Book
The next best thing : a novel / Jennifer Weiner.
Record details
- ISBN: 9781451617771 (ebook)
- ISBN: 9781451617757 :
- ISBN: 1451617755 :
- Physical Description: 389 p. ; 24 cm.
- Edition: 1st Atria Books hardcover ed.
- Publisher: New York : Atria Books, 2012.
Content descriptions
| General Note: | Jul 12 |
| Target Audience Note: | All Ages. |
Search for related items by subject
| Subject: | Women screenwriters > Fiction. Self-realization in women > Fiction. Hollywood (Los Angeles, Calif.) > Fiction. |
Available copies
- 14 of 16 copies available at BC Interlibrary Connect. (Show)
- 1 of 1 copy available at Smithers Public Library.
Holds
- 0 current holds with 16 total copies.
Show Only Available Copies
| Location | Call Number / Copy Notes | Barcode | Shelving Location | Holdable? | Status | Due Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Smithers Public Library | F WEI (Text) | 35101000367354 | Adult Fiction | Volume hold | Available | - |
- Booklist Reviews : Booklist Reviews 2012 September #1
*Starred Review* Visibly scarred from a childhood car accident that killed her parents, smart and solitary Ruth has decided that she can't depend on anyone but herself and her young-at-heart grandmother, Rae. After a potential workplace romance goes sour, Ruth, an L.A. screenwriter, leaves her television gig and freelances for a while, helping teens write college-entrance essays and ghostwriting online dating profiles. When her pitch for a sitcom gets picked up, she ventures back to the world of television only to find that her visionâa comedy featuring a quirky Everygal and her sassy grandmaâgets derailed at every turn, from bad casting to bawdy rewrites. Weiner herself has recent experience in sitcom-land, lending realism to the plot. Ruth is a multidimensional heroine, and Weiner gives her real heart and soul (and some nifty sex scenes to boot). Ruth's relationships with her grandmother and her new studio bosses ring true, and readers will root for Ruth to get everything she ever wantedânot to settle for the next best thing. This is contemporary women's fiction at its finest. Copyright 2012 Booklist Reviews. - Kirkus Reviews : Kirkus Reviews 2012 July #2
A sitcom showrunner finds the road to her first series launch much rockier than expected. When Ruth Saunders gets "the call" from the network telling her that her original series, The Next Best Thing, is a go, at first she is incredulous. Although she's served her time in a writers' room, she never expected to sell her autobiographical concept about a young woman, Daphne, and her grandmother, Nanna Trudy, who move to Miami to seek their fortunes. Ruth moved to Hollywood with her grandmother, Rae, and they've both enjoyed success, Ruth as a comedy writer and Rae as an extra. Rae raised Ruth from toddlerhood after a car crash killed her parents and disfigured Ruth. (Even after multiple surgeries, one side of Ruth's face is badly scarred.) After Ruth is hired as an assistant to two writer-producers, Big Dave and Little Dave, they help her develop and pitch her own show. The process of bringing the series to air is sardonically chronicled by Weiner, herself a TV veteran. Ruth's hopes for Next are systematically dashed. The network suits insist on a terrible rewrite of a critical scene, and now Nanna has morphed from Golden Girls ditzy sophisticate to randy, superannuated cougar. (So shocked is Rae by her raunchy doppelganger, that her relationship with her granddaughter is sorely tested for the first time.) The zaftig leading lady (Daphne is insecure about her weight) shrinks down to a wraith of bulimic proportions, while shilling for a new diet. The seasoned character actress playing Nanna is replaced because the suits want a name, and the bimbo who caused Ruth's departure from her last writing gig is hired as Daphne's sidekick. Worse, Ruth has, for once, gotten what she wished for in the romance department--her first requited love, yet she pushes Little Dave away. The plot, exposition and flashback, heavy at first, pick up speed as complications multiply. Spares no bon mot in exposing Hollywood's sexism, ageism and incurable penchant for extravagant silliness. Copyright Kirkus 2012 Kirkus/BPI Communications.All rights reserved. - Library Journal Reviews : LJ Reviews 2012 February #2
It's westward ho for Ruth Saunders, who settles in Los Angeles with her grandma and finally has a sitcom accepted for production. (It's called, not surprisingly, The Next Best Thing.) Alas, the actors are prima donnas, the executives all bottom-liners, and the boss oblivious to Ruth's big crush on him. Then there's grandma's upcoming wedding. Weiner is, of course, huge; there's a ten-city tour, a book-club push, and lots of promotion plans.
[Page 80]. (c) Copyright 2012. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted. - LJ Express Reviews : LJ Express Reviews
Ruth Saunders and her grandmother Rae have moved from suburban Boston to Los Angeles in pursuit of Ruth's dream of writing for television. Rae has raised her granddaughter since the death of Ruth's parents in a car accident that also left Ruth severely scarred. Now Ruth, after six years of low-level work, has finally gotten the green light to develop her own show, The Next Best Thing. Ruth struggles to work through the compromises and disappointments of running her first show. She also must decide what to do with her feelings for her mentor Dave. The relationship that develops between Ruth and Dave is realistic and potently romantic, and Weiner (Then Came You) also eloquently portrays the unique bond between Ruth and her grandmother. Verdict Full of warm and interesting characters as well as a wealth of insider industry detail (Weiner was a cocreator of an ABC Family sitcom), this is a must-read for Weiner's many fans and anyone who enjoys smart, funny fiction. This would also make an excellent book club book. [See Prepub Alert, 1/21/12.]-Kristen Stewart, Brazoria Cty. Lib. Syst., TX (c) Copyright 2011. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
