Tickled Pink: A Comic Novel [Paperback]

Rita Rudner (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: November 5, 2002

Mindy Solomon absolutely has to leave Miami. Florida is bad for her head and her hair. She dreams of a dancing career on Broadway and moves to New York, but after a string of failures and mishaps, she realizes that she needs to rethink her grand plan. Finding herself spending way too much time in the comedy club where her future ex-boyfriend works, she nervously goes up onstage one night. People laugh. Not in the places where Mindy thought they'd laugh, but hey, it's a start.

Mindy and her friend Ursula Duran, a man-magnet model-slash-actress-slash-deeply troubled woman, soon embark on a wild ride that ricochets from New York's East Side Hotel for Women to the comedy circuit, auditions, photo shoots, film premieres, cable TV specials, Hollywood studios, late-night TV talk shows, and beyond. Surrounded by sleazy agents, sleazier lovers, and Ursula's even sleazier mother, the two find that life writes a few punch lines they weren't expecting...but through it all, they somehow manage to have the last laugh.

Rita Rudner has crafted a debut novel that is not just funny, but moving and insightful. With its insider's viewpoint of the world of stand-up comedy, Tickled Pink is also, at its core, a touching tale of love, loss, female friendship, and forgiveness.

Editorial Reviews

From Library Journal

Well known for her comedy films and her nonfiction (e.g., Naked Beneath My Clothes), Rudner has written her first novel. Sounding remarkably like Rudner's own life, the story focuses on Mindy Solomon as she travels to New York to become a dancer in the summer of 1980. There, she meets Ursula Duran, a struggling model, and the two become fast friends. During her climb to success on Broadway, Mindy hurts her leg and switches to stand-up comedy, and Ursula becomes a cover girl and television star. Rudner's depictions of life as a stand-up comedienne during the Reagan years and of show business in general ring true. In a story that is both funny and touching, Rudner has handsomely made the transition from nonfiction to fiction. Recommended for public libraries. Kathy Ingels Helmond, Indianapolis-Marion Cty. P.L.
Copyright 2001 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Booklist

Stand-up comedian Rudner delivers a quirky, amusing, and apparently semi-autobiographical first novel about the trials and tribulations of two young girls trying to make it in show business in 1980. Delivered in staccato bursts that are reminiscent of stand-up routines and complete with absurd jokes that will make the reader groan out loud, Rudner's effort culminates in a fairly enjoyable book. Mindy Solomon, who longs to become a Broadway star, and Ursula Duran, a wanna-be supermodel, meet in New York, where they have set out to become rich and famous. While Ursula becomes a cover girl, Mindy finds that her niche is in telling jokes to drunken crowds in comedy clubs rather than performing on a Broadway stage. Eventually, the girls decide to head for Hollywood, where their further initiation into the show-biz life continues. Rudner is the author of two previous books, the New York Times best-seller Naked Beneath My Clothes (1992), and Rita Rudner's Guide to Men (1994). Kathleen Hughes
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 320 pages
• Publisher: Washington Square Press; First Edition edition (November 5, 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0743442628
• ISBN-13: 978-0743442626
• Product Dimensions: 8.4 x 5.4 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 9.9 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (26 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,573,958 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Comic plus, November 19, 2001

By 

Amy Leemon (North Fond du Lac, WI) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Tickled Pink: A Comic Novel (Hardcover)

On the cover of this book, between the title and the author's name, it says "A Comic Novel". True, its written by a very successful and funny comedienne but there's so much more to it than that.

This is the type of book that you find yourself thinking about long after the last page is turned. For instance, you wonder why she put "A Comic Novel" on the cover and why this particular title for the book.

There are many different degrees to this novel - it IS comical but its also very serious - about show business, about how hard it is to get started but mostly about friends and relationships and what happens to them when life happens.

As Mindy's mother would say, "Fish banana". (Don't worry, the explanation is in the book).

It's funny, intriguing and very, very readable.

6 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Wonderful Novel - Very Touching, November 26, 2001

By 

Ellen b (Long Island United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Tickled Pink: A Comic Novel (Hardcover)

I really loved this book. I had to read it through in one day because I couldn't put it down. Mindy, the protagonist, is such a very real person. I completely related to her. I was expecting a laugh-out-loud book, but what I got was a very touching story of an up-and-coming comedian, and the obstacles and joys along the way with friends and family. If you love Rita, then read this book; you won't be disappointed.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Apparently semi-autobiographical novel with heart and legs., March 9, 2006

By 

frumiousb "frumiousb" (Amsterdam, the Netherlands) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (TOP 500 REVIEWER)   

This review is from: Tickled Pink: A Comic Novel (Paperback)

I should note that I was not more than passingly familiar with Rudner's work before I read this book (which I received as a gift). I assume that Rudner fans will likely get even more out of it than I did.

Tickled Pink tells the story of a young dancer who makes her way to New York from Florida only to find that comedy is her true calling. It follows her and her best friend Ursula (an aspiring model/actress) as they climb the path to fame and happiness.

While the book often reads like a semi-autobiographical first novel-- too flat in places, too sweet in others-- it has more heart than you generally find from this kind of work from a performer. It kept me engaged and reading, and even provided some interesting insights into the world of comedy clubs in the 1980s. Nobody is going to accuse it of being a great work of literature, but it really isn't bad.

All in all, I would give it three-and-a-half stars. I enjoyed it more than expected to and you may as well. It makes me a little bit sorry that we opted to see Tom Jones rather than Rudner during our recent trip to Vegas.