insurance?' is absolutely hilarious, and 'The Stephanie Plum Diet' by Charlene Brusso shows how wise Stephanie's eating choices are. In 'Ranger as...Hairy Godmother' Karen Kendall convincingly argues that in Stephanie's fairy tale Ranger is the godmother figure rather than the prince.

Some of the essays are a little on the heavy side, given the lightness of the subject, but overall I found this book very entertaining.