Grub

by Elise Blackwell

A long overdue retelling of New Grub Street--George Gissing's classic satire of the Victorian literary marketplace--Grub chronicles the triumphs and humiliations of a group of young novelists living in and around New York City.

Eddie Renfros, on the brink of failure after his critically acclaimed first book, wants only to publish another novel and hang on to his beautiful wife, Amanda, who has her own literary ambitions and a bit of a roving eye. Among their circle are writers of every stripe--from the Machiavellian Jackson Miller to the `experimental writer' Henry who lives in squalor while seeking the perfect sentence. Amid an assortment of scheming agents, editors, and hangers-on, each writer must negotiate the often competing demands of success and integrity, all while grappling with inner demons and the stabs of professional and personal jealousy. The question that nags at them is this: What is it to write a novel in the twenty-first century?

Pointedly funny and compassionate, Grub reveals what the publishing industry does to writers--and what writers do to themselves for the sake of art and to each other in the pursuit of celebrity.

Genres: Fiction, The United States Of America

356 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2007

About the author

Elise Blackwell is the author of three novels: Hunger, The Unnatural History of Cypress Parish, and Grub. Originally from southern Louisiana, she has lived all over the country and currently teaches at the University of South Carolina.

Reviews

[Natalie · Rating 2 out of 5]

I read this book quickly, just because I wanted to be done with it. The fact that it has an average rating of 3.4 stars is suprising to me. True, it is meant to be "ironic" and a "satire", unfortunately, it was often hard for me to tell what was intentionally bad writing and what was just bad writing. The characters weren't compelling--I liked none of them and was really hoping at least one of them would get what was coming to him/her in the end (and that wasn't a happy marriage, a Pulitzer, or anything goo), but they all got what they thought they deserved, it seemed. Another book that assumes that New York is the center of the universe and the people who live there are the only interesting people to read or write about--of course, perhaps that was meant in an ironic way, too. Who knows. I wasn't impressed by the writing--esp. the dialogue which was often trite and cliche--and kept wondering why I hadn't just read the original Grub Street on which this one was based. I find it really surprising the number of reviews I've read--here and elsewhere--that suggest writers will love this book. I'm a writer and, while there were some things that I found funny or familiar, there didn't seem to be anything particularly new, interesting, or really very redeeming about this piece.

[Eileen · Rating 4 out of 5]

I grabbed this book before heading out of town on a business trip and I soon found myself forgoing sleep in order to read more. I can't tell you why I liked it so much, I guess I just wanted to see what happened to all of the characters.

It's a story of several writers and what they're willing to do for literary success. It doesn't sound too exciting, but it actually turns out to be a pretty fun book.

[Michael · Rating 5 out of 5]

as advertise, this is a retelling of Gessing's New Grub Street. it's fun and will hit home for anyone who writes. It tracks five young writers in NYC as they navigate the contemporary publishing world. They struggle with whether or not to sell-out (maybe), whether or not to leave your struggling spouse for a more successful writer (you bet!), with the hierarchical and petty world of journals, of 'writing' conferences, the backstabbing (and often incestuous) review system, the bluntness and brutality of the marketplace, the silly things they put on your book cover, the voodoo of titles, etc...

What's really phenomenal about the book is how it demonstrates Elise's range and muscle. Her other two books, Hunger and The Unnatural History of Cypress Parish while both amazing in their own way, are wildly different books than Grub. As a writer, this was what really put me on my ass... just the knowledge that there are people out there who can switch gears so easily and successfully.

I'm recommending it to everyone, but especially anyone in the thick of it, anyone trying to write. It's a satire so the characters can get a little brittle, but they're all recent MFA grads or editor-types of self-satisfied little journals. And there's something delicious about seeing them/us roughed up with such brilliant precision. If you or your friends write, you'll recognize yourselves by page 5.


(disclosure: anyone who has my book and read the back might have seen that elise blurbed it. you'll just have to take my word that I'd be singing the praises of Grub regardless.)

[Randy · Rating 5 out of 5]

I ate up this Shakespearean ‘all’s well that ends well’ satire, described as a “a long overdue retelling of New Grub Street—George Gissing’s classic satire of the Victorian literary marketplace—Grub chronicles the triumphs and humiliations of a group of young novelists living in and around New York City.” This book reminds writers to watch the hubris and check literary-attitudes at the door; but it does it with tender love and great humor.

