Synopses & Reviews
An NPR Best Book of 2014 A Time Top Ten Fiction Book of 2014
A New York Times Book Review Editors’ Choice
A BBC Top Ten Book of 2014
"Exquisite...As inspiring in its way as Patti Smith's memoir Just Kids." —Los Angeles Times
“Briskly addictive . . . Told in the voice of a female rock Ulysses.” —O, the Oprah Magazine
“Marvelous . . . D’Erasmo conjures up the seedy, sexy spectacle of life on the road with amazing vividness, and fills in the inner life of a woman who has one last chance to get her voice heard.” —Lev Grossman, Time
Anna Brundage is a rock star. She was an overnight indie sensation, but lost her fame just as fast as she found it. Now forty-four, she pours everything into a comeback, selling her famous father’s art to finance an album and a European tour. A riveting look at the life of a musician and the moving story of a woman’s unconventional path, Wonderland is a glimpse of how it feels when a wish just might come true.
“Anna made me think of Florence Welch of Florence and the Machine, mixed with a little bit of Janis.” — Paste
“Richly interior . . . What makes Anna such a powerful narrator is her seductive desire to keep her options open.” — Washington Post
Review
“Breakout.” —
Vogue “Ingeniously conceived and believable . . . D’Erasmo is a gifted and skillful writer.” — Lionel Shriver, New York Times Book Review
“Her story reads like an unusually lucid travel journal . . . In Brundage, D’Erasmo has created a wry, questioning, sensual artist.” — The New Yorker
“D’Erasmo’s writing exhibits a life-and-death intimacy that grabs at us.” — USA Today
“Stacey D’Erasmo’s exquisite Wonderland . . . succeeds, not through bombast but with beautifully measured, understated writing and meticulous characterization . . . Wonderland’s narrator, Anna Brundage, is so beautifully realized that I wanted to download her music on iTunes . . . a striking evocation of the artist’s quest” — Elizabeth Hand, Los Angeles Times
“Dreamy . . . [with] finely tuned prose . . . Given the book’s sensual imagery and magnetic heroine, it’s hard not to wonder what Anna would sound like — I pegged her as some combination of Björk, Florence and the Machine, and Janis Joplin.” — Mother Jones
“[A] questing, questioning, melodic narrative . . . Sentence by sentence, Stacey D’Erasmo is a gorgeous writer . . . [with] a vibrant, idiosyncratic voice.” — Minneapolis Star Tribune
“Briskly addictive . . . Some sentences dance like wind chimes in a hurricane; others evanesce . . . D’Erasmo expertly conjures the seductive uncharted space that lures the sculptor, the musician.” — O, The Oprah Magazine
“Heartbreakingly intense . . . [a] dramatically satisfying, philosophically complex novel.” — San Francisco Chronicle
“The prose constantly achieves the magic trick of seeming both weightless and grounded . . . an evocative exploration of universal themes: the anxieties of middle age, the bittersweet freedom of the creative life, the burden of the legacy a daughter inherits from her father.” — BookForum
“D’Erasmo gives us an inside look at a world most of us will never experience. As Anna strives for perfection in her music, you get the feeling she might just make it.” — The Oklahoman
“The world of Wonderland is authentic, vibrant, and genuine. Stacey D’Erasmo explores the delight and terror of second chances. A great read!” — Michael Stipe
“Wonderland is a witty and unflinching novel about life, love, art and sound checks. A deep howl and a bittersweet song, this is D’Erasmo’s best yet.” — Sam Lipsyte, author of The Ask, Home Land, and others
“There’s a lot in this book that those of us who’ve lived the music life will recognize: the eroticized grind of life on the road; the hothouse environment of the recording studio; the weird state of in-between that defines provisional rock and roll fame. But what’s best about Wonderland is its portrait of a creative spirit. When Anna Brundage is in the zone, she pulls songs from the air; she showers her fans and collaborators in pain and beauty. Wonderland’s insight into how a woman inhabits, feeds, and sometimes undoes her own artistry is rare and profound.” — Ann Powers, music critic, coauthor of Piece by Piece (with Tori Amos), and author of Weird Like Us: My Bohemian America
“Like Anna, her unforgettable narrator, Stacey D’Erasmo has found a new sound here: a voice so gorgeous and raw that it captures what it means to be human. D’Erasmo’s prose is lyrical and alive — this is a vital, powerful novel — and Wonderland will strike a chord with anyone who’s ever dreamed of getting a second chance.” — Elliott Holt, author of You Are One of Them
“As Robert Mapplethorpe told Patti Smith, this one, Wonderland has the magic.” — Washington Independent Review of Books
