Review
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''The gifted young writer Julie Buntin has written a novel
of deep and exquisite intelligence, humor, and riveting
sensitivity. A terrific debut.'' --Lorrie Moore author of Bark
''Julie Buntin captures that unique moment at the precipice of
adulthood with emotional honesty and in. She writes the kind
of piercing, revelatory sentences you have to read to whomever is
near, sentences you find yourself remembering years later.''
--Jonathan Safran Foer, author of Extremely Loud and Incredibly
Close
''Marlena is absolutely lacerating. The most accurate portrait
I've read about angst, lust, boredom, and the blindness of youth.
It isn't merely a friendship chronicle, nor is it a profile of a
doomed, beautiful girl. It's the story of a haunting, about the
ghosts that never release us and continue to define us. Julie
Buntin's command of her craft is so flawless you forget that it's
fiction. I binge-read Marlena - to my stomach, with equal
parts fear and nostalgia - stunned that any of us made it out of
our adolescence alive.'' --Stephanie Danler, author of
Sweetbitter
''The true magic of Julie Buntin is she writes stories that feel
like your own. This gorgeous, assured debut captures the romance
of young friendship, cutting deep with the finest touch.''
--Julia Pierpont, author of Among the Ten Thousand Things
''Marlena slayed me. Gorgeously written, with a sense of place
so perfect I didn't even have to close my eyes to pretend I was
there, this novel is rich and sensuous and beautifully conceived.
Buntin writes about the all-consuming bond between teenage girls
with urgency and suspense and despair. I loved every word.''
--Anton DiSclafani, bestselling author of The After Party and The
Yonahlossee Riding Camp for Girls
''In Marlena, Julie Buntin revitalizes a classic story making it
all her own with sensuous, vibrant prose and a narrator who feels
deeply even as she feints certain painful truths about herself.
In these pages I not only saw my own story, I came to understand
it better. Many readers will too. This is a fierce and gorgeous
debut.'' --Edan Lepucki, bestselling author of California
''Sensitive and smart and arrestingly beautiful, debut novelist
Buntin's tale of the friendship between two girls in the woods of
Northern Michigan makes coming-of-age stories feel both urgent
and new. . . .Buntin creates a world so subtle and nuanced and
alive that it imprints like a memory. Devastating; as
unforgettable as it is gorgeous.'' --Kirkus, starred review
''A keenly observed study of teenage character. . .poignant and
unforgettable.'' --Publishers Weekly, starred review
''[A] vivid debut. . . .Buntin's prose is emotional and
immediate, and the interior lives she draws of young women and
obsessive best friends are Ferrante-esque.'' --Booklist, starred
review
''I tore through this stunning debut. . . .maddening,
complicated, beautiful, essential. . . .Buntin beautifully
captures that time in our lives, when our reliance on our friends
feels as profound as our need for water or air.'' --NYLON, 50
Books We Can't Wait to Read in 2017
''A novel that's as invigorating and devastating as an intense
teenage crush, Marlena is about the people we encounter in life -
no matter how briefly - who leave a permanent mark. Julie
Buntin's stellar debut has the emotional sophistication of only
the very best coming-of-age novels, so it's no wonder it comes
with a glowing blurb from Who Will Run the Frog Hospital author
Lorrie Moore.'' --Vulture, 25 of the Most Exciting Book Releases
for 2017
--This text refers to the Audio CD (
/dp/1504777530/ref=dp_bookdescription?_encoding=UTF8&n=283155 )
edition.
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About the Author
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Julie Buntin is from northern Michigan. Her work has
appeared in the Atlantic, Cosmopolitan, O, The Oprah Magazine,
Slate, Electric Literature, and One Teen Story, among other
publications. She teaches fiction writing at Mary Manhattan
College, and is the director of writing programs at Catapult. She
lives in Brooklyn, New York.
--This text refers to the Audio CD (
/dp/1504777530/ref=dp_bookdescription?_encoding=UTF8&n=283155 )
edition.
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