Pretty Things [Paperback]

Susan Compo (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: May 4, 2001

Booklist called Susan Compo “smart, sassy, and tough,” while Publishers Weekly praised her “witty, unflinching prose.” Following two highly regarded story collections, Susan Compo’s first novel takes a sharp-eyed look at LA's culture industry. Giselle Entwistle has her hands full with her roster of demanding show-business clients. There’s Adon, struggling to make the transition from teen idol to mature star with the aid of a goatee. There’s would-be rock impresario Hedda Hophead, “aggressive as junk mail and just as relentless.” There’s country singer Len Tingle, whose career has as many ups and downs as his love affair with Giselle; and Tupperware demonstrator extraordinaire Troy Harder, “a living legend in food storage,” who Giselle fears might want to plastic-wrap her. Not to mention child prodigy belter Frances Culligan, who seems to have disappeared. And then there’s Pandra, whose haunting memoir of growing up in suburban Orange County and coming of age in '70s glitter-era Los Angeles (platform boots, Rodney’s English Disco, The Real Don Steele Show, David Bowie clones) forms a book within this book. Giselle hopes to get Pandra’s story published, but it does bring up this little matter of a possible murder in Pandra’s past . . .

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Determined to introduce a syncopated new lingo, short story writer Susan Compo trips over her tongue in Pretty Things, her klutzy, madcap first novel. Giselle Entwhistle, agent to the stars, appears "streaked in chenille" and sets out to make money for her clients a motley group including former rock-and-roll hotshot Pandra, who may or may not be involved in a murder. Compo's contrived phrasings sometimes hit the mark, but more often they ricochet out of control.

Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

From Booklist

Giselle is a Los Angeles publicist with a motley crew of clients, including a country singer she adores, a teen heartthrob, a child star who has mysteriously disappeared, and a "rock and roll mistress" and aspiring author who fears that she may have killed someone (her glittering, disco-era coming-of-age memoir forms a story within the story). Giselle, the sanest of them all, tries to keep their lives on track while seeking some happiness for herself. Compo's first novel mines the same vein as her short-story collections. The characters are eccentric and larger than life, and their lives intersect in seemingly random fashion in a world of strip malls and fast-food joints. The breathless narrative style may not be to everyone's taste, but hidden amid the rambling plot and its myriad pop-culture references are some touching and funny passages and some dead-on observations of L.A. culture, show business, and human nature. Think Francesca Lia Block for an older audience. Carrie Bissey
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

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Product Details

• Paperback: 208 pages
• Publisher: Verse Chorus Press; 1 edition (May 4, 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1891241125
• ISBN-13: 978-1891241123
• Product Dimensions: 8 x 5.3 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,349,638 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars rock dreams, September 1, 2001

By 

storm (berkeley, CA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Pretty Things (Paperback)

This slice of life captures the angst, ambition and dreamy abandon that comes with living in LA. A cast of characters going full-throttle after what they want, be it stardom or ransom, is by turns poignant and funny, with those flashes of I-know-that-girl recognizability that make you feel their pain and wish them the best. This novel breaks little bits off the edges of your heart and shows them to you.

5.0 out of 5 stars Thanks for the glimpse., July 20, 2001

By 

Mary E Cabral (Riverside, CA United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Pretty Things (Paperback)

I truly enjoyed Susan Compo's new book, Pretty Things. She is a fresh, engaging writer who gave me a glimpse of a culture I wouldn't have had access to otherwise. I found myself grinning over and over again at her clever manipulation of language and her hey-wait-a-minute-I-didn't-catch-that-right-away allusions. I enjoyed my moment in an unusual culture peopled with quirky and fascinating people. Thanks, Ms. Compo, for inviting me into your world.