One-hit Wonder: From the bestselling author of Invisible Girl - Softcover

Jewell, Lisa

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0140295968 ISBN 13: 9780140295962

Publisher: Penguin, 2001

Synopsis

An emotional, intriguing story from the Number One bestseller of Then She Was Gone

After her number-one single she was never heard of again . . .

Fifteen years later, Bee Bearhorn is found dead in her flat.

Ana Willis always day-dreamed about the exotic half-sister she hadn't seen in years. Now she comes to London to sort through Bee's possessions, only to find a life more surprising and mysterious than even she imagined.

Along with Bee's closest friends, Ana sets out to discover exactly what happened to her half-sister, the one-hit wonder . . .

'A compelling story packed with intriguing characters' The Times

'Written with intelligence, verve and wit . . . a triumph' Hello

'Inventive and moving, with definite charms and a real sense of poignancy' Sunday Times

About this title

Review:

Lisa Jewell's third novel One Hit Wonder is a modern fairy story, a funny, feisty look at the way ugly ducklings can transform themselves into swans--with the help of a fashion makeover, a healthy feathering of self-confidence, new friends and, of course, a little sprinkling of romance.

The duck in question is 6-foot tall country girl Ana, all nubby black cardigan and old jeans who "sometimes wondered if she was cursed". Even her neurotically awful mother wonders: "how a girl as unattractive as you could have possibly come from my body, I have no idea". Things are made even more difficult by Bee, Anna's wonderful, urban, older half sister--"petite, big bosomed and pretty"--who once had a hit single called "Groovin' For London", and who is now mysteriously dead.

Anna comes to London to discover what happened, and it's a sobering, yet enlightening experience. Bee had a terrible secret, which she did a good job of hiding from her family and friends in a splash of designer clothes and glamorous opinions. She may have been "vain, flirtatious and self absorbed" and nearly famous, but she was also deeply depressed ("she just existed"). As Anna gradually uncovers the hidden Bee, she's forced to reassess her old life and her ambitions, transforming herself into a kind, witty attractive woman, who wins the heart of a handsome man in the process. Lisa Jewell tells the familiar story in earthy, immediate language and with such relish for contemporary life that it is impossible not to be engaged and entertained. --Eithne Farry

Review:

Sophisticated . . . Jewell can't help but tell a compelling story packed with intriguing characters (The Times)

Tackles serious issues with humour - proving that chick-lit can be intelligent, interesting and huge fun (Sunday Express)

Written with intelligence, verve and wit . . . a triumph (Hello)

Inventive and moving . . . a story with definite charms and a real sense of poignancy (Sunday Times)

Top marks. Fantastic (Heat)

A perceptive, tears-trickling-down-the-side-of-your-nose-on-the-bus brilliant read (Company)

Moving and intelligent (Independent)

A poignant tale of life, love and loss (Mirror)

Traditional, light-hearted romantic fiction at its best (Literary Review)

Poignant and humorous (Now)

About this edition

• Publisher: Penguin
• Publication date: 2001
• ISBN 10: 0140295968
• ISBN 13: 9780140295962
• Binding: Paperback
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 464