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Little Stalker
In the tradition of Tom Perrotta, an offbeat and hilarious story of voyeurism, obsession, and relationships-both real and imaginary-from the bestselling author of High Maintenance and Going Down.
Rebekah Kettle is obsessed. Not with her quirky, adoring paparazzo boyfriend or the gossip columnist who wants to be her new best friend, but with someone she’s never even met—cul...more
Rebekah Kettle is obsessed. Not with her quirky, adoring paparazzo boyfriend or the gossip columnist who wants to be her new best friend, but with someone she’s never even met—cul...more
Paperback, 368 pages
Published
May 6th 2008
by Riverhead Trade
(first published May 17th 2007)
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I've been following Jennifer Belle since I read her first book, Going Down and I definitely consider myself a fan. Not that the stories she builds around her characters are themselves particularly epic, but she has an incredibly vivid stream-of-conscious writing style that I find irresistable. Everything just flows together so naturally yet many of her passages are still completely surprising in their humor or cynicism. The characters are not your typical twenty something women, but they are als...more
I'm left not knowing how I feel about this book. It was from bizarro world. The protagonist is a one-hit wonder of the literary world that can't seem to get that second novel underway (and is awful to her fans). Her interpersonal relationships are excruciatingly strained or nearly non-existent, and as a result of her intense daddy issues, she's obsessed with Little House on the Prairie and a New York filmmaker (a thinly veiled Woody Allen) to a disturbing degree. She's a thief, a liar, a ball-bu...more
What a strange experience it was to read this book. The protagonist: annoying and loathsome. The other characters: equally horrible. The plot: bizarre, though somewhat like watching a car accident. And yet, I kept reading and finished the whole thing. Was it good? I don't really know. I guess the author deserves props for keeping me going. If I was able to teleport myself into the book, I wouldn't be able to choose which character to smack first.
2 likes · like · see review
Book Jacket:
Rebekah Kettle is obsessed. Not with her quirky, adoring
paparazzo boyfriend or the gossip columnist who wants to
be her new best friend, but with someone she's never even
met--cult filmmaker Arthur Weeman. For twenty years, she
has looked forward to seeing Weeman's newest release every
fall, and she's tracked his movements around New York
City. But this year, when the window of an Upper East Side
apartment provides her with a scandalous view into Weeman's
life, Rebekah has to decide: does s...more
Rebekah Kettle is obsessed. Not with her quirky, adoring
paparazzo boyfriend or the gossip columnist who wants to
be her new best friend, but with someone she's never even
met--cult filmmaker Arthur Weeman. For twenty years, she
has looked forward to seeing Weeman's newest release every
fall, and she's tracked his movements around New York
City. But this year, when the window of an Upper East Side
apartment provides her with a scandalous view into Weeman's
life, Rebekah has to decide: does s...more
An amusing, interesting read. I went into this book thinking it was 'chick lit' (which I have nothing against, though there are too many authors who think they have mastered the genre when they clearly have not), but it was a little darker than your average chick lit book. The story explores some very emotional areas, and handles them in an adequate way (not well - I would have prefered to see a little more depth into the main character, but then, that may have been the author trying to make a p...more
Aug 02, 2011
Melissa
added it
Truly original plot and a bizarrely sympathetic narrator. While there's a sort of chick lit aroma here, the wacky undermines it and successfully overthrows it. I'm not down with the sympathetic portrayal of pedophilia, but, despite it, I still like the narrator and want to root for her (she's not the pedophile, just a non-judgmental observer). This book is ultimately about loving, sacrificing for, and valuing artistic creation, and I'm not ever going to argue with that. Okay--maybe if we're talk...more
I didn't like this book. It said it was supposed to be funny; I didn't find it funny except for one incident in the whole book. I didn't like the main character, I wouldn't like her for a friend. I don't understand how a 33 year old woman could be obsessed with anything let alone with a celebrity - isn't that a little teenagerish??? I didn't feel her relationship with her boyfriend, then husband was for real. And her relationship with her father was really pitfully. I'm not sure I would pick up...more
