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Praise for Kate Christensen
For THE GREAT MAN:
"Mischievous...funny, astute.... As unexpectedly generous as it is entertaining.... Christensen is a witty observer of the art universe."
—The New York Times
"Christensen's writing is clear-eyed, muscular, bitingly funny, and supremely caustic about the niceties of social relations, contemporary American culture, and sexual politics. "
— O, The Oprah Magazine
"These characters are wonderfully developed and break the stereotype of the aging female protagonist. Christensen...boldly has raised the bar."
— USA Today
"Nimble, witty and discerning, Kate Christensen is single-handedly reinvigorating the comedy of manners with her smart and disemboweling novels of misanthropes, cultural and aesthetic divides, private angst, social ambition and appetites run amok."
— Chicago Tribune
"Clever and incisive.... The tension between her characters' colorful pasts and the yearning (sexual and otherwise) for their latter days is heartbreaking. But these women brim with a wit and personality that overshadow the cocky artist around whom they've orbited." —New York magazine
"Reminiscent of that particular breed of novel that can only be weaved and welded by a true artisan: where the setting is discrete yet perfectly suited to the occasion and where the characters jump out of the confines of their hardback dwelling and linger with the reader long after reading has ended." —The Austin Chronicle
"Christensen has conjured up such a vivid story (complete with New York Times obituary) of this dead New York painter that even the most avid art buffs might find themselves wondering if they missed something." —Time Out New York
"Provides no shortage of pop-intellectual entertainment.... [A] profoundly feminist story." —Elle
"Christensen pulls up fresh, funny and touching observations about the pretensions and vulnerabilities of the characters who populate the canvas." —New York Daily News
"Hilarious yet poignant." —Paper
"Racy.... Fast-paced and fun." —Daily Candy
"In clean, witty prose, Christensen not only tackles the slippery bonds of love and family but also offers a hilarious glimpse into the avant-garde art world and the egos that fuel it." —Very Short List
"Presents vital characters who challenge typical depictions of the elderly as so conservative. These women are complicated, smart, witty, and sexy--even Internet savvy!" —San Francisco Bay Guardian
"Christensen is a perfect match for [the] tangled web woven by a single deceiver.... No matter how venal her characters, no matter how cruel and selfish they may be, she loves every damn one of them." —The Agony Column
"Provides no shortage of pop-intellectual entertainment.... [A] profoundly feminist story." —Elle
"Kate Christensen is the best kind of writer, because she has both x-ray vision and a warm heart. In gorgeous prose she reveals everything there is to know about the four remarkable women at the heart of this lovely, funny, sexy book."
— James Hynes, author of Publish and Perish and The Lecturer's Tale
"Her picture of three women coping with the indignities and the pleasures of old age is satisfyingly detailed." —New Yorker
"What works in this book is how mercilessly Christensen lays out the sacrifices each woman makes, the sort of trade-offs that men, especially great men like Oscar, never had to consider." —Associate Press
"The theme of sexuality among septuagenarians in literature is all too rare, and so is finding women in their 70s and 80s who cuss with gusto. But then, The Great Man defies convention...That Christensen, who is in her mid-40s, can so aptly capture not just the loneliness, losses and angst, but also the acceptance, of growing old, is a testament to her tremendous skills." —AARP Magazine
"In clean, witty prose, Christensen not only tackles the slippery bonds of love and family but also offers a hilarious glimpse into the avant-garde art world and the egos that fuel it." —The Very Short List
"Kate Christensen's brilliant, big-hearted skewering of greatness, of men, of the Manhattan art scene, of love, reminded me that books can be witty, and heartbreaking, and intelligent, and keep you up too late reading. How rare it is that a writer is talented enough to deliver such varied treasures in one novel, but Christensen manages it effortlessly."
— Heidi Julavits, author of The Uses of Enchantment
"The prose in this book is stunning; the characters fascinating, endearing, and utterly real. Kate Christensen is, quite simply, one of the finest artists writing today."
— Cathi Hanauer, author of Sweet Ruin and editor of The Bitch in the House
For THE EPICURE'S LAMENT:
"Kate Christensen is a serious writer: Don't be fooled by the relentless hipness or what seems full-throttle frivolity of her subject matter—the joke, if you don't get it, is on you."
—New York Observer
"Christensen pulls it off... The Epicure's Lament becomes funnier the more Hugo begins to engage with the people he purports to loath, and the more it becomes clear he's not quite ready to leave yet. Why an author would set herself the formidable task of creating such a creature—and then convincing us to like him—is a bit puzzling, but why look a gift horse in the mouth?"
— Laura Miller, Salon.com
"Christensen's two previous novels (Jeremy Thrane; In the Drink) were delightfully believable, sympathetic contemporary narratives filled with wry humor and appealing protagonists. Here she ups the ante, with loftier literary aspirations and succeeds masterfully...This is an impressive tome, one that tickles the funny bone and feeds the mind."
