In Nora Zelevansky’s hilarious debut, Semi-Charmed Life, an Upper West Side naïf, Beatrice Bernstein, gets swept up in the seemingly magical life of famous-for-nothing twenty-something, Veruca Pfeffernoose, while ghost writing her blog. Veruca’s glitteringly opulent world soon seduces Beatrice away from her own insular, arty family with a promise of fancy parties, travel outside Manhattan (for once) and one desperately cute guy. But when her new glitzy lifestyle starts to take on dark undertones, Beatrice has to decide who she is—once and for all. With her own magical touch, Zelevansky deftly explores the world of rarified Manhattan in this sparkling modern fairy tale of first love, finding one’s voice and growing up.
Semi-Charmed Life: A Novel
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Editorial Reviews
Review
"Semi-Charmed Life chronicles the world of one Beatrice Bernstein, as she attempts to gain independence from her famous artistic family and falls in with the socialite crowd.”—Elle
“A lighthearted novel filled with rude awakenings, Manhattan adventure, and the blush of first love.”—Daily Candy
“Prepare to be fully-charmed! Nora Zelevansky has delivered a deliciously hilarious novel that you will devour in one sitting and then beg for more!”—Jessica Brody, bestselling author of 52 Reasons to Hate My Father
“An amazing new voice, a romantic and magical romp through the hip, glitzy and overheated and over-hyped worlds of fashion, art and music...Deft, funny, inspired.”—Molly Jong-Fast, Author of The Social Climber’s Handbook
“Semi-Charmed Life is a deliciously dizzying comedic mystery, filled with as many twists and turns as the maps that Beatrice, the main character, collects. Nora Zelevansky captures Beatrice's over-the-top adventures through Manhattan celebutante society with a freshness and authenticity that makes every page a pleasure. Nora's writing is unselfconsciously stylish, giddy with references to art and pop-culture, and wholly entertaining.”—Aury Wallington, author of the New York Times bestselling novel Saving Charlie and former "Sex and The City" writer
“…a charming, magical and somewhat strange city satire that follows arty Upper West Sider Beatrice Bernstein as she becomes a ghost writer for the blog of her ‘famous-for-nothing socialite’ neighbor Veruca Pfeffernoose and ends up falling down the rabbit hole of opulence.”—Flavorwire
“I absolutely loved this book! I didn’t want to put it down…It was all just too much (in a good way!) Highly recommend.”—A Book in Hand
“Not only is Nora Zelevansky’s Semi-Charmed Life that perfect summer read to whisk you away to trips you’ve only dreamed about, but it’s also about finding and being true to who you are. I look forward to seeing more by Zelevansky in the future because she’s definitely made me a fan.”—A Written Rhapsody
“[With] a cast of really charming and whimsical characters, this is an excellent debut that shows the lengths one girl will go to break out on her own and feel free.”—Chicklit Club
“…a fun, escapist book that might even cause you to question the popularity of real-life Verucas.”—Cupcake’s Book Cupboard
“Semi-Charmed Life was one of those hidden gems that I never expected to love…it made me laugh and tear through the pages to find out what Beatrice would do next. It's the perfect beach-read that manages to stay with you long after you've left the beach.”—Ink Bitten
About the Author
NORA ZELEVANSKY’s writing has appeared in ELLE, SELF, InStyle, Town & Country, Style.com, the Los Angeles Times, the Washington Post, Salon.com, Vanity Fair online and Travel + Leisure, among others. A born-and-bred Manhattanite, she now lives with her husband in Brooklyn, New York.
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
3 of 3 people found the following review helpful
Format:Kindle Edition
Beatrice Bernstein is sick of her sheltered life and wants a change. She wants to make her own choices like an adult. Her senior year of college because she would be living in off campus housing with her best friend Dolly. Her new places turned out to be below her expectations, she is forced to take Veruca Pfeffernoose's offer. She would be ghost writing for the socialite's blog and in exchange she would be living in Veruca's extravagant loft. Writing Veruca's blog also means Beatrice has to follow Veruca - to parties, the spa, art exhibits, to London, Paris, then Rio, etc. It seems like an awesome deal, but when Beatrice discovers that she'd been duped by someone she trusted, she learns to stand up for herself.