“[D’Erasmo] combines the delightful worlds of literature and music while bringing out the best in both mediums . . . a rich and exquisitely crafted novel.” — Lambda Literary Foundation
“[Wonderland] delicately melts together a captivating story, artistic language and meaningful imagery.” — NeuralPop
“A cool, dreamy read, by turns drug-fueled, anxious, touched by grief, blistering with the heat of survival instinct . . . delicious.” — Black Heart
“A must-read for any up and coming artist to grizzled veteran.” — Femmusic
“[D’Erasmo writes] artfully and insightfully, giving Brundage a no-nonsense, road-worn tone that leaves equal room for pathos and humor . . . D’Erasmo is particularly good at capturing the randomness and joy of the creative process [and] thoughtfully addresses aging, art and relationships.” — Kirkus Reviews
“A spellbinding look into the protagonist’s being . . . meticulously crafted . . . Days and shows pass, but within this routine, a transformation slowly creeps into the narrative: that of commitment, and, perhaps, hope for the future.” — Publishers Weekly, starred review
“Anna is an irresistible narrator. D’Erasmo brings us inside the music and the musician’s psyche in this transfixing song of a self evolving through discovery, loss, and renewal.” — Booklist, starred review
Review
"Beautifully plotted, cunningly structured, and richly textured, this gorgeous novel offers rare pleasures of both character and language." --Andrea Barrett
Her prose pulses with just how it feels to live now; she has an astonishing feel for the texture of contemporary life. . .superb." --Mark Doty
"D'Erasmo's quiet, penetrating second novel. . .follows a San Francisco family coping with a. . .son's mental illness. . .with beauty and insight." Publishers Weekly
"Abundantly clear throughout is D'Erasmo's talent and intelligence. A Seahorse Year succeeds in being both deeply satisfying and quietly subversive." --Margot Livesey The New York Times Book Review
"Fluent in the subtlest of psychological states and gloriously visual in her resonant descriptions." Booklist, ALA, Starred Review
"A quietly effective novel about family strife
.This book demands commitment and ends up compelling commitment because of Stacey D'Erasmo's intense insights into her characters and their deep affection for each other and for life." --Alan Cheuse, National Public Radio
"[D'Erasmo] writes with a graceful, sometimes devastating directness, in clear, crisp phrases lined with subtle lyricism." --Karen Campbell Boston Globe
"Each character, and each voice, seems perfectly necessary. [D'Erasmo] makes you feel that this is the most economic way to tell this sad, gorgeous story." --Claire Dederer Newsday
"...psychologically complex and lyrical..." --Irina Reyn The San Francisco Chronicle
"Alternating perspectives and controlled, nuanced writing bring depth and compassion to each character . . . D'Erasmo [is] an author to watch." Library Journal
"You could read Stacey DErasmo for the subtlety of her insights or the beauty of her language or for her tumbling, shifting arrangements of plot and characters
.Or you could just open A Seahorse Year and be mesmerized." --Regina Marler The Advocate
"Unflinching prose thats both descriptive and soulful." --Beth Greenfield TimeOut New York
"A Seahorse Year is a stunning achievement." --Suzan Sherman
"D'Erasmo deftly filters this increasingly suspenseful story. . .offering an unflinching view into the. . .lives of this unconventional clan." --Jenny Feldman Elle
"After turning a page or two of A Seahorse Year, youll know youre into something special." --Kevin Allison Out Magazine
Synopsis
This breakout novel from a brilliant stylist—dropping us into the life a female rock star—centers on that moment when we decide whether to go all-in or give up our dreams
Synopsis
An NPR Best Book of 2014
A Time Top Ten Fiction Book of 2014
A New York Times Book Review Editors' Choice
A BBC Top Ten Book of 2014
"Exquisite...As inspiring in its way as Patti Smith's memoir Just Kids." --Los Angeles Times
"Briskly addictive . . . Told in the voice of a female rock Ulysses." --O, the Oprah Magazine
"Marvelous . . . D'Erasmo conjures up the seedy, sexy spectacle of life on the road with amazing vividness, and fills in the inner life of a woman who has one last chance to get her voice heard." --Lev Grossman, Time
Anna Brundage is a rock star. She was an overnight indie sensation, but lost her fame just as fast as she found it. Now forty-four, she pours everything into a comeback, selling her famous father's art to finance an album and a European tour. A riveting look at the life of a musician and the moving story of a woman's unconventional path, Wonderland is a glimpse of how it feels when a wish just might come true.
