(Sue Margolis’s ''Neurotica'' is the story of one woman’s ...)
Sue Margolis’s ''Neurotica'' is the story of one woman’s struggle for sexual fulfillment in late-twentieth-century Britain. The protagonist of the book is journalist Anna Shapiro, who, while researching and writing an article on a new feminist book advocating adultery, “embarks on three spine-tingling extramarital trysts,” a Publishers Weekly contributor stated. Frustrated by her hypochondriac husband’s neglect, Anna enjoys her new sensual experiences without regret - until she finds herself developing deeper feelings for one of her lovers, and must confront the possibility of losing her loving husband and family.
(When it comes to men, beauty columnist Rebecca Fine alway...)
When it comes to men, beauty columnist Rebecca Fine always seems to be on the scruffy end of the mascara wand. But all that changes the morning she meets Max Stoddart, her new colleague at the Daily Vanguard. With his upscale suit, Hugh Grant hair, and obscenely sexy good looks, he's a single woman's dream come true. Finally, her grandmother can stop surfing the Net for eligible Jewish males. But is Max the catch of the decade - or just a major babe magnet? Meanwhile, Rebecca's old high school nemesis has resurfaced, a former blond bombshell called Lipstick who is now engaged to Rebecca's widowed dad. And it's good-bye to articles on toe cleavage when a hot tip sweeps Rebecca to the center of the Paris cosmetics world, where a miracle anti-wrinkle cream is about to be launched. That is until she blows the whistle on a scandal that could set the beauty business - and the future of world peace - reeling. Will Rebecca win the recognition - not to mention the Pulitzer - she yearns for... and get the man of her dreams? Stay tuned.
(Florist Abby Crompton has a knack for arranging the most ...)
Florist Abby Crompton has a knack for arranging the most exquisite bouquets for the hippest clientele. If only her personal life could run as smoothly. Although her fiancé, Toby, proposed a month ago, Abby’s still waiting for the ring. An up-and-coming lawyer, Toby’s been far too busy to shop - let alone muster the energy for romance. If that wasn’t frustrating enough, the night she’s supposed to meet her future mother-in-law, Abby gets stuck in an elevator - with a sexy stranger bearing fine wine. Needless to say, a tipsy Abby arrives late for dinner and doesn’t make the best impression. In the aftermath of the dinner disaster, Abby is thrilled to learn that a film studio wants to use her shop in an upcoming movie. But when she meets the director, Dan, she’s shocked to discover that he’s none other than the same man with whom she shared the elevator - and some highly personal information. Now, with Toby putting in more overtime, Abby’s feeling even more neglected. And her attraction to Dan is growing daily - as her own life begins to mirror the romantic comedy he’s shooting.
(After enduring her share of commitment-phobic boyfriends,...)
After enduring her share of commitment-phobic boyfriends, Amy Brown trades in her high-powered PR job and designer shoes to embark on the journey of single motherhood. Now, with a rambunctious boy of six and chaotic shifts serving decadent muffins and high-octane brew at a local coffee bar, Amy could use a fix herself - preferably the sexy, smoky-eyed grande type. No one is more shocked than Amy to discover that Sam Draper is made perfectly to order: hot, sweet, and delicious. There is just one teeny problem. He’s the architect for the neighborhood’s brand-new Bean Machine, her employer’s fiercest rival. Still, Sam is sexy, fun, and really likes Amy’s son, Charlie. Amy can’t resist the steamy passion - or the feeling that Sam is hiding a secret or two. Could there be something rotten in the beans that make up the Machine’s secret blend? Or is it something more personal? Harnessing her untapped yet formidable journalistic skills, Amy blows the lid off a story that will change her life, but will Sam stick around to share it? Perfect Blend is as addictive as a Frappuccino - but not nearly as fattening.
(A novel about a jilted bride who's about to discover that...)
A novel about a jilted bride who's about to discover that not marrying the wrong man can sometimes lead you to the right one. When Tallulah gets jilted at the altar, she gets very drunk and starts making passes at the male wedding guests. She even propositions the caterer. But in the next few weeks, reality comes crashing down around her. Her difficult mother becomes more impossible than ever. Her lesbian sister starts trying to have a baby. Nana Ida gets busy matchmaking. What Tallulah is about to discover is that happiness doesn't always come in the form of the perfect doctor - and that sometimes real love doesn't require a catered affair.
(When her gambling addict husband died, Sarah Green was le...)
When her gambling addict husband died, Sarah Green was left penniless - and with two children to raise. Since then, she’s been desperate to keep her professional and personal lives on firm financial footing. And what could be safer than dating an accountant and working at a non-emergency crime helpline? But then Sarah’s aunt dies, leaving Sarah her once famous - now flailing - lingerie shop. With her fashion background, Sarah reluctantly decides to make a go of it, even if that means breaking up with her too-prudent boyfriend over the risk. Suddenly Sarah finds herself falling for Hugh, the handsome struggling actor she hired to renovate her new boutique, and entering a prestigious lingerie competition. Taking chances has never been her forte, but the built-in support of family and friends could give her the boost she’s been looking for.
(Knocking on sixty, Barbara Stirling is too busy to find h...)