[Heidi · Rating 2 out of 5]

Oh, I really really wanted to like this book. It's about the nefarious publishing world and it's many, many flawed players. Having spent some time in that world, I was hoping for some deliciously biting commentary, but what I got was a stale story filled with one-dimensional characters. I had to force myself to get through it (it takes a lot for me not to finish a book). My rating: meh.

[AMD · Rating 1 out of 5]

I really hated most of the characters in this book, as well as the author, but I felt like I had to finish it anyway to find out what happens, so maybe that means it succeeded. At least it was over quickly. I might read the original, but don't feel any particular need.

[Kim Weiss · Rating 4 out of 5]

I liked this book, but I could see how someone wouldn't. As someone who's always had "novel writer" as my farfetched dream career, it was interesting to see the steps one must take to be published--the MFA, the conferences,practically needing an agent to get an agent--and what it's like after the book is published. I didn't know, for example, that you have to drive yourself on your own book tour out of state (unless you're a top selling author, of course) or that an author has such little control over the name and cover of a book. All of the characters in this novel do get a manuscript accepted by a publisher, and the differences in their experiences makes for the most interesting part of the story.

Many of the characters are, however, hard to relate to. Reading them ranting about how awful it would be to get a job (Oh, the horrors!) gets annoying after a while. But why would they need to get a job? It's so easy to get rich writing a book in this world. Two characters--a housewife and a waitress--who had no plans to write a book in the beginning of the become superstars at the end, with multi-book contracts and huge advances. It's that easy to create a bestseller? Really?

The characters who don't become stars become college professors, another dream job of sorts. Just about everybody gets a happy ending, more or less, and the book was engaging. Proceed with caution, though, if you don't like pretentious hipsters.

[Georgette Curay · Rating 1 out of 5]

Just couldn’t get in to this book. Very wordy. I might try again, or I might donate it.

[Jennifer S. Brown]

A modern take on New Grub Street about writers and publishings. Really fun interesting read but what a dismal picture it paints of the world of writing!

[Rohan · Rating 3 out of 5]

I wasn't sure whether I really liked this book or not. Many other novels, particularly Jane Austen's works, have been rewritten in a modern manner in recent years, but Gissing's New Grub Street seemed a little too niche to warrant that treatment. Blackwell has remained eerily faithful to the original for a ood third of Grub, but she is also a smart enough writer to know when to jettison obsolete material in favour of something more contemporaneous.

Most striking in this American-set update of the woes and miseries of a series of all too serious writers and wannabes is the way in which the female characters take control of their destiny here. IN Gissing's original work so many of the female characters were pushed patronisingly to the outer peripheries of a male dominated writing establishment. Blackwell almost entirely rewrites or invents some female figures here so that they have much more of a say in their livelihoods, much more in keeping with the present day.

I'm not sure how effective the idea of the Grub restaurant, where the literati hob-nob, is, but another intriguing dimension of Blackwell's broad satire is that the commercial imperative is much more dominant in this modern text and if anything the likes of Jackson and Amanda are generally more likable characters, who the reader may feel a stronger sympathy/empathy for than their corresponding siblings in Gissing's original work.

Perhaps where this work falls a little flat is in the way in which it deals with the conditions of a writers lot in a slightly frivolous manner. Whereas Gissing, although writing a satire, was fuelled bu a righteous anger and indignation at the conditions in which writers were expected to carry out their craft (self-inflicted or otherwise), Blackwell's work is much more condemnatory and sarcastic, pinpointing the fatal flaws of the academic novelist, or the fictional theoretician, and really working the humour very much at these literary dinosaur's expense. Thankfully Blackwell by and large avoids the life and death tragedy of Gissing's original work, but that in itself is perhaps reflective of the limitations of this odd, but topical, modern take on things.

[Bookreaderljh · Rating 2 out of 5]

I thought a book about writers and the publishing process would be interesting as I am such a reader. The idea might be interesting but this book was not. I pushed myself to keep reading despite the often trite story lines, the often unbelievable crossing of characters' lives, and not being particularly drawn to any of the characters. There were times when I thought a story line had promise but it often ended before coming to fruition. A little jaded as well as the writers who had the most success were the ones writing to the process rather than writing to their muse. Those writers ended up as drunks, paupers or teachers. Maybe that was what the book was trying to show but I would hope that is not the case at least some of the time. But I think I could have even dealt with that theme if the book itself was better written. Sentences that need re-reading not due to the strength of the writing but more for the lack of appropriate punctuation seemed beyond ironic when so much of the book deals with editors and revisions. Again -maybe this was the point but all it did was frustrate me. I think I should have stopped reading when I quickly predicted the plot point of a fire almost destroying a just finished manuscript. From then on there were very few surprises and just a day from finishing reading, I truly can't remember the ending. But neither do I care. That is not a good sign.

