Monday, June 04, 2007

Pg. 69: Leslie Schnur's "Late Night Talking"

The current feature at the Page 69 Test: Leslie Schnur's Late Night Talking.

About the book, from the author's website:
Late Night Talking is a tender and funny novel about bad behavior, the fragility of friendship and family, and how we cannot choose who we love.

Jeannie Sterling, host of a late night NYC talk show, vents with her listeners about everyday injustices, from rude cell phone users and poor gym etiquette, to bad drivers and many other annoyances of modern urban life. An idealistic California girl raised by two free-spirited parents, Jeannie believes in a life of value through activism. She's passionate about making a difference, about making the world a better place, one annoying person at a time.

For as long as she can remember, success in her career has been more than enough. But after all these years of being single, Jeannie realizes that some of the pieces of her perfect puzzle aren't fitting quite right. The people she thought she knew best all harbor secrets, secrets Jeannie can't be prepared for, secrets that can't be digested, processed, and solved in the neat three-hour window of her show. Her best friend, Luce, is growing distant and distracted; her wayward father unexpectedly moves in; and an ambiguous relationship with her college crush ignites.

When the radio station is bought by a maverick mogul, Jeannie's career, her one safe haven, descends into chaos. She is pushed to increase ratings and goes too far, risking the loss of everything and everyone important to her.

Delightfully real and deliciously flawed, Jeannie Sterling is a character we can't help but root for as she faces her life's biggest -- and both hilarious and heartbreaking -- challenges.
Among the praise for Late Night Talking:
"Accomplished.... Will resonate with a wide range of readers, while Schnur's meditations on women's friendships make Late Night Talking a humorous but not trivial read."
--Publishers Weekly

"A cute, lighthearted novel about expectations, love, and the cost of doing the right thing."
--Booklist

"Leslie Schnur's Late Night Talking is an appealing novel about sophisticated people who are certain they know all about life and love, manners and morals, right from wrong. Of course, that's when all the fun starts!"
--Susan Isaacs, author of Past Perfect

"A modern day tale of friendship, love, and doing the right thing. It's a funny, thought-provoking story that stayed with me long after reading the last page."
--Karen Quinn, author of The Ivy Chronicles and Wife in the Fast Lane

"Late Night Talking is the thinking girl's romance."
--Helen Schulman, author of P.S. and A Day At The Beach

"Filled with joy and humanity, Late Night Talking is more than just talk. It's a charming, uplifting novel where doing what's right eventually leads to Mr. Right. You'll feel buoyed on every page."
--Janice Kaplan, author of Looks To Die For and co-author of The Botox Diaries
Visit Leslie Schnur's website and read an excerpt from Late Night Talking.

Read the "backstory" to Late Night Talking.

The Page 69 Test: Late Night Talking.

--Marshal Zeringue