Knocking on sixty, Barbara Stirling is too busy to find herself, while caring for her mother, husband, children, and grandchildren. But when she loses her job, everything changes. Exhausted, lonely, and unemployed, Barbara is forced to face her feelings and doubts. Then a troubled, vulnerable little boy walks into her life and changes it forever.
(In the new novel from the author of Losing Me, one woman ...)
In the new novel from the author of Losing Me, one woman is about to discover what happens when you take the “grand” out of “grandma.” Recently widowed, Judy Schofield jumps at the chance to look after her two grandchildren for six weeks while their parents are out of the country. After all, she’s already raised her own daughter - and quite successfully, if she may say so herself. But all it takes is a few days of private school functions, helicopter parents, video games, and never-ending Frozen sing-alongs for Judy to feel she’s in over her head. As weeks become months, Judy feels more and more like an outsider among all the young mothers with their parenting theories du jour, especially when she gets on the wrong side of the school’s snooty alpha mom. But finding a friend in another grandmother - and a man who takes her mind off all the stress - almost makes it worthwhile. She just needs to take it one incomprehensible homework assignment and one major meltdown at a time.
Sue Margolis is an English author who worked for the BBC as a radio reporter before finally going into the writing and publishing business. Her books sold more than half a million copies worldwide.
Background
Sue Margolis was born on January 5, 1955, in London. She was the daughter of Donald Wener, civil servant, and Audrey (her maiden name is Dixon), a nurse turned bank clerk. Sue had a sister Louise (famous as the singer in the 1990s Britpop band Sleeper), and brother Geoff, who was Sleeper’s manager and remains in the music business.
Education
Sue began her studies at Parkhill School. When Sue Margolis was at junior school, she would reliably come second from the bottom in her class. From there, she failed her 11-plus and was shunted off to a secondary modern. She went to Ilford County High School after passing the 13-plus exam, then to Nottingham University to study politics, to become a reporter on BBC Woman’s Hour.
Sue began her BBC career in Leeds. In 1978, she became pregnant. While pregnant, she began playing with an Uher tape recorder she had been given by her mother-in-law, Sylvia Margolis, who had been a BBC reporter.
Sue made a sample radio feature about a child living with kidney dialysis and sent the tape on spec to Woman’s Hour. The result was that she became the programme’s Yorkshire reporter, specialising in lighter stories, much prized by successive editors of the programme. She presented packages on such topics as Yorkshire English for the perplexed, and the Barnsley chop.
The family moved back to London in 1981, just after Sue’s son, David, was born. She continued with Woman’s Hour into the mid-90s, alongside having a third child, Eleanor.
The arrival of David’s first home computer in 1995 prompted Sue to find a new outlet for her comedic bent. One day, while David was at school, she went into his bedroom and started typing manically. By the time he came home, the first chapter of Neurotica was written. On the strength of the chapter, the agent Vivienne Schuster sold it to Headline Publishing. The book’s reactive core was the angst and obsessions of British Jewishness, fused with the status anxiety of suburbia.
Neurotica sold well and made her name, but a second novel, ''Sisteria,'' flopped, and Sue’s writing career almost ended there – until Schuster made a sale to the US, where ''Neurotica'' and 12 more titles became bookstore staples. Bette Midler bought the rights to Neurotica, and got it to within weeks of production when 9/11 happened and, along with a raft of American comedies, the project was canned, never to be revived. Another novel, "Apocalipstick," came close to becoming a TV series, but again missed out. Neurotica did, however, make an unexpected comeback in 2012 when an audiobook version, read by Sue, spent several weeks in the iTunes fiction Top 10.
After 14 comic novels, Sue was raring to let loose her serious side. Shortly before she became ill in January, she had started work on a novel set in Berlin around and after Kristallnacht in 1938. She returned to it many times during her illness but became too tired to complete it.
Sue always objected to her work being categorized as “chick lit” and her writing was unusually sharp and precise for the genre. A Margolis' novel would typically include references to leftwing politics, literature, and psychotherapy. Her books always feature strong female characters. There’s also plenty of humor and sex. The author endeavored to counter the prevailing perception of women. She enjoyed delving into their sex lives even as she explored the unique challenges they encountered in life because of their gender. Sue Margolis imputed her confidence as an author to the difficulties she encountered in school. Year in and year out, she grew accustomed to failing. She realized that failure was nothing to be frightened of. After all, each time she had failed, Margolis’ existence hadn’t ended. Rather, she had survived and returned to fight another day. Margolis generally tried to write at least one book a year. She treated her career like any other job.
Personality
Precluding Margolis' initial fear that her work might be out of step with her readers’ tastes, Sue was a confident and largely fearless writer, and it showed in her work. She took bold steps with each book she wrote and she wasn't afraid to take chances. It helped that humor was part of her personality. She definitely worked hard to polish the comedy in her stories. But, on the whole, Margolis knew that, whatever weaknesses her books might have, her readers would laugh. When she wasn't writing, she liked to work out in the gym, do mental exercises, learn new languages or watch television. She also loved to nap.
Quotes from others about the person
Jonathan Margolis said, ''Bold, brash, outspoken, hilariously funny, she was also the most compassionate and caring person I’ve ever known.
Interests
Writers
Armistead Maupin
Connections
Sue married Jonathan Margolis, a fellow student and Gants Hill neighbor, in 1976. Sue is survived by her children, Ruth, David and Ellie, and her all-American grandchildren, Dalia and Ezra.