Ships from: Garland, TX
Usually ships in 1-2 business days
Ships from: Diamond Bar, CA
Usually ships in 1-2 business days
Ships from: Pennington, NJ
Usually ships in 1-2 business days
Ships from: Dania Beach, FL
Usually ships in 1-2 business days
Ships from: Long Branch, NJ
Usually ships in 1-2 business days
Ships from: Philadelphia, PA
Usually ships in 1-2 business days
Ships from: Philadelphia, PA
Usually ships in 1-2 business days
Ships from: Churchville, PA
Usually ships in 1-2 business days
Ships from: Southampton, PA
Usually ships in 1-2 business days
Ships from: Bensalem, PA
Usually ships in 1-2 business days
Want a NOOK? Explore Now
A masterful, inventive thriller from a remarkably assured and always surprising young writer.
Perpetual graduate student Joseph Geist is at his wit's end. Recently kicked out of their shared apartment by his girlfriend, he's left with little more than a half bust of Nietzsche's head and the realization that he's homeless and unemployed. He's hit a dead end on his dissertation; his funding has been cut off. He doesn't even have a phone. Desperate for some source of income, he searches the local newspaper and finds a curious ad:
CONVERSATIONALIST SOUGHT.
SERIOUS APPLICANTS ONLY.
PLEASE CALL 617-XXX-XXXX BETWEEN SEVEN A.M. AND TWO P.M.
NO SOLICITORS.
And so Joseph meets Alma Spielman: a woman who, with her old-world ways and razor-sharp mind, is his intellectual soul mate. How is he to know that what seems to be the best decision of his life is the one that seals his fate?
Jesse Kellerman is a recent graduate of Harvard and an MFA from Brandeis. His award-winning plays have been producted throughout the United States and at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival. He received the 2003 Princess Grace Award, given to America's most promising young playwright, and has been a fellow at New Dramatists.
This book was fascinating for about three fourths of the way and then it seems like somebody else wrote the ending. John Geist is a graduate student at Harvard working on his PHD. Having been in the program for eight years and producing nothing, his "supposed advisor" is fed up with him and removes him from the active enrollment. He is also kicked out of his shared apartment by his girlfriend. He ends up living temporarily with a friend. He then finds an ad in the school newspaper for a conversationalist.
He answers the ad and meets an intriguing elderly rich woman named Alma. Alma takes a liking to him immediately as they share the same interests especially when it comes to philosophy. alma hires John to come for a few hours a day just for conversation and pays him well for his time.
John has had a difficult past, with a brother that did when John was very young and an abusive father. He seems to want to totally want to forget his past and his conversations with Alma seem to rekindle in him an interest in working on his thesis. Eventually, John moves in with some crazy girls that make it difficult to sleep. Alma sensing his problem offers that John live with her in her mansion.
John moves in and then appears to really be endeared to her until one day he meets her "creepy" nephew Eric. Eric is a bad boy who apparently has been to jail once or twice. Eric sees how his aunt has taken a liking to John and comes to John with a proposal.
That is the point where the book starts to go a little downhill. Also, later John's girlfriend seems to want him back but only after exposing her shallow self. Had it not been for the ending of the book I would have given it five stars. As the first three quarters of the book are excellent I still give it four.
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.Harvard University kicks out thirty year old graduate student Joseph Geist for slacking; the philosophy major was doing none of his class work. Reeling from that blow though he knows he is at fault, Joseph takes a second shot to the gut when his girlfriend ends their longtime relationship.
Needing gainful employment that does not require work, he answers a personal ad in the Harvard Crimson. Elderly Austrian expatriate Alma Spielmann seeks a meaningful conversationalist to discuss and argue issues. He answers the call and is hired. They become more than just employer-employee as the pair becomes friends. She invites him to move into her Cambridge house for free room and board; he accepts her offer. However, Alma's nasty nephew Eric resents the non-family freeloader though ironically he depends on his aunt's generosity for his finance and he occasionalyl visits her to see if the old hag's health is failing.
This is a superb psychological suspense thriller that grips the audience once the triangle is set as fans of Jesse Kellerman anticipate something bad is going to happen but wonder to whom. The three key players come across as real with Joseph caring for his employer and Alma for her employee with angry Eric stirring the mix. Jesse Kellerman is at the author's best with this strong character driven thriller that will readers wondering throughout who if any will be left standing.
Harriet Klausner
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.Anonymous
Posted May 15, 2010
This is another exciting & intriguing book from Jesse Kellerman
Kept me guessing right up to the last few pages
Great escape!
A_C_Schumacher
Posted April 22, 2010
I won an advanced copy of this book.
I really enjoyed reading the book for the most part. I wasn't very interested in the plot and was very disappointed with how it played out, about 3/4 of the way through, and kind of bummed by the ending. However, the writing is excellent. It was really thought provoking and the writing flowed very well. I haven't read any of his other books but based on this one I would be interested in picking up his others.
Anonymous
Posted December 4, 2010
No text was provided for this review.
Anonymous
Posted December 17, 2010
No text was provided for this review.
Anonymous
Posted May 1, 2011
No text was provided for this review.
Anonymous
Posted November 10, 2010
No text was provided for this review.
Anonymous
Posted November 7, 2011
No text was provided for this review.
Overview
A masterful, inventive thriller from a remarkably assured and always surprising young writer.
Perpetual graduate student Joseph Geist is at his wit's end. Recently kicked out of their shared apartment by his girlfriend, he's left with little more than a half bust of Nietzsche's head and the realization that he's homeless and unemployed. He's hit a dead end on his dissertation; his funding has been cut off. He doesn't even have a phone. ...