I Can't Complain: (All Too) Personal Essays – A Witty Literary Collection of Humor and Wisdom About Modern Life - Softcover

Lipman, Elinor

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0544227905 ISBN 13: 9780544227903

Publisher: Harper Paperbacks, 2014

Synopsis

“Lipman is always in top form as an essayist.” – New York Times Book Review

In her two decades of writing, Elinor Lipman has populated her fictional universe with characters so utterly real that we feel like they’re old friends. Now she shares an even more intimate world with us―her own―in essays that offer a candid, charming take on modern life. Looking back and forging ahead, she considers the subjects that matter most: childhood and condiments, long marriage and solo living, career and politics.

In these stories you’ll find the lighthearted as well as the serious and profound. Whether for Lipman’s longtime readers or those who love the essays of Nora Ephron or Anna Quindlen, I Can’t Complain is a diverting delight.

“Engaging and moving . . . Whether or not one is a Lipman fan before reading this collection, he or she most certainly will be by the time the final page is turned.” – Publishers Weekly

“Full of wit and charm, along with some trenchant observations.”– Seattle Times

“A feast of bite-sized morsels of humor and wisdom.” – Kirkus Reviews

Elinor Lipman finds the profound in the everyday and the hilarious in the ridiculous.

• Witty Observations: From navigating the politics of writing book blurbs to the unwritten rules of holding a good grudge, Lipman’s take on modern life is sharp, funny, and unforgettable.
• Heartfelt Memoir: A moving exploration of a long and happy marriage, the joy of raising a son, and the bittersweet reality of watching life change in unexpected ways.
• Family Relationships: Laugh-out-loud stories about a mother with a phobia of condiments, a father who loved a good joke, and the quirky, loving family that shaped her world.
• For Fans of Nora Ephron: If you love warm, intelligent, and candid essays that feel like a conversation with your smartest, funniest friend, this collection is for you.

About this title

About the Author

Elinor Lipman is the award-winning author of sixteen books of fiction and nonfiction, including The Inn at Lake Devine, Isabel’s Bed, I Can’t Complain: (All Too) Personal Essays, On Turpentine Lane, Rachel to the Rescue, and Ms. Demeanor, a finalist for the Thurber Prize for American Humor.  Her first novel, Then She Found Me, was adapted into a film directed by and starring Helen Hunt, with Bette Midler, Colin Firth, and Matthew Broderick. Lipman was the 2011–12 Elizabeth Drew Professor of Creative Writing at Smith College and divides her time between Manhattan and the Hudson Valley.

From the Back Cover

“Lipman is always in top form as an essayist.” – New York Times Book Review

In her two decades of writing, Elinor Lipman has populated her fictional universe with characters so utterly real that we feel like they’re old friends. Now she shares an even more intimate world with us—her own—in essays that offer a candid, charming take on modern life. Looking back and forging ahead, she considers the subjects that matter most: childhood and condiments, long marriage and solo living, career and politics.

In these stories you’ll find the lighthearted as well as the serious and profound. Whether for Lipman’s longtime readers or those who love the essays of Nora Ephron or Anna Quindlen, I Can’t Complain is a diverting delight.

“Engaging and moving . . . Whether or not one is a Lipman fan before reading this collection, he or she most certainly will be by the time the final page is turned.” – Publishers Weekly

“Full of wit and charm, along with some trenchant observations.”– Seattle Times

“A feast of bite-sized morsels of humor and wisdom.” – Kirkus Reviews


[author photo] ELINOR LIPMAN is the author of ten novels, including The View from Penthouse B, Then She Found Me, and The Inn at Lake Devine. Tweet Land of Liberty: Irreverent Rhymes from the Political Circus was published in 2012. She lives in Massachusetts and New York City.


 

Edition details

• Publisher: Harper Paperbacks
• Publication date: 2014
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0544227905
• ISBN 13: 9780544227903
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 176