Three Girls and their Brother: Amazon.co.uk: Theresa Rebeck: Books

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Book Description

Publication Date: 4 Oct 2010

A stunning novel about celebrity and the price of fame from a Pulitzer-shortlisted playwright and the creator of hit series SMASH.

So you want to know how to become famous?

STEP 1: Get your photo taken for the New Yorker, along with your incredibly beautiful red-haired sisters.

STEP 2: Watch as your face is plastered all over Times Square and New York goes crazy over you. (Why? Don't ask me.)

STEP 3: Learn to fight off the paparazzi who are camped outside your school. Older brothers, especially seemingly invisible ones, are useful here.

STEP 4: Pretend to be interested in letchy old filmstars at glitzy parties and don't let them realise you would rather be doing your homework.

But, take a tip from me, Amelia, so-called IT Girl, fame is NOT all it's cracked up to be.

All those glamorous parties are really just full of neurotic women studiously avoiding the canapés. Being followed by hoards of men with cameras can seriously threaten your social life. And no-one listens when you tell them that you never wanted all this in the first place.

One bit of advice I would give you, and it's an important one so please listen: whatever you do don't do what I did and BITE the most famous filmstar in the world. It won't look good, believe me, and it'll get you into all kinds of trouble.

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A stunning novel about celebrity and the price of fame from a Pulitzer-shortlisted playwright and the creator of hit series SMASH.

So you want to know how to become famous?

STEP 1: Get your photo taken for the New Yorker, along with your incredibly beautiful red-haired sisters.

STEP 2: Watch as your face is plastered all over Times Square and New York goes crazy over you. (Why? Don't ask me.)

STEP 3: Learn to fight off the paparazzi who are camped outside your school. Older brothers, especially seemingly invisible ones, are useful here.

STEP 4: Pretend to be interested in letchy old filmstars at glitzy parties and don't let them realise you would rather be doing your homework.

But, take a tip from me, Amelia, so-called IT Girl, fame is NOT all it's cracked up to be.

Product details

Paperback: 416 pages
Publisher: Harper (4 Oct 2010)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0007256310
ISBN-13: 978-0007256310
Product Dimensions: 19.6 x 12.8 x 3 cm

Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (2 customer reviews)

Amazon Bestsellers Rank: 932,338 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Review

Praise for ‘Three Girls and their Brother’:

‘Coming from an already highly-acclaimed screenwriter, Rebeck knows how to spin a good yarn’
Daily Mirror

‘This snappy, scathing novel from the acclaimed playwright follows the trio of gorgeous Heller sisters who get famous and become darlings of the fashionista set – until their youthful world hilariously implodes.’
More Magazine

‘This is a novel the reader will greedily gobble up – its compelling, sometimes cutting, but never dull. The characters are convincing busy and intimate.’
Cork Evening Echo

‘Both dark and comic’
Publishing News

‘Rebeck shines…her insiders look at the theatre world is spot on and uproarious…crackling satire and scene stealing secondaries carry the book’
US Publishers Weekly

‘Playwright Rebeck’s first novel is a wickedly enjoyable exposé of modern celebrity…Rebeck’s dramatic skills are evident in the youthful, often profane voices…A timely and entertaining modern morality tale.’
Kirkus

‘“Three Girls and their Brother” is a brilliant fiction debut. Rebeck weaves such an atmosphere of excitement and turmoil. I felt genuinely close to these characters – all three sisters and their brother. The insider’s look at the life of young models and the way instant success can upend everything resonates in hilarious and heart-breaking ways. I found it impossible to put this book down.”
Carol Goodman, Author of ‘The Lake of Dead Languages’

Praise for Theresa Rebeck:

'Theresa Rebeck is so slick that Gucci wears her shoes.' New Yorker

About the Author

Theresa Rebeck is an American stage, screen, television, and radio writer. She was born in Ohio and graduated from Cincinnati's Ursuline Academy in 1976. She earned her undergraduate degree at the University of Notre Dame in 1980, and followed that with three degrees from Brandeis University: an MA in 1983, a M.F.A. in 1986, and a Ph.D. in Victorian era melodrama, awarded in 1989.

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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4.0 out of 5 stars An unexpected find 1 Aug 2009

By S. Lovatt

Format:Hardcover

I picked this up at Darlington station as I needed to while away a boring 2 hour train journey. I was very pleased I did. It is a beautifully written book, taking the reader through the lives of 4 'young adults' (each section written by a different child) as they are propelled through a huge change in their lives. The change almost feels secondary as it is the characters of the people and how they deal with the change that I found most compelling. I was also surprised about how differently I felt about each person when I read the story from their perspective. All in all a lovely book.

