{"product_id":"social-creature-9781408896075","title":"Social Creature","description":"\u003cb\u003eBook Synopsis\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003e''A Ripleyesque exploration of female insecurity set among the socialites of Manhattan'' \u003ci\u003eGuardian, \u003c\/i\u003eBooks of the Year\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cb\u003eAn irresistible novel about a toxic friendship taken to the extreme' \u003ci\u003eElle\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e Louise is struggling to survive in New York; juggling a series of poorly paid jobs, renting a shabby flat, being catcalled by her creepy neighbour, she dreams of being a writer. And then one day she meets Lavinia. Lavinia who has everything  looks, money, clothes, friends, an amazing apartmentLavinia invites Louise into her charmed circle, takes her to the best underground speakeasies, the opera, shares her clothes, her drugs, her Uber account. Louise knows that this can't last for ever, but just how far is she prepared to go to have this life? Or rather, to have \u003ci\u003eLavinia's\u003c\/i\u003e life?\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eTrade Review\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e[A]\u003cb\u003e spectacularly impressive\u003c\/b\u003e debut … \u003cb\u003eA ridiculously assured first novel, told in an utterly original voice\u003c\/b\u003e -- Alison Flood * Observer *\u003cbr\u003eIf you crossed \u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eGossip Girl\u003c\/i\u003e with \u003ci\u003eThe Talented Mr Ripley\u003c\/i\u003e and added Whit Stillman’s dialogue to the mix\u003c\/b\u003e, you might come close to the feel of Burton’s \u003cb\u003eglittering story of identity theft\u003c\/b\u003e. Sure to be on every smart beach lounger this summer * The i *\u003cbr\u003eA formidable burlesque ... \u003cb\u003eSharp as a shard of broken mirror\u003c\/b\u003e * New York Times Book Review *\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eBurton does a brilliant job of depicting the toxic charm of such a world\u003c\/b\u003e... [she] draws us in via her control of the material, \u003cb\u003ethe expert way she plays off Lavinia’s lavishness against Louise’s guile \u003c\/b\u003e– and our fascination with those wild Manhattan parties * Guardian *\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eAn irresistible novel\u003c\/b\u003e about a toxic friendship taken to the extreme, full of dark New York glamour, decadence and bohemia ... \u003cb\u003eSo many novels are compared to \u003ci\u003eThe Secret History\u003c\/i\u003e and \u003ci\u003eThe Talented Mr. Ripley\u003c\/i\u003e in the digital age, but in this case it’s absolutely justified\u003c\/b\u003e * Elle *\u003cbr\u003e[Tara Isabella Burton] knows her way around good, evil and the eternally reader-friendly realm in between. \u003ci\u003eSocial Creature\u003c\/i\u003e is a wicked original with echoes of the greats (Patricia Highsmith, Gillian Flynn) * New York Times *\u003cbr\u003eImagine \u003ci\u003eGossip Girl\u003c\/i\u003e grown up and gone very, very wrong, with a touch of \u003ci\u003eThe Secret History \u003c\/i\u003ethrown in … \u003cb\u003eA deliciously dark novel \u003c\/b\u003eabout excess and desperation * Stylist *\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eMeet your new one-sitting read\u003c\/b\u003e: a \u003cb\u003estunning \u003c\/b\u003eNew York-set novel about a woman with nothing who befriends a woman with everything, and decides that she’d like her life. \u003cb\u003eThink \u003ci\u003eThe Talented Mr Ripley \u003c\/i\u003emeets \u003ci\u003eThe Secret History\u003c\/i\u003e meets \u003ci\u003eGossip Girl\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e -- Sarra Manning * Red *\u003cbr\u003eIt is hard to believe that \u003ci\u003eSocial Creature\u003c\/i\u003e is Tara Isabella Burton's first book, \u003cb\u003esuch is its poise and individuality – not to mention verve and bravado\u003c\/b\u003e ... Her novel is a Trojan horse – sharp observations and serious insights ensconced in the body of \u003cb\u003ea glamorous, compelling page-turner \u003c\/b\u003e * Times Literary Supplement *\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eIf you enjoyed \u003ci\u003eThe Talented Mr Ripley\u003c\/i\u003e, you’ll love this \u003c\/b\u003e… [A] \u003cb\u003egripping \u003c\/b\u003etakedown of contemporary New York society * Stylist *\u003cbr\u003eThis \u003cb\u003edeliciously seductive \u003c\/b\u003enovel is a wild, sinister ride through contemporary New York. \u003cb\u003eA layered and incisive portrayal of our obsession with social media and toxic friendships\u003c\/b\u003e * Book Riot *\u003cbr\u003eGlittering, breathless, and precise – \u003ci\u003eSocial Creature\u003c\/i\u003e fearlessly explores identity in the modern world through