Ask Me Anything

by Francesca Delbanco

"An engaging, screwball first novel....A genuine pleasure."― The New Yorker Twenty-six-year-old Rosalie Preston works by day as an advice columnist for the romantically perplexed readership of Girl Talk magazine. But her true passion is for the stage and for her fledgling theater troupe, the First Borns, a tight pack of friends and lovers who live (mostly) in the East Village. When Rosalie comes to the notice of suave Berglan Starker, a theater underwriter―and also the father of her best friend―she finds herself caught up in a very different affair from those she so jauntily untangles in her column for teens. Struggling to be savvy but sage, she is swept along by curiosity, a taste for adventure, and a penchant for those alluring complimentary toiletries in New York's ritziest hotels. Fame versus art, sex versus love, ambition versus friendship, room service versus restaurants: these are the choppy waters the First Borners must navigate―together and, perhaps ultimately, apart―in this delicious novel.

"The best of what the chick-lit genre has to offer: it's wry, compelling, and keenly observed."― Library Journal "What a delightful surprise....[Delbanco's] voice is fresh and wise....The angst here is warm and funny and has the true tone of excited urgency and humility that fuels youth."―Mary Ambrose, Boston Globe "Absurdly entertaining....The wistful and wise-cracking Rosalie is a winning screwball heroine."―Mark Rozzo, Los Angeles Times Book Review

Genres: Fiction, Chick Lit, Romance

348 pages, Paperback

First published February 1, 2004

Reviews

[Diana · Rating 2 out of 5]

I picked this up because it was written by the older sister of a schoolmate. Nothing particularly special about a rather run-of-the-mill chick lit story, although the unapologetically sleeping with a married man angle didn't really win the main character much of my sympathy either. Well written, good beach book if you're looking for something really light.

[Lisa · Rating 3 out of 5]

This novel was a fairly cute romance - nothing heavy, but the characters were interesting and the plot enjoyable.

[ReadWithE · Rating 2 out of 5]

Dnf'd at 80 or so pages because I'm grossed out by this heroine and her choices.

[Ceallaigh Johnson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Loved the story. Kinda reminded me of my college years in a way! The ending....well you be the judge.

[Jessica · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a fun read but the ending.....

[Rose · Rating 1 out of 5]

I'm going to apologize to Francesca Delbanco in advance because she seems like she could be a really sweet writer, and "Ask Me Anything" had such an interesting premise that I thought it would be a delightful novel. I mean, even the blurb on the book says that Rosalie is "such a loveable young woman, I was sorry to leave her." As quoted by Diane Johnson.

I didn't really see the lovable or quirky side of Rosalie very much. She's making her living as a actress in a theater group (ironic I'm reviewing two theater related books in a row - but I do love theater and many other forms of art), and she's also a columnist for a popular teen help feature. I did like the teen blurbs in spurts because they seemed practical and showed Rosalie's character in spurts (probably could've been done without, but I wouldn't say they were bad), but the rest of the story seemed farfetched in many places. A young woman having an affair with her friend's father, and in the way it was presented? I...wasn't convinced. It was unfortunate, and I think the novel was trying to be funny, but there isn't much of that in the work. I think the promise was there, and the premise could've been interesting, but the way it came across didn't click. The writing is decent, but meanders a bit more from the point in parts that I didn't care for. Her writing is solid in structure, but not in overall presentation. I've read some chick-lit in fair comparison, but by far this was one of the ones that didn't meet my approval.

I think the only character I really liked in this book was Declan, because he seemed probably the closest character that I could relate to, but the remainder of the cast suffers from being quite flat, unfortunately.

Overall, I'm willing to look into Delbanco's other works, but this deeply disappointed me on several levels. And it's a pity because the version I had featured a beautiful cover and some intriguing blurbs.

[Lisa · Rating 3 out of 5]

I really wanted to love this book, while I did enjoy it, love well no I didn't love it. I'd give it 3 1/2 stars, readable but also too easy to put down and leave, and not so compelling to pick back up. I did finish it so that's saying some thing.

