The True and Outstanding Adventures of the Hunt Sisters: a Novel

Boston: Little, Brown & Co, 2004. First Edition. Hardcover. New/New. About the book, from the publisher: "An outpouring of cheers, tears, and applause propelled this tender and hilarious first novel onto national bestseller lists immediately upon publication. Telling the story of two sisters-Olivia, a hotshot Hollywood producer whose life is unraveling, and Maddie, an unflaggingly optimistic, seriously ill midwesterner whose idealism has always driven Olivia crazy-The True and Outstanding Adventures of the Hunt Sisters offers a startlingly poignant reminder of how hope can grow in even the darkest places."

About the author: Before becoming a novelist, Elisabeth Robinson had a successful career as an executive and screenwriter in the motion picture business, both for major studios and working independently. In 2002, Variety named her one of the "Top Ten Producers To Watch." Since 2005, MORE magazine has commissioned Robinson to write adventure travel stories. She has also published articles in Vogue, Glamour, The Boston Review and the New York Times.

Robinson was born in Royal Oak, Michigan and graduated from Oberlin College. She lives in New York City.

Reviews:
"A novel about Hollywood and cancer seems doomed to bathos, especially given that this epistolary narrative springs from the author's own life.....And there are moments when The Hunt Sisters can feel uncomfortably like a big-screen tear-jerker, alternating streaks of sap and cynicism. But...The True and Outstanding Adventures of the Hunt Sisters is finally wryly effective, capturing the momentum of family sorrow, the ways in which people can care for each other without ever quite coming to terms." Emily Nussbaum, The New York Times, Dec. 28, 2003

"Her Hollywood adventures are pitch-perfect and hilarious....No less impressive is Robinson's unsentimental chronicling of the progress of Maddie's illness and the alternately heroic and selfish reactions of those around her, including the sisters' mother, an anxious children's book writer, and their father, a retired attorney and alcoholic. Olivia's cynicism, compassion and loyalty come through as funny, real and inspiring, and the novel's epistolary format is smoothly employed. Moving but never maudlin, this is an accomplished debut." Publisher's Weekly, October 23, 2003

ABEDESC
An epistolary novel Robinson based on hard-won experience. In the book, Olivia Hunt is a hotshot Hollywood producer whose life is unraveling. Maddie Hunt, her sister, is unflaggingly optimistic (a trait that has always driven Olivia crazy), has stayed in the Midwest...and is now seriously ill. Publisher's Weekly said, "Olivia's cynicism, compassion and loyalty come through as funny, real and inspiring, and the novel's epistolary format is smoothly employed. Moving but never maudlin, this is an accomplished debut." Our signed first edition copy is in pristine condition.