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American Mermaid
A brilliantly funny and razor-tongued debut which follows a writer lured to Los Angeles to adapt her feminist mermaid novel into a big-budget action film, who believes her heroine has come to life to take revenge for Hollywood's violations
Penelope Schleeman, a consistently broke Connecticut high school teacher, is as surprised as anyone when her sensitive debut novel, "American Mermaid"—the story of a wheelchair-bound scientist named Sylvia who discovers that her withered legs are the vestiges of a powerful tail—becomes a bestseller. Penelope soon finds herself lured to LA by promises of easy money to co-write the "American Mermaid" screenplay for a major studio with a pair of male hacks.
As the studio pressures Penelope to change "American Mermaid" from the story of a fierce, androgynous eco-warrior to a teen sex object in a clam bra, strange things start to happen. Threats appear in the screenplay draft; siren calls lure people into danger. When Penelope’s screenwriting partners try to kill Sylvia off entirely in a bitterly false but cinematic end, matters off the page escalate. Is Penelope losing her mind, or is Sylvia among us?
American Mermaid follows a young woman braving a world of casual smiles and ruthless calculation, where she discovers a beating heart in her own fiction--a creature she’ll do anything to protect. By turns both a comic and fabulously insightful tale of two female characters in search of truth, love, and self-acceptance as they move between worlds without giving up their voices.
Penelope Schleeman, a consistently broke Connecticut high school teacher, is as surprised as anyone when her sensitive debut novel, "American Mermaid"—the story of a wheelchair-bound scientist named Sylvia who discovers that her withered legs are the vestiges of a powerful tail—becomes a bestseller. Penelope soon finds herself lured to LA by promises of easy money to co-write the "American Mermaid" screenplay for a major studio with a pair of male hacks.
As the studio pressures Penelope to change "American Mermaid" from the story of a fierce, androgynous eco-warrior to a teen sex object in a clam bra, strange things start to happen. Threats appear in the screenplay draft; siren calls lure people into danger. When Penelope’s screenwriting partners try to kill Sylvia off entirely in a bitterly false but cinematic end, matters off the page escalate. Is Penelope losing her mind, or is Sylvia among us?
American Mermaid follows a young woman braving a world of casual smiles and ruthless calculation, where she discovers a beating heart in her own fiction--a creature she’ll do anything to protect. By turns both a comic and fabulously insightful tale of two female characters in search of truth, love, and self-acceptance as they move between worlds without giving up their voices.
336 pages, Hardcover
First published March 21, 2023
About the author
Julia Langbein
7 books51 followersJULIA LANGBEIN, a sketch and standup comedian for many years, holds a doctorate in Art History and is the author of a non-fiction book about comic art criticism (Laugh Lines, Bloomsbury Visual Arts, 2022).
She wrote the viral comedy blog The Bruni Digest (2003-7), which reviewed New York Times critic Frank Bruni’s restaurant reviews every week and has since written about food, art and travel for Gourmet, Eater, Salon, Frieze and other publications.
A native of Chicago, she lives outside of Paris with her family.
She wrote the viral comedy blog The Bruni Digest (2003-7), which reviewed New York Times critic Frank Bruni’s restaurant reviews every week and has since written about food, art and travel for Gourmet, Eater, Salon, Frieze and other publications.
A native of Chicago, she lives outside of Paris with her family.
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March 24, 2023
***NOW AVAILABLE***
THIS IS ONE OF THE MOST CLEVER USES OF THE BOOK WITHIN A BOOK LITERARY DEVICE THAT I’VE READ!!
It’s hard to even put this debut novel in a certain genre – it’s a combination of real life, fantasy, family, late life coming-of-age, with some dystopian or fantasy thrown in!! Have I confused you yet??
The novel got a little bogged down in parts and veered into the unbelievable realm at times but it’s fiction so I was along for the ride..
This is one of those books that you really would be best off if you went into blind!!
That said, I will briefly tell you that it’s a story of a high school teacher, Penelope, who leads a pretty quiet life in Connecticut. She loves her job but is tired of trying to make ends meet on her salary. There are some personal things that she needs to do that will require lots of money, which she doesn’t have!
She has a book which she has been working on and had finally submitted – it’s published!! She's shocked and happy!! She doesn’t know what to expect
The story she has written, “American Mermaid” is about a mermaid, Sylvia, made human by scientists who found her. The book covers her from when she is found as a baby to her as an adult. Sylvia is a strong woman who decides what she must do to be happy.
