Town House

March 5, 2007
An agoraphobe fights to save his house, his son and his sanity in Cohen's comic, big screen–ready debut. Jack Madigan has sequestered himself for most of his adult life in a decaying Boston townhouse along with his so-uncool-he's-cool son, Harlan; a one-eyed, one-eared cat; and, until she left, his wife Penelope. Jack is content to pursue his raison d'être of creating the perfect shade of white interior paint, but the outside world comes crashing in: Jack's income—royalties from dead rock star dad Baz (think: Ozzy Osbourne cut down in his prime by a snapping turtle)—dries up; Penelope wants Harlan to move to L.A. and live with her; the plucky, precocious, ankle-biting (really) girl next door keeps showing up in Jack's house; and Dorrie, a lovable dingbat realtor, swoops in to sell the townhouse (valued at $4.5 mil). Love blossoms, neuroses are zapped and an 11th-hour discovery saves the day. If it sounds formulaic, it is, but it's also terrifically written; Cohen's affinity for her nut-job characters is infectious and will keep readers involved as the plot reaches its peachy end.

July 1, 2007
Adult/High School-What do an agoraphobe, a teenager determined to be as geekily unfashionable as possible, a little girl who acts like a dog, and a disheveled real-estate agent have in common? The answer is a crumbling town house, formerly owned by a rock star who was killed by a turtle. Like a hyperactive child jacked up on sugar, the novel introduces characters, wanders off on tangents, and still manages to be genuinely amusing. Jack Madigan, Baz's son, now owns the building, which has gone into foreclosure due to lack of funds. His next-door neighbors' daughter, Lucinda, is an intelligent and neglected child who latches on to Jack, despite his inability to step outside his door without "Nervy Durvies," as Harlan, his teenage son, calls his meds. Dorrie, the realtor, is determined to make her first sale on the historic Boston property despite Jack's refusal to repair the holes in the walls left by his father. Cohen pulls off her first novel for adults with style and verve. Even the secondary characters shine in their peripheral roles. Teens will love this book or hate itthere's really no middle ground. Advise those with the right ear to read while listening to the 117 Battersea Road Playlist, included in the end materials, and rock on."Charli Osborne, Oxford Public Library, MI"

Copyright 2007 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

April 1, 2007
The son of a legendary rock musician, Jack Madigan has been living off his fathers royalties for years, but things are looking dire as the money runs out. His wife has already left, unable to deal with Jacks refusal to confront his agoraphobia; his teenage son, who avidly embraces 1970s clothing because uncool is the new cool, may relocate to California with his mom; and Jacks once magnificent Boston townhouse, now crumbling around him, is being repossessed by the bank. Even his work as a color consultanthe has been tinkering for years with a formula for the perfect whiteis failing to provide the funds he so desperately needs. His only hope is the charming but hopelessly inept realtor assigned to sell the house. With the help of the little girl next door, whose dream is to become an Olympic skater, Jack suddenly finds himself motivated to face his greatest fearstepping outside of his house. Rising above its obvious, overly tidy plotting, this highly readable first novel offers plenty of sardonic humor and a cast of endearing eccentrics.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2007, American Library Association.)