An ambitious debut, at once timely and timeless, that captures the complexity and joys of modern womanhood. This novel is gem-like-in its precision, its many facets, and its containing multitudes. Following in the footsteps of Virginia Woolf, Rona Jaffe, Maggie Shipstead, and Sheila Heti, Jana Casale writes with bold assurance about the female experience.
JANA CASALE has a BFA in fiction from Emerson College and an MSt in creative writing from Oxford. Originally from Lexington, Massachusetts, she currently resides in Boston with her husband. The Girl Who Never Read Noam Chomsky is her first novel.
"Elegant, sharply drawn...[A] clear-eyed examination of a woman's
life [done] with abundant humor...Readers will be captivated."
--Publishers Weekly
"Prepare to fall in love with Leda, the wickedly relatable
protagonist of Casale's funny, insightful, and deeply adorable
debut...So much fun, so smart, and ultimately profound and
beautiful."
--Kirkus Reviews *starred review*, "11 Debuts You Should Pay
Attention To"
"Charming and funny."
--Samantha Irby, Marie Claire
"A gloriously stunning debut...I wish I had this book when I was
younger...In one swift motion, Casale drop-kicked my heart and
brushed my hair. She took me to the most intimate moments I've had
with myself and used Leda to propel me through them...Striking in
its reliability and elegant in its honesty."
--The Michigan Daily
"Veritably thrilling...Casale's perceptions about womanhood and
seamless style make for pure reading joy."
--Booklist *starred review*
"Common scenes combined with Leda's piercing vulnerability with
readers create Jana Casale's stellar debut novel...Raw and
articulate...Casale's writing possesses a certain snap, instantly
relating us to her protagonist. Reading her work is like watching a
play from the dressing room as the heroine squeezes into pants she
hopes conceal extra weight, tries to make sense of last week's
one-night stand and murmurs her lines before stepping onto the
stage."
--Associated Press
"How do you account for a life? In Jana Casale's poignant debut,
the answer has as much to do with the things her protagonist, Leda
- college student, wife, writer, temporary Orca expert, mother -
wanted to do and didn't, as what she actually lives. A funny,
tender and touching illumination of the extraordinary beauty
contained in a seemingly everyday life. I can't stop thinking about
this book."
--Julie Buntin, author of Marlena
"The disarming wit and granular detail of these vignettes feels
intensely personal, drawn from the lively mind of a unique
character, yet universally recognizable."
--Elle.com
"Jana Casale has several writerly talents, among them sharp eyes
for detail, sharp ears for speech and a witty turn of phrase. But
her deft control of time is extraordinary, and makes her first
novel exciting as well as fun."
--The Washington Times
"It’s a torch first lit by writers like Jane Austen, Virginia
Woolf, and Kate Chopin; one taken up by those like Elena Ferrante,
Zadie Smith, Rona Jaffe, Maggie Shipstead, and most recently (and
to great world-splitting) Kristen Roupenian — women writers who
look closely at the experience of ordinary womanhood, and deem
it worthy of great literature...Readers never get the sense that
Leda is holding up her life as instruction. Nor, as a cautionary
tale. Rather, she’s holding it up as a life worthy of living,
worthy of literature. She’s funny and sad, observant and honest,
tender and imperfect, complicated and relatable. And that is
enough."
--Bustle
"As the perfect title suggests, the books we don't read can shape
us just as much as the ones we do. However, unlike our titular
heroine and her copy of Problems of Knowledge and Freedom, I
guarantee you'll fly through this one. It's a rare gem of a
debut--funny, heartbreaking, and genuinely profound."
--Ed Park, author of Personal Days
"An immensely companionable read."
--BookRiot
“The Girl Who Never Read Noam Chomsky is bright with life,
emotionally honest and powerfully observant. Jana Casale is a wise
and exciting new voice.”
— Julia Pierpont, New York Times bestselling author of Among
the Ten Thousand Things
“Jana Casale’s brilliant, singular, gripping debut affected me more
than any novel I’ve read this year. Rich with social commentary,
fueled by ferocious intelligence, and laced with spot on
humor, The Girl Who Never Read Noam Chomsky perfectly
captures the mores of this mixed up moment in time, while also
exploring universal truths about what it means to be a woman in the
world. I loved it.”
--Joanna Rakoff, author of A Fortunate Age and My
Salinger Year
“Casale writes with both energy and humor. She is an
exquisite storyteller. In creating Leda and her story, Casale
magically weaves together the tiny moments in life, allowing them
to gain momentum and build off each other, until they culminate
into an extraordinary tale that has spunk and charm.”
—Weike Wang, author of Chemistry
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