My 15 Minutes

by Sara Faith Alterman

There's something going on in this Great Land of ours--more and more people are famous for being famous. Now, one of the Avon Trade program's brightest young voices examines what happens to an... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0060755911
• ISBN13: 9780060755911
• Release Date: August 2005
• Publisher: William Morrow & Company
• Length: 288 Pages
• Weight: 0.50 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.7" x 5.3" x 8.0"

Customer Reviews

Hilarious Satire 4.5

Many of the people writing reviews of this book seem to have missed the point: It is satire, and farce, and is not meant to be 'realistic'-you know, like those fabulously believable guy adventures, the Sames Bond, oops, forgive me, the James Bond series. Julie has been drifting, trying to find her place in the world. She's a college grad who is finding out, as so many have before her, that being a Lit major isn't a ticket to instant riches. She has a chance to spend some time with a Hollywood god who's been her idol since her teens, and signs on for the ride of her life. There are hilarious secondary characters, and a budding romance to provide comic backup and a light at the end of the tunnel. 'Billy', her childhood gal-pal, is like the lovechild of Cyndi Lauper and Gwen Stefani, and Phil, the publicist to the stars, is so vitriolic and acid-tongued, he should be the poster child for Tourette's Syndrome. The gist: This is like Bridget Jones-only funny. Instead of one character being neurotic and self-consciously cute for pages without end, there's a genuinely witty heroine on a surrealistic adventure. Along the way, we get the loon's-eye view of Hollywood-such a fertile ground for satire-and a chance to answer the age-old, unspoken question: What would it feel like to be one of the "beautiful people." Julie was a bit of a pushover at first, letting other people tell what she ought to do and ought to feel, but that's really the point of the story: by the end, she's turning some of her sardonic 'asides' into full-frontal assaults, and speaking up for herself-learning to ask herself, honestly, "What do *I* want?" I laughed throughout, and found it a totally entertaining read.

One of those books I didn't want to put down!

I missed my stop on the subway multiple times on the way home from work because I couldn't put this book down. I even laughed out loud at times. It was cute, engaging, funny, and witty. The characters were very real - i felt I could really relate to their lives. It was so refreshing to read something fun and smart for once. I would recommend this book to anyone looking for a good laugh.

Can you spell SATIRE?

I have to say, from reading these reviews, I'm wondering why some people didn't pick up on the fact that this is a SATIRE of Hollywood and the frenzy that surrounds it. Maybe that means that the author has to work on her satirical chops, but still, I got it right away. I loved this book. It's full of one-liners and completely ridiculous situations, which I find to be hilarious. Who hasn't fantasized about having access to the most obscure luxury that's available to celebs?

Funny and light-hearted - a great first book!

For anyone who's brushed against the doors of Hollywood (or wished they had), "My 15 Minutes" is a wonderful parody of the riduculousness of both celebrity culture and popular fascination with the 'beautiful people.' For her first book, Alterman is surprising adept at bringing together engaging characters - my favorites are her wacky friend Billie and Chad's swarmy agent. A light-hearted read and an impressive first book from such a young author!

fabulous satirical tale

In Southern California, size 12 waitress Julie Jorlamo thinks God is missing an angel since highly regarded actor Chad Downing moved into her building. Chad is conducting research on how the working class lives for an upcoming role. She will soon reconsider her belief star system when the paparazzi catch Julie leaving Chad's temporary apartment in a bathrobe due to a "matchmaking" canine. This explodes into a media feeding frenzy. to learn who is the lover of America's heartthrob. Phil the publicist drums up the concept of royal Hollywood dating a commoner. As Chad escorts Julie around the town to the swankiest of galas and events, the star-struck waitress sees how shallow the glamour and glitter truly are. As her fifteen minutes of fame begins to wane, Julie just wants to return to her normal boring life as Hollywood has opened her eyes to celebrity-ism. MY FIFTEEN MINUTES is a fabulous satirical tale that lampoons the American worship of movie stars and other figures on pedestals. The story line is at its lampoonist best when the starry eyed waitress oohs and ahs her way into high society though she just the waitress next door, which she soon receives an education as such to remind of this. When the plot veers towards chick lit territory it loses some of the sting as inanity replaces stinging social wit. Still this is a fabulous glimpse at who is a hero. Harriet Klausner