That Girl

by Paul W. Fairman

Vintage TV tie-in paperback

Genres: Fiction, Horror, Gothic, Mystery

128 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published January 1, 1971

About the author

Paul Warren Fairman (1909-1977) was an editor and writer in a variety of genres under his own name and under pseudonyms.

In 1952, he was the founding editor of If, but only edited four issues. In 1955, he became the editor of Amazing Stories and Fantastic. He held that dual position until 1958. His science fiction short stories "Deadly City" and "The Cosmic Frame" were made into motion pictures.

Wrote the "Man from S.T.U.D." series of espionage spoofs under the pseudonym of F.W. Paul.

He also wrote under the pseudonym Ivar Jorgensen

Reviews

[Craig · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is one of the oddest books I've ever encountered. Published in 1971 by Popular Library, it's presented as a tie-in novel to the television show That Girl, which was a situation comedy starring Marlo Thomas as an aspiring actress who lived in New York. It was something of a forerunner of the Mary Tyler Moore Show, as it had a young woman living independently (though she had a strong support group of friends and relatives in every episode), which was somewhat remarkable at that time, but it always kept the comedic (sometimes exceedingly silly) elements at the forefront. It was light and fluffy and filled with sunshine and giggles. This novel is a dark and gloomy and aggressively Gothic retelling of Bronte's Wuthering Heights. Ann goes to a very remote and desolate area where she's drugged and held captive by a band of angry people, there's a murder, and things like this happen: "The attack came with overwhelming ferocity. At one instant they sat wrapped in silence; the next in a vortex of snarling savagery. Two taloned hands clawed at Ann, found the upper edge of her sweater and ripped it away. Ann screamed and flung out her arms in a groping attempt at protection. The attacker ripped nails down her chest and then went for her throat. And all the while there were the slavering, wordless snarls of pure, demented animalism." I guarantee that nothing like that from page 101 ever happened on the television show that ran from 1966-'71 on ABC! The author, Paul Fairman, is a somewhat neglected figure from the time when the pulps were giving way to the digests and the movies were giving way to tv. He was an editor of Ellery Queen's Mystery Magazine, and three of the leading sf magazines of the time, Amazing, Fantastic, and If. He wrote several interesting genre novels, some under the pseudonym of Ivar Jorgenson, ghost-wrote a juvenile that was published under Lester del Rey's name, and three famous B-movie campy creature-features were based on his works, The Eye Creatures, Target: Earth, and Invasion of the Saucer Men. Here he has written a pretty good Gothic story of suspense and dark intrigue, but it's the worst possible failure imaginable as a That Girl story.

[Chris · Rating 3 out of 5]

Wait a minute. Do you honestly expect me to believe that this book was always intended to be about...That Girl?



(cue the theme song to That Girl)

That Girl is my favorite classic TV series and one of my favorite shows in general. So naturally, when I saw there was a novel tie-in for this fantastic gem of a show, I couldn't get my hands on it fast enough. Now that I have recently finished watching every episode of the show, this novel was an obvious next step for a fan such as myself. There wasn't a lot of information on the book online, but with its simple and straightforward title – That Girl – I expected to get something akin to an episode of the show which I love so much. Instead, much to my genuine surprise, what I ended up getting instead was as far away from a That Girl-related book as humanly possible, but not something wholly offensive either.

If you are planning on reading this book because you expect it to be based on the classic TV series, you will get absolutely none of that. In fact, the only connections this book makes to that show are in name only; the names Ann Marie and Donald Hollinger, as well as the title, are all that would lead you to believe that this book is based on the show. This meager attempt at connecting the show to this book was initially insulting and remains baffling, but it strangely became intriguing to me as I read onward. How such a book could have come into existence in this state is a fascinating notion in and of itself, which is what, in part, saved it from a lower rating.

So what is the book about, if nothing having to do with That Girl?

That Girl, the novel, does not take place in the bustling metropolis of New York City like That Girl, the show. The novel is not a lighthearted comedy following the exploits of an up-and-coming young actress trying to make it big in the city like the show is. That Girl, the novel, is a Gothic mystery tale, taking place in rural Maine, about a disturbed man and his obsession with the Emily Bronte novel Wuthering Heights, which is clearly nothing at all like That Girl, the show, whose episodes would often entail the comedic toils of a misunderstanding or the trivialities of throwing the prefect dinner party. Yeah, that's a pretty sharp turn, huh? This is a completely unrelated story to the '60s TV series, except you get the show's title and protagonist plastered on the cover. One word sums it all up: dumbfounding!

In any other circumstance similar to this, I would be really angry that I just purchased and read a book that promised one thing and delivered something else entirely, but I find myself oddly intrigued by this book. For one, the story itself is not that bad; I would go as far as to say that the story is quite well done. Its mystery aspect was suspenseful, its conflict was tense, the characters were interesting, and the whole of the story was enjoyable overall. The writing was not Shakespearean, but it was competent, so I can't complain there either. I also found its Wuthering Heights inspiration to be a compelling hook for its story. I read Wuthering Heights only a few weeks before reading this book, and it not only helped me understand the references and allusions this book made, it also made me appreciate both novels a little bit more. Author Paul W. Fairman may not have been too familiar with That Girl, the show, but he was certainly familiar with Emily Bronte's magnum opus and clearly had a deep appreciation for it. (Quick note: if you want to read this book, I recommend that you read Wuthering Heights first to get the most out of it.) Ignoring for a moment the fact that Ann Marie had no business being written into this book, I, nevertheless, managed to enjoy this novel for quite a few reasons.

