Talent

"In TALENT, Juliet Lapidos pulls off a double feat. First, it's such a pleasure to think alongside the book's narrator as she gets caught up in the ultimate literary caper. Second, the laconic brilliance of the (fictional) author at the heart of this caper is in itself enough to induce tooth-gnashing envy. I gobbled down this deliciously funny, sharp, and sincere inquiry into the factors underpinning our valuations of art, labor, ourselves and each other."

"Enormously entertaining."

"A gem of a debut that's equal parts engrossing mystery and incisive comedy...In the great, long tradition of literary misanthropes, the jaded, aimless Anna feels fresh, imbuing the archetype with a crackling millennial spin."

"Lapidos' stabs at literary counterfeiting are inspired. She intersperses Anna's feckless investigation into Langley's past with notebook jottings that convincingly evoke the hunting and gathering of an alert writer as he sifts for fodder from childhood trauma and the detritus of daily experience."

"A clever and delightfully complicated debut novel... Each bend in this story raises more questions than are answered, in the best of ways and right to the end. More than a few little Easter eggs of literary trivia are offered along the way, too."

"Juliet Lapidos has written a funny, brainy mystery novel that's set inside a funny, brainy campus novel. Its heroines are a blocked academic who specializes in the history of inspiration, and an antique bookbinder who's coming apart. Oh, and the title of it all is Talent, which now means "natural aptitude or skill," but back in Greco-Roman days was a unit of money. Talent, then, is something you're going to want, in every definition. If you've ever thought to yourself, "I'm hungry," or, "The only problem with Sarah Silverman is that she's not Nabokov," then this is the book for you."

"Steeped in literary intrigue and powered by a propulsive, agile wit, Talent is a taut existential thriller for the philosophical detective in each of us. In this gimlet-eyed, penetratingly comedic take on the campus novel, Juliet Lapidos lays bare the question that all academics ponder but few dare to actually ask: what use is knowing theory if we do not know ourselves?"

"Juliet Lapidos's debut, Talent, offers a satirical look at criticism and art that will appeal to literary readers who are skeptical of their own literary culture. Lapidos expertly captures the Ivy League atmosphere, puncturing its ballooning worth with rapid, insightful jabs. . . A meta-criticism of criticism, Talent is most successful at striking an uncanny balance between laughing at the world that constructs characters like Anna and convincing the reader of its importance."

"Lapidos mocks academia, capitalism, and Marxism, as Anna, deciding that there is 'nothing wrong with nothing,' becomes convinced that her own stasis is subversive and that the only way to honor the man's work is to make it disappear."

"This debut from Atlantic editor Juliet Lapidos is a satirical campus novel, but don't stop reading yet. There's romance, there's mystery, but it's all grounded in making fun of intellectuals and academia -- something everyone can get behind. Fans who find themselves at the curious intersection of last year's The Pisces and Thomas Mann's 1927 classic The Magic Mountain will find everything they ever wanted in Talent."

"The funniest book of the month...a satirical campus novel that pokes fun at our own cultural obsession with productivity and achievement. Good for reading while loafing on the couch."

"Talent is a wry meditation on ambition and an ingeniously constructed parable for our times. With wide-ranging erudition and pitch-perfect repartee, Juliet Lapidos reveals the terrible risk we take when we pity an artist."

"Juliet Lapidos grabs a story type at least as old as Henry James's The Aspern Papers and makes away with it into fast-moving, witty, literary adventure. With Pop-Tarts."

"Talent is a sly, bemused and original take on the idea of genius and fame, betrayal and family secrets, and ultimately, on freedom and imagination."

"I love a campus novel, especially when nearly everyone on campus is equally clueless. With dry, witty prose and a motley assortment of sharp voices, Talent finds hypocrisy and obsession in all the right places."

"Lapidos' literary prowess is evident in this brilliantly witty and humorous debut. The novel's layers explore the dangers of interpretation and the varying perceptions of one's, and others', intentions, all of which come together to make a thoroughly enjoyable read."