Nora ZelevanskyReseñas

This was so gloriously written. I am in love with Zelevansky's style and her voice, and I had a lot of fun reading this.

I was expecting a simple romance, but I was excited to get a whole lot of exploration and self-discovery as well as wit and political and social commentary. I loved the environment that the author built with separate worlds within New York and within Marjorie's younger and older self.

The characters were absolutely delectable to read about. From Belinda, an eleven-year-old with two moms who don't seem to get along, to Fred, a crazy musician roommate, I was delighted by the variety of people that Marjorie found herself falling around with.

This wasn't as much a romance as a kind of coming-of-age ten years later book, but I enjoyed it nonetheless. The romantic tension was palpable, but well worth the payoff, and I loved seeing Marjorie's relationships and attractions going.

This had the feel of those high class New York City novels mixed with the naiveté of the regular person. Her exploration of the job market was depressing but realistic and again provided a lot of humour.

My favourite thing about this book truly was Zelevansky's style and how eloquently she wrote. This book mainly focused on Marjorie, but omniscient and threw in the best details about the most random of things that came as a delight and really added to the comedy of this book.

I highly recommend this for those who enjoy witty writing and women's fiction.

I received a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

32% of the way in and still feel like we're in the introduction... it just keeps dragging on and on...

I won this book through the first-reads program.

[b:Semi-Charmed Life|12987034|Semi-Charmed Life|Nora Zelevansky|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1326493430s/12987034.jpg|18146734] is [a:Nora Zelevansky|5306546|Nora Zelevansky|http://photo.goodreads.com/authors/1344573648p2/5306546.jpg]'s authorial debut, and also a novel that she wrote during NaNoWriMo if I'm not mistaken. The book is a well-done satire on how obsessed we are as a culture with the concepts and trappings on fame, and how hollow a pursuit it truly can be. Wrapped up in all of this commentary is a dash of magical realism, well placed humor, and an air of mystery. That's quite a lot for a first novel to contain.

Personally, I found the book a bit difficult. Primarily, I think that's more my problem than it is a reflection on the book. Not being too engaged in the TMZ culture the book is talking about, some of the references were lost on me and I think a fair bit of that humor missed me. I felt a bit late to the party, but I can think of a few friends of mine who would be caught right in the middle of it all.

The jokes that I did get were unanimously hilarious. In particular the line about Jackson Pollock was great, and some of the jabs at both the Goth culture and poetry culture were great. I think if the book had been more focused on literary figures and the like I would have had an easier time of it. Actually, [b:Fifty Shades of Louisa May|15766538|Fifty Shades of Louisa May|L.M. Anonymous|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1343062179s/15766538.jpg|21471187] comes to mind, though these books are leagues apart.

The writing was solid, though bit too reference heavy for my taste. The actual story was well done, and once I passed the 73 page mark the book really began to flow for me as a reader. I enjoyed the fact that she took a magical realism approach to the book, and would actual push to emphasise that aspect of it next time around. The no-holds barred approach to the fantastic element reminded me of [a:Jonathan Carroll|23704|Jonathan Carroll|http://photo.goodreads.com/authors/1222900262p2/23704.jpg]'s sheer weirdness, though as a first novel, the writing lacked some of the confidence needed to truly pull off something of Carroll's stature.

All in all, I did enjoy the book and am curious to see what happens next. [a:Nora Zelevanksy] is an author that I'm hoping to see more of, and I'm hoping will keep up the irreverent air shown in this first novel. Now, if only I could conjure up a Veruca for my own life!

Review based on an ARC provided by Netgalley.

Madge has always had it easy in life or at least she used to. Since becoming an adult, she feels stuck or rather going downhill with a job going nowhere and a roommate who is about to abandon her and their decade-long friendship with only a few days notice.Without money, a house or even friends to count on, she needs to give up life in Manhattan for a room in Brooklyn and learn a new lifestyle. But when she has a chance of going back, maybe that was actually the best for her all along?

This was amusing. The style has singular marks, which both entertains you and makes you think of the situations depicted. Moreover, the problems present are very real for anyone in their late twenties or early thirties. Being the same age as Madge, even though I wasn't any Madgesty at school, I could certainly identify her line of thought. It wasn't full on drama, it did ring true.

Also, this story brings a love triangle. And the choice isn't only about the best man for Madge but the life that each of them means for her. None of them is the despicable character you'll immediately see as the one she should never go for, like so many books bring. I was actually as torn as Madge... Even though the author does eventually use some cliches to help you decide the best pick ("we don't share the same tastes!", "he never says what I need to listen!") I must say I was very glad at how she solved this. You'll need to read the book to know, of course.

All characters were more or less enjoyable. I wasn't too keen on Madge, even if I did identify myself with her dilemmas. At the same time, I never thought anything bad of her, as the description led me to fear, with the tiara reference. The minor characters had life of their own, and I would look forward to some of them, like Belinda and Madge's father.