[Lorri Steinbacher · Rating 3 out of 5]

I guess what I've taken from this novel is that abhorrent, shallow people are rewarded in the publishing world, earnest writers concerned about content end up either drunk and deluded or comfortable but vaguely unsatisified, and the true believers end up destitute and delusional. And scary thing is, I think I believe this. I could forgive Amanda and Jackson for viewing novel writing as a strictly commercial exercise in marketing to the masses and wishing to make money from it. But I could not stand their blatant social climbing, their utter disregard for anyone's feelings except as they related to themselves and their plans, their belief that they were somehow superior to everyone else simply because their calculated efforts to make money from their writing paid off in large advances (and that they were good looking didn't hurt). Makes you think about the publishing world in general: what gets reviewed and why, how personal bias and pettiness can affect reviews, what defines success, is there a place for quality or experimentation and exploration in fiction or must it all be reduced to formula and what sells?

[mark · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a novel written about the author's Field: Writing. (Write what you know.) The Author is a professor who teaches creative writng. (I assume.) The ironies are too many to mention all. The book tells an ugly story of the 21st Century literary world--writers, agents & editors, publishers and professors. None of the characters are admirable save one, a young woman who is the daughter of a horrid publisher/professor. (I'm going to take a guess and say the model for the character is the author.) It's all in here - if you want to take the current, conventional path to writing for a living. (My advice? Don't.) The author writes in a way that she is critical of in the novel (Did she intentionally do that?) I loved the ending ... which is rare: A married couple, both writers, divorce and decide to tell the story of their relationship in novels - with very different views of just what that story is ... perfect!

[Rowena Lewis · Rating 4 out of 5]

I bought this on the Kindle daily deal, thinking the description sounded OK and not knowing it was a re-writing of George Gissing's 'New Grub Street' (that I'd never heard of but have now downloaded).
It took me a while to take to the novel and the characters, especially as it was so heavily cynical about the writing and publishing industry. It read like one big giant piss-take which I thought I would get fed up of pretty quickly but instead I began getting drawn in to the characters and their lives. It is really beautifully written and despite the sardonic tone it began to be really funny. I was a bit disappointed by the ending, with each character being neatly parcelled up in their lives and almost happily ever after but I'm not sure where else it could have gone without being too obvious. Anyway, the book was a really nice surprise.

[Jennifer · Rating 3 out of 5]

Extremely lightweight but entertaining, particularly if you've got any contact with struggling writers. They're all types -- the young phenom stalled after one successful book, the scheming market-testers, male and female, who write books destined to be successful, the woefully unreadable idealist who has a book published only because he is photographed (and makes the newscast) jumping from a burning apartment building clutching his manuscript. I never read Grub Street, so I couldn't tell you how exactly this relates to its forerunner, but it seems absolutely current circa 2003 or so...I believe one of the main characters is based on Jonathan Franzen. Anyway, fun, but if you're busy or very serious...pass it by.

[Anita Smith · Rating 5 out of 5]

I just finished this book tonight, and it was great! A very interesting read about the lives of four friends as they try to find success in the writing and publishing industry, and how it affects their relationships with each other, as some struggle to find success, and some find it easier than others, and there's a great mix of jealousy, rivalry, competition, family drama, love, etc. Kind of like a bit of a soap opera for intelligent writers. At the end of the book, the author acknowledges that Grub is "an updating of George Gissing's satire of the Victorian literary marketplace of New Grub Street, published in 1891." That's definitely going to have to go on my to-read list!

This was an excellent book!

[Tyler Mcmahon · Rating 5 out of 5]

While this is indeed a scathing satire of the publishing world, it is a story that anyone can enjoy. To me, it feels like a whole new kind of parody, one that manages to succeed without moralizing. Blackwell is able to showcase both the pitfalls and windfalls of the book-business without ever becoming mean-spirited or dogmatic. In this novel, the relationship between artistic integrity and commercial success is not so much antithetical as just...occasional. In Grub, we are shown that the publishing world is a lot like the real world: often cruel, occasionally generous, and almost always indifferent to our plans.

