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More copies of this ISBN:This title in other formats:A Model Summer: A Novelby Paulina Porizkova
Synopses & ReviewsPublisher Comments:An incisive, beautifully written first novel by a former supermodel that explores the glamorous and gritty world she inhabited.
Only a handful of women in the world have experienced what Paulina Porizkova has — being whisked away to model in Paris while still a teenager, reaching the pinnacle of the profession before her schoolmates had even graduated — and fewer still have the insight to capture it on paper. In her first novel, Paulina tells the story of Jirina. A tall, scrawny fifteen-year-old girl from Sweden, she's much more accustomed to taunts and disdain than admiration and affection, whether from her classmates or her own family. That all changes when her only friend, Hatty, asks to practice her makeup and photography skills on Jirina. Almost before she knows it Jirina is on a plane to Paris, where she will spend the summer in a milieu entirely alien to her. Living at the home of her modeling agency's owner and constantly subjected to blunt physical assessments, catty and often cruel fellow models, and womanizing photographers — and, miraculously enough, while sometimes feeling truly beautiful — Jirina embarks on a journey beyond her wildest imaginings. Between photo shoots in Italy and Morocco and parties with models and musicians, Jirina manages to make a few friends, fall in love, and, eventually, feel the very adult pain of betrayal and heartbreak. Told with the grace, simplicity, and accuracy that can only come from real-life experience, A Model Summer is both the debut of a notably talented novelist and an unusually well-informed look behind the scenes at a world many people fantasize about, but few really know. Review:"Set in 1980, this smooth, predictable first novel by model, actress and children's book author Porizkova tells the story of Jirina, who arrives in Paris a beautiful 15-year-old aspiring model. A Swede of Czech background, Jirina escapes teasing classmates when she's discovered and shipped off to a well-known modeling agency. Leaving behind divorced, unsympathetic parents and a beloved little sister, Jirina moves into the apartment of agency head Jean-Claude; his depressed ex-model wife, Marina; their neglected baby daughter; and another Swedish teen model. As household tensions rise, Jirina strikes out on her own, befriending the famous model Evalinda (also from Sweden), a gay makeup artist and a rich, cultured man who worships her — all while nursing a crush on a dashing Australian photographer. Jirina slowly gains confidence; meanwhile, those around her abuse drugs, have abortions, attempt suicide, get gay-bashed and die tragically. Jirina loses her virginity, finds disappointment in love and learns to use sex to forward her career. Her drive is palpable and her voice believable, but Jirina isn't much fun (others, bien sr, are downright mean), and you can see the plot points coming from way down the runway. Too many loose ends make for an unsatisfying finale." Publishers Weekly (Copyright Reed Business Information, Inc.)
Review:"Bottom Line: yes, supermodels can write. Porizkova delivers a dizzyingly detailed and wrenching tale of innocence lost. (Grade: A-)" Entertainment Weekly
Review:"A delicious debut novel about beauty and betrayal inspired by the life of this former supermodel." Cosmopolitan
Review:"[W]hile revealing modeling's dirty secrets, Porizkova loses sight of her narrator, sacrificing Jirina for the expose....Ultimately, it is a novel full of contradictions that ends without any real closure." Booklist
Review:"A gripping read." Vogue
Review:"Porizkova has enriched this story with details only an insider could provide...a refreshingly clear-eyed point of view....[A] vivid, cautionary coming-of-age tale." Kirkus Reviews
Synopsis:Told with grace, this incisive, beautifully written first novel by a former supermodel explores the glamorous and gritty world she inhabited.
Synopsis:A MODEL SUMMER tells the story of Jirina, a 15-year-old Swedish girl trying to make it as a model in Paris over the summer. Jirina is an insecure, gangly, and na??ve teenager, alone in a foreign country. In Paris, she is subjected to constant physical criticism, catty, and sometimes cruel, fellow models, and womanizing photographers???but she also manages to find success, love, and, eventually heartbreak. A MODEL SUMMER takes a measured and thoughtful look at the modeling world, seen through the eyes of one young girl. About the AuthorPaulina Porizkova is a former political refugee, an accidental model, and an occasional actress. Also the author of a children's book, The Adventures of Ralphie the Roach, she is married to the musician Ric Ocasek, with whom she has two sons. They live in New York City. What Our Readers Are SayingAdd a comment for a chance to win!
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