Nell Freudenberger, a young writer whom Salon.com once described as ¿gorgeous and brilliant and poised and intimidating,¿ created quite a stir with her debut anthology of stories Lucky Girls. Now with the publication of her first novel The Dissident, Freudenberger is proving that she is not only ¿gorgeous and brilliant and poised and intimidating,¿ but she is also a budding novelist well worth watching.