“This rollicking first novel . . . offers the kind of hilarious, often poignant life knowledge that should be required for Mensa membership.”
A fresh and captivating novel about the extraordinary friendship between Edie Hawkes and Mona Rose, two young women who prefer to see themselves as girls. Acting your age is for boring people. They have themselves a grand time roaming New York neighborhoods, finding the divine in the ordinary and avoiding permanent employment. The men they get involved with are an odd lot ranging from a boy who refuses to say anything about himself to a Soviet delegate from the United Nations. For Edie and Mona, the best part of any love affair is when it's over, and they can re-hash it, laugh and chalk it up as no loss. But why then is Edie obsessed with the idea of falling madly in love with someone, anyone, who will marry her? Is this another one of her fleeting diversions? Mona Rose refuses to acknowledge that there might be some misery beneath the carefree facade. When Edie meets the man she believes will save her—"Save you from what?"—we wonder, along with Mona Rose whether Edie is going to abandon the friendship, or is this wedding just another game.
Praise for on mermaid avenue
"Kirshenbaum's writing is crisp and clever, and her story zips along, a frothy, quirky tale of urban chic female bonding. . . . A small, surprisingly memorable, pleasure."
—Michele Leber, Library Journal (starred)
"A nifty variation on the loss-of-innocence theme . . . sure-handed, a bright comic trinket."
—Amanda Heller
"Kirshenbaum's writing is swift and witty . . . with lots of pizzazz."
—Laurie Muchnick
Quirky and delightful . . . original and witty. . . . The fact that things are never exactly what they seem adds depth and insight to this whimsical, enchanting first novel."
—Wendy Sheanin
"Kirshenbaum's writing is brash and breezy. . . . But the search for identity is ultimately serious business. Kirshenbaum's exploration of the nuances and failures of friendship gives the rollicking humor of her story a satisfying poignancy."
—Gail Pool, The Plain Dealer (syndicated review)