Elements of Style

A Novel

By: Wendy Wasserstein

Narrated by: Kathe Mazur

From the Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright and author of the essay collection Shiksa Goddess (“Utterly delicious”, Judith Thurman), a dazzling debut novel, a comedy about New York’s urban gentry living in a post-9/11 world - the arbiters of fashion and the doyennes of charity balls; about the rich and the nouveau rich(er), the glamorous and the desperate to be.

We meet Francesca Weissman, the Upper East Side pediatrician rated number one by Manhattan magazine, who takes us into the upper strata of privilege and aspiration (she’s originally from Queens with a father in hosiery; life on the fringes of glittering New York is fine with her)...

Samantha Acton, thoroughbred descendant of the Van Rensselaers and the Carnegies, who defines the social order in the great tradition of Mrs. Astor and Babe Paley...Judy Tremont from Modesto, California, daughter of a cop - her life’s work, her obsession, is New York society and its richest families... Barry Santorini, Republican, moviemaker, winner of 12 Oscars, and his wife, the Italian supermarket heiress and former media rep for Giorgio Armani...and many more.

As Elements of Style opens out, we see a madcap mosaic of the social lives and mores of 21st century Manhattan - of romance, work, family, and friendship. Satiric, fierce, touching - and deliciously Wasserstein.

“Pure Wendy! She effortlessly makes the leap from stage to page with a novel that is loving, compassionate, flat-out funny. Wendy loved the word ‘scintillating,’ which is the best way to describe her stunning Elements of Style.” (John Guare)

“Wasserstein gets the trappings and tribulations (of friendship and of romance) right, making her depiction of the rich and fab trying to connect with one another witty and entertaining.” (Publishers Weekly)

“Bold, nimble, and funny to its fingertips, Elements of Style is a delight, a triumph. A book that no self-respecting New Yorker should be without. Those cursed with the hell of multiple residences will self-evidently need several copies - and spares, for houseguests.” (Flora Fraser)

©2006 Wendy Wasserstein (P)2006 Books on Tape

Critic reviews

"Wasserstein gets the trappings and tribulations (of friendship and of romance) right, making her depiction of the rich and fab trying to connect with one another witty and entertaining." (Publishers Weekly)

“Wasserstein had the rare ability to be sardonic and compassionate at once... [She] demonstrates, with sly grace, a vulnerability that cuts across class lines.” (The New Yorker)

“A tart satire...Once again, Wasserstein, who will always be remembered as a woman’s woman and a New Yorker’s New Yorker, proves that humor is the best refuge from life’s sorrows.” (Vogue)

Elements of Style

BORING! Blah, blah, blah. Could not wait for it to end. Dry writing style and short choppy setences. Didn't care for the "brand placement". Should have know by the title...

Not a Good Choice

I got this book specifically because of Ms. Wasserstein's reputation as a playwrite, and because I felt her death was so untimely and a loss to the literary community. The book is awful. The characters are hateful. There is no plot line. What a shame. Do not waste your time.

Excellent Read

This is a great novel by a great lady. Wendy Wasserstein's untimely death adds to the poignancy of this very wonderful story about the real and imagined trappings of beauty and fame. Wasserstein had the uncanny ability to profile the elite and make us see the ordinary in their fame and/or greatness. Don't miss this excellent read as it's Wasserstein's only novel. Her death is literature's loss.

What a Waste!

This book was something like a marriage between "The Nanny Diaries" and "The Great Gatsby" but without the style, emotion, or humor. Wasserstein's writing style is in itself good, however her character delevopement and story line lacked any depth. She should have stuck to plays where at least she could rely on actors' style and delivery to add a human element. This book was an awful waste of time - it was impossible to even figure out which characters are supposed to be protaganists, and which are the antagonists. All were so flat, humorless, and dry. I would not recommend.

I love the book!

I can't believe two people gave this book one star. I listened to the book three times and found it enjoyable every time. If you like park avenue princess stories like I do, this book is apparently with a lot of brain and irony. I also think the character development is done very well. One thing i can say for sure is that this book will not bore you.