[Sara Snow · Rating 3 out of 5]

The first half makes you want to ditch your current life, curl up with your keyboard, just to be a novelist and experience all of its romanticized drudgery. The second half makes you want to run back to your chosen career with all the fervor of a teacher collecting the last assignments before summer break. --Note that the metaphor was inspired by all of this book's talk of carefully crafted sentences and beautiful prose. :) -- I really enjoyed this book, but toward the end I found myself not liking any of the characters, which was a bit of a disappointment. Next I need to read the original.

[Chris Koslowski]

The mark of good satire is the turn from wink to ache, and there's lots of ache to be felt throughout Blackwell's novel, particularly at its close. Many of Grub's characters are over-the-top pariahs, but in between their actions and dialogue we glimpse their humanity and remind ourselves of our own ridiculousness (particularly us writers). Funny, sad, and fair in the shots it takes. This book is by no means mean-spirited, but it pulls no punches in highlighting the pathetic pageantry and empty ambition of some parts of the world of writers. Also, a fun story split between a cast of memorable characters...tough to pull off when each and every one is a writer.

[Allison · Rating 2 out of 5]

Despite the unlikable characters and predictable ending, I found this book intriguing to read. It was interesting to read about the publishing world, though I strongly hope that the representation of it in this book is not accurate. The idea that anyone can write a book seems absurd to me, as I'm sure it would to anyone who has ever wanted to. Not to mention the idea that authors regularly sacrifice joy of writing for meaningless profits is disheartening. I know that some authors live this way, but I also know that many others (successful ones, too) do not.

[Nari · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is very engrossing, with each chapter focusing on a specific character. The chapters are pretty short ranging from 2 to 10 pages, which in effect keeps the book going steadily and is hard to put down. Elise Blackwell does not dwell too long on any particular character, but each character has a unique depth with this someone trite struggling artist story. The point of the book, however, is not the story itself, but of the characters finding their own identities through their writing.

[Valerie Duffner · Rating 3 out of 5]

Decent enough takedown of the modern publishing industry, enjoyed the silliness of the characters and how it poked fun at the different writing trends, and how some writers took advantage of that (book based on painting + supernatural theme + cute animals = profit). Makes me interested in reading New Grub Street, and also curious about how it would read a decade from now, when the trends have changed.

[Andrea · Rating 3 out of 5]

I would not have come across this book on my own (it was a book club choice) and had not even heard of the book it was based upon, New Grub Street. New Grub Street took a satirical look at the world of publishing in the 1800s and Grub updates that to today. It is amazing how much translates after so much time. I enjoyed the concept of the book and there were many laugh out loud moments, but it wasn't exactly the type of book that I will be telling everyone they have to read....

[Christine · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book made me want to write a book. Or try. So what does that tell you? If anything this book should have turned me off of that idea. It tells the story of the politics of how books get written and selected. Is being a novelist about being artistic, or hitting on a saleable concept and writing it accessibly? Made me think about fiction and why I choose what I choose to read.

[Karetchko]

This book is apparently a modern retelling of George Gissing's book New Grub Street. Am I supposed to already be familiar with that work? I'm not. I just grabbed this at the library one day. The book is pretty entertaining. I'm sure that a lot of writers can relate to the characters and their situations.

[Cyn Cooley · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was reasonably well written but I just didn't really care about any of the characters, I didn't feel strongly sympathetic for any of them. I know it is a re-telling and I have never read the original so I cannot compare it to that but if the characters are fundamentally the same in behavior, I wouldn't enjoy the original either.

[Annie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Author Elise Blackwell pulls off a rare bird: a satire brimming with humanism. I enjoyed every line of this book, which reminded me at times of Whit Stillman’s marvelous first feature Metropolitan.

[http://superfastreader.com/grub-by-el...]

[Jenny Mcdermott · Rating 2 out of 5]

I'm reading this book now. So far I hate all of the characters, not sure I'm going to keep reading it. Everyone is miserable and sad. Not into that so much . . . . It's about a group of young people that want to become writers.

[Darshan Elena · Rating 4 out of 5]

an amusing and lovely modernization of new grub street... aspects of this novel seemed spot on in terms of the frustrations of writing and the idiocies of corporate publishing... i was, i admit, a bit disappointed at the novel's but it was worth the read.

[Terry Perrel · Rating 4 out of 5]

If you're an MFA grad, a writer or reviewer, a teacher of lit or theory, you'll enjoy this book and perhaps recognize some of the askewed personalities. Great fun. Forward-tilt plot. But not an important work. It's a beach or sick day book for the literary crowd.