| 商家名称 | 信用等级 | 购买信息 | 订购本书 |
 |
 |
A Model Summer |  |
 |
|
A Model Summer | |
Only a handful of women in the world have experienced what Paulina Porizkova has -- being whisked away to model in Paris while still a teenager, reaching the pinnacle of the profession before her schoolmates had even graduated -- and fewer still have the insight to capture it on paper.
In her first novel, Paulina tells the story of Jirina. A tall, scrawny fifteen-year-old girl from Sweden, she?s much more accustomed to taunts and disdain than admiration and affection, whether from her classmates or her own family. That all changes when her only friend, Hatty, asks to practice her makeup and photography skills on Jirina. Almost before she knows it Jirina is on a plane to Paris, where she will spend the summer in a milieu entirely alien to her. Living at the home of her modeling agency?s owner and constantly subjected to blunt physical assessments, catty and often cruel fellow models, and womanizing photographers -- and, miraculously enough, while sometimes feeling truly beautiful -- Jirina embarks on a journey beyond her wildest imaginings. Between photo shoots in Italy and Morocco and parties with models and musicians, Jirina manages to make a few friends, fall in love, and, eventually, feel the very adult pain of betrayal and heartbreak.
Told with the grace, simplicity, and accuracy that can only come from real-life experience, A Model Summer is both the debut of a notably talented novelist and an unusually well-informed look behind the scenes at a world many people fantasize about, but few really know.
作者简介 Paulina Porizkova is a former political refugee, an accidental model, and an occasional actress. Also the author of a children’s book, The Adventures of Ralphie the Roach, she is married to the musician Ric Ocasek, with whom she has two sons. They live in New York City.
媒体推荐 "A delicious debut novel about beauty and betrayal inspired by the life of this former supermodel." -- Cosmopolitan, April
"A gripping read." -- Vogue
"Bottom Line: yes, supermodels can write. Porizkova delivers a dizzyingly detailed and wrenching tale of innocence lost. A-" -- Entertainment Weekly
"Compelling." -- Atlanta Journal-Constitution
"Porizkova has enriched this story with details only an insider could provide . . . a refreshingly clear-eyed point of view . . . [A] vivid, cautionary coming-of-age tale." -- Kirkus Reviews
"It's a superstar debut for model Paulina Porizkova and her first novel, A Model Summer, an insider's look at the high-stakes world of high fashion." -- Hampton Sheet
专业书评 From Publishers Weekly
Set in 1980, this smooth, predictable first novel by model, actress and children's book author Porizkova tells the story of Jirina, who arrives in Paris a beautiful 15-year-old aspiring model. A Swede of Czech background, Jirina escapes teasing classmates when she's discovered and shipped off to a well-known modeling agency. Leaving behind divorced, unsympathetic parents and a beloved little sister, Jirina moves into the apartment of agency head Jean-Claude; his depressed ex-model wife, Marina; their neglected baby daughter; and another Swedish teen model. As household tensions rise, Jirina strikes out on her own, befriending the famous model Evalinda (also from Sweden), a gay makeup artist and a rich, cultured man who worships her—all while nursing a crush on a dashing Australian photographer. Jirina slowly gains confidence; meanwhile, those around her abuse drugs, have abortions, attempt suicide, get gay-bashed and die tragically. Jirina loses her virginity, finds disappointment in love and learns to use sex to forward her career. Her drive is palpable and her voice believable, but Jirina isn't much fun (others, bien sûr, are downright mean), and you can see the plot points coming from way down the runway. Too many loose ends make for an unsatisfying finale. (Apr.)
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
From Booklist
Jirina is a tall, lanky 15-year-old Czechoslovak from Sweden. Teased and taunted for her inability to fit in, Jirina jumps at a chance to model in Paris. However, the idea of being a glamorous model doesn't live up to the reality. Subject to harsh physical scrutiny; smarmy photographers; long, grueling days; and hostile fellow models, Jirina has to grow up fast or go home. And grow up she does--experimenting with alcohol, drugs, and sex, eventually becoming pregnant. A Model Summer is the debut novel by Porizkova, a very famous model herself. But while revealing modeling's dirty secrets, Porizkova loses sight of her narrator, sacrificing Jirina for the expose. Jirina is supposed to be a teenager; her voice is more like that of a 35-year-old. And for a girl who is supposed to be smart--commenting on classical music and existential literature--she questions nothing about what is happening around her. Ultimately, it is a novel full of contradictions that ends without any real closure. Carolyn Kubisz
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved
Vogue
"A gripping read."
Cosmopolitan, April
"A delicious debut novel about beauty and betrayal inspired by the life of this former supermodel."
Vogue
"A gripping read."
Cosmopolitan, April
"A delicious debut novel about beauty and betrayal inspired by the life of this former supermodel."
Atlanta Journal-Constitution
"Compelling."
Kirkus Reviews
"Porizkova has enriched this story with details only an insider could provide . . . a refreshingly clear-eyed point of view . . . [A] vivid, cautionary coming-of-age tale."
Entertainment Weekly
"Bottom Line: yes, supermodels can write. Porizkova delivers a dizzyingly detailed and wrenching tale of innocence lost. A-"
Hampton Sheet
"It's a superstar debut for model Paulina Porizkova and her first novel, A Model Summer, an insider's look at the high-stakes world of high fashion."