"Anna made me think of Florence Welch of Florence and the Machine, mixed with a little bit of Janis." -- Paste
"Richly interior . . . What makes Anna such a powerful narrator is her seductive desire to keep her options open." -- Washington Post
Synopsis
An NPR Best Book of 2014
A Time Top Ten Fiction Book of 2014
A New York Times Book Review Editors' Choice
A BBC Top Ten Book of 2014 "Exquisite...As inspiring in its way as Patti Smith's memoir Just Kids." --Los Angeles Times
"Briskly addictive . . . Told in the voice of a female rock Ulysses." --O, the Oprah Magazine
"Marvelous . . . D'Erasmo conjures up the seedy, sexy spectacle of life on the road with amazing vividness, and fills in the inner life of a woman who has one last chance to get her voice heard." --Lev Grossman, Time
Anna Brundage is a rock star. She was an overnight indie sensation, but lost her fame just as fast as she found it. Now forty-four, she pours everything into a comeback, selling her famous father's art to finance an album and a European tour. A riveting look at the life of a musician and the moving story of a woman's unconventional path, Wonderland is a glimpse of how it feels when a wish just might come true.
"Anna made me think of Florence Welch of Florence and the Machine, mixed with a little bit of Janis." -- Paste
"Richly interior . . . What makes Anna such a powerful narrator is her seductive desire to keep her options open." -- Washington Post
Synopsis
“Ingeniously conceived . . . D’Erasmo is a gifted and skillful writer.” — New York Times “Exquisite . . . Anna Brundage is so beautifully realized that I wanted to download her music on iTunes.” — Los Angeles Times
“D’Erasmo’s writing exhibits a life-and-death intimacy that grabs at us.” — USA Today
Anna Brundage is a rock star, tall and sexy, with a powerhouse voice and a shocking mane of red hair. She came out of nowhere, an instant indie sensation, but went down as fast as she went up, walking off the scene for seven years. Now forty-four, without a record deal or clamoring fans, she sells a piece of her famous father’s art to finance a new album and a European comeback tour. This may be her last chance to claim the life she’s struggled for, the life she’s not sure she can sustain. Anna falls easily back into the ways of the road — sex with strangers, the search for the perfect moment onstage. Wonderland is a riveting look at the life of a musician and the moving story of a woman’s unconventional path, and it is a glimpse of how it feels when a wish comes true.
Synopsis
Stacey D'Erasmo's new novel, following the highly acclaimed Tea, is a powerful and beautiful book about a pivotal year in the life of a quintessentially modern family. In contemporary San Francisco, an extended family is transformed by the emerging breakdown of a troubled adolescent boy. The lives of those who love Christopher -- his mother, Nan; her lover, Marina; his gay father, Hal; and Christopher's loyal girlfriend, Tamara -- are pushed to the edge by something new in him that mystifies them all. When he runs away, far into the woods of nothern California, their assumptions about themselves and one another are sorely tested. They might not, they discover, be quite so modern as they once thought. Even the dried seahorses on Marina's windowpane rattle unnervingly as if to announce a time like no other.
In precise, lyrical language, A Seahorse Year explores love at the limits of bearability. It is wise about the things we do out of love that often have both redemptive and disastrous consequences. Difficult questions that have all the tough complexity of real life are asked; devastating truths are revealed in the answers.
Michael Cunningham described Tea as "pure and profound, a ravishing book." A Seahorse Year is an even richer, more luminous achievement.
About the Author
STACEY DERASMO is a recipient of Guggenheim and Stegner Fellowships, the author of three previous novels and a book of nonfiction, The Art of Intimacy. Her work has also appeared in The New York Times (Magazine and Book Review), Bookforum, and Ploughshares, among others. She teaches in Columbia University's MFA program.