If you are old enough to remember Woody Allen (no worries, he is still with us just not as much in the press), Little Stalker by Jennifer Belle could be your choice. Rebekah is a young author with a significant case of writer’s block. She has started to dread questions about her next book. It has been a long time since the last book. Men don’t work out well for Rebekah either, she has a string of failed romances. Her biological clock is not just ticking, it is clamoring. Lacking either promising...more
I was walking to the El from the Taste of Chicago and as a result of many beers, I really had to use the bathroom. I stumbled into Barnes and Noble, and assuming (correctly) that I would have to make a purchase in order to use the desired (and rapidly growing necessary) facility, I ended up with this delightful, not so little book. I wouldn't say it was brilliant or even wonderfully written, I just found it to be a cut above what I was expecting and what I normally find in the genre. Rebekah (wh...more
Rebekah Kettle, following the blockbuster success of her first novel, is in a bit of a slump. Her relationship with her father is strained, she’s unlucky in love and has lots of unresolved angst from her youth that she avoids by obsessing with filmmaker Arthur Weissman. When she starts contacting Weissman, she finds the creative outlet she needed and the other areas of her life start clicking into place.
I enjoyed this one, although, while reading it, I felt like I was missing out on lots of insi...more
I enjoyed this one, although, while reading it, I felt like I was missing out on lots of insi...more
Jul 27, 2012
Margaret
rated it
1 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
audio-books,
abandoned
Ugh. Hard to get past a protagonist who is as selfish and spoiled as this one, plus the novel is in the first person so the reader (in my case listener) is in this 33 year old brat's head. I feel sorry for the reader of this audio version - she tried so hard to give the character some spirited life but only makes her sound spiritedly spoiled. I gave up after 2 of the ~10 CD's, so I think that was a fair enough shot to now call it quits.
so... this book was a little sexy, although the scenes moved the plot along and weren't titillating. It also dealt with issues of pedophilia and adultery. All in all, a good read. The author dealt with major issues without weighing down the plot or characters. Gives me something to think about without feeling burdened by the character. I think Belle does this by giving her main character, Rebekah, some personality flaws.
The titular character is a woman with an obsession for Arthur Weeman, a director who seems to be nothing more than a thinly veiled stand-in for Woody Allen. Filled with characters that are either annoying, pushy, forgetful or just plain sleazy, I found it tedious in the extreme wading through it. Even the sex scenes made me want to cringe or yawn.
I loved this book! My coworkers can testify, this book made me laugh out loud over and over again. Now, it's not for everyone. You've got to be both sharp and quirky to pick up on the humor here. It is both deep and superficial at the same time. Although I'm not really a Woody Allen fan, the protagonist is, and the humor is along the same lines.
An offbeat and hilarious story of voyeurism, obsession, and relationships--both real and imaginary--from the bestselling author of High Maintenance and Going Down.
Listen to Little Stalker on your smartphone, notebook or desktop computer.
Listen to Little Stalker on your smartphone, notebook or desktop computer.
Borrowed this from my sis-in-law and absolutely loved it!!
I really enjoyed "stalking" Arthur Weeman through Rebekah Kettles eyes! What a fun little read. Rebekah is also a huge Little House on the Prairie fan and she references it throughout the whole book which I looovvved!!
If you want a good "guilty pleasure" read....this is your book!
Thanks Katherine!
I really enjoyed "stalking" Arthur Weeman through Rebekah Kettles eyes! What a fun little read. Rebekah is also a huge Little House on the Prairie fan and she references it throughout the whole book which I looovvved!!
If you want a good "guilty pleasure" read....this is your book!
Thanks Katherine!
Bought it off the $2 shelf at the former Books-a-Million in Blacksburg (which used to have wonderful paperbacks for $3 or less). This novel is so terrible I don't even know where to begin. I wish I had my $2 back. I'd happily trade this piece of shit book for a large sweet tea.