a dangerous and magnetic friendship. \u003cb\u003eTara Isabella Burton’s prose is electrifying, her characters dazzlingly bright. This novel will consume you\u003c\/b\u003e -- Danya Kukafka, bestselling author of Girl in Snow\u003cbr\u003eLethally well controlled … Addictive * Metro *\u003cbr\u003eI read \u003ci\u003eSocial Creature\u003c\/i\u003e in one breathless rush. It’s \u003cb\u003ea wild nightmarish ride through a New York City of decadence \u0026amp; broken dreams, faking it \u0026amp; fucking up, love \u0026amp; lies \u0026amp; lies \u0026amp; more lies\u003c\/b\u003e. This is the missing link between Bret Easton Ellis \u0026amp; \u003ci\u003eThe Secret History\u003c\/i\u003e -- Emma Flint, author of Baileys Prize longlisted, Little Deaths\u003cbr\u003eLavish and wild and bohemian, \u003ci\u003eSocial Creature \u003c\/i\u003eswept\u003cb\u003e me up in its spell, spun me round the streets of New York and left me wanting more\u003c\/b\u003e. This book is ALL THAT JAZZ and then some -- Ali Land, author of Good Me, Bad Me\u003cbr\u003e\u003ci\u003eSocial Creature\u003c\/i\u003e is\u003cb\u003e the perfect upmarket beach read for the summer\u003c\/b\u003e -- Charlotte Heathcote * Sunday Express *\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eA rollercoaster of a ride of the kind best read in one almighty gulp\u003c\/b\u003e, turning the pages faster and faster as the awful unavoidable fate of both women slowly becomes clear… a \u003cb\u003every tightly plotted and hugely enjoyable novel\u003c\/b\u003e, which slips down as smoothly as the champagne served at the glittering parties her characters attend, only to leave a satisfyingly bitter taste at its end * The i *\u003cbr\u003eUnflinching, cool, brutal. This book will make you its accomplice. You'll go willingly -- Georgia Clark, author of The Regulars\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eIf this novel were a drink, it would be a martini – shockingly cold and clean, and to be slugged back in one gulp\u003c\/b\u003e. It’s also tom Ripley updated for 21st-century Manhattan with added smartphones … \u003cb\u003eAddictive\u003c\/b\u003e * Metro *\u003cbr\u003eLike fireworks in the night sky, this \u003cb\u003eexplosive debut \u003c\/b\u003ehas darkness and glitz aplenty * Psychologies *\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eA compulsively readable, razor sharp novel\u003c\/b\u003e of manners for the social media age.  Edith Wharton meets Patricia Highsmith -- Carol Goodman, bestselling author of The Lake of Dead Languages and The Widow’s House\u003cbr\u003eDevious and decadent. I couldn’t put it down -- Courtney Maum, author of Touch and I Am Having So Much Fun Here Without You\u003cbr\u003eA \u003cb\u003emesmerizing\u003c\/b\u003e and \u003cb\u003ebeautifully lyrical\u003c\/b\u003e debut about sexuality, identity, envy, confusion, and the creepy ways in which we swallow one another in attempt to become ourselves -- Swan Huntley, author of The Goddesses and We Could\u003cbr\u003eA \u003cb\u003ehugely compulsive\u003c\/b\u003e read....Imagine \u003ci\u003eGenuine Fraud\u003c\/i\u003e meets \u003ci\u003eThe Secret History\u003c\/i\u003e in the world of \u003ci\u003eGossip Girl\u003c\/i\u003e…\u003cb\u003eThis book is beautiful, bohemian, seedy, sharp - and as devastating as it is decadent\u003c\/b\u003e -- Lydia Ruffles, author of The Taste of Blue Light\u003cbr\u003eA tarred-and-feathered shining gorgeous bloody obsessive compulsive shining shining shining nightmare fever dream of a book:\u003cb\u003e \u003ci\u003eThe Secret History\u003c\/i\u003e meets 2018 Gatsby meets \u003ci\u003eThe Talented Mr. Ripley\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e -- Ella Risbridger\u003cbr\u003eOne of the most anticipated releases of the summer … A \u003ci\u003eTalented Mr Ripley\u003c\/i\u003e-esque story that mischieviously weaves around the envy and obsession of social media … Total, brilliant carnage * Emerald Street *\u003cbr\u003eSocial Creature is a millennial update on the well-trodden rags-to-riches fable – think Cinderella and The Great Gatsby meets the Kardashians – where pout-filled posts on Facebook and Uber rides are as much woven into its fabric as the iconic Manhattan skyline * Glasgow Herald *\u003cbr\u003eLike 1980s Jay McInerney, but with murder -- India Knight * Sunday Times *\u003cbr\u003eA Ripleyesque exploration of female insecurity set among the socialites of Manhattan -- Best Books of 2018 * Guardian *","brand":"Bloomsbury Publishing PLC","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":48866828517719,"sku":"9781408896075","price":7.59,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0817\/1739\/5799\/files\/9781408896075.jpg?v=1722280181","url":"https:\/\/bookcurl.com\/products\/social-creature-9781408896075","provider":"Book Curl","version":"1.0","type":"link"}