P.S.: A Novel (Paperback)

by Helen Schulman (Author) "It had been a long time between drinks of water for Louise Harrington..." (more)
Key Phrases: admissions coordinator, Scott Feinstadt, Louise Harrington, Peter Harrington (more...)

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly
Schulman (The Revisionist) concocts a wacky, high-spirited romp of a romance, pairing up her heroine with a lover who has returned from the dead or has he? Divorced, 30-something Louise Harrington, acting admissions coordinator for Columbia University's graduate fine arts program, is paging through applications when a familiar name catches her eye and sets her mind reeling. "Feinstadt, Scott" could it possibly be the rebellious, artistically talented high school boy she was crazy about, who died in a car accident 20 years earlier on his way to his first year at college? The potential grad student's name is actually F. Scott Feinstadt, but the similarities same birth date (though different year), same background and so forth abound, as Louise discovers when she meets F. Scott for a trumped-up, in-person interview. After a slow start, Schulman picks up the pace with witty observations about Louise and her ex-husband Peter's dysfunctional co-dependence, Louise's stormy friendship with scheming high school classmate Missy and her ongoing frustration with her mother. Schulman has created a winning character in Louise, whose favorite pastime since her divorce is "to list reasons for not killing herself" one of which is that her obnoxious brother "would get all the inheritance." The author has a marvelous knack for capturing contemporary relationships, replete with complicated subtexts, family baggage and societal pressures that make the prospect of finding a healthy love relationship nearly impossible. A certain glossiness a surfeit of brand names and a fixation on questions of lifestyle keeps the novel from going too deep, but Schulman's delightful, piquant tale gives a clever, unusual account of how its protagonist learns to let go of the past. Author tour.

Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

--This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

From The New Yorker
Louise Harrington, a divorced graduate-admissions coördinator at Columbia, has replaced the pursuit of love with aerobics, shopping, and watching well-built male students play Frisbee from her office window. It's not a perfect life, but it will do, until she reads the application of one F. Scott Feinstadt, a painter with the same name and birthday as her first love, who died in a car accident. Impulsively, she arranges to meet F. Scott, and the two begin an unlikely—and at times absurd—affair, which threatens Louise's friendships and perhaps her job. Schulman's darkly comedic portrait of searching for romance in a city of jaundiced skeptics is appealingly sharp-tongued, and the novel succeeds best when she relies on humor and physical detail to reveal the deeper currents of Louise's desire for a lover unspoiled by cynicism.
Copyright © 2005 The New Yorker

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Product Details

• Paperback: 216 pages
• Publisher: Bloomsbury USA (May 3, 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1582342083
• ISBN-13: 978-1582342085
• Product Dimensions: 8.2 x 5.4 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 9.1 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.5 out of 5 stars See all reviews (22 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #1,244,648 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars "P.S."... what?, February 3, 2005

By	E. A Solinas "ea_solinas" (MD USA) - See all my reviews (TOP 10 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

This review is from: P.S. (Paperback)

"P.S." raises an interesting question: what if you had a second chance with someone who is -- or is very like -- your first and only real love? Helen Schulman makes a real effort to delve into the questions about love, lust, memories, and reincarnation... but she never quite figures out how to answer those questions.

Years ago, Louisa was in love with Scott Feinstadt, a sexy charmer who died abruptly, leaving her teenage emotions up in the air. Now she is thirty-eight, divorced from a sex-addicted husband, and living a dull life as a college admissions administrator. Enter F. Scott Feinstadt, a hunky young student who is the spitting image of her dead lover.

Soon Louisa has taken up with F. Scott again, feeling as if she's been given a second chance with the man she loved -- their age differences and different lives make no difference. But what does make a difference is Louisa's ex-husband and her catty best friend. And when her friend spills the beans about Louisa's two Scott Feinstadts, it may destroy her new relationship.

As an idea, "P.S." can't be matched. Schulman dives headfirst into a sort of metaphysical (and VERY physical) tale that just avoids being a Mrs. Robinson story. Is F. Scott a reincarnation, a son, or a cosmic sign? It's also a very compelling story of a woman approaching middle-age, who is looking back on a life devoid of passion and happiness.

What it lacks is a real answer to its own questions. Okay, the ending decides what F. Scott isn't -- but it never tells us what he is either. The similarities between him and his predecessor never quite get explained, but there are too many of them for it to be a coincidence. It sort of putters slowly to a stop, and Schulman's glossy writing can't hide its problems.

Louisa may also annoy readers, since she's a bit of a doormat -- she married a guy she didn't love and stays vaguely interested even though he's a louse. And she remains friends with a woman who seems determined to wreck her life. Why does she have anything to do with these losers? The confused F. Scott is a more likable guy, especially since he's definitely an upgrade from the original model -- he's sweeter, more sensitive, and more monogamous.

"P.S." has some good idea lurking behind the story, but Helen Schulman seems to have written it without a clear idea of how to explain it. An interesting yet very confusing read.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars It really does give a new meaning to deja vu!, July 14, 2001

By	CoffeeGurl (MA) - See all my reviews (TOP 100 REVIEWER)

This review is from: P.S.: A Novel (Hardcover)

I had fun with this novel. It is a rather unique romance that gives you a new meaning to deja vu. Louise has just run into her childhood love. But it can't be. He died 20 years ago in a car wreck. Actually, it is a whole other person -- or is he? Everything seems to match, including date of birth and other characteristics. The heroine takes us in a witty and sensuous journey in which she tries to figure out who this mysterious person is.

I loved the characterization and witty dialogue. This is the first Helen Schulman novel I have read, and, believe me, it won't be the last. I highly recommend this title.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Romantic Comedy, with a Twist, July 9, 2001

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

This review is from: P.S.: A Novel (Hardcover)

P.S. is a terrific romantic comedy with a twist. The twist is that there is a plausible story with strong characters. The emphasis in P.S. is much more on romance (or more like lust, love and sex) than on comedy, although it is very funny at times, and always told with humor. Louise has never truly gotten over her first love, Scott Feinstadt, who died in a car accident at 19 a few weeks after breaking up with her (for her best friend). Louise carried on, eventually marrying one of her professors ten years her senior. The marriage ultimately fell apart, but they remained very good friends, very close. Louise drifted along, never realizing the depths of her unhappiness until one day, she comes across F. Scott Feinstadt, a 24 year old man with a more than uncanny resemblance to that first love. Her best friend swings back into the picture, the exhusband gets involved, and Louise discovers some uncomfortable things about the life she has led so far.

While this has all the elements of a standard romantic comedy--unmarried woman, old relationship, new relationship, stumbling blocks in the way--it is much, much better than most. The story is very clever, with nothing outlandish or fairy tale like. It's also a little thought provoking. Schulman ruminates on the nature of relationships and loneliness, of how one can be married, yet still be totally alone. I really enjoyed this one and highly recommend it.