How to Kill a Rock Star

by Tiffanie DeBartolo

Overview

"Funny, tender, edgy. I wanted the love story to go on forever."—Joan Johnston, bestselling author of No Longer a Stranger

Written in the wonderfully honest, edgy, and hilarious voice she perfected in God-Shaped Hole, Tiffanie DeBartolo shines in a passionate new story of music, love, and sacrifice.

Eliza Caelum, a young music journalist, is finally getting her footing in New York when she meets Paul Hudson, a talented songwriter and lead singer of the band Bananafish. They soon realize they share more than a reverence for rock music and plunge headlong into love.

When Bananafish is signed by a big corporate label, and Paul is on his way to becoming a major rock star, Eliza's past forces her to make a heartbreaking decision that might be the key to Paul's sudden disappearance.

A layered and emotional look into the world of music, this raw summer read will resonate with readers who loved Daisy Jones & the Six by Taylor Jenkins Reid.

Praise for Tiffanie DeBartolo's God-Shaped Hole:

"From highs to heartbreak, DeBartolo conjures an affair to remember."—People

"Honest, raw, and engaging."—Booklist

"This generation's Love Story."—Kirkus Reviews

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781402250392
Publisher:	Sourcebooks
Publication date:	09/01/2005
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	432
File size:	895 KB

About the Author

Tiffanie DeBartolo is the author of a previous novel, God-Shaped Hole. She also wrote the Columbia Tristar release Dream for an Insomniac. She lives with her husband in Boulder, Colorado.

Tiffanie DeBartolo is the author of 'How To Kill a Rock Star' (2005) and 'God Shaped Hole' (2002), and is the writer and director of the Columbia Tristar movie 'Dream for an Insomniac' (1996). She is the Founder and CEO of SF Bay Area record label Bright Antenna Records and lives in Marin with her two dogs Dizzy and Dipsea and her husband Scott Schumaker.

Editorial Reviews

A rock journalist sacrifices her relationship with a brilliant rock musician when her fear of flying threatens to hold back his career. DeBartolo (The God-Shaped Hole, 2001) treats rock music as high art in this self-important romance. After landing an interview with her idol, legendary rocker Doug Blackman, fledgling journalist Eliza Caelum moves to Manhattan to take a job with a music magazine. She finds herself sharing an apartment with Paul Hudson, lead singer of the band Bananafish, who takes his music very seriously and loves the same Doug Blackman song as she: "The Day I Became a Ghost" (Blackman's no Dylan, or even Dave Mathews.) Soon, Paul and Eliza have fallen deeply in love. Paul's talent begins to bring the band attention both from an independent producer and from a mega-corporate record company. Drawn to the independent, Paul nevertheless signs with the corporate jerks for the sake of his fellow band members' financial interest. Despite his own misgivings about becoming a sellout, Eliza is thrilled for him. He, in turn, proposes marriage and wants her to accompany him on tour. Unfortunately, that would entail flying. Her airplane phobia began when her parents died in a plane crash and intensified after she witnessed the 9/11 attack. Not about to let her unwillingness to fly derail Paul's career, she lets Doug Blackman's son Loring, a handsome mainstream musician (i.e., sellout) with an obvious crush on her, kiss her when she knows Paul will see them. As expected, Paul assumes the worst. He goes on tour alone and sleeps with a groupie. Eliza moves in with Loring while pining for Paul and his pure rock-'n'-roll soul. Paul's album bombs because it isn't commercial enough. Pauland Eliza reunite and make love. Paul commits suicide. Or does he. Either DeBartolo's satire is very subtle or this is the most pretentious novel about rock music ever written.

Kirkus Reviews