If you like New York and Woody Allen you'll like this book. The premise was interesting and the writing good, but at times annoying, which I also find to be true in some Woody Allen films. I loved the last couple of chapters and how events reconciled themselves.
This was just creepy. Someone that obsessed with Woody Allen, I mean "Arthur Weeman", needs help and even though there were amusing moments the mainstreaming of pedophilia just creeped me out. Plus the narrator is more obnoxious than Bella Swan
Expecting chicklit by the cover but much surprised to find an honest,twisted with a touch of sweetness story about obsession and being famous. Just when I thought I had figured it out Belle took the reader to another place. Great heroine and a cast of unique characters kept me enthralled from page one.
Maybe i'm biased, but i call it a great book. A modern classic with an orrginal story....
chick obsessed with Woody Allen (thinly veiled) writes him letter pretending to be an underage girl... hilarity ensues.
chick obsessed with Woody Allen (thinly veiled) writes him letter pretending to be an underage girl... hilarity ensues.
What a narcissistic mess. I haven't read a book with this horrible a heroine or pathetic a love story in years and years. And if you're going to write about Woody Allen, just do it already...
Dec 09, 2009
Melissa
added it
This was a very cute book. It made me laugh also which is always a plus for me. I liked the author so much that I am currently reading another one of her books that I like very much.
This was one of the most bizarre books I have ever read, but it was unique and brilliant and reminiscent of a Woody Allen type plot. Love it! :) Now I have to read this author's other books!
I've liked all of Belle's books and this one was no exception. It was easy to read and it went really fast. A great summer read. I highly recommend reading it.
Belle’s novel follows a young, one-hit wonder novelist and her relationship (from afar and altogether too near) with a very Woody Allen-ish character, Arthur Weeman. For someone who has enjoyed very few Woody Allen movies, I really like this book! It is certainly funny, entertaining and a fast, not to mention engrossing, read. I really like that it sort of made fun of itself with the first-person versus third-person comments. And I must admit, it makes me almost want to rent a Woody Allen movie!...more
This might not be the best book ever written, but I will tell you that it is a direct reflection of my life--minus some details.
I had put off reading this one for a long time because of so many negative reviews. I am so glad i read it! I really loved it! This was not chick lit, which is why I figure many people have been put off. I guess I am bizarro, but I found her character completely relate-able. She is not a carbon copy of Bridget Jones. She's an original person with many varied flaws as real people have; refreshingly real. All the other characters were real as well. The relationships she has are strange, strained a...more
Very inspirational. A woman doing things for others while expecting nothing in return.
Jennifer Belle always presents a fun, wry, slightly disturbing portrait of a 20- or 30-something, alienated, unmotivated intellectual chick in New York City. "Little Stalker" is no exception, and probably the her best of her three novels to date.
Readers can't help but wonder if it's a semi-autobiographical story of a promising novelist's obsession with Woody Allen. But whatever Belle's inspiration, this is a fast, amusing read with some truly terrific imagery. (Circus elephants parading down NYC...more
Readers can't help but wonder if it's a semi-autobiographical story of a promising novelist's obsession with Woody Allen. But whatever Belle's inspiration, this is a fast, amusing read with some truly terrific imagery. (Circus elephants parading down NYC...more
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An American novelist, based in New York City.
She attended Bronx High School of Science and dropped out of college. She has also written columns for Ms. magazine. In 2002, she married entertainment lawyer Andrew Krents, after they were introduced by fellow novelist Amy Sohn.
Her work has appeared in The New York Times Magazine, The New York Observer, London’s The Independent, Cosmopolitan, Harper’s...more
More about Jennifer Belle...
She attended Bronx High School of Science and dropped out of college. She has also written columns for Ms. magazine. In 2002, she married entertainment lawyer Andrew Krents, after they were introduced by fellow novelist Amy Sohn.
Her work has appeared in The New York Times Magazine, The New York Observer, London’s The Independent, Cosmopolitan, Harper’s...more
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Oct 20, 2011 09:04pm