What do you think?
Rate this book
Desperately Seeking Susan
Arrow 1st paperback vg+
209 pages, Paperback
First published September 4, 1985
24 people want to read
About the author
Susan Dworkin
25 books18 followersSusan Dworkin is an unlimited author. She writes books for everyone.
ARE YOU A TRUE HISTORY BUFF? Susan co-wrote the New York Times Best Seller, THE NAZI OFFICER'S WIFE, with Edith Hahn Beer, the woman who lived this amazing story of love, terror and courage in Hitler's Germany.
ARE YOU A SCIENCE FICTION FAN? Susan's thrill-filled novel, THE COMMONS, is set 150 years in the future, When an ancient plague threatens to destroy the wheat crop, a revolutionary coalition of farmers, scientists and courageous young rock stars must save the world from starvation.
ARE YOU A MOVIE ADDICT? Consider MAKING TOOTSIE, the up-close investigation which Susan wrote when she was the only journalist allowed on the set of the classic gender-bending comedy featuring Dustin Hoffman.
AT MS. MAGAZINE, Dworkin was a contributing editor for more than ten years, interviewing such celebrities as Meryl Streep, Danny Glover, Carol Burnett, and Whoopi Goldberg. She is also a leading AUDIOBOOK PRODUCER, publishing terrific voice versions of authors like Isaac Bashevis Singer, Edna Ferber, Cynthia Ozick and I.L. Peretz.
ARE YOU LOOKING FOR A SPEAKER? Susan is a delightful and much sought-after lecturer who has cracked up audiences from the Library of Congress to the Crop Science Society. You can hear samples of her speeches -- and find out everything else about her -- by going to her website: www.SusanDworkin.com.
ARE YOU A TRUE HISTORY BUFF? Susan co-wrote the New York Times Best Seller, THE NAZI OFFICER'S WIFE, with Edith Hahn Beer, the woman who lived this amazing story of love, terror and courage in Hitler's Germany.
ARE YOU A SCIENCE FICTION FAN? Susan's thrill-filled novel, THE COMMONS, is set 150 years in the future, When an ancient plague threatens to destroy the wheat crop, a revolutionary coalition of farmers, scientists and courageous young rock stars must save the world from starvation.
ARE YOU A MOVIE ADDICT? Consider MAKING TOOTSIE, the up-close investigation which Susan wrote when she was the only journalist allowed on the set of the classic gender-bending comedy featuring Dustin Hoffman.
AT MS. MAGAZINE, Dworkin was a contributing editor for more than ten years, interviewing such celebrities as Meryl Streep, Danny Glover, Carol Burnett, and Whoopi Goldberg. She is also a leading AUDIOBOOK PRODUCER, publishing terrific voice versions of authors like Isaac Bashevis Singer, Edna Ferber, Cynthia Ozick and I.L. Peretz.
ARE YOU LOOKING FOR A SPEAKER? Susan is a delightful and much sought-after lecturer who has cracked up audiences from the Library of Congress to the Crop Science Society. You can hear samples of her speeches -- and find out everything else about her -- by going to her website: www.SusanDworkin.com.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews
April 2, 2022
Roberta Glass is an unfulfilled housewife from New Jersey who is fascinated by the messages she reads in the personal ads of the paper. One couple - Susan & Jim - particularly appeal to her and when she sees one saying “Desperately Seeking Susan” she decides to go to their meeting in Battery Park to try and enjoy life vicariously through them. Then she gets bopped on the head and one thing leads to another and an amnesiac Roberta is suddenly living Susan’s life.
The novelisation of the film, I didn’t even realise this existed until just recently and I loved it. I first watched the film on video in 1986 or so as a big Madonna fan and found it quite disappointing (as vibrant as she is, the film isn’t about her) but decided to revisit it early this year (2022) and I’m so glad I did. This time I realised it was all about Roberta and filling a life and having adventures and I loved it - and how fantastically wonderful (and gorgeous) Rosanna Arquette is. The book captures the sense of the film perfectly and Dwokin goes one better, writing in a freewheeling style that is funny and riveting and surreal and so utterly, utterly joyous that it’s like holding 1985 (when the film came out) in your hand. It’s absolutely not for everyone but I was very receptive to the style and the story and it completely won me over. Superb - highly recommended.
