2008 Woodie Awards
Crane's Debut Novel Only Satisfactory
Novel is somewhat dumb, But if you're in the right mood, it serves it's purpose.
Danielle Carrillo
Issue date: 9/20/06 Section: Entertainment
"Stupid and Contagious" is Caprice Crane's debut novel. It could be dubbed a hipster tale of love in the city that never sleeps. While bordering on
slightly predictable, it is peppered with enough wry humor and musical references to be forgiven.
Heaven Albright is an ineffectual waitress and
former PR executive who thinks she'll be dead at 27 unless she does something. By "doing something," she means getting married.
Brady Gilbert is a faltering independent music producer with dreams of striking it rich with one of his many inventions.
The two meet in Manhattan when Brady is forced to move from his rent-controlled apartment after a bad breakup with a psycho girlfriend. Heaven
is his new next-door neighbor who keeps receiving his mail and returns it, opened and read.
When they meet, it's anything but love at first
sight. Brady thinks Heaven intrusive and annoying, while she finds him ignorant and rude.
Things change when Heaven helps Brady out of an
awkward situation with his crazy ex-girlfriend.
Slowly but surely they become friends. They unwittingly fall for each other when Heaven invites herself on Brady's business trip. They embark on an adventure out west that involves hooking up with another ex, discovering a talented band, being arrested for trespassing and accessory to bank robbery, stocking up on junk food (Jolt Cola, Tab Energy Drink, Funions) and spilling coffee on Ben Stiller at Starbucks.
Crane has a flair for capturing the playful and awkward moments that arise in a budding
relationship. Her other talent, though, is incorporating pop culture references that readers will easily understand and relate to.
She has a respect for music, and it is carried throughout the book and into both characters.
The title is a reference to a Nirvana song, and this is no cooincidence.
Heaven thinks she will die at 27 because Kurt Cobain, Jimi Hendrix, and Jim Morrison each died at 27. Brady picks songs for moments, and the author tries to create a do-it-yourself soundtrack for the book. In one of the best scenes, Brady is listening to a mixed CD that Heaven made. It is nearly perfect, and he starts to realize that Heaven is also nearly perfect.
"Stupid and Contagious" is a fun, light read. Chapters are short, and written in a fun third-person narrative. The story doesn't repeat itself, but changes perspective as each character alternates in telling their part of the whole story. It's perfect for reading on breaks, or right before going to bed.
Crane has made her debut with a lovable novel full of great characters.
It may feel stupid to like it on principle alone (it's romantic chick literature), but it's well researched, well written, tongue in cheek, romantic chick literature. Hopefully we will read more from Caprice Crane soon, and hopefully she will only improve in the future.
slightly predictable, it is peppered with enough wry humor and musical references to be forgiven.
Heaven Albright is an ineffectual waitress and
former PR executive who thinks she'll be dead at 27 unless she does something. By "doing something," she means getting married.
Brady Gilbert is a faltering independent music producer with dreams of striking it rich with one of his many inventions.
The two meet in Manhattan when Brady is forced to move from his rent-controlled apartment after a bad breakup with a psycho girlfriend. Heaven
is his new next-door neighbor who keeps receiving his mail and returns it, opened and read.
When they meet, it's anything but love at first
sight. Brady thinks Heaven intrusive and annoying, while she finds him ignorant and rude.
Things change when Heaven helps Brady out of an
awkward situation with his crazy ex-girlfriend.
Slowly but surely they become friends. They unwittingly fall for each other when Heaven invites herself on Brady's business trip. They embark on an adventure out west that involves hooking up with another ex, discovering a talented band, being arrested for trespassing and accessory to bank robbery, stocking up on junk food (Jolt Cola, Tab Energy Drink, Funions) and spilling coffee on Ben Stiller at Starbucks.
Crane has a flair for capturing the playful and awkward moments that arise in a budding
relationship. Her other talent, though, is incorporating pop culture references that readers will easily understand and relate to.
She has a respect for music, and it is carried throughout the book and into both characters.
The title is a reference to a Nirvana song, and this is no cooincidence.
Heaven thinks she will die at 27 because Kurt Cobain, Jimi Hendrix, and Jim Morrison each died at 27. Brady picks songs for moments, and the author tries to create a do-it-yourself soundtrack for the book. In one of the best scenes, Brady is listening to a mixed CD that Heaven made. It is nearly perfect, and he starts to realize that Heaven is also nearly perfect.
"Stupid and Contagious" is a fun, light read. Chapters are short, and written in a fun third-person narrative. The story doesn't repeat itself, but changes perspective as each character alternates in telling their part of the whole story. It's perfect for reading on breaks, or right before going to bed.
Crane has made her debut with a lovable novel full of great characters.
It may feel stupid to like it on principle alone (it's romantic chick literature), but it's well researched, well written, tongue in cheek, romantic chick literature. Hopefully we will read more from Caprice Crane soon, and hopefully she will only improve in the future.
Viewing Comments 1 - 1 of 1
Ms. Nancy Armero
posted 9/22/06 @ 1:53 AM PST
I liked the review. Good flair for writing entertainment. Id like to see more serious pieces from this writer, though. Has lots of potential. Should tap into convergence media. (Continued…)
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