Ellen Meister is the author of five novels, including Dorothy Parker Drank Here (Putnam 2015), Farewell, Dorothy Parker (Putnam 2013), The Other Life (Putnam 2011) and The Smart One (HarperCollins 2008). Honors include being selected for the prestigious Indie Next List and receiving a TV series option from HBO. Her nonfiction has appeared in Publishers Weekly, Wall Street Journal blog, Huffington Post, Long Island Woman, Writer's Digest and more. Ellen teaches creative writing at Hofstra University Continuing Education, mentors emerging authors, and does public speaking about her books and about Dorothy Parker and the Algonquin Round Table. She also runs a popular Dorothy Parker page on Facebook.
"This is a wacky tale with hilarious cameo appearances by some of Dorothy Parker's favorite dead celebrities-Robert Benchley, Tallulah Bankhead, Groucho Marx, and Lillian Hellman-and liberally sprinkled with Parker's signature acerbic humor, wisecracks, and put-downs."
—Publishers Weekly
"Meister's Dorothy Parker is just as sharp, witty and pleasantly mean as fans would expect. Her humanity shines through, though, along with her humor. Her obvious loneliness, along with the dilemmas Ted and Norah face, make this a surprisingly emotional novel. Not even death can keep Dorothy Parker down in this sad and funny story."
—Kirkus Reviews
"Verdict: This sequel to Farewell, Dorothy Parker, is a quick, charming read that will delight Parker fans and stoke the curiosity of those unfamiliar with her great wit."
—Library Journal
"In this funny yet tender homage to Dorothy Parker, Meister's fourth novel (after The Other Life) resurrects the iconic wit of the literary legend."
—Library Journal
"Meister skillfully translates the rapier-like wit of the Algonquin Round Table to modern-day New York. There are no shocking twists, but pathos, nuanced characters, plenty of rapid-fire one-liners, and a heart-rending denouement."
—Publishers Weekly
"How many wonder what their life would be like if they chose a different path? This is the crux of Ellen Meister’s riveting novel, The Other Life. This inimitable tale is mesmerizing."
—New York Journal of Books
Dorothy Parker Drank Here by
The acid-tongued Dorothy Parker is back and haunting the halls of the Algonquin with her piercing wit, audacious voice, and unexpectedly tender wisdom. Heavenly peace? No, thank you. Dorothy Parker would rather wander the famous halls of the Algonquin Hotel, drink in hand, searching for someone, anyone, who will keep her company on this side of eternity. After forty years she thinks she’s found the perfect candidate in Ted Shriver, a brilliant literary voice of the 1970s, silenced early in a promising career by a devastating plagiarism scandal. Now a prickly recluse, he hides away in the old hotel slowly dying of cancer, which he refuses to treat. If she can just convince him to sign the infamous guestbook of Percy Coates, Dorothy Parker might be able to persuade the jaded writer to spurn the white light with her. Ted, however, might be the only person living or dead who’s more stubborn than Parker, and he rejects her proposal outright. When a young, ambitious TV producer, Norah Wolfe, enters the hotel in search of Ted Shriver, Parker sees another opportunity to get what she wants. Instead, she and Norah manage to uncover such startling secrets about Ted’s past that the future changes for all of them.
Farewell, Dorothy Parker by
What if inspiration came to visit...and wouldn't leave? When it comes to movie reviews, critic Violet Epps is a powerhouse voice. But that's only because she's learned to channel her literary hero, Dorothy Parker, the most celebrated and scathing wit of the 20th century. If only Violet could summon that kind of courage in her personal life. Determined to defeat her social anxiety, Violet visits the Algonquin Hotel to pull strength from the hallowed dining room, where Dorothy Parker and so many other famous writers of the 1920s traded barbs. But she gets more than she bargained for when Dorothy Parker's feisty spirit rematerializes from an ancient guestbook and hitches a ride onto her life. Violet is shocked and thrilled to be face-to-face with her idol, but when the gin-swilling writer takes up residence in her home and grows pricklier and more outspoken by the day, the timid movie critic is pushed to her limit. With her job threatened, her new relationship in tatters, and the custody fight for her orphaned niece in jeopardy, Violet is forced to face her fears ...and she makes sure Mrs. Parker does the same. Wickedly funny and surprisingly poignant, Farewell, Dorothy Parker perfectly re-imagines one of America's most iconic voices in a captivating and unforgettable tale.
The Other Life by
Read Ellen Meister's blogs and other content on the Penguin Community. If you could return to the road not taken, would you? Happily married and pregnant, Quinn Braverman has an ominous secret. Every time she makes a major life decision, she knows an alternate reality exists in which she made the opposite choice-not only that, she knows how to cross over. But even in her darkest moments-like her mother's suicide-Quinn hasn't been tempted to slip through...until she receives devastating news about the baby she's carrying. The grief lures her to peek across the portal, and before she knows it she's in the midst of the other life: the life in which she married another man, and is childless. The life in which her mother is still very much alive. Quinn is forced to make a heartbreaking choice. Will she stay with the family she loves and her severely disabled child? Or will an easier life-and the primal need to be with her mother-win out?
