My Favourite Manson Girl - Softcover

Umminger, Alison

Softcover

ISBN 10: 1472150864 ISBN 13: 9781472150868

Publisher: Atom, 2017

Synopsis

Perfect for fans of The Girls, this is a bittersweet, honest, and widely acclaimed coming-of-age novel that distills honest truths about American girlhood

Anna has had a miserable year. Everything feels wrong with her life. And rather than stay and face the mess, she steals a credit card and books herself a seat on the first flight out of town to Los Angeles, to crash with her sister. But soon after she lands, cold reality soon dawns on her: Hollywood isn't the escape she needs. She is trapped in a town full of lost souls and wannabes, with no friends, no cash and no return ticket.

When she's offered a job researching the murderous Manson girls for a dubious film, she reluctantly accepts - she needs the money. But soon enough, among the fake smiles and glitter-fuelled parties, things turn from strange, to dark, to dangerous . . .

This is not going to be the summer Anna had in mind.

My Favourite Manson Girl is a chilling story about being young, lost and female. This is a story about how girls disappear.

About this title

Review:

Two new novels explore the story of the Manson murders by shoving the ringleader to the side and putting the girls (and girlhood itself) at the center of the narrative: The much-discussed The Girls by Emma Cline, and the less-analyzed, though no less worthy, American Girls by Alison Umminger. Cline and Umminger take a crime that seems impossible to understand, and show the girls behind it being fueled by feelings that are all too familiar. (The Atlantic)

Messy, honest, and unflinchingly real. I can't get this book out of my head. I don't want to get this book out of my head. (Becky Albertalli, author of Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda)

Funny, sad, often surprising, and just damned authentic. I know I won't be the only one who didn't want Anna's glittery-dark Hollywood summer to end. (Emily M. Danforth, author of The Miseducation of Cameron Post)

An unforgettable teen heroine - smart, observant, witty, and tough . . . an edgy coming-of-age novel that will appeal to adult readers as well as teens. Anna's voice is as original as it is compelling - and ultimately it's moving, too, as we detect the vulnerability behind her bravado. Umminger's swift, razor-sharp prose makes this a fast-paced read, a lively and incisive treatment of teen-aged girlhood with seriously dark and provocative undertones. (Maggie Mitchell, author of Pretty Is)

The most imaginative novel I've read in years . . . It's an incredible book and it's so so important. (Kiese Laymon, author of How to Slowly Kill Yourself and Others in America)

A razor-sharp commentary on our culture, observed with keen wit from the perspective of one honest and complex American girl. An insightful, original take on the coming-of-age story. (Kirkus Reviews, starred review)

Bittersweet and true, Anna's journey to self-discovery is one that should be widely read. (Booklist, starred review)

Reveals richly complicated relationships among mothers, daughters, and sisters. (Publishers Weekly, starred review)

Brings [a] resonant cityscape to life to chilling effect . . . Anna is a beautifully crafted blend of vulnerability and spiky cynicism, and demonstrates the importance of looking below the surface. (the Observer)

Book Description:

From an electric new YA voice comes a surprising, razor-sharp coming of age story about a fifteen-year-old girl over the course of one glittery-dark Hollywood summer. Perfect for fans of The Girls.

About this edition

• Publisher: Atom
• Publication date: 2017
• ISBN 10: 1472150864
• ISBN 13: 9781472150868
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 303