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Manhattan Madness: A GR Press Book
Matilda "Mat" Anastasia Carvel is a very talented and ambitious portrait-painter, but she's also young and naive. After ditching her dysfunctional Arkansas family and helping herself to a new wardrobe from a Salvation Army dumpster, she runs away to New York City.
Mat soon finds herself engulfed in the chaotic pace of Manhattan. Between sharing a roach-infested basement apartment with two ditzy sisters, a rich bag lady, and a cross-dressing gay couple, she winds up supporting the slackers by painting portraits of customers at Tony's Pizzeria, pampered poodles, and homeless vagabonds.
Mat doesn't mind helping out her new friends, but she's frustrated because she doesn't have time to find "Mr. Right" and rid herself of her virginal status. With advice from a colorful homeless lady who claims to have sex with aliens in Central Park, Mat finds her soul mate.
Manhattan Madness is a hilarious, fast-paced story of unique characters and action that will have you chuckling or even laughing out loud until the very last page.
About the Author:
A.R. Alan is a born storyteller. Even in first grade, she became notorious for scribbling stories on scraps of paper. When she wasn't doing that, she'd have her nose buried in a book, soaking up other peoples' stories. Reading and writing stories became lifelong passions, and she's currently finishing her eleventh novel.
Worldwide travel and a career that brought her in touch with a never-ending stream of interesting personalities and celebrities fanned her already fertile imagination over the years, and validate the vivid, multi-dimensional characters that people her novels.
She is also an avid environmentalist, and played a major role in saving a New Jersey/New York mountain range from developers. It will remain open space forever.
Previously writing under the name of B.B. Carter, she has had many short stories, poems, and five novels published. She has also penned comedic material for Joan Rivers.
Mat soon finds herself engulfed in the chaotic pace of Manhattan. Between sharing a roach-infested basement apartment with two ditzy sisters, a rich bag lady, and a cross-dressing gay couple, she winds up supporting the slackers by painting portraits of customers at Tony's Pizzeria, pampered poodles, and homeless vagabonds.
Mat doesn't mind helping out her new friends, but she's frustrated because she doesn't have time to find "Mr. Right" and rid herself of her virginal status. With advice from a colorful homeless lady who claims to have sex with aliens in Central Park, Mat finds her soul mate.
Manhattan Madness is a hilarious, fast-paced story of unique characters and action that will have you chuckling or even laughing out loud until the very last page.
About the Author:
A.R. Alan is a born storyteller. Even in first grade, she became notorious for scribbling stories on scraps of paper. When she wasn't doing that, she'd have her nose buried in a book, soaking up other peoples' stories. Reading and writing stories became lifelong passions, and she's currently finishing her eleventh novel.
Worldwide travel and a career that brought her in touch with a never-ending stream of interesting personalities and celebrities fanned her already fertile imagination over the years, and validate the vivid, multi-dimensional characters that people her novels.
She is also an avid environmentalist, and played a major role in saving a New Jersey/New York mountain range from developers. It will remain open space forever.
Previously writing under the name of B.B. Carter, she has had many short stories, poems, and five novels published. She has also penned comedic material for Joan Rivers.
198 pages, Paperback
First published February 4, 2011
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
June 27, 2015
I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
Matilda Carvel an artist is on her way to New York to become a artist. Meeting Olivia on the bus they soon strike up a friendship. Moving in with Olivia and her sister Trudy only until she can get on her feet. Sometimes life has other plans for us. Between drawing portraits of customers at Tony's in exchange for free food, painting apartments, working in a used furniture store and investing in friends business. Matilda finds herself busy beyond belief and starts to wonder if she will ever have time to herself and find someone to love.
Matilda was a caregiver, she always wanted to do for others and make their life easier. Even if it made her life harder. What a great cast of characters along the way. You just never knew who was going to be living in the apartment. Between cross-dressing gay lovers, which sets off Trudy's business to design clothes for cross dressers, to Olivia doing hair and makeup. A homeless lady whom to there was more then meets the eye. Matilda trying to fit in time to paint portraits. Her friend Jacob. Matilda was determined to lose her virginity and find the man to spend her happy ever after with. When was a girl going to find time amid all this mayhem. Sometimes love is staring you in the eye you just have to take a moment to see it. You find yourself laughing at loud quiet often during the book.
Matilda Carvel an artist is on her way to New York to become a artist. Meeting Olivia on the bus they soon strike up a friendship. Moving in with Olivia and her sister Trudy only until she can get on her feet. Sometimes life has other plans for us. Between drawing portraits of customers at Tony's in exchange for free food, painting apartments, working in a used furniture store and investing in friends business. Matilda finds herself busy beyond belief and starts to wonder if she will ever have time to herself and find someone to love.
Matilda was a caregiver, she always wanted to do for others and make their life easier. Even if it made her life harder. What a great cast of characters along the way. You just never knew who was going to be living in the apartment. Between cross-dressing gay lovers, which sets off Trudy's business to design clothes for cross dressers, to Olivia doing hair and makeup. A homeless lady whom to there was more then meets the eye. Matilda trying to fit in time to paint portraits. Her friend Jacob. Matilda was determined to lose her virginity and find the man to spend her happy ever after with. When was a girl going to find time amid all this mayhem. Sometimes love is staring you in the eye you just have to take a moment to see it. You find yourself laughing at loud quiet often during the book.
August 8, 2015
Matilda comes from a poor family in Arkansas. Her dream was to just get away from the family. She ended up on a bus to New York City. She was excited but also a little scared. Lucky for her she met Olivia. Olivia's story was similar to Mat's but she has an older sister already living in the city. Matilda hadn't planned too much. She knew she wanted to paint portraits and study in Paris. Olivia didn't have that much worked out. As the bus pulls into the terminal, both girls leave the bus and start on their next journey. The next journey? Finding Olivia's older sister's apartment. From there anything is possible.
This book is one you'll get lost in quickly. In a good way. I enjoyed the well written story and the characters who were well defined. I can imagine two girls going through these situations. It brought back my first time in leaving the nest. The story is unique in many ways but I won't give too much away. I know I can't wait to read more by this author. She hooked me from the first paragraph and I know you'll enjoy it also. It's a light read that will really make you think.
I found no issues with this one.
I gave this one 5 cheers out of 5 because it really does happen to some people. ~Copy of book provided by author in exchange for a fair review~
This book is one you'll get lost in quickly. In a good way. I enjoyed the well written story and the characters who were well defined. I can imagine two girls going through these situations. It brought back my first time in leaving the nest. The story is unique in many ways but I won't give too much away. I know I can't wait to read more by this author. She hooked me from the first paragraph and I know you'll enjoy it also. It's a light read that will really make you think.
I found no issues with this one.
I gave this one 5 cheers out of 5 because it really does happen to some people. ~Copy of book provided by author in exchange for a fair review~
March 25, 2016
Matilda (Mat) Carvel left Willis Depot, Arkansas, a virgin at almost eighteen, then got on a bus for New York City to become a portrait artist. Along the way she met Olivia, also headed to the city to live with her sister, Trudy. Olivia invited Mat to live with them until she could get settled, and thus started the Manhattan Madness. Mat painted apartments, sold used furniture in Carl's store, bartended in a gay nightclub and met all kinds of crazy people, and adopted two big dogs, Oscar and Gertrude. She met some guys, David, Trent, Jacob and Brewster, but never got to second base. On her twenty-fourth birthday, she found herself lonely and still a virgin and then a surprise ending. This story has more twists and turns than Lombard Street, and you will love it!
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews