Fleishman Is in Trouble

Review This is the novel of the summer . . . It is incredibly wise. There is no one that this book isn't for. I can't believe it's a first novel. Pure brilliance -- India Knight ― The Sunday TimesThis book . . . is the most astonishingly brilliant Trojan horse of a novel. Begins as a hilarious, fast-paced tale of a middle-aged Manhattan man navigating fast sex culture of dating apps, ends as a gut-punch feminist text ― Dolly Alderton, author of Everything I Know About LoveSharp and wicked, insightful and funny, and then suddenly so touching ― David Nicholls, author of One DayWonderful. Utterly blistering about how women have to live - a powerful feminist book wrapped with perfect stealth in a wildly entertaining, moving story ― Marian Keyes, author of The BreakHere is a portrait of modern love and marriage that is blisteringly funny, wincingly painful, and - ultimately - both heartbreaking and humane. Fleishman Is in Trouble reminds me of the great novels of the 1960s and 1970s - just the sort of thing that Philip Roth or John Updike might have produced in their prime (except, of course, that the author understands women). Taffy Brodesser-Akner can write the pants off any novelist out there. She's a star, and this book is a work of utter perfection ― Elizabeth Gilbert, author of Eat, Pray, LoveFleishman Is in Trouble is so much smarter than a Great American Novel wannabe written by another clever man . . . What Brodesser-Akner has achieved here, by Trojan-horsing herself into Toby's point of view, is to quietly reveal the souls of the women in the story. But more than that, to show that all stories - about marriage, love, loss, hope and disappointment - really are universal. Libby believes that "all humans are essentially the same, but only some of us, the men, were truly allowed to be that without apology". This is an honest, powerful, human story with no apologies. And it will do the "American Novel" a power of good. -- Katy Guest ― GuardianI have just finished Fleishman Is in Trouble... and feel bereft. I read it too fast, because I couldn't stop, but can't bear that it's ended. It is a Great Novel (yes: cap G; Cap N). It has depth, wit, nuance and life. Heartbreaking and funny ― Nigella LawsonFrom its opening pages, Fleishman is in Trouble is shrewdly observed, brimming with wisdom and utterly of this moment. Not until its explosive final pages are you fully aware of its cunning ferocity. Taffy Brodesser-Akner's debut is that rare and delicious treat: a page turner with heft -- Maria Semple ― Where'd You Go, BernadetteDelving deep into the gender inequalities of sex, marriage, divorce and online dating in modern-day New York, it is a book teeming with insights and humour, a genuine tour de force -- Sarah Gilmartin ― The Irish TimesSo urgently modern and relevant . . . I kept turning down pages ― Hadley FreemanChock full with humour and originality . . . It's a grown-up comedy that actually has far deeper things to say about love -- Francesca Brown ― StylistExcellent first novel by the New York Times super-interviewer -- Josh Glancy ― The Sunday Times MagazineSmart and sassy but also dark and scabrous, fans of Maria Semple will love Fleishman Is in Trouble too. -- Red Online ― Sarra ManningIt's biting and bracing, and - like the best beach reads - offers unflinching insight into the unexplored depths of the human condition. -- Kristin Iversen ― NylonHer debut novel takes her uncanny knack for articulating the human condition with incisive tenderness to new heights; Fleishman is in Trouble is a wisdom-packed story about modern relationships ― PorterFiring on all circuits, from psychological insight to cultural acuity to narrative strategy to very smart humor. Quite a debut! ― Kirkus (Starred Review)Fans of Taffy Brodesser-Akner's whipsmart profiles will not be disappointed by her debut novel. Extending the same heady cocktail of forensic observation, sardonic wit and cynicism mixed with zeitgeist, Brodesser Akner write