I loved this book. I won't lie it did take me a while to get into it, but when I did I loved it. Beatrice is interesting character because of her silly thoughts but the other characters also drew me in because of their unusual personalities. Beatrice's artsy and naive family, her very helpful best friend Dolly, strange dorm mates like Goth Girl and Hormone Guy, Veruca and her posse, and dreamy boy toy, Ben. I HIGHLY RECOMMEND THIS BOOK. If you really read it, then you'll love it like I did!
I loved this book. I won't lie it did take me a while to get into it, but when I did I loved it. Beatrice is interesting character because of her silly thoughts but the other characters also drew me in because of their unusual personalities. Beatrice's artsy and naive family, her very helpful best friend Dolly, strange dorm mates like Goth Girl and Hormone Guy, Veruca and her posse, and dreamy boy toy, Ben. I HIGHLY RECOMMEND THIS BOOK. If you really read it, then you'll love it like I did!
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase
I loved this book! There is a very compelling dark quality to the mystery here, which keeps a reader completely engaged throughout, and the unexpected catapult "into the light" later in the piece came as a rich reward. This first novel is a highly intelligent piece of work which raises great questions about what "fame" consists of and how it is both bestowed and wielded. A terrific read!
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful
By Holly Green
Format:Kindle Edition|Amazon Verified Purchase
This a great book especially because it's the arthors first attempt. I loved the trials and tribulations of the main characters
Most Recent Customer Reviews
5.0 out of 5 stars
Redefining Coming of Age Genre
Though the writing in this novel is effortlessly witty, clean, and lyrical it is the characters who guide us through this page-turner. Read more
Published 1 month ago by Jill Di Donato
1.0 out of 5 stars
Way too over-written and self-concious
I really disliked this book immensly, and I usually love coming-of-age stories, 'chicklit' etc. It was just way over-written with too many self-concious references to the current... Read more
Published 2 months ago by V. C. Kitchen
5.0 out of 5 stars
Best book to escape with!
I loved this book! It was very cleverly written and allowed me to escape not only to some fancy dream world with amazingly descriptive spas, planes, and in home movie theaters,... Read more
Published 2 months ago by Sheila Flores
5.0 out of 5 stars
Chic, Trendy, Refreshing
I began reading this book thinking it would be a bit of fluff and wouldn't hold my interest. At once I was caught up in Beatrice's so normal life and more than that, the writing... Read more
Published 3 months ago by roxie
3.0 out of 5 stars
Semi-Charmed Life - Not recommended fo YA
Young Beatrice was discouraged with her life. Although she was entering her Senior year of college, she felt unsettled and not certain what her true career would be. Read more
Published 7 months ago by LAWonder
4.0 out of 5 stars
Delightful
Outlandish, nutty, beautifully written and so New York. Read slowly and cherish the lingo, you may learn something new on every page.
Published 8 months ago by Frank L. Mucha
5.0 out of 5 stars
Great coming of age story, funny, a little spooky, and insightful.
This book is a such a great expression of trials one goes through when learning how to navigate those first steps of independence. It gets better with every turn of the page.
Published 8 months ago by Antonia M Polyn
3.0 out of 5 stars
Could I relate?, not so much.
I purchased this book on the strength of a review in Daily Candy. It is a site that I love and where I get quite a few wonderful tips for goods and services, but this book is for a... Read more
Published 8 months ago by Linda Pompei
5.0 out of 5 stars
You'll love it!
Let me preface-I am not a reader. I wish I was, but I just don't have the time. I have to be enthralled, entertained, or captivated by the story to really get into it. Read more
Published 9 months ago by E-Bo
5.0 out of 5 stars
Uber Hip, Pop Culture Fun !
This book was so much fun! A totally entertaining, comical journey along side socially awkward Beatrice Bernstein as she delves into the magical world of super rich socialite... Read more
Published 9 months ago by Alice, Brooklyn NY
