Dating Tips for the Unemployed

Fiction & Literature, Humorous
Cover of the book Dating Tips for the Unemployed by Iris Smyles, Houghton Mifflin Harcourt
View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart
Author: Iris Smyles ISBN: 9780544703681
Publisher: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publication: June 28, 2016
Imprint: Mariner Books Language: English
Author: Iris Smyles
ISBN: 9780544703681
Publisher: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt
Publication: June 28, 2016
Imprint: Mariner Books
Language: English

One of the Believer’s Best Books of the Year: One woman’s journey through that awkward period between being born and dying.

A modern odyssey about trying to find one’s home in the world, this collection of wickedly funny and offbeat vignettes touches upon quantum physics; the Donner Party; arctic exploration; Greek mythology; Rocky I, II, V, IV, VI, and III respectively; and literary immortality. Dating Tips for the Unemployed “melds novel, autobiography, and all manner of asides as [the author] flails at art, love, and friendship with the wry intelligence of someone just wise enough to realize they have no idea what they’re doing. A flat-out joy to read” (O, The Oprah Magazine).

“In engaging episodes, Iris-the-character neurotically navigates dating in New York City, smokes pot on Greek islands with hapless lovers, drinks too much, deals with disapproving family, and eats a lot of cannoli. Smyles’s surreal, lyrical voice elevates these everyday scenarios into the realm of the fantastic and absurd. Included in the book are hilariously stylized advertisements full of false promises, such as ‘Health Secrets of the Roman Empire’ and ‘Have Your Portrait Painted By An Elephant!’ all for a price. Smyles is sharp, melancholy, and wickedly funny. She is unafraid to reveal and revel in her character’s flaws because it is what makes them so achingly, relatably human.” —Interview

“Something like a cocktail of Dorothy Parker, James Joyce, and Philip Roth iced, sweetened, and blended.” —The Nervous Breakdown

“Whimsy, satire, and rollicking social commentary . . . Ms. Smyles is a misanthrope-of-the-people, a standout on the order of Fran Lebowitz.” —The East Hampton Star

View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart

One of the Believer’s Best Books of the Year: One woman’s journey through that awkward period between being born and dying.

A modern odyssey about trying to find one’s home in the world, this collection of wickedly funny and offbeat vignettes touches upon quantum physics; the Donner Party; arctic exploration; Greek mythology; Rocky I, II, V, IV, VI, and III respectively; and literary immortality. Dating Tips for the Unemployed “melds novel, autobiography, and all manner of asides as [the author] flails at art, love, and friendship with the wry intelligence of someone just wise enough to realize they have no idea what they’re doing. A flat-out joy to read” (O, The Oprah Magazine).

“In engaging episodes, Iris-the-character neurotically navigates dating in New York City, smokes pot on Greek islands with hapless lovers, drinks too much, deals with disapproving family, and eats a lot of cannoli. Smyles’s surreal, lyrical voice elevates these everyday scenarios into the realm of the fantastic and absurd. Included in the book are hilariously stylized advertisements full of false promises, such as ‘Health Secrets of the Roman Empire’ and ‘Have Your Portrait Painted By An Elephant!’ all for a price. Smyles is sharp, melancholy, and wickedly funny. She is unafraid to reveal and revel in her character’s flaws because it is what makes them so achingly, relatably human.” —Interview

“Something like a cocktail of Dorothy Parker, James Joyce, and Philip Roth iced, sweetened, and blended.” —The Nervous Breakdown

“Whimsy, satire, and rollicking social commentary . . . Ms. Smyles is a misanthrope-of-the-people, a standout on the order of Fran Lebowitz.” —The East Hampton Star

More books from Houghton Mifflin Harcourt

Cover of the book Curious George Curious You: On Your Way! by Iris Smyles
Cover of the book Do Re Mi by Iris Smyles
Cover of the book Curious George's ABCs by Iris Smyles
Cover of the book When Mountains Walked by Iris Smyles
Cover of the book Mistress of Modernism by Iris Smyles
Cover of the book River Town by Iris Smyles
Cover of the book Falcon Fever by Iris Smyles
Cover of the book Pasta Sfoglia by Iris Smyles
Cover of the book Where or When by Iris Smyles
Cover of the book The Man from the U.S.S.R. by Iris Smyles
Cover of the book The Friend of Women and Other Stories by Iris Smyles
Cover of the book Trieste by Iris Smyles
Cover of the book Guppies in Tuxedos by Iris Smyles
Cover of the book Marcovaldo by Iris Smyles
Cover of the book Ida M. Tarbell by Iris Smyles
We use our own "cookies" and third party cookies to improve services and to see statistical information. By using this website, you agree to our Privacy Policy