Nothing Special is a coming-of-age novel set in 1960s New York City, following the lives of two young women, Mae and Shelley, who work as typists for artist Andy Warhol. The novel explores themes of friendship, independence, and the construction of art and identity, and has received critical acclaim for its sharp writing, witty dialogue, and exploration of the countercultural movement.

Format: Hardback
Length: 240 pages
Publication date: 02 March 2023
Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing PLC

AN IRISH TIMES BOOK OF THE YEAR 2023 _______________ A BLADE-SHARP COMING-OF-AGE NOVEL SPECTATOR Confirms Flattery as a bracingly original writer IRISH INDEPENDENT In enviably elegant prose,she manages to be both arch and deadly serious LOUISE KENNEDY _______________ A WILDLY ORIGINAL DEBUT NOVEL ABOUT TWO YOUNG WOMEN NAVIGATING THE COMPLEX WORLDS OF ANDY WARHOL'S FACTORY AND COMING OF AGE IN 1960S NEW YORK New York City, 1966. Seventeen-year-old Mae lives in a run-down apartment with her alcoholic mother and her mother's sometimes-boyfriend, Mikey. She is turned off by the petty girls at her high school and the sleazy men she typically meets. When she drops out, she is presented with a job offer that will remake her world entirely: she is hired as a typist for the artist Andy Warhol. Warhol is composing an unconventional novel by recording the conversations and experiences of his many famous and alluring friends. Tasked with transcribing these tapes alongside several other girls, Mae quickly befriends Shelley and the two of them embark on a surreal adventure at the fringes of the countercultural movement. Going to parties together, exploring their womanhood and sexuality, this should be the most enlivening experience of Mae's life. But as she grows increasingly obsessed with the tapes and numb to her own reality, Mae must grapple with the thin line between art and voyeurism and determine how she can remain her own person as the tide of the sixties sweeps over her. Nothing Special is a whip-smart coming-of-age story about friendship, independence, and the construction of art and identity, bringing to life the experience of young women in this iconic and turbulent moment. _______________ PRAISE FOR SHOW THEM A GOOD TIME AN IRISH TIMES BOOK OF THE YEAR 2023 _______________ A BLADE-SHARP COMING-OF-AGE NOVEL SPECTATOR Confirms Flattery as a bracingly original writer IRISH INDEPENDENT In enviably elegant prose, she manages to be both arch and deadly serious LOUISE KENNEDY _______________ A WILDLY ORIGINAL DEBUT NOVEL ABOUT TWO YOUNG WOMEN NAVIGATING THE COMPLEX WORLDS OF ANDY WARHOL'S FACTORY AND COMING OF AGE IN 1960S NEW YORK New York City, 1966. Seventeen-year-old Mae lives in a run-down apartment with her alcoholic mother and her mother's sometimes-boyfriend, Mikey. She is turned off by the petty girls at her high school and the sleazy men she typically meets. When she drops out, she is presented with a job offer that will remake her world entirely: she is hired as a typist for the artist Andy Warhol. Warhol is composing an unconventional novel by recording the conversations and experiences of his many famous and alluring friends. Tasked with transcribing these tapes alongside several other girls, Mae quickly befriends Shelley and the two of them embark on a surreal adventure at the fringes of the countercultural movement. Going to parties together, exploring their womanhood and sexuality, this should be the most enlivening experience of Mae's life. But as she grows increasingly obsessed with the tapes and numb to her own reality, Mae must grapple with the thin line between art and voyeurism and determine how she can remain her own person as the tide of the sixties sweeps over her. Nothing Special is a whip-smart coming-of-age story about friendship, independence, and the construction of art and identity, bringing to life the experience of young women in this iconic and turbulent moment.

AN IRISH TIMES BOOK OF THE YEAR 2023

A BLADE-SHARP COMING-OF-AGE NOVEL

SPECTATOR

Confirms Flattery as a bracingly original writer

IRISH INDEPENDENT

In enviably elegant prose, she manages to be both arch and deadly serious

LOUISE KENNEDY

A WILDLY ORIGINAL DEBUT NOVEL ABOUT TWO YOUNG WOMEN NAVIGATING THE COMPLEX WORLDS OF ANDY WARHOL'S FACTORY AND COMING OF AGE IN 1960S NEW YORK

New York City, 1966. Seventeen-year-old Mae lives in a run-down apartment with her alcoholic mother and her mother's sometimes-boyfriend, Mikey. She is turned off by the petty girls at her high school and the sleazy men she typically meets. When she drops out, she is presented with a job offer that will remake her world entirely: she is hired as a typist for the artist Andy Warhol. Warhol is composing an unconventional novel by recording the conversations and experiences of his many famous and alluring friends. Tasked with transcribing these tapes alongside several other girls, Mae quickly befriends Shelley and the two of them embark on a surreal adventure at the fringes of the countercultural movement. Going to parties together, exploring their womanhood and sexuality, this should be the most enlivening experience of Mae's life. But as she grows increasingly obsessed with the tapes and numb to her own reality, Mae must grapple with the thin line between art and voyeurism and determine how she can remain her own person as the tide of the sixties sweeps over her.

Nothing Special is a whip-smart coming-of-age story about friendship, independence, and the construction of art and identity, bringing to life the experience of young women in this iconic and turbulent moment.

PRAISE FOR SHOW THEM A GOOD TIME

AN IRISH TIMES BOOK OF THE YEAR 2023

A BLADE-SHARP COMING-OF-AGE NOVEL

SPECTATOR

Confirms Flattery as a bracingly original writer

IRISH INDEPENDENT

In enviably elegant prose, she manages to be both arch and deadly serious

LOUISE KENNEDY

A WILDLY ORIGINAL DEBUT NOVEL ABOUT TWO YOUNG WOMEN NAVIGATING THE COMPLEX WORLDS OF ANDY WARHOL'S FACTORY AND COMING OF AGE IN 1960S NEW YORK

New York City, 1966. Seventeen-year-old Mae lives in a run-down apartment with her alcoholic mother and her mother's sometimes-boyfriend, Mikey. She is turned off by the petty girls at her high school and the sleazy men she typically meets. When she drops out, she is presented with a job offer that will remake her world entirely: she is hired as a typist for the artist Andy Warhol. Warhol is composing an unconventional novel by recording the conversations and experiences of his many famous and alluring friends. Tasked with transcribing these tapes alongside several other girls, Mae quickly befriends Shelley and the two of them embark on a surreal adventure at the fringes of the countercultural movement. Going to parties together, exploring their womanhood and sexuality, this should be the most enlivening experience of Mae's life. But as she grows increasingly obsessed with the tapes and numb to her own reality, Mae must grapple with the thin line between art and voyeurism and determine how she can remain her own person as the tide of the sixties sweeps over her.

Nothing Special is a whip-smart coming-of-age story about friendship, independence, and the construction of art and identity, bringing to life the experience of young women in this iconic and turbulent moment.

Weight: 356g
Dimension: 222 x 145 x 24 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9781526612120