When the novel is published she is shocked that it does so well, in fact it goes viral!!
Enter big Hollywood and an agent who talks Penelope into coming to Hollywood. She sells the rights to her book, works with two screenwriters on the project. She has entered a world that is profoundly foreign to her!! No one is who they promise to be!
When the screenwriters start to turn her warrior mermaid/human into a sexy teenager, Penelope pushes back. But she sold the rights so she can easily be pushed out of the picture.
This is truly one of the most unique books I have read this year. This would have been a 5 if not for some choppy changes from the present time to the book – the evil plot that transpires in the American Mermaid is also mind boggling and you have to believe that someone could be so very evil!!
I can highly recommend this novel which teeters between a 4 and a 5. I can promise you this is like no other Mermaid book you have ever read and it is a highly entertaining read!
I received an ARC of this novel from the publisher through NetGalley. It was my pleasure to read and review this title.
THIS IS ONE OF THE MOST CLEVER USES OF THE BOOK WITHIN A BOOK LITERARY DEVICE THAT I’VE READ!!
It’s hard to even put this debut novel in a certain genre – it’s a combination of real life, fantasy, family, late life coming-of-age, with some dystopian or fantasy thrown in!! Have I confused you yet??
The novel got a little bogged down in parts and veered into the unbelievable realm at times but it’s fiction so I was along for the ride..
This is one of those books that you really would be best off if you went into blind!!
That said, I will briefly tell you that it’s a story of a high school teacher, Penelope, who leads a pretty quiet life in Connecticut. She loves her job but is tired of trying to make ends meet on her salary. There are some personal things that she needs to do that will require lots of money, which she doesn’t have!
She has a book which she has been working on and had finally submitted – it’s published!! She's shocked and happy!! She doesn’t know what to expect
The story she has written, “American Mermaid” is about a mermaid, Sylvia, made human by scientists who found her. The book covers her from when she is found as a baby to her as an adult. Sylvia is a strong woman who decides what she must do to be happy.
When the novel is published she is shocked that it does so well, in fact it goes viral!!
Enter big Hollywood and an agent who talks Penelope into coming to Hollywood. She sells the rights to her book, works with two screenwriters on the project. She has entered a world that is profoundly foreign to her!! No one is who they promise to be!
When the screenwriters start to turn her warrior mermaid/human into a sexy teenager, Penelope pushes back. But she sold the rights so she can easily be pushed out of the picture.
This is truly one of the most unique books I have read this year. This would have been a 5 if not for some choppy changes from the present time to the book – the evil plot that transpires in the American Mermaid is also mind boggling and you have to believe that someone could be so very evil!!
I can highly recommend this novel which teeters between a 4 and a 5. I can promise you this is like no other Mermaid book you have ever read and it is a highly entertaining read!
I received an ARC of this novel from the publisher through NetGalley. It was my pleasure to read and review this title.
November 21, 2023
Best thing about this book; that gives you a chance to connect with two unique, unconventional characters at the same time! And you get lost into a brilliant combination of different genres including drama, fantasy, mystery, women’s fiction! The execution is smart, unusual and surprising! The characters are vivid, multidimensional!
There’s nothing ordinary about this book! Just jump in without thinking any further and embrace the entire installment, get ready to be surprised!
Penelope’s peaceful life in Connecticut changed after her diagnose. She has to fight against big C just like her mother recently did but she doesn’t have enough funds to support herself. For years with the support of her teaching job she putted a roof over her head and paid her bills on time but her savings weren’t much enough to cover her health bills which made her question the life choices she’s made.
As her lowest point writing helped her to heal her wounds. She’s created her mermaid character Sylvia: half human/ half mermaid by the creation of scientists. Penelope channels her inner strength to that character! Sylvia is tougher woman who can fight for her own happiness!
Penelope cannot believe in her luck when the publishers decide to give her book a chance and later the book turns into a bestseller which picks the interest of movie producers for the adaptation.
Penelope decides to leave her peaceful life and teaching job behind to move to LA to work with male screenwriters for the adaptation of her own book. Of course she also feels like a fish out of the water, when she starts engaging with Lala Land people by attending special Hollywood parties.
Her adjustment problems are only the beginning of the bigger issue she has to deal! Her co-screenwriters want to turn Sylvia into a sex symbol, a seducing wild creature. She loses the control of the script’s direction and unexplainable things start to occur that also changes the entire direction of her life! Could Sylvia come to life to avenge her for ruining her characterization? Could her worst nightmare become true?
