Kept: A Comedy of Sex and Manners - Softcover

Hong, Y. Euny

3.22

130 ratings by Goodreads

9780743286848: Kept: A Comedy of Sex and Manners

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0743286847 ISBN 13: 9780743286848

Publisher: Simon & Schuster, 2007

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Judith Lee, an entitled descendant of the Korean royal family, has grown quite accustomed to the privileges of the aristocracy. When her parents cut off her finances upon graduation from Yale, Jude learns that her fancy upbringing has left her unprepared to deal with her monstrous debts. That is, until she is introduced to Madame Tartakov, a charismatic Russian �migr� who has the solution to Jude's financial woes: two years with Tartakov's like-minded high-society girls as one of Manhattan's most coveted courtesans. But Jude's moral fiber is tested when she discovers that not only is she falling in love outside her clientele, but an illegitimate relative is harboring a grotesque secret, and something catastrophic is hidden in the family archives.

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Review:

"An impressively deft debut...The writing is immaculate...Hong has crafted a delightfully erudite and justifiably literary novel...It is as smart and clever as it is deliciously entertaining."
-- Christine Thomas, Chicago Tribune

"A high-spirited, witty and entertaining tale with an unusually audacious heroine and a dazzlingly global frame of reference."
-- Margaret Drabble, author of The Seven Sisters and The Sea Lady

"Not for nothing does Hong begin the book with a quote from Thackeray; this is Vanity Fair's close cousin."
-- Kirkus Reviews

"Rich, insightful, and wildly entertaining. A wonderfully assured debut."
-- Helen Walsh, author of Brass

"You'll be laughing from cover to cover."
-- Halley Bondy, New York Daily News

"We wouldn't want to miss Jude's tantrums...witty disdain leads the way."
-- Elinor Lipman, The Washington Post Book World

"Clever, smart, and oh so terribly funny, Kept is perfect for the beach tote or for sneaking into your graduate seminar. This is a volume to treasure."
-- Gary Shteyngart, author of Absurdistan and The Russian Debutante's Handbook

About the Author:

Y. Euny Hong was the first-ever television columnist for the U.S. edition of the Financial Times. Her articles have appeared in The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal Europe, the International Herald Tribune, The New Republic, The Washington Post, The Boston Globe, and the Forward, among other periodicals. She studied philosophy at Yale University and was recently awarded a Fulbright Beginning Professional Journalism Award.

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