However, regarding That Girl, the novel, as a worthy companion piece to That Girl, the show, evokes totally opposing sentiments from me. I can't help but feel weirded-out at Ann Marie – the eponymous "That Girl" – being placed in this strange novel with a strange premise and even stranger characters. I can't speak for other fans of the show, but reading about Ann Marie finding a dead body, being nearly murdered, and being drugged and kept against her will in a creepy, secluded recreation of the Wuthering Heights property was so off-putting to me that I got upset at times. None of what transpired even remotely resembled the regular goings-on of the show, not even Ann Marie's personality (her comedic whimsy was especially poorly executed, in that there was no attempt made to include it). No matter how good the story may have been, being deceived about the contents of the book – seeing one of my favorite fictional TV characters being used in such an ill begotten manner – left a bad taste in my mouth.

In short, That Girl, the novel, comes off like an officially licensed, commercially sold work of fan fiction written by someone who knew nothing about That Girl, and the big twist is that the novel is decent in spite of all that. I definitely would have preferred getting a novelization of a “lost episode,” an unused script for a typical That Girl episode, a proper series finale in the form of a Donald/Ann wedding, or just about anything other than a Gothic mystery tale, but I couldn't help but enjoy the end results just enough to deem this book salvageable. That Girl, the novel, will never compare to any episode of That Girl, the show, but that doesn't disqualify the book from being a good read regardless. My advice to That Girl fans is to only get this book if you want to own a neat collector's item or if you don't mind reading a misguided attempt at That Girl fan fiction. In the same breath, I would recommend this book to fans of Gothic mysteries who don't mind its forced, albeit weak connection to an established TV comedy from the '60s. Strange book, but definitely an interesting one for the right reader.

[Sally · Rating 3 out of 5]

What an odd book. The main character is Ann Marie, the character played by Marlo Thomas in the 1970s television series. (She's one of the reasons that I thought New York City would be a great place to go to school!)She's been cast in a play in Maine based on Bronte's Wuthering Heights. However, when she arrives, she discovers that the play isn't written and that Mr. Earnshaw, a man so obsessed with the novel that he actually changed his name to Earnshaw, has decided to recreate the world of the novel and both drugs and hypnotizes actors into becoming the fictional characters. The story is gothic lite but the author knows the novel well so it was more of a pleasure to read than I expected.

[diana · Rating 4 out of 5]

"That Girl goes Gothic"

What an odd book.
First of all, what a great book to start the autumn/spooky season🎃! I initially picked this book up because it was marketed as a TV tie-in to one of my favorite TV shows: That Girl. And while this book did not have anything to do with the show, it was nonetheless a riveting Gothic mystery.

[Erica Leigh · Rating 3 out of 5]

What a bizarro tv tie-in. It’s like a gothic but with a few sitcom-y lines sprinkled in. Ann does not belong in a gothic setting, which is what makes it so jarring.

The whole concept feels like a fever dream.

Ann gets a role in some sort of ~immersive play at a remote estate, but the guy who hired her wants these people to LIVE Wuthering Heights and he’s a little too intense about it.

[Jami · Rating 3 out of 5]

When I first heard about this book, it sounded like they were throwing That Girl into the story of Wuthering Heights - well, almost. For some reason, Ann accepts the role of Cathy in a remote Maine location & comes across people playing the roles in real life. It took me a few false starts, but plowed through the last 80 pages today (plus Ann did some really stupid & illogical things). I expected better from Paul Fairman; you can bypass this one.

[Jack Heath]

Synopsis: based on the TV series starring Marlo Thomas. Anne Marie finds herself pursued on a haunted moor.

[ANGELIA · Rating 2 out of 5]

It had its good points, but it wasn't what I expected. The book could have been written about anybody, as the character of Ann Marie was nothing like "That Girl", and though he only had a couple of scenes in the story, Don Hollinger didn't sound anything like Ann's beloved Donald. The author made no attempt to familiarize them (aside from Ann being an actress from New York) so he might as well have written a separate story, except that I'm guessing he used the familiar TV character to sell more copies.

As far as the story itself goes, it was a good idea, as well as an unusual one. I was expecting one of those murder mystery plots, with everyone playing their parts in the "Wuthering Heights" drama, and then backstage there's trouble, as "Heathcliff" and "Edgar Linton" don't get along in real life as well as the story. The next thing you know, Edgar's dead and Heathcliff is accused of murder. Ann/Cathy, of course, plays detective and figures out whodunit. That was what I was expecting.

Instead, you get Mr. Earnshaw (who actually changed his name) buying property, building an actual Wuthering Heights and Thrushcross Grange, and drugging and hypnotizing the actors into actually living the parts, determined no one will leave! He even victimizes his own wife and daughter (the original Cathy who goes insane) and is determined to recreate what he thinks is paradise but turns to a hell for everyone else.

Clever idea, but it just fell flat. Too many futile walks around the moors, too many futile escape attempts, too many drugged cups of tea, etc. It just got annoying, And the ending was too abrupt.

This is one of those books that you can check out if you're curious, but don't expect much, and if you skip it, no big loss.

[John Peel · Rating 1 out of 5]

Anne Marie finds herself hired to live a role in a recreation of "Wuthering Heights" by a wealthy madman. Absolutely as bad as it sounds, and nothing like the TV show it is supposedly based upon. Avoid this like the plague.

[Tuesday Robinson · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love the book. It's great to read.