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4.0 out of 5 stars Quality Women's Fiction 26 May 2009

By K. Foster

Format:Paperback

This book really surprised me. Rebeck characterisation is flawless. This is not chick lit - but would be enjoyed by chick lit lovers particularly those who are looking for something a little more real and a little more gritty.

Rebeck's novel feels like a breath of fresh air. A very clever novel indeed.

Brilliant.

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Most Helpful Customer Reviews on Amazon.com ^(beta)

Amazon.com: 3.4 out of 5 stars 16 reviews

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful

3.0 out of 5 stars Not Enough Satire, Not Enough Story 30 Dec 2009

By Michael Lima - Published on Amazon.com

Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase

There are moments in Teresa Rebeck's Three Girls and Their Brother where the satire is sharp and precise. Most of that satire is found in Rebeck's portrayal of the publicists, agents, and media that attach themselves to another's celebrity. Rebeck utilizes the copious amount of time that she's obviously spent with these parasites to create characters that are ruthless in their desire to both maintain their status and perpetuate a celebrity's fame. When the story is focused on these characters, the book works.

The bad news is that the book doesn't focus on them often enough. Instead, the story focuses on the Heller siblings, who are bland main characters. Despite Rebeck's efforts to give them a unique voice by having each sibling act as sole narrator for several chapters, the main characters seem to be the same individual (a surprising result, given Rebeck's background as a playwright). Worse yet, the plot has some gaping holes that beg to be addressed, but never are. For instance, despite a couple of hints, the answer as to how the Heller girls received a cover shoot for the New Yorker magazine is left unanswered. Also briefly mentioned and then dropped is a possible incest storyline. Plot holes like these give the appearance that Rebeck wasn't sure how to develop the plot.

In the end, Three Girls and Their Brother is just an okay book. As I mentioned before, there are moments of great satire within the book that are definitely worth reading. But, those moments are few and fleeting. Instead, the reader is left with a book that wants to be a biting satire of the celebrity culture, but ends up having no teeth.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars I couldn't put it down 9 July 2008

By StrangerW/Candy - Published on Amazon.com

Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase

I picked up this book on a whim and I'm really glad I did. The first night I read 88 pages and I finished it two nights later. Maybe it's because I do enjoy a bit of gossip (dlisted anyone?). It was interesting to see scandal from the other side, I guess I won't be so quick to judge from now on. I thought the author was really able to capture the voices of the 4 main characters so well, I got very attached to them. I was sad when the book ended and that hasn't happened to me in a long time. Thank you Ms. Rebeck, I needed that.

3 of 4 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars Such a family ... 24 April 2008

By Armchair Interviews - Published on Amazon.com

Format:Hardcover

Noted playwright, Theresa Rebeck's tongue-in-cheek debut novel exposes the dark underbelly of all that fame does--and doesn't have to offer.

When three adolescent auburn-haired sisters gain notoriety for--well, not much of anything but their fiery hair and literary giant grandfather--their lives are turned upside down. There's Daria Heller, the oldest at 19, with an inflated sense of self and an aspiration to become an actress. Polly is the second child, who at 18 is precocious and wishy-washy. Then there's Amelia, the youngest and most rebellious at 14, who cares less about fame than her sisters.

The girls' father enters the picture sporadically and inconsistently. Their stage mother has a drinking problem and will stop at nothing to push her daughters into the public eye. Colette is the Heller sisters' overzealous agent and the driving force behind their mother. Then there's Phillip, the brother who helplessly stands by and gets caught up in everything as his sisters' drama unfolds.

Rebeck's book. Three Girls and Their Brother is refreshingly candid portrayal of sibling rivalry and showcases familial dysfunction at its finest. The novel takes us through the glitzy parties, champagne-soaked celebrity encounters, glamorous photo shoots and the pesky paparazzi who document everything they bump into along the way.

Three Girls and Their Brother is divided into four parts, told from the first-person perspectives of Phillip, Amelia, Polly and Daria. Rebeck has easily transitioned from playwright to novelist. It's clear, when reading the book, she's mastered the art of conversation, as conversation among the siblings will resonate with you.

The plot moves easily, and when reading, one is reminded of other poignant, existential character exhibits, such as J.D. Salinger's Franny and Zooey.

As the press, photo shoots and requests for the Heller sisters increase exponentially, the relationship dynamic among the sisters and Phillip sharply turns. Once a team, the sisters now try to outdo each other.

Will fame be the downfall of this already crumbling family? Will they be able to withstand being put under the microscope?

Armchair Interviews says: It's worth your while to find out.

Three Girls and their Brother [Paperback]

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