I’m not gonna make more comments. I don’t want to ruin your sacred reading experience! As I told you before just dive into this book! It’s an underrated secret gem! You don’t want to miss it!
Many thanks to NetGalley and Doubleday Books for sharing this amazing digital reviewer copy with me in exchange my honest thoughts.
There’s nothing ordinary about this book! Just jump in without thinking any further and embrace the entire installment, get ready to be surprised!
Penelope’s peaceful life in Connecticut changed after her diagnose. She has to fight against big C just like her mother recently did but she doesn’t have enough funds to support herself. For years with the support of her teaching job she putted a roof over her head and paid her bills on time but her savings weren’t much enough to cover her health bills which made her question the life choices she’s made.
As her lowest point writing helped her to heal her wounds. She’s created her mermaid character Sylvia: half human/ half mermaid by the creation of scientists. Penelope channels her inner strength to that character! Sylvia is tougher woman who can fight for her own happiness!
Penelope cannot believe in her luck when the publishers decide to give her book a chance and later the book turns into a bestseller which picks the interest of movie producers for the adaptation.
Penelope decides to leave her peaceful life and teaching job behind to move to LA to work with male screenwriters for the adaptation of her own book. Of course she also feels like a fish out of the water, when she starts engaging with Lala Land people by attending special Hollywood parties.
Her adjustment problems are only the beginning of the bigger issue she has to deal! Her co-screenwriters want to turn Sylvia into a sex symbol, a seducing wild creature. She loses the control of the script’s direction and unexplainable things start to occur that also changes the entire direction of her life! Could Sylvia come to life to avenge her for ruining her characterization? Could her worst nightmare become true?
I’m not gonna make more comments. I don’t want to ruin your sacred reading experience! As I told you before just dive into this book! It’s an underrated secret gem! You don’t want to miss it!
Many thanks to NetGalley and Doubleday Books for sharing this amazing digital reviewer copy with me in exchange my honest thoughts.
March 21, 2023
Happy Publication Day! (March 21, 2023)
3.5⭐️ rounded down! (for the time being)
Conflicted feelings about this book and therefore my rating.
The primary narrative follows former high school English teacher Penelope “Penny” Schleeman as she moved to L.A. after the rights of her debut novel,"American Mermaid” is acquired by a Hollywood Studio. The money and the fame propel Penny into a new life, distinctly different from form her low-paying job in New Haven, Connecticut wherein she could barely make ends meet. Hired to co-write the screenplay with a professional screenwriter duo, she struggles to protect her source material and her MC, wheelchair-bound asexual scientist Sylvia from being rewritten into a more “cinematic” adaptation. But Penny has very little say in the process. As the narrative progresses, and Penny is gradually pushed out of the project on account of some mysterious modifications being made to the script that the others involved in the project believe are being made by Penny, the lines between reality and fiction begin to blur.
Julia Langbein’s American Mermaid is genre-defying, unique, entertaining, creative and exhausting! I was left feeling as if I had read a book much longer than 330+ pages! The author blends two narratives (three if you include the continuously evolving screenplay) to create a cleverly crafted novel that touches upon several themes – self-acceptance, feminism, stereotyping of women in media, and environmental concerns among them. Penny’s introduction to the movie-making process, her experiences in L.A., and her interactions with the screenwriters were entertaining and provided much-needed comic relief between the pages of her novel which was more intense and dealt with darker themes. Sylvia is an interesting character and I enjoyed the trajectory of her character in Penny’s novel. Following the two storylines did prove to be a bit taxing primarily because the excerpts from Penny’s novel are quite detailed and overshadow Penny's storyline (I think we practically read the full novel and I did like it, maybe a bit more than the primary narrative before it ventured into world domination territory) and the descriptions of Penny’s experiences with the rich and famous in Hollywood become a tad tedious around the halfway mark. The introduction of Derek into Penny’s Hollywood storyline felt forced and unnecessary. But the pace does pick up towards the end as the author blends the narratives and we venture into some intense territory.
This is an impressive debut that will appeal to many readers. There is a lot to like about it. For me, however, this book falls into a category wherein I enjoyed the concept/premise of the book a bit more than the book itself.
Many thanks to Julia Langbein, Doubleday Books and NetGalley for the eARC. All opinions expressed in this review are my own.
3.5⭐️ rounded down! (for the time being)
Conflicted feelings about this book and therefore my rating.
The primary narrative follows former high school English teacher Penelope “Penny” Schleeman as she moved to L.A. after the rights of her debut novel,"American Mermaid” is acquired by a Hollywood Studio. The money and the fame propel Penny into a new life, distinctly different from form her low-paying job in New Haven, Connecticut wherein she could barely make ends meet. Hired to co-write the screenplay with a professional screenwriter duo, she struggles to protect her source material and her MC, wheelchair-bound asexual scientist Sylvia from being rewritten into a more “cinematic” adaptation. But Penny has very little say in the process. As the narrative progresses, and Penny is gradually pushed out of the project on account of some mysterious modifications being made to the script that the others involved in the project believe are being made by Penny, the lines between reality and fiction begin to blur.
Julia Langbein’s American Mermaid is genre-defying, unique, entertaining, creative and exhausting! I was left feeling as if I had read a book much longer than 330+ pages! The author blends two narratives (three if you include the continuously evolving screenplay) to create a cleverly crafted novel that touches upon several themes – self-acceptance, feminism, stereotyping of women in media, and environmental concerns among them. Penny’s introduction to the movie-making process, her experiences in L.A., and her interactions with the screenwriters were entertaining and provided much-needed comic relief between the pages of her novel which was more intense and dealt with darker themes. Sylvia is an interesting character and I enjoyed the trajectory of her character in Penny’s novel. Following the two storylines did prove to be a bit taxing primarily because the excerpts from Penny’s novel are quite detailed and overshadow Penny's storyline (I think we practically read the full novel and I did like it, maybe a bit more than the primary narrative before it ventured into world domination territory) and the descriptions of Penny’s experiences with the rich and famous in Hollywood become a tad tedious around the halfway mark. The introduction of Derek into Penny’s Hollywood storyline felt forced and unnecessary. But the pace does pick up towards the end as the author blends the narratives and we venture into some intense territory.
This is an impressive debut that will appeal to many readers. There is a lot to like about it. For me, however, this book falls into a category wherein I enjoyed the concept/premise of the book a bit more than the book itself.
Many thanks to Julia Langbein, Doubleday Books and NetGalley for the eARC. All opinions expressed in this review are my own.
April 24, 2023
American Mermaid by Julia Langbein is a Story Within a Story!
Penelope Schleeman is a Connecticut high school English teacher who writes a novel titled 'American Mermaid' and, through the hype of an Instagram Influencer, it becomes a best seller. She gets a movie deal, goes to Los Angeles to help write the screenplay and during her Hollywood adventures she becomes disheartened, and kind of crazed, with the changes being made to her beloved book.
The chapters of American Mermaid alternate through the book between Penelope's novel, which gets more convoluted and complex as the story progresses, and Penelope's escapades in Hollywood, which are over-the-top with stereo-typical characters, none of which are likable.
The author's writing, especially concerning Penelope's first person narration of thoughts and dialog, uses overtly descriptive similes and metaphors that are difficult to comprehend and mostly nonsensical. This story is described as both humorous and satirical. I didn't find the humor and I'm at a loss trying to figure out the author's message to the reader.
I love books that are different, original, and creative and this story is all those things. With that said, the writing needs to be either simple and clean or beautifully descriptive and, above all, it needs to make sense. This story didn't hit either of these prerequisites and, at this point, I'm simply craving closure.
I'm glad to see that this author has many glowing reviews for her debut novel. Sadly, American Mermaid is not a book that resonates with me.
2.5 stars rounded down.
Thank you to NetGalley, Doubleday Books, and Julia Langbein for an ARC of this book. It has been an honor to give my honest and voluntary review.
Penelope Schleeman is a Connecticut high school English teacher who writes a novel titled 'American Mermaid' and, through the hype of an Instagram Influencer, it becomes a best seller. She gets a movie deal, goes to Los Angeles to help write the screenplay and during her Hollywood adventures she becomes disheartened, and kind of crazed, with the changes being made to her beloved book.
The chapters of American Mermaid alternate through the book between Penelope's novel, which gets more convoluted and complex as the story progresses, and Penelope's escapades in Hollywood, which are over-the-top with stereo-typical characters, none of which are likable.
The author's writing, especially concerning Penelope's first person narration of thoughts and dialog, uses overtly descriptive similes and metaphors that are difficult to comprehend and mostly nonsensical. This story is described as both humorous and satirical. I didn't find the humor and I'm at a loss trying to figure out the author's message to the reader.
I love books that are different, original, and creative and this story is all those things. With that said, the writing needs to be either simple and clean or beautifully descriptive and, above all, it needs to make sense. This story didn't hit either of these prerequisites and, at this point, I'm simply craving closure.
I'm glad to see that this author has many glowing reviews for her debut novel. Sadly, American Mermaid is not a book that resonates with me.
2.5 stars rounded down.
Thank you to NetGalley, Doubleday Books, and Julia Langbein for an ARC of this book. It has been an honor to give my honest and voluntary review.
April 3, 2023
**Many thanks to NetGalley, Doubleday, and Julia Langbein for an ARC of this book! Now available as of 3.21!**
An attempt at a deep dive...that lands solidly in the shallow end of the pool.
American Mermaid is the Magnum Opus of one Penelope "Penny' Schleeman, a novel that has now been optioned and is headed for an adaptation on the silver screen. Penny doesn't know much about Hollywood, other than that life is diametrically opposed to her existence as a high school teacher. She heads for L.A. and starts working with a rather obnoxious male duo to bring her book to life...but it works a LITTLE too well. Penny's protagonist Sylvia (who discovers that the legs that keep her wheelchair bound are actually part of a TAIL...and yep, she's a mermaid) starts to make a real-life cameo. As Penny fights to keep her character's integrity intact in the face of studio pressure, she begins to hear noises that others don't hear and feel things others couldn't possibly feel...others that aren't MERMAIDS, anyway. Could those really be siren calls...and has Sylvia truly come up out of the pages to be Part of Our World? 🧜♀️
Genre-benders tend to either be a slam dunk or a complete miss for me as a reader, and this one is bizarre to say the least. There is a 'fantasy' element, some sci-fi, environmentalism talk, faux-feminist prose, AND eye-roll worthy Hollywood critique...quite a bit of content to try to jam into just over 300 pages. The book bounces back and forth between excerpts of American Mermaid the book and Penny's experience with the adaptation (and the subsequent chaos) and to be honest, it almost felt like she started writing one book, didn't know how to flesh it out, and built the second book around it. I can't say that I enjoyed EITHER story line. Even if they had been connected in a more cohesive way, the excerpts from the book started to drag and then get a bit out there by the end and I just didn't buy what the author was selling when it came to the "my fictional character is coming to life...and might also be me but I'm not sure" angle either.
And then there's the "humor". This author is a stand-up comic, and I have no idea what her comedy shows are like, but if they're anything like this book, I can honestly say I wouldn't even CONSIDER attending one of them. Like many comics, she relies heavily on crass humor, and the two male Hollywood-ites that Sylvia has to deal with are so over the top obnoxious, I could hardly stand even SKIMMING their sections of dialogue/texts. Langbein also has some sort of fascination with mentioning genitalia: I can't even TELL you how many times body parts (or weird nicknames for said body parts, such as 'cooch' and 'chode') littered the narrative. I just didn't understand it. If Langbein was attempting to make her heroine some type of feminist and environmentalist set to right the wrongs of Hollywood, I don't think this was quite the way to go about it.
All of this grandiose posturing about how women are sexualized in Hollywood etc. didn't feel like the author was treading any sort of new territory, and having a lead who acted like a cross between a wild child and a petulant teen probably wasn't the best way to sell this message. I appreciate her attempts to talk about environmentalism too, but this was yet another message that got 'lost at sea', as it were. I do think if she had just taken the book within the book and threw ALL of her energy into that piece, it could have been a better read, since those passages existed without some of the obnoxious behavior in Penny's story line...but sadly, we will never know.
I'll leave you with an example of the sort of 'deep thinking' and postulating that Penny does from time to time which should also give you a good sense of Langbein's particular brand of humor:
"If that's what love is, then won't it bind us all collectively instead of being a thing that makes two vain shitheads hump?"
...
I can't say that I cared enough to find out.
2.5 stars
An attempt at a deep dive...that lands solidly in the shallow end of the pool.