The novelisation of the film, I didn’t even realise this existed until just recently and I loved it. I first watched the film on video in 1986 or so as a big Madonna fan and found it quite disappointing (as vibrant as she is, the film isn’t about her) but decided to revisit it early this year (2022) and I’m so glad I did. This time I realised it was all about Roberta and filling a life and having adventures and I loved it - and how fantastically wonderful (and gorgeous) Rosanna Arquette is. The book captures the sense of the film perfectly and Dwokin goes one better, writing in a freewheeling style that is funny and riveting and surreal and so utterly, utterly joyous that it’s like holding 1985 (when the film came out) in your hand. It’s absolutely not for everyone but I was very receptive to the style and the story and it completely won me over. Superb - highly recommended.
October 31, 2013
My book club read this book and only a couple of us thought it was funny. Would recommend this book as an easy read for women in the teen to 50 year old age group.
May 7, 2021
Silly, fun, a quick read. I loved the movie and just happened to find the book at a garage sale, so I read it. In about 1 1/2 hours!
March 4, 2017
Based on the movie by the same name, this book is about how two women from totally different backgrounds find themselves entangled in the same mess.
Roberta is a repressed housewife, living a dull life, ignored by her husband and with her sister-in-law as her only friend. Her daily thrill is reading the personal ads and watching for news of "Susan." Susan is a vagabond, roaming the country, usually on the wrong side of the law, taking life as it comes and enjoying her string-free existence. In the middle of these two is Jimmy, Susan's on-again-off-again boyfriend who desperately wants to break her of her wandering ways. He places personal ads to contact her, since Susan has no phone and her address is constantly changing. One day Roberta learns that their next meeting is scheduled just a few short miles from where she is, and she determines that she will get to the bottom of why Jimmy is so desperately seeking Susan. Let the hijinks commence.
It's a fun, easy read, and it embodies the feel of the 80's when the movie was released. The book includes still pictures from the movie.
Roberta is a repressed housewife, living a dull life, ignored by her husband and with her sister-in-law as her only friend. Her daily thrill is reading the personal ads and watching for news of "Susan." Susan is a vagabond, roaming the country, usually on the wrong side of the law, taking life as it comes and enjoying her string-free existence. In the middle of these two is Jimmy, Susan's on-again-off-again boyfriend who desperately wants to break her of her wandering ways. He places personal ads to contact her, since Susan has no phone and her address is constantly changing. One day Roberta learns that their next meeting is scheduled just a few short miles from where she is, and she determines that she will get to the bottom of why Jimmy is so desperately seeking Susan. Let the hijinks commence.
It's a fun, easy read, and it embodies the feel of the 80's when the movie was released. The book includes still pictures from the movie.
May 18, 2022
I'd hoped this little-free-library find would redeem how terrible I remember the movie being, but no. Tangents upon tangents and ham-fisted exposition attempt to bring humanity to each character (no matter how minor and regardless if they're ever seen again) and fail. Roberta is the boringest bore who ever bored, Susan is an exhausting manic pixie dream girl, and none of the love interests have any chemistry. The climax with the villain at the end is arguably the most exciting part, yet I was skimming in desperation to end this six-chapter novel that feels somehow longer than War and Peace. At least I had fun making notes in the margin; I plan to inflict this on my poor friend next so he too can appreciate the badness.
January 23, 2011
I LOVE this story. And the movie is my all-time favorite film.
January 2, 2026
Amé amé el libro! Sobre todo, como suele ocurrir con las novelizaciones de películas, se le da mayor profundidad y contexto a los personajes. Y aunque la novela no tiene más de 250 páginas, le da un mayor trasfondo a los personajes lo cual se agradece mucho!
Huelga decir que las escenas de Dez y las de Dez con Roberta fueron, son y serán mis favoritas!
Mi película favorita de los 80s transformada en novela era todo lo que necesitaba para iniciar el 2026! Madonna como Susan es tan palpable en las páginas...
P.D Amé la inclusión de imágenes en la mitad del libro, a pesar de que eran en blanco y negro
5/5 Super recomendable
Huelga decir que las escenas de Dez y las de Dez con Roberta fueron, son y serán mis favoritas!
Mi película favorita de los 80s transformada en novela era todo lo que necesitaba para iniciar el 2026! Madonna como Susan es tan palpable en las páginas...
P.D Amé la inclusión de imágenes en la mitad del libro, a pesar de que eran en blanco y negro
5/5 Super recomendable
xx-dnf-skim-reference
July 20, 2025I see mixed reviews - mostly either lauds or hisses, not much in between. I, personally, had to give up at p. 36. The premise sounds like fun but the characters, esp. Susan, are so unlikable I just can't. I skipped to the end and it doesn't look more interesting from that direction. My opinion.
LFL find. July 2025
LFL find. July 2025
October 16, 2022
Love it. One of the best novelizations ever. Absolutely damn bonkers, and I do not pay that compliment lightly.
Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews