Synopses & Reviews
Synopsis
A dazzling debut set in modern-day New York, The Little Clan is a sharp, insightful look at friendship and finding yourself in your twentiesAva Gallanter is the librarian in residence at the Lazarus Club, an ancient, dwindling Manhattan arts club full of eccentric geriatric residents stuck in a long-gone era. Twenty-five-year-old Ava, however, feels right at home. She leads a quiet life, surrounded by her beloved books and sequestered away from her peers. When Ava's enigmatic friend Stephanie returns after an unplanned year abroad, the intoxicating opportunist vows to rescue Ava from a life of obscurity. Stephanie, on the hunt for fame and fortune, promises to make Ava's dream of becoming a writer come true, and together they start a literary salon at the Lazarus Club. However, Ava's romanticized idea of the salon quickly erodes as Stephanie's ambitions take the women in an unexpected--and precarious--direction.In this humorous yet insightful coming-of-age story, Cohen deftly balances an interrogation of big ideas with an expertly constructed comedy of manners. With eloquent prose and affecting storytelling, The Little Clan is at once a love letter to literature and a deft exploration of what it means to be young and full of hope in New York.
Synopsis
A dazzling debut set in modern-day New York, The Little Clan is a love letter to classic literature and a deft exploration of what it means to be young and full of hopeAva Gallanter is the librarian in residence at the Lazarus Club, an ancient, dwindling Manhattan arts club full of eccentric geriatric residents stuck in a long-gone era. Twenty-five-year-old Ava, however, feels right at home. She leads a quiet life, surrounded by her beloved books and sequestered away from her peers. When Ava's enigmatic friend Stephanie returns after an unplanned year abroad, the intoxicating opportunist vows to rescue Ava from a life of obscurity. Stephanie, on the hunt for fame and fortune, promises to make Ava's dream of becoming a writer come true, and together they start a Victorian-inspired literary salon at the Lazarus Club. However, Ava's romanticized idea of the salon quickly erodes as Stephanie's ambitions take the women in an unexpected--and precarious--direction.In this humorous yet keenly observant coming-of-age story, Cohen brings us into a boisterous literary world bathed in hubris and ambition. With eloquent prose and affecting storytelling, The Little Clan is both a wickedly fun yet sharply insightful look at friendship, feminism and finding yourself in your twenties."Witty, warm, and (sometimes uncomfortably) honest, The Little Clan is a tender look at life in your twenties, when you've got big ambitions and not much else. Iris Martin Cohen conjures a magical, mythical New York populated by bibliophiles and billionaires, where anything seems possible." --Rumaan Alam, author of Rich and Pretty"Bookish girls, you have a new heroine in Ava Galante, the charming star of this beyond-charming debut. Equal parts social satire and comedy of manners, The Little Clan had me nodding in recognition and laughing out loud." --Joanna Rakoff, bestselling author of A Fortunate Age
Synopsis
A love letter to classic literature and an illuminating look at newfound adulthoodAva Gallanter is the librarian in residence at the Lazarus Club, an ancient, dwindling Manhattan arts club full of eccentric geriatric residents stuck in a long-gone era. Twenty-five-year-old Ava, however, feels right at home. She leads a quiet life, surrounded by her beloved books and sequestered away from her peers.When Ava's enigmatic friend Stephanie returns after an unplanned year abroad, the intoxicating opportunist vows to rescue Ava from a life of obscurity. Stephanie, on the hunt for fame and fortune, promises to make Ava's dream of becoming a writer come true, and together they start a Victorian-inspired literary salon at the Lazarus Club. However, Ava's romanticized idea of the salon quickly erodes as Stephanie's ambitions take the women in an unexpected--and precarious--direction.In this humorous yet keenly observant coming-of-age story, Cohen brings us into a boisterous literary world bathed in hubris and ambition. With eloquent prose and affecting storytelling, The Little Clan is both a wickedly fun yet sharply insightful look at friendship, feminism and finding yourself in your twenties."Like Edith Wharton in the East Village...The Little Clan is a charming, captivating read, but it's also a witty, fiercely intelligent look at the ways women are lost and saved by dangerous friendships and literary obsessions." --Rebecca Godfrey, author of Under the Bridge and The Torn Skirt"The Little Clan is a glittering little wonder. By turns gorgeously lyrical, laugh-aloud funny and almost breathtakingly astute, it's a tongue-in-cheek love letter to old books and youthful imprudence that delights to the very last word." --Jennifer Cody Epstein, author of The Gods of Heavenly Punishment
Synopsis
"A brilliant newcomer ... Cohen is not only a talented writer; she is an artist."--Andre Aciman, New York Times-bestselling author of Call Me by Your Name, the novel that inspired the Academy Award-winning film A love letter to classic literature and an illuminating look at newfound adulthoodAva Gallanter is the librarian in residence at the Lazarus Club, an ancient, dwindling Manhattan arts club full of eccentric geriatric residents stuck in a long-gone era. Twenty-five-year-old Ava, however, feels right at home. She leads a quiet life, surrounded by her beloved books and sequestered away from her peers.When Ava's enigmatic friend Stephanie returns after an unplanned year abroad, the intoxicating opportunist vows to rescue Ava from a life of obscurity. Stephanie, on the hunt for fame and fortune, promises to make Ava's dream of becoming a writer come true, and together they start a Victorian-inspired literary salon at the Lazarus Club. However, Ava's romanticized idea of the salon quickly erodes as Stephanie's ambitions take the women in an unexpected--and precarious--direction.In this humorous yet keenly observant coming-of-age story, Cohen brings us into a boisterous literary world bathed in hubris and ambition. With eloquent prose and affecting storytelling, The Little Clan is both a wickedly fun yet sharply insightful look at friendship, feminism and finding yourself in your twenties.