The negative points: I repeat, I did like the style she used for the narration but her digressions would get too long and thus the book itself was longer than it needed (and I found myself skipping whole paragraphs). Contrasting, the ending was as sudden as a TV series given only one episode to close a 10-season worth of plot holes. (The author did manage to give closure, in my opinion, but all of a sudden everything was rushed out.)

This chick lit to the core, entertaining and quick to read. More like a 3.5, and I look forward to more from this author.

Marjorie's life was supposed to change after she got laid off and her roommate moving out with a short notice. Okay, it did her life change a little. However, everything still seemed like all come too easily. Her parents found her the apartment even though it's in Brooklyn but cheap rent, the job literally just landed under her feet and her long time rich male friend kept chasing after her.

It was a little hard to pick the book up at first. The author did a poor job introducing the characters into the story. She would mention this character's name then went on describing this particular character for the next 2 to 3 pages that do not anything to the main plot. Zelevansky even did it for a taxi driver and the doormen. Marjorie got in a taxi, alright there's a driver driving the taxi but readers do not need to know the driver's life story.

The story does get better midway through the book when all the characters have been introduced. This is also when the readers finally get to meet Gus. Like most of the books in this genre, when a guy is added to the story, there might be a love triangle going.

I really like the character Fred (Fredricka). Her scenes are usually funny and show what a good friendship should be unlike Marjorie's former best friend, Vera. Belinda's part is cute, she is like a mini-Marjorie.

3.5 out of 5 stars

Received free copy from BookSparks and Goodreads First Reads in exchange for an honest review.

A delightful, magical romp. Those who loved Eloise as a child will fall in love with this story. Head over heels in love!

Beatrice Bernstein has a problem. Housing has goofed up and placed her in the basement of her University’s off-campus housing apartment complex. Luckily for her, hest best friend Dolly pulls her into the fabulous apartment of socialite celebrity Veruca Pfeffernoose. In an attempt to escape killer cockroaches and an overbearing intellectual family, Beatrice accepts an offer to ghost write Veruca’s blog. In order to do so, Beatrice must live in Veruca’s shoes and become a member of her inner circle. Could this be a dream come true for Beatrice or will it turn her life into a living nightmare?
The story line is intriguing and I had high hopes for this debut novel from Nora Zelevansky. Unfortunately, several things keep this novel on the just okay level. The novel mentions several novels known for magical realism and I think it does so in order to introduce that literary device into the novel. But it just didn’t work for me in this novel. A bird poops on a book and it disappears? Notes just show up in her moleskin notebook for no reason? It really made me question the sanity of the main character. In addition, the descriptions are just too…well…descriptive. I found myself bogged down in lists that interrupted the flow of my reading and half the time I just skipped to the next sentence. Other descriptions are just over the top, such as the description of Veruca’s apartment and the shape shifter lip gloss. Although Nora provides some explanation at the end of the novel, it was almost a little too late for me.

My rating: 4.5/5 Stars.
My Review:

Let’s start this review off with a fun quote from the story, shall we?

With her ceaseless energy, unconscious hair twirling, and general lightness, Dolly, Beatrice often thought, would have made a fabulous Muppet.

I love it when a book surprises me, and that is exactly what SEMI-CHARMED LIFE did. I hadn’t heard much about this novel before being contacted by St. Martin’s to review the title. Had they not contacted me, I probably would have missed out on this one, which would have been a shame because I genuinely enjoyed Zelevansky’s debut.

SEMI-CHARMED LIFE is about Beatrice Bernstein, a college senior desperate for change. She ends up finding that change with the help of Veruca Pfeffernoose, a socialite that will change Beatrice's life forever...but not before turning it completely upside down.

Beatrice wants to explore, to leave New York and experience what the world has to offer. But her parents insist that there is no reason to leave New York, because they have everything that they could possibly want right there in New York. When Beatrice wishes for freedom, little does she know that very freedom will come in the form of Veruca Pfeffernoose, a popular socialite, and the H.O.S - Veruca's entourage. But not all is as it seems. Beatrice will unearth secrets about the H.O.S that'll make her question what is real and what is fake.

What I loved most about SEMI-CHARMED LIFE is that it is ultimately a story about self discovery. Beatrice is so caught up in what she thinks she wants, and the life that she thinks she wants to live, that it isn't until she meets Veruca, that she begins to understand the life that she actually wants. I think a lot of people in their twenties experience something along those lines, at least, I know that I have. Sometimes we think we need something better, that our life as it is just isn't enough, but it's only because we're too blind to see what is sitting in front of us.

SEMI-CHARMED LIFE is the perfect beach read. It’s a fun book that readers can easily lose themselves in. There's wit. There's romance. There's drama. It's everything that I was looking for in my next read without even realizing it.½