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Danielle Ganek

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Lulu Meets God and Doubts Him Kindle Edition

by Danielle Ganek (Author) Format: Kindle Edition

4.2 72 ratings

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As The Devil Wears Prada demystified the world of high fashion, this funny and insightful debut novel dishes the crazy and captivating Manhattan art scene. When painter Jeffrey Finelli is run over by a cab, the art world clamors for the instantly in-demand work by the late “emerging artist”—especially an enormous painting called Lulu Meets God and Doubts Him.

Gallery receptionist and aspiring artist Mia McMurray fi nds herself at the center of the hype. She is an amused witness as a Birkin-toting collector, a well-muscled Irish artist, a real estate baron, and Lulu herself, the artist’s niece and muse, battle over the brand-new masterpiece. In the midst of the madness, Mia finds her own creative expression and artistic identity, not to mention love.

Print length

288 pages
Language

English
Sticky notes

On Kindle Scribe
Publisher

Plume
Publication date

April 29, 2008
Reading age

18 years and up
File size

560 KB
Page Flip

Enabled
Word Wise

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Enhanced typesetting

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Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

In this enjoyably tart art world sendup, winsome, aperçu-spouting Mia McMurray (think Party Girl–era Parker Posey) is a gallerista—one of the invariably decorative young women who act as a gallery's de facto concierge, and "who is always, always watching," as Mia herself puts it. A mysterious portrait by the recently late Jeffrey Finelli (killed by an errant cab in front of Mia's Simon Pryce gallery) gives the novel its winningly clumsy title and sets up its main conflict, between grasping art collectors and representatives of Finelli's estate. Former Mademoiselle and Woman's Day editor Ganek, herself a significant art collector, offers sharply drawn characters and convincingly savvy details. That the book's most important female collector is presented as a loudmouthed and overdressed refugee from Absolutely Fabulous gives a sense of its waspish humor. But Ganek stops short of crude caricature, and Ganek's portraits of the variously sneaky, ridiculous and pretentious art world denizens are tinged with affection and depth. The tone is sophisticated chick lit, and there's a sweet love story threaded in, but what most clearly animates this debut, and sets it apart, is a real sense that art matters. (June)
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

From Booklist

Mia McMurray, assistant to Simon Pryce, a medium-level art dealer, ushers readers into the Soho gallery scene as they launch a show by Jeffrey Finelli, who is unknown but extremely talented. His major piece provides the novel's title. On opening night, Finelli is hit by a taxi and dies. Demand for his pieces skyrockets, and niece Lulu becomes part of a world she never wanted to know. Ganek portrays hangers-on, wannabes, nouveau riche, powerhouse dealers, poseurs, and artists. As for Mia, a blocked painter, she wishes the shows were hers, and her accurate though cynical observations reflect both her dissatisfaction and her intellectual acuity. Lulu becomes the darling, finding her place in this crazy scene. Mia, despite the lies and backbiting, not only survives but also finds a new path. Former Woman's Day editor and art collector Ganek has written a debut that reads like an amusing fairy tale as it offers a view into a world few readers are likely to have experienced. Danise Hoover
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

Product details

ASIN ‏ : ‎ B00198SW3E
Publisher ‏ : ‎ Plume; Reprint edition (April 29, 2008)
Publication date ‏ : ‎ April 29, 2008
Language ‏ : ‎ English
File size ‏ : ‎ 560 KB
Text-to-Speech ‏ : ‎ Enabled
Screen Reader ‏ : ‎ Supported
Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Enabled
X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Not Enabled
Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Enabled
Sticky notes ‏ : ‎ On Kindle Scribe
Print length ‏ : ‎ 288 pages

Best Sellers Rank: #1,262,639 in Kindle Store (See Top 100 in Kindle Store)
- #1,098 in British & Irish Humor & Satire
- #1,688 in Women's Humorous Fiction
- #2,294 in Women's New Adult & College Fiction

Customer Reviews:
4.2 72 ratings

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Danielle Ganek

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Danielle Ganek is the author of "Lulu Meets God and Doubts Him" and "The Summer When We Read Gatsby." Her two books have earned critical acclaim, including:

LULU MEETS GOD AND DOUBTS HIM

"Its author has a savvy satirical eye, a terrific title and an insider's knowledge of the New York art gallery world." - Janet Maslin, CBS Sunday Morning.

"Danielle Ganek's novel has the art world asking who is who." - The New York Times (Style Section).

"An amusing, suspenseful novel that delights.. a page-turner set against a refreshingly unique backdrop." - People.

"Danielle Ganek captures the absurdity of the New York art scene with wide and witty brushstrokes." - Vanity Fair.

"Danielle Ganek truly captures the excitement, intrigue and seduction of the contemporary art world.... I loved it." - Vera Wang.

"If I were a copycat, I would take this book and call it all mine." - Richard Prince.

THE SUMMER WE READ GATSBY

"A plucky homage to Fitzgerald's masterpiece." - The New York Times Book Review.

"A smart, entertaining romp. For the beach bag: Apply sunscreen before you lose yourself." - Marie Claire.

"Fantastic.... a spohisticated comedy of manners." - O Magazine's Summer Reading List.

"At the top of our must-read list." - Tory's Blog (Tory Burch).

"The kind of books that invites sunscreen stains..." - Vogue.com's Summer's Hottest Beach Reads.

"Fun, witty and surprisingly moving." - Publisher's Weekly.

You can connect with Danielle across social media at her:

+ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/DanielleGanekBooks/

+ Twitter: https://twitter.com/ganekbooks

+ Instagram: https://instagram.com/danielleganekbooks

You can find out more information about Danielle on her:

+ Website: http://danielleganek.com

+ Wikipedia: http://wikipedia.com/danielleganek

Danielle Ganek lives in New York City with her husband and three children. She is currently working on her third novel, expected later this year (2017).

Customer reviews

4.2 out of 5

72 global ratings

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RebelReviewer

Lovely Story

Reviewed in the United States on September 5, 2007

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It is very easy for me to put a book down and never pick it up again. This is not one of those books. I'm not sure what other reviewers were looking for, but Ganek did a fabulous job of telling a story based on a single incident, and a specific community.

I loved getting an inside glimpse of the art world. Mia is a wonderful self depriciating character who manages to cheer for a woman who is accomplishing "her" dreams while Mia is not. Many times I found the story and the writing quite engaging and snappy. Ganek wove in great character points throughout the story. Very consistent and smart.

If the reader is looking for high drama, trashy sex, blood and guts, this is not the book. If the reader is looking for an engaging, interesting tale of the NY art scene told by solid characters with a fun love story, this is the book.

Mia is a classy American Bridget Jones.

Well done, Ms. Ganek!

2 people found this helpful

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Kathleen C.

A good read for a rainy saturday

Reviewed in the United States on November 17, 2013

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I enjoyed this book. I bought it because I liked the title, and it took me some time to get used to Ms Ganek's style, but I ended up really liking it. It looks at the world of art dealers, which I have very little experience with, so it was sort of interesting.

Reviewed in the United States on November 28, 2013

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Ha! I see what the authoress is up to. On the face of it, this book resembles a fluffy,
brainless romance novel, a breezy summer read, but in truth it is the iron fist in the velvet glove. Obviously the authoress has intimate insider knowledge of the NY art scene and has a lot of axes to grind....so she has cleverly adopted this cream puff, witless ingenue heroine to tell her story while back-stabbing everyone in the room. The major dealers in the NYC art scene will probably recognize themselves here. It's a wonder the authoress wasn't sued for libel. At times she drops her guard (who, moi?) and lets her true self come out with comments like: Art Is The New Cocaine. Loved this juicy, informative book.

One person found this helpful

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Christine S.

Trying too hard

Reviewed in the United States on March 31, 2008

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Danielle Ganek desperately wanted her novel, Lulu Meets God and Doubts Him, to be a witty, chic, well-written novel. The problem is this becomes painfully obvious after reading only the first page of the book- this is not an effortless work of prose. Mia, the novel's narrator, is a gallery receptionist/undercover aspiring painter who describes the rise of the late-artist Jeffrey Finnelli. Finnelli is killed by a taxi on the opening night of his collection, which then sends the values of his mediocre paintings through the roof. Along the way, Mia makes friends with Jeffrey's muse, contemplates her future and tries to play hard to get with an art adviser (despite her insistence that she will never get involved with someone in her industry again).

The premise for the novel has potential (that's why it gets three starts), but is just so poorly executed. The novel is told in the present tense, even though most of it is technically in the past. Description is used in excess and there is a certain cheesiness factor at times (A checklist quiz of where they should go on their dinner date? White flowers spread throughout a bedroom because that color seems to fit her? Please...) I was disappointed with the "chick-lit" feel of the novel, since I really hadn't anticipated it would turn out that way. Definitely not one I'd recommend.

2 people found this helpful

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Abby Turner

Accurate portrayal of the excitement of the contemporary art world

Reviewed in the United States on May 30, 2017

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I worked in Soho and Tribeca and at Sotheby's for years and this book captured the excitement of this wild world. Very engaging. I am looking forward to reading more by this author.

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Bookphile

A light, enjoyable yarn

Reviewed in the United States on November 13, 2007

What I most liked about this book was how very easily I could relate to Mia. I was initially reluctant to read it after reading many rave reviews that highlighted the novel's peek into the New York art scene. I was afraid of being trapped in yet another pretentious, boring novel about unlikable characters. I was very happy to find that this is not the case with this novel. Mia is refreshingly awkward in the world in which she lives and Ganek vividly portrays her heroine's feelings of being an outside who somehow managed to make it through the door. Mia is self-effacing and honest and doesn't try to gloss over her shortcomings. I especially liked how she never tried to sugar coat her jealousy with respect to Lulu. Who hasn't sometimes felt jealous of the good fortunes of a close friend? Mia harbors Lulu no ill will but she's not above a bought of self pity every now and then when she compares her life to her friend's.

While the insider's perspective of the art world is interesting, it is not the central focus of the novel, as many reviews would lead one to believe. The novel is really about people--Mia especially--and their simple pettiness, their generosity, the goodness, and their regrets. Though some of the characters are flamboyant, they all seem real and approachable. They have conversations that sound genuinely like conversations that real people might have. The absurdities of the super rich are certainly on display in the novel but, unlike similar novels (The Right Address in particular comes to mind), these characters are what they are. Ganek presents them as people rather than as ciphers and that is refreshing.

Perhaps the most enjoyable aspect of this novel is the pure love for art that Mia possesses. While others snap up paintings to win bragging rights or because it's the trendy thing to do, Mia loves the art for the pure joy of its expression. This is the real irony of the book, that those who actually appreciate the art are the ones who could never hope to own it.

7 people found this helpful

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Joseph Young

Five Stars

Reviewed in the United States on September 3, 2014

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A great weekend read. Very enlightening in regards to the art scene in New York. Intelligently witty. Sweet ending.

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L. Leeder

Excellent First Novel

Reviewed in the United States on August 4, 2007

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This novel is both well written and engaging. Danielle Ganek develops her characters and weaves a story that is at the same time believable, and introduces the reader to a new world of art and gallery owners and collectors.

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