— Publishers Weekly, Starred Review
"A suave ego-/erotomaniac more than half in love with easeful death. First-rate adult entertainment, as they say, and Christensen's most impressive yet."
— Kirkus Reviews, Starred Review
"Kate Christensen further establishes her firm grasp on Loser Lit with The Epicure's Lament."
— Vanity Fair
"Refreshingly dark-hearted."
— New York Magazine
"There is a definite scarcity of good monsters these days...This makes one appreciate Hugo Whittier, the narrator and quasi-hero of Kate Christensen's remarkable novel The Epicure's Lament, all the more...Christensen gives a virtuoso performance, tossing off perfect sentences seemingly at random, delivering them with a sneer that makes them more delicious."
—Lev Grossman, Time Magazine
"Hugo's smug and self-loathing voice that is the greatest treat of this very savory dish of a novel."
— Boston Globe
"If Christensen's narrator inspires comparisons to Nabokov's, I think she can stand up to them...The Epicure's Lament is a razor dissection of the inside of a rogue's mind, with wonderfully subtle asides into philosophy, literature and, even, food."
— Marta Salij, Detroit Free Press
"Christensen's third novel is a mini-masterpiece about the despair of desire...an exquisite meal served in literary, haute cuisine prose. Discerning palates will savor it."
— People Magazine
"[A] zesty plum pudding of a novel."
— Newsday
"A mordantly funny chronicle of one man's quest to enjoy a slow, decadent suicide in solitude."
— Bookforum
"Kate Christensen's Hugo, with his talent for duplicity and the daily inhumanity, descends from a long line of cad lit—the preserver he gets, the more delicious it seems."
— Newsweek
"Christensen creates a rich, nuanced character who surprises you at the most unexpected times...As a reader you don't mind stepping into Hugo's life and experiencing the world through his eyes; indeed, you'll find yourself looking forward to it."
— San Francisco Chronicle
"Unexpectedly charming in some places, absolutely dastardly in others, Hugo is an utterly unforgettable character."
— Booklist
"Kate Christensen has proven herself an expert on the dark side of comic fiction."
— Baltimore Sun
"Christensen has created in Hugo [Whittier] an altogether appealing, irascible antihero, along the lines of Grady Tripp in Michael Chabon's Wonder Boys or Doug Willis in David Gates's Preston Falls."
— Publishers Weekly (starred)
"Funny and aesthetically playful...Christensen beautifully handles this very male point of view, with a complexity of language and a set of intricate emotions (both hidden and revealed) that recall Nabokov's Lolita."
— Elle
For JEREMY THRANE:
"Kate Christensen paints a convincing portrait of a sensitive, modern Manhattanite."
— New York Times Book Review
"This is a contemporary Pilgrim's Progress, Jeremy Thrane is satisfyingly wayward and modern...light, densely populated and full of good will."
— Newsday
"Christensen knows how to capture singlehood in the little things, like listening, with longing and satisfied remove, to your new roommate and his lover chatting. Details like this will keep you hooked."
— Mademoiselle
"Christensen unveils hidden sides of New York City—and humanity—with passionate, witty prose."
— Glamour
"Delightfully droll and astute."
— Hartford Courant
"A knockout sophomore effort...Christensen's sumptuous prose is both wicked and wise, resulting in a smart, sassy urban tale."
— Publishers Weekly
"This is not just another tale about a big-city singleton desperate for a serious relationship; it's about how we go on living, adapting, and working even after our whole world has changed."
— Library Journal
"The genre of gay male fiction often serves up amusing but shallow stereotypes, but in this insightful, beautifully written novel, Christensen has created a unique, fully formed, and flawed but likeable man."
— Booklist
For IN THE DRINK:
"Christensen's acid wit burns up the pages."
— Entertainment Weekly
"Like Bridget [Jones], Christensen's Claudia Steiner is a mess...but Claudia is endearing because she remains appreciative of her own grittiness."
— Time
"An artful chronicle of a frustrated writer who finds herself light-years from where she expected she'd be."
— New York Magazine
"A breezy and confident first novel."
— The New York Times Book Review
"Claudia Steiner has to be the freshest anti-heroine I've read in a long time."
— Jane
"Christensen's narrative voice is sharp, urban, and laugh-out-loud funny."
— Mirabella
"Like its protagonist, Christensen's book is funny and intelligent, filled with dead-on New York character types and locales."
— The Baltimore Sun
"At a time when authors are penning bestselling memoirs about their alcoholic torment, and 12-step programs are as popular as SUVs, Christensen's take is refreshing."
— New York Post
"Hilarious, decadent, painfully honest, and sparkling with wit and originality...With this exuberant first novel, Kate Christensen burst onto the literary scene."
— Cathi Hanauer, author of My Sister's Bones
"Read In the Drink because it's about a girl who knows exactly how it feels to be us. For a change."
— Bust
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