The Pursuit of Alice Thrift
The stunning new novel from Elinor Lipman, the sparkling comic writer praised by Maggie O’Farrell as ‘Hilarious. Imagine, if you can, a cross between Philip Roth and Melissa Bank.’
Poor Alice Thrift: book-smart but people-hopeless. Alice graduated second in her class at medical school, but hospital life is proving quite a challenge. Evaluations describe her performance as ‘workmanlike’ and her people skills as ‘hypothermic’. Luckily, Alice’s roommate Leo, the most popular nurse at the hospital, and her feisty neighbour Sylvie, take on the task of guiding Alice through the narrow straits of her own no-rapport zone.
When Ray Russo, a social-climbing fudge salesman, dedicates himself to a romantic pursuit, Leo and Sylvie harbour serious doubts. Yet as the chase intensifies, Alice’s bedside manner begins to thaw. Can this dubious character be the one to lift Alice out of the depths of her social ineptitude? Written with bite, pace and effortless wit, this seriously funny novel puts romance under the microscope with hilarious consequences.
'Elinor Lipman's latest novel brings together the rare combination of intelligence, wit, and wisdom. A jewel of a book.' Carol Shields -
'Imagine, if you can, a cross between Philip Roth and Melissa Bank.'Maggie O'Farrell Independent on Sunday -
'I started to underline all the bits of Alice Thrift that either amazed or tickled me, but I finally had to quit: there were simply too many.' Anita Shreve -
'About the best trick any writer can possess is the ability to make everything look easy, even to other writers who know better. Elinor Lipman possesses this gift in spades, and The Pursuit of Alice Thrift treats head, heart and funnybone with equal respect.' Richard Russo -
'Elinor Lipman was born with an ear for dialogue sharper than an electronic listening system. Her situations and her characters sparkle with life.' Elizabeth Buchan, The Times -
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