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Interviews | January 24, 2012

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Ben MarcusBen Marcus's books The Age of Wire and String and Notable American Women were considered "experimental" fiction because of his unconventional use of... Continue »
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A Taxonomy of Barnacles

by Galt Niederhoffer

A Taxonomy of Barnacles Cover

 

Synopses & Reviews

Publisher Comments:

The Barnacle sisters--Bell, Bridget, Benita, Beryl, Belinda and Beth--have been raised by their eccentric, self-made father in a fabulous, gigantic Fifth Avenue apartment that, encrusted with Barry Barnacle's scientific collections, feels like a little piece of the Museum of Natural History transplanted to the other side of Central Park. Now that most of the sisters have come of age, Barry Barnacle proposes a contest, a test of wits and wills that should at long last settle what is to Barry the most essential of all questions: nature, or nurture? Whichever of his daughters can most spectacularly carry on his name will inherit his fortune; the others are out cold.

It's a proposition to set a Jane Austen heroine on her ear, but the Barnacle girls are up to the challenge. Throw the girls' mother Bella and their childhood crushes--the Finch twins next door--into the mix and the stage is set for a completely inventive and utterly fresh social comedy that is as beautifully written as it is unique.

Synopsis:

"Rich in poignant detail, Niederhoffer paints a fascinating portrait of six sisters engaged in the merciless age-old fist-fight, struggling to love and best each other in turn."--Nicola Kraus, co-author of "The Nanny Diaries."

Synopsis:

Set in the baronial Upper East Side apartment of Barry Barnacle, among giant aquariums, a sprawling shell collection, and a jungle room with a three-toed sloth and a macaque, this is the story of the six Barnacle daughters, aged ten to twenty-nine. As the story begins, one daughter has returned home secretly pregnant, and she and her sister are sneaking out at night to meet the Finch twins in the apartment downstairs, while Barry, the patriarch, has devised a challenge for his daughters: whoever can secure the future of the Barnacle line within the week will inherit his whole fortune.

A love story, a family chronicle, and a portrait of a city, A Taxonomy of Barnacles is "a confident and witty debut that brings to mind an eccentric combination of The Virgin Suicides and Little Women" (Kirkus Reviews).

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About the Author

Galt Niederhoffer started her own film production company in her early twenties and has produced three Sundance Award-winning movies. She lives in New York City.
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Product Details

ISBN:
9780312426514
Author:
Niederhoffer, Galt
Publisher:
Picador USA
Subject:
General
Subject:
General Fiction
Subject:
Sisters
Subject:
Inheritance and succession
Subject:
FIC045000
Subject:
Domestic fiction
Subject:
Literary
Subject:
Coming of age
Subject:
Literature-A to Z
Copyright:
2006
Edition Description:
Trade Paper
Publication Date:
20061231
Binding:
TRADE PAPER
Grade Level:
General/trade
Language:
English
Illustrations:
Y
Pages:
384
Dimensions:
8.25 x 5.50 in
Age Level:
Coming of Age
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A Taxonomy of Barnacles Used Trade Paper
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Product details 384 pages Picador USA - English 9780312426514 Reviews:
"Synopsis" by , "Rich in poignant detail, Niederhoffer paints a fascinating portrait of six sisters engaged in the merciless age-old fist-fight, struggling to love and best each other in turn."--Nicola Kraus, co-author of "The Nanny Diaries."
"Synopsis" by ,
Set in the baronial Upper East Side apartment of Barry Barnacle, among giant aquariums, a sprawling shell collection, and a jungle room with a three-toed sloth and a macaque, this is the story of the six Barnacle daughters, aged ten to twenty-nine. As the story begins, one daughter has returned home secretly pregnant, and she and her sister are sneaking out at night to meet the Finch twins in the apartment downstairs, while Barry, the patriarch, has devised a challenge for his daughters: whoever can secure the future of the Barnacle line within the week will inherit his whole fortune.

A love story, a family chronicle, and a portrait of a city, A Taxonomy of Barnacles is "a confident and witty debut that brings to mind an eccentric combination of The Virgin Suicides and Little Women" (Kirkus Reviews).
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