Twenty-six-year-old Rosalie Preston works by day as an advice columnist for the romantically perplexed readership of Girl Talk magazine. But her true passion is for the stage and for her fledgling theater troupe, the First Borns, a tight pack of friends and lovers who live (mostly) in the East Village. When Rosalie comes to the notice of suave Berglan Starker, a theater underwriter—and also the father of her best friend—she finds herself caught up in a very different affair from those she so jauntily untangles in her column for teens. Struggling to be savvy but sage, she is swept along by curiosity, a taste for adventure, and a penchant for those alluring complimentary toiletries in New York's ritziest hotels. Fame versus art, sex versus love, ambition versus friendship, room service versus restaurants: these are the choppy waters the First Borners must navigate—together and, perhaps ultimately, apart—in this delicious novel.

[Bookmarks Magazine]

This is bona fide 'chick-lit', but one of the more insightful entries in the genre. More than one critic compared it to Friends, Sex and the City, and Seinfeld. In other words, it's written for self-absorbed 20-somethings. The plot isn't particularly original or surprising, but critics agree that it's a fun ride through the narrator's halting transition into adulthood. First-time author Delbanco, a veteran advice columnist for Seventeen, includes snippets of her protagonist's column throughout. These can be entertaining or tiresome, depending on whom you ask. But on the whole, Rosalie is "not only less antic but less artificial" than her British counterpart, Bridget Jones (Chicago Tribune). She's completely lovable.

This is an excerpt from a review published in Bookmarks magazine.

[Heather · Rating 4 out of 5]

I looooved this book. I feel like I connected with the main character, Rosalie. She's trying so hard to hold onto all those familiar things and people in her life, while everyone is just growing up and moving on to bigger and better things, relationships, careers, etc. Throughout the novel, she's forced to kind of reevaluate her life and where she wants to go, who she wants to be. For a lot of the book, she kind of at a standstill, which is how I kind of feel lately, but she presses forward, and the story ends better than anything she probably ever thought possible.

This story was funny, familiar, and really entertaining. I loved witnessing Rosalie navigate through her journey and I absolutely adored how the story ended.

[Jes · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book's narrative is enticingly refreshing. The main character doesn't apologize for being imperfect--if anything, it is her imperfections that make her a nearly perfect character to read. I adored this novel, particularly the unexpected relationships and the theatrics throughout. It was a tremendous summer read and I would recommend this book to anyone about to graduate college without a clear idea of what they want to do.

[Elizabeth · Rating 4 out of 5]

Delbanco's debut novel is a hit. It's an ode to twenty-something life in the Big Apple, making the transition from an insulated group of college friends to a more independent way of being. The protagonist lives boldly and owns her ups and downs without Delbanco's writing coming across as too outlandish. Ultimately, the protagonist is lovable and surprising in a purely satisfying way.

[Kandes · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was decent, nothing to rave about or anything. Just your typical "chick-lit". I did really like way that Francesca Delbanco wrote it though, it felt like she was telling me her story over a cup of coffee, it wasn't something that required alot of thinking which is what I've been looking for lately.

[Julie · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is better-than-average chick lit. It is smartly written, and Rosalie (the protagonist) has a quick tongue – she reminded me of a Melissa Banks heroine, in her hilarious comments and her neuroses.

[Anjali · Rating 1 out of 5]

Randomly came across this book when looking for something to read. Nothing special about it - story about 20 something aspiring actors in New York - just not all that interesting and nothing inspiring about the writing style.

[Kandace · Rating 3 out of 5]

If you want a good book about a girl just trying to make it in acting in the city then this is your book. Rosalie is a delightful, yet complexed girl with a group of rich wanna-be actor friends. It is the stereotypical life of living in New York.

Gets good about half way in

[Tori · Rating 3 out of 5]

I don't know what it is that I liked about this book exactly. Rosalie is completely narcissistic and selfish and kind of hard to like even with her quirky observations, but somehow I found myself cheering her on and turning the pages which I can't or won't do unless I like a book. Interesting.

[Kelly · Rating 3 out of 5]

cute.

[Amy · Rating 2 out of 5]

Good story but the characters were not fully developed enough for me.

[Katie Slavin · Rating 3 out of 5]

Surprisingly scandalous.

[Rebecca · Rating 3 out of 5]

Fun summer reading, enjoyable sentences.

[Rachel · Rating 3 out of 5]

A fairly good novel.

[Klaudyna Z. · Rating 1 out of 5]

This book was pretty boring. I kept waiting for something interesting to happen and it never did.

[Karina · Rating 2 out of 5]

Great book for anyone 20-25 as a coming of age book. For anyone older, it runs a bit "been there, done that".