American Mermaid is the Magnum Opus of one Penelope "Penny' Schleeman, a novel that has now been optioned and is headed for an adaptation on the silver screen. Penny doesn't know much about Hollywood, other than that life is diametrically opposed to her existence as a high school teacher. She heads for L.A. and starts working with a rather obnoxious male duo to bring her book to life...but it works a LITTLE too well. Penny's protagonist Sylvia (who discovers that the legs that keep her wheelchair bound are actually part of a TAIL...and yep, she's a mermaid) starts to make a real-life cameo. As Penny fights to keep her character's integrity intact in the face of studio pressure, she begins to hear noises that others don't hear and feel things others couldn't possibly feel...others that aren't MERMAIDS, anyway. Could those really be siren calls...and has Sylvia truly come up out of the pages to be Part of Our World? 🧜♀️
Genre-benders tend to either be a slam dunk or a complete miss for me as a reader, and this one is bizarre to say the least. There is a 'fantasy' element, some sci-fi, environmentalism talk, faux-feminist prose, AND eye-roll worthy Hollywood critique...quite a bit of content to try to jam into just over 300 pages. The book bounces back and forth between excerpts of American Mermaid the book and Penny's experience with the adaptation (and the subsequent chaos) and to be honest, it almost felt like she started writing one book, didn't know how to flesh it out, and built the second book around it. I can't say that I enjoyed EITHER story line. Even if they had been connected in a more cohesive way, the excerpts from the book started to drag and then get a bit out there by the end and I just didn't buy what the author was selling when it came to the "my fictional character is coming to life...and might also be me but I'm not sure" angle either.
And then there's the "humor". This author is a stand-up comic, and I have no idea what her comedy shows are like, but if they're anything like this book, I can honestly say I wouldn't even CONSIDER attending one of them. Like many comics, she relies heavily on crass humor, and the two male Hollywood-ites that Sylvia has to deal with are so over the top obnoxious, I could hardly stand even SKIMMING their sections of dialogue/texts. Langbein also has some sort of fascination with mentioning genitalia: I can't even TELL you how many times body parts (or weird nicknames for said body parts, such as 'cooch' and 'chode') littered the narrative. I just didn't understand it. If Langbein was attempting to make her heroine some type of feminist and environmentalist set to right the wrongs of Hollywood, I don't think this was quite the way to go about it.
All of this grandiose posturing about how women are sexualized in Hollywood etc. didn't feel like the author was treading any sort of new territory, and having a lead who acted like a cross between a wild child and a petulant teen probably wasn't the best way to sell this message. I appreciate her attempts to talk about environmentalism too, but this was yet another message that got 'lost at sea', as it were. I do think if she had just taken the book within the book and threw ALL of her energy into that piece, it could have been a better read, since those passages existed without some of the obnoxious behavior in Penny's story line...but sadly, we will never know.
I'll leave you with an example of the sort of 'deep thinking' and postulating that Penny does from time to time which should also give you a good sense of Langbein's particular brand of humor:
"If that's what love is, then won't it bind us all collectively instead of being a thing that makes two vain shitheads hump?"
...
I can't say that I cared enough to find out.
2.5 stars
April 5, 2023
4.5 stars
I guess I like the weird ones.
Because American Mermaid is just that – weird, offbeat, quirky.
And it’s a stellar debut. Julia Langbein has written a novel that shines with uniqueness and creativity.
The best part about it – we get two books in one. The first book being the story of Penelope, a high school teacher who has struck gold with her debut novel, American Mermaid. When the novel hits the bestseller list, Penelope soon finds herself leaving her quiet Connecticut life behind for the sparkle of Hollywood and the opportunity to co-write the American Mermaid screenplay for a major studio.
The second book is Penelope’s novel, American Mermaid, excerpts from which are interspersed within the main narrative thread featuring Penelope. This is where we meet Penelope's beloved protagonist, Sylvia, a young woman who, after spending her entire life in a wheelchair, discovers that her useless legs are the remnants of a mermaid tail.
Writing a book within a book is no easy feat, but Langbein pulls it off flawlessly. Penelope and Sylvia’s stories parallel and intersect in such interesting ways, and I really don’t know which story I enjoyed more.
But what will make American Mermaid a tough sell for some readers is the writing. It’s cerebral and not very straightforward, making it difficult to glean Langbein’s meaning from her prose.
On top of that, the story is tinged with both fantasy and sci-fi while being written with a feminist and satirical bent. Langbein also incorporates a dark, biting, and often ridiculous humor into the narrative, and while all of this is a huge plus for me, others may not be as enamored with such a mélange.
For this reader, though, American Mermaid is a perfect fit. The comedy of it, the absurdity of it, the originality of it – I just loved it.
My sincerest appreciation to Julia Langbein, Doubleday Books, and NetGalley for the digital review copy. All opinions included herein are my own.
I guess I like the weird ones.
Because American Mermaid is just that – weird, offbeat, quirky.
And it’s a stellar debut. Julia Langbein has written a novel that shines with uniqueness and creativity.
The best part about it – we get two books in one. The first book being the story of Penelope, a high school teacher who has struck gold with her debut novel, American Mermaid. When