Shy and gawky, Ana has always daydreamed about living the life of her exotic half-sister, Bee, a pop singer who had a #1 hit single before she inexplicably vanished from the celebrity scene. When Bee turns up dead, Ana is dispatched to the big city to clear out her apartment. Instantly seduced by the secondhand glamour of Bee's baubles, bangles and bottles of Perrier-Jouet, Ana takes up with Bee's wild club-hopping cronies. News of a missing cat and a remote country cottage soon convince Ana that her sister was leading a secret life. Now Ana is on a mission to discover what really happened to Bee Bearhorn, the one-hit wonder-and what is about to happen to the unremarkable Ana Wills.

From Publishers Weekly

Tall and gangly Ana Wills has never felt comfortable in her own skin and has spent years dreaming of her beautiful older half-sister Bee's glamorous life. Bee, who had a falling out with their overbearing and neurotic mother, Gay, left over a decade ago and never looked back. She eventually made it big on the music scene as an '80s rock star, with a knockout number 1 song. When Bee dies in mysterious fashion perhaps by her own hand at the age of 36, Ana is forced to leave the quiet and predictable town of Devon and travel to London to collect Bea's effects. In Bee's huge but surprisingly run-down flat, Ana is consumed by the clues she discovers about Bee's longtime depression and angry with herself for not making more of an effort to stay in touch. Bee's best friends black singer and exotic dresser Lolita Tate and Flint Lennard, Bee's erstwhile chauffeur are anxious to help Ana discover the details of her sister's existence. Lol and Ana click immediately, and Ana can't help being attracted to the enigmatic and hulking hunk, Flint. The three soon learn that Bee was leading a double life, one that included a disabled adolescent boy and a secret place for their rendezvous. Devastated, Ana finally stands up to Gay, who believes that Bee led a charmed life. "She had looks, Mum. She had money. She had absolutely nothing else. Take it from me. I've seen her life." Hints throughout suggest that Ana, too, has musical talent; it is that talent, despite the pain of loosing Bee, that will be her instrument of self-discovery. Jewell, author of Ralph's Party and thirtynothing, sounds a series of secrets and gradual revelations that keep the narrative at high pitch and bring it to a satisfying conclusion.
Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

From Library Journal

Shy and unassuming, Ana Wills always looked up to the half sister she never really knew. Bee Bearhorn's one 1980s gold record indelibly etched her pop star image into Ana's mind, if not the rest of London's. But when Bee dies unexpectedly, Ana is left wondering who the sister was she thought she had all figured out. With the help of Bee's friends, Ana unearths her sibling's secrets and discovers the true staying power of a one-hit wonder. Jewell's third novel (after Ralph's Party and Thirtynothing) is an engaging coming-of-age tale skillfully told by interweaving the past and present. By turns funny and poignant, the book pulls no punches in dismantling the walls people build around themselves. Jewell's prose is focused and fluid; readers can expect unpredictable twists and turns as Ana gets closer to uncovering her sister's real life as well as some unrealized truths about herself. A substantial and welcome addition to women's contemporary fiction collections, it is recommended for public libraries. Amy Brozio-Andrews, Albany P.L., NY
Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

Brothers Tony, Sean, and Ned had the perfect upbringing, but now that they are grown up, real life is starting to get in the way. Tony’s dealing with divorce and a weight problem.  Novelist Sean is up against a serious case of writer’s block and a shock announcement from his “perfect” new girlfriend. Their parents have a new lodger, Gervase—why is Bernie, their mother, so keen to give this unsavory waif a home?  And what is the real reason for kid brother Ned’s surprise return from his travels in Australia?

A Friend of the Family is a hilarious, dead-on-target story from the bestselling author of Thirtynothing and Ralph’s Party.

Review

"Sparkling." —Seattle Weekly

"A subtle dissection of the modern world, this is the perfect summer read." —Marie Claire, UK

"Funny and emotionally satisfying." —The Times, London

About the Author

Lisa Jewell worked in fashion and public relations, among other fields, before writing her first novel, Ralph's Party, which became an international bestseller, and which is available in a Plume edition. She lives in London with her (brand-new) husband and their cat.

Brothers Tony, Sean, and Ned had the perfect upbringing, but now that they are grown up, real life is starting to get in the way. Tony’s dealing with divorce and a weight problem. Novelist Sean is up against a serious case of writer’s block and a shock announcement from his “perfect” new girlfriend. Their parents have a new lodger, Gervase—why is Bernie, their mother, so keen to give this unsavory waif a home? And what is the real reason for kid brother Ned’s surprise return from his travels in Australia?

A Friend of the Family is a hilarious, dead-on-target story from the bestselling author of Thirtynothing and Ralph’s Party.

Review

"Sparkling." —Seattle Weekly

"A subtle dissection of the modern world, this is the perfect summer read." —Marie Claire, UK

"Funny and emotionally satisfying." —The Times, London

About the Author

Lisa Jewell worked in fashion and public relations, among other fields, before writing her first novel, Ralph's Party, which became an international bestseller, and which is available in a Plume edition. She lives in London with her (brand-new) husband and their cat.

It’s the Middle Class, Stupid! confirms what we have all suspected: Washington and Wall Street have really screwed things up for the average American. Work has been devalued. Education costs are out of sight. Effort and ambition have never been so scantily rewarded. Political guru James Carville and pollster extraordinaire Stan Greenberg argue that our political parties must admit their failures and the electorate must reclaim its voice, because taking on the wealthy and the privileged is not class warfare—it is a matter of survival. Told in the alternating voices of these two top political strategists, It’s the Middle Class, Stupid! provides eye-opening and provocative arguments on where our government—including the White House—has gone wrong, and what voters can do about it.

Controversial and outspoken, authoritative and shrewd, It’s the Middle Class, Stupid! is destined to make waves during the 2012 presidential campaign, and will set the agenda for legislative battles and political dust-ups during the next administration.

Review

“Known for his acerbic, take-no-prisoners style, Democratic political consultant and pundit Carville does not pull punches.”

-Publishers Weekly

"The Two Americas is a serious book about a serious topic at a serious time. I'd much rather Stan Greenberg be writing smart books about politics than giving Democrats smart advice in them."

-Mary Matalin, Republican analyst and Bush White House advisor

About the Author

James Carville is an American political consultant, commentator, educator, actor, attorney, media personality, and prominent liberal pundit. He gained national attention for his work as the lead strategist of the successful 1992 presidential campaign of Bill Clinton. Carville was a cohost of CNN's Crossfire until its final broadcast in June 2005. Since then, he has appeared on CNN's news program The Situation Room, and since 2009, he has hosted a weekly XM Radio program, 60/20 Sports, with Luke Russert, son of the late Tim Russert, who hosted NBC's Meet the Press. Carville, who is married to Republican political consultant Mary Matalin, has taught political science at Tulane University since 2009.

Stan Greenberg is a leading Democratic pollster and political strategist who has advised the campaigns of Bill Clinton, Al Gore, and John Kerry, and hundreds of other candidates and organizations in the United States and around the world. A political scientist who received his B.A. from Miami University and his Ph.D. from Harvard, Greenberg spent a decade teaching at Yale before becoming a political consultant. His 1985 study of Reagan Democrats in Macomb County, Michigan, became a classic of progressive political strategy, and is the basis for his continuing argument that Democrats must actively work to present themselves as populists advocating the expansion of opportunity for the middle class. Greenberg is married to Congresswoman Rosa DeLauro, who represents Connecticut's Third Congressional District.

It’s the Middle Class, Stupid! confirms what we have all suspected: Washington and Wall Street have really screwed things up for the average American. Work has been devalued. Education costs are out of sight. Effort and ambition have never been so scantily rewarded. Political guru James Carville and pollster extraordinaire Stan Greenberg argue that our political parties must admit their failures and the electorate must reclaim its voice, because taking on the wealthy and the privileged is not class warfare—it is a matter of survival. Told in the alternating voices of these two top political strategists, It’s the Middle Class, Stupid! provides eye-opening and provocative arguments on where our government—including the White House—has gone wrong, and what voters can do about it.

Controversial and outspoken, authoritative and shrewd, It’s the Middle Class, Stupid! is destined to make waves during the 2012 presidential campaign, and will set the agenda for legislative battles and political dust-ups during the next administration.

Review

“Known for his acerbic, take-no-prisoners style, Democratic political consultant and pundit Carville does not pull punches.”

-Publishers Weekly

"The Two Americas is a serious book about a serious topic at a serious time. I'd much rather Stan Greenberg be writing smart books about politics than giving Democrats smart advice in them."

-Mary Matalin, Republican analyst and Bush White House advisor

About the Author

James Carville is an American political consultant, commentator, educator, actor, attorney, media personality, and prominent liberal pundit. He gained national attention for his work as the lead strategist of the successful 1992 presidential campaign of Bill Clinton. Carville was a cohost of CNN's Crossfire until its final broadcast in June 2005. Since then, he has appeared on CNN's news program The Situation Room, and since 2009, he has hosted a weekly XM Radio program, 60/20 Sports, with Luke Russert, son of the late Tim Russert, who hosted NBC's Meet the Press. Carville, who is married to Republican political consultant Mary Matalin, has taught political science at Tulane University since 2009.

Stan Greenberg is a leading Democratic pollster and political strategist who has advised the campaigns of Bill Clinton, Al Gore, and John Kerry, and hundreds of other candidates and organizations in the United States and around the world. A political scientist who received his B.A. from Miami University and his Ph.D. from Harvard, Greenberg spent a decade teaching at Yale before becoming a political consultant. His 1985 study of Reagan Democrats in Macomb County, Michigan, became a classic of progressive political strategy, and is the basis for his continuing argument that Democrats must actively work to present themselves as populists advocating the expansion of opportunity for the middle class. Greenberg is married to Congresswoman Rosa DeLauro, who represents Connecticut's Third Congressional District.