Fear of Dying - Hardcover

Erica Jong

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 1782117431 ISBN 13: 9781782117438

Publisher: Canongate Books Ltd, 2015

Synopsis

“Flashy, flip, and hilarious as well as smart and wise.” –Booklist (starred review)

Four decades ago, Erica Jong revolutionized the way we look at love, marriage, and sex. Her worldwide bestseller, Fear of Flying opened the doors for writers from Jennifer Weiner to Lena Dunham. Now she does it again by giving us a powerful, new perspective on the next phase of women’s lives. Full of the sly humor, deep wisdom and poignancy we know from her poetry, fiction, and essays, she delivers the novel women everywhere have been waiting for...

FEAR OF DYING

As the afternoon of life looms over Vanessa Wonderman, she watches her parents age, attends doctor appointments with her pregnant daughter, and sits by the hospital bed of her husband, Asher, twenty years her senior. With her best years as an actress behind her, she’s discovering that beginnings are easy but endings can be hard.

Could her fountain-of-youth fantasies be fulfilled on Zipless.com? A site inspired by the writings of her best friend, Isadora Wing, it promises “no strings attached” encounters—and Vanessa is so restless that she’s willing to try anything.

Fear of Dying is a daring and delightful look at what it really takes to be human and female in the twenty-first century. Wildly funny and searingly honest, it is a story for everyone who has ever been shaken and changed by love.

“I loved Fear of Dying. I found it irreverent, funny, tender, and very wise, and it made me feel more alive.” –Rachel Joyce, author of The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry

About this title

About the Author

Erica Jong is a poet, novelist, and essayist, best known for her eight New York Times bestselling novels, including Fear of Flying (which has sold 27 million copies in forty languages) and Fear of Fifty. Ms. Jong is also the author of seven award-winning collections of poetry. Her latest, Love Comes First, was released by Tarcher-Penguin in January 2009. In addition, Jong has written several nonfiction books. Her work has appeared all over the world.

Review

Praise for Fear of Dying

“Fear of Dying proves Erica Jong’s sustained relevancy.” ―The Globe and Mail

“(Jong) won me over with her honesty, humor and passion...as a writer she still has a lot to say.” ―The Guardian

“Flashy, flip, and hilarious as well as smart and wise...Jong has created such an extraordinary direct and intimate narrative voice, one almost forgets that this bravura performance is a work of fiction. Jong is a beacon for several generations of readers, and her first novel in more than a decade will garner much excitement.” ―Booklist (starred review)

“From the start, Jong has surged to the front, leading Baby Boomers where they fear to tread...Even in her 70s, Jong remains the brash, randy adventurer whose work curs of the world may piss on, but who isn’t about to let that stop her.” ―The Atlantic

“Jong’s writing style is quirky and engaging, layering complex themes in a story that will make readers laugh and reflect.” –RT Book Reviews (four stars)

“Fear of Dying is the perfect, spirited, funny bookend to Erica Jong’s classic, Fear of Flying. In this lighthearted, sexy, and wise romp of a novel, Jong explores some deep truths about aging, family, love, and marriage after sixty. This novel is a wonderful, readable blend of entertainment and wisdom. I loved it!” –Susan Cheever, bestselling author of Home Before Dark

“Fear of Dying by Erica Jong is hysterical and touchinh, compelling and heartbreaking, and makes me want even more to live joyfully―forever! Jong’s writing rocks into your fantasies, your bed, and your brain. I love this book!” –Judy Collins, singer, writer, and survivor of the sixties

“Erica Jong has written a whip-smart, insightful, hilarious and ridiculously relatable new novel, Fear of Dying. In her latest novel, Jong revisits and renovates her old haunts. Destined to be called an instant classic, I could not put this stunning book down. In 1973, Fear of Flying was the book we needed, now the book we need is Fear of Dying.”―Julie Klam, bestselling author of Friendkeeping and You Had Me at Woof

“Erica Jong fans, rejoice! Her new novel, the cleverly and aptly titled Fear of Dying, is a truth-teller's dream. In it, Jong and her alter egos face life's most difficult challenges, head on and all at once. As the great poet William Butler Yeats wrote, "the only two things worth writing about are sex and death," and in Fear of Dying, Jong takes on both. Along the way, she also tells the story of a marriage that grows happier despite all. This wise book, written in prose gorgeous enough to make one swoon, will delight and enrich the lives of everyone who reads it.” –Rosemary Daniell, award-winning author of Secrets of the Zona Rosa: How Writing (and Sisterhood) Can Change Women’s Lives

"How Erica is able to deal with all these sensitive issues and still make the book funny is amazing. I loved reading it.” –Woody Allen

“Erica Jong has done it again! Fear of Dying is a big, bawdy, beautifully-written romp through online hookups, female friendships, children grappling with adulthood and parents negotiating with death. Fear of Dying is a big, warm-hearted, generous book that will satisfy Jong's longtime fans and delight her new readers.” –Jennifer Weiner, bestselling author of Who Do You Love

"Moving and deeply poetic, Fear of Dying is a compelling novel that truly understands the process of aging. With astonishing images on every page, Erica Jong gives us a veiled spiritual autobiography with an unstoppable quality, a narrative momentum that held me from first to last as it seamlessly unfolds from Jong's previous work, yet with sharp new edge, giving us a wise book, a book to savor." –Jay Parini, author of The Last Station and Why Poetry Matters

About this edition

• Publisher: Canongate Books Ltd
• Publication date: 2015
• ISBN 10: 1782117431
• ISBN 13: 9781782117438
• Binding: Hardcover
• Number of pages: 288