You or Someone Like You (Hardcover)

~ (Author)

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

With this academia-obsessed novel, New York Times perfume critic Burr branches out from his nonfiction scent-based books. Howard Rosenbaum is a Jewish powerhouse in Hollywood with an Anglo-Saxon wife, Anne, whom he met at Columbia University, where they both earned Ph.D.s in literature. Now they live among œpathologically narcissistic people with an œutter disdain for the written word. But when narrator Anne is solicited to compile a book list for Dreamworks CEO Stacey Snider (Burr weaves actual Hollywood bigwigs into the tale), the list becomes a small book club, then morphs into a huge gathering with Anne the literary guru to virtually all of Hollywood. Anne and Howard's only child, Sam, travels to Israel, and Howard's initial delight sours when Sam is rejected by a rabbi in Jerusalem for an intensive study œprogram because he is not officially Jewish and therefore œunclean. A true celebration of intellect, Burr's tale does, occasionally, misstep into a pedantic bog, but ultimately examines the personal decision each of us must make to run from, or embrace, our identity. (June)
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From School Library Journal

A love story rolled up in literature lessons makes New York Times scent critic Burr's (The Emperor of Scent) fiction debut a truly novel work. The narrator is the incandescent, opinionated, very well read, and professorial Anne. Born in England, the child of diplomats, Anne marries the Brooklyn-born and equally erudite Howard Rosenbaum, and they produce a very precocious son, Samuel. Anne's natural sense of otherness, heightened by her Jewish in-laws' lack of enthusiasm at their marriage, is further stretched when Howard accepts a studio executive position and moves the family to Los Angeles. Anne struggles to find a niche for herself, finally meeting success the moment she sets up a book club at the behest of a couple of Howard's colleagues. Anne's brilliance in running this salon fuels Hollywood's boundless hunger for the next great screenplay. Soon Anne is dividing her book readers by film industry types, multiplying the number of groups, and her business is born. What of the love story? The differences of faith between Anne and Howard surface after their son returns from a trip to Israel, and Anne must work her literary magic to retrieve their love. If only for the lessons in linguistics and literature, this is recommended for all fiction collections.—Sheila Riley, Smithsonian Inst. Libs., Washington, DC
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 336 pages
• Publisher: Ecco; 1 edition (June 9, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0061715654
• ISBN-13: 978-0061715655
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 6.3 x 1.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.3 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (22 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #75,441 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great selection for a book club!, June 14, 2009

By	Aileen Cheatham "Aileen" (San Diego, CA) - See all my reviews

This novel will make a great book club selection. First, because it's beautifully written. The language alone kept me turning the pages. If you've read any of his previous books, you know that Chandler Burr can write. His non-fiction reads like fiction and his fiction like poetry. Second, because there is so much that can be discussed. Within the story of Anne Rosenbaum and her book club for Hollywood executives, Chandler Burr manages to weave in many very relevant themes that will encourage great discussion. There is politics, religion, literature, all tied to the question of whether literature can help us deal with the issues of our daily lives. Burr makes literature accessible, fun and relevant. You will learn more than you can imagine reading this novel. It made want to pick up some of those classics that have been collecting dust on my shelf. Be sure to check the website [...] for a great reading group guide.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Simply Wonderful, June 23, 2009

By	Elizabeth Hendry (New Jersey USA) - See all my reviews (TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

Chandler Burr's You or Someone Like You is just a terrific novel of ideas--a thought provoking and well-written book that succeeds on a number of levels. The narrator of the novel, Anne Rosenbaum is a transplanted British woman married to a Hollywood insider, who starts a book club at the behest of other Hollywood insiders. Anne is an English Ph.D. and, while reluctant at first, is ultimately thrilled to have a platform to share her ideas about literature. The book club is a terrific success and gives Anne Hollywood power she never anticipated. While the book club, which is more a literature seminar than a book club as most of us experience, is flourishing, her family life begins to fall apart. She begins to contemplate, and fold into her book club, the nature of tribalism in American culture. Her ruminations are fascinating, provocative and certain to offend some readers. The novel itself is so entertaining; Burr is a wonderful writer. He writes with a rare clarity and precision. I think You or Someone Like You would be a terrific selection for a book club that can focus on the book. There is much to discuss, ponder and argue about in this novel--a must read for all thoughtful readers. Enjoy

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Scott Frankum, June 29, 2009

By	Scott (California) - See all my reviews

This is a great read with an aura of Insider-ness, Hollywood royalty and the frisson of an important breakup. It is layered with the great books set against a backdrop of how America is a microsom of recent wars.

Told with the detail of a reporter and scent writer we expect from Chander Burr. In defense of reading..I couldn't put it down.

Read this book.