Mimi

October 29, 2012
A curmudgeonly New Yorker discovers his inner feminist in Ellmann’s incisive, witty sixth novel (after Doctors & Nurses). When noted plastic surgeon Harrison Hanafan slips on an icy patch of Madison Avenue sidewalk and sprains his ankle, he is aided by a “wacko broad” who puts him in a cab and then disappears. Harrison convalesces by listening to classical music, caring for a rescued stray cat, and panicking over the speech he’s been asked to give for his high school alma mater when, suddenly, he encounters his mysterious savior and a quirky romance blooms. Mimi, his new love, proves a catalyst for discovering how much of his world revolves around the women in his life. He finds excitement and challenge with Mimi, a chief confidant in his older sister, Bee, and an adversary in his high-maintenance ex-girlfriend, Gertrude. Even his cat turns out to be female. When tragedy strikes, Harrison’s ideas on women, culture, and society evolve even faster, and his conclusions crystallize into the speech of a lifetime. Ellmann’s biting, absurd wit drives the oddball plot forward, and despite the tale’s slow pace and Harrison’s occasionally ponderous ramblings, at its heart is a memorable character with a unique voice and a provocative message. Agent: David Godwin, DGA, U.K.

November 1, 2012
Another self-consciously erudite comedy from Ellmann (Doctors and Nurses, 2006, etc.), this time a romance about a plastic surgeon whose love for a good woman helps him take stock. On Christmas Eve--the novel is organized by holidays--plastic surgeon Harrison Hanafan slips on the ice in Midtown Manhattan and sprains his ankle. Having recently broken up with his girlfriend, Gertrude, a rich art lover with no redeeming characteristics except her son (born by parthenogenesis), Harrison recuperates at home for weeks with his newly adopted cat, Bubbles, playing music and making lists as is his wont. An invitation that arrives in the mail to give a speech at his old high school causes him to call his sister Bee, who escaped her abusive husband and is now a sculptor in England, and to ruminate about his unhappy childhood. Afraid of speechmaking, he hires a coach who turns out to be the plump, middle-aged mystery woman who saved him on Christmas Eve by putting him in a cab. Love blooms between Harrison and Mimi, full of bons mots and more lists that give the author a chance to share her sociological and cultural insights ad nauseam. The romance does face bumps in the road. Gertrude arrives and tries to seduce Harrison just as Mimi walks in. Then, there is the random murder of Bee, shot by a crazed ex-soldier in a rage against women. And Bubbles is run over but survives. The skimpy plot of Harrison's emotional and moral growth is encased in thick layers of social commentary, one-liner repartee and those endless lists. The sense of being preached to is strong throughout. And excepting the lyrics to some lovely old songs like "Joe Hill" and "She'll Be Comin' Round the Mountain," the appendix with Harrison's feminist manifesto is mostly annoying. Ellman's use of visuals and wordplay, as well as her comic sensibility, is very much a matter of taste, though her tone strongly implies that the readers who don't get her are merely plebeians anyway.

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March 15, 2013

Ellman's (Sweet Deserts; Varying Degrees of Hopelessness;) thin romantic plot is virtually obscured by lists, prattle, and rant, all of which might be palatable if not so buried under the author's distracting treatises. On a steady stream of exclamation points, italics, capital letters, plays on words, and alliterations, readers are force-fed heavy-handed feminism along with a bit of bawdy sex. In place of literary substance that might better bolster and advance the story line, lists pop up as the device of choice, page after page of: Why I Hate Bathrobes, Things That Bug Me, etc. Also tossed into the mix are songs, recipes, and other asides. VERDICT Mimi is less a novel and more an author leveling a barrage of her views at potential readers. Whatever gems there are may be rendered unrecognizable in this frenetic mishmash. This book may be best suited for readers who prefer having their every reaction blatantly dictated to them by a dauntless author.--Joyce Townsend, Pittsburg, CA

Copyright 2013 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

January 1, 2013
To be fair, Manhattan plastic surgeon Harrison Hanafan was not technically swept off his feet by Mimi when they first met on Christmas Eve. He managed to slip on the ice all on his own, and the resulting sprained ankle provided an ironclad excuse to finally break up with his erstwhile, overbearing girlfriend, Gertrude. But when he meets Mimi again a few weeks later, their love affair seems destined in a way neither can help or explain. While Mozart and Schubert provide the background score, their shared bohemian quirkiness, bawdy bravado, and mutually appreciative sense of feminist outrage stand them in good stead until Gertrude unexpectedly insinuates herself back into Harrison's life. Soon after Mimi leaves him, Harrison's beloved sister, Bee, dies, and without the women who matter most, Harrison finds his life spiraling out of control. With its saucy take on the perpetually perplexing battle of the sexes, Ellmann's zany, zestful contemporary romantic comedy pulses with sultry steaminess and titillating humor.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2013, American Library Association.)