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|---|---|---|
Searching... Monmouth Public Library | Fic Rosoff, M. 2016 | Searching... Unknown |
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Summary
Summary
"[A] comic masterpiece." -- People magazine's "Book of the Week"
"A charming comedy on love, friendship, and the surprising influence of man's best friend." -- Harper's Bazaar
National Book Award finalist and bestselling author Meg Rosoff's charming, hilarious new novel about a young New Yorker's search for happiness and the two dogs who help him find it --the perfect summer read
Jonathan Trefoil's boss is unhinged, his relationship baffling, and his apartment just the wrong side of legal. His girlfriend wants to marry someone just like him--only richer and with a different sense of humor. He doesn't remember life being this confusing, back before everyone expected him to act like a grown-up.
When his brother asks him to look after his dogs, Jonathan's world view begins to shift. Could a border collie and a cocker spaniel hold the key to life, the universe, and everything? Their sly maneuvering on daily walks and visits to the alluring vet suggest that human emotional intelligence may not be top dog after all.
A funny, wise romantic comedy set in Manhattan, Jonathan Unleashed is a story of tangled relationships, friendships, and dogs. Rosoff's novel is for anyone wondering what to be when they grow up, and how on earth to get there.
Author Notes
Meg Rosoff was born in Boston, Massachusetts on October 16, 1956. She studied at Harvard University, but left for England in 1977 to take classes at Central St. Martin's College of Art and Design. She returned to finish her degree in English and fine arts at Harvard University. She worked in New York City for 10 years in publishing and advertising, before moving to England.
Her first novel, How I Live Now, was published in 2004 and won the Guardian Children's Fiction Prize. Her other novels include What I Was, The Bride's Farewell, There Is No Dog, Moose Baby, and Picture Me Gone. Just in Case won the 2007 Carnegie Medal. She won the 2016 Astrid Lindgren Memorial Award. She is also the author of a picture book entitled Meet Wild Boars and co-author of a non-fiction book entitled London Guide: Your Passport to Great Travel.
(Bowker Author Biography)
Reviews (4)
Publisher's Weekly Review
Rosoff's buoyant, witty, but less than satisfying seventh novel follows Jonathan Trefoil's fumbling attempts at adulthood in Manhattan. When Jonathan's brother asks him to look after his border collie, Dante, and spaniel, Sissy, the pets give Jonathan purpose, and Rosoff (How I Live Now) is memorably funny on the foibles of dog owners. The book veers into wicked satire when Jonathan starts at Comrade, an advertising agency where everyone is "young, attractive, fashionable, underpaid, exploited, and full of existential rage." Jonathan's longtime girlfriend, Julie Cormorant, meanwhile, works at Bridal-360 magazine. Rosoff casts them as a plausible odd couple: he's a nervy art school grad, and she's a sensible salesperson. But after their engagement, incited by the offer of a free, live-streamed wedding to help promote Bridal-360, it's clear to everyone-including Jonathan's best friend, parents, coworkers, and subconscious-that the wedding is a mistake. As he nurses crushes on other people and ignores repeated warnings not to marry Julie, Jonathan becomes an ineffectual, unconvincing protagonist. The plot's resolution depends on heavy-handed coincidences and canine antics. It's a disappointing conclusion to a frequently thoughtful comedy by an author whose accolades include the Printz Award and the Guardian Children's Fiction Prize. (July) © Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.
Kirkus Review
Jonathan's dogs are having an existential crisis. Or maybe it's just him. Fresh out of college, Jonathan Trefoil does what a lot of adventurous young people dohe moves to New York City. A generally agreeable fellow, he takes in his brother's two dogs for a few months while he's away on business. To anyone looking at Jonathan's new life, it would seem to be off to a great start. He's got a cozy apartment in the desirable East Village, a beautiful, successful girlfriend, and a copywriting job at an ad agency. But all is not what it appears at first glance. Jonathan could be evicted from his shady sublet with just a day's notice. His major client, an office supply company, is sucking his soul dry by killing his most creative ideas and demanding marketing concepts more along the lines of "Giant sale on pens!" And Jonathan's girlfriend, Julie, is a vapid, though benign, holdover from college who suggests that the couple get married for a live-stream edition of the wedding magazine she works for. No wonder Jonathan's dogs are questioning the meaning of it all. When Jonathan believes one of his dogs may be suffering general malaise, he brings his four-legged friend to the local vet, who patiently tolerates his neurosis. The owner of the neighborhood French bakery meets Jonathan with similar kindness, the likes of which he does not often find at home, as Julie is far more interested in her celadon wedding dress and earth-inspired hors d'oeuvres. Bestselling novelist Rosoff (Picture Me Gone, 2015, etc.) unleashes a lighthearted tale that explores the angst of new adulthood, digging up delightful insights about life, love, and the unconditional friendship (and genius) of dogs. No bones about it, readers of this charmer are in for a real treat. Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Booklist Review
*Starred Review* Twentysomething New Yorker Jonathan is living the dream: a minuscule apartment, a diffident girlfriend, and a soul-sapping job writing ad copy for an office-supply company. The two bright spots are the dogs his brother has left in his care: sweet, forgiving cav spaniel Sissy, and Dante, a wise-beyond-his-species border collie. Jonathan's further decline until he's literally spouting gibberish is marked by stalkerish fantasies involving his vet and the French baker who sells him his morning croissants, along with an unfortunate tendency to call his upcoming wedding his funeral, and the sense that his dogs know more about the direction of his life than they are telling. Perhaps they do. Rossoff, best known for her award-winning youth books, makes another foray into the adult world here with this sprightly romcom. In reality, though, the age line in her books has never run true. And why should it? Her writings thoughtful, mutable, and often with love, of one kind or another, as an undercurrent address the human condition with a knowingness that transcends artificial numerical landmarks. This one offers a treat that at first bite seems light, but there's definitely a lot to chew on.--Cooper, Ilene Copyright 2016 Booklist
Library Journal Review
Jonathan Trefoil is your typical New York twentysomething, with a marketing job that he's not wild about but it pays the bills; a dodgy apartment situation; and a girlfriend with whom he really should be in love. He is finally shaken from his rut when his brother goes to Dubai for six months and leaves Jonathan to care for his dogs. Dante, the border collie, and Sissy, the cocker spaniel, slowly but inevitably begin to upend Jonathan's routine. He meets an attractive veterinarian and makes some new friends at the dog park, and when Dante and Sissy join him at work, they exert their influence there as well. Jonathan will need all his newfound confidence and trust in his canine companions if he is going to navigate successfully the minefields that have appeared in his life. Verdict Heartfelt without being sappy and funny without being slapstick, YA author Rosoff's adult debut will appeal to readers seeking confirmation of the positive impact dogs bring into our lives. [See Prepub Alert, 2/1/16; academic marketing & library promotions.]-Dan Forrest, Western Kentucky Univ. Libs., Bowling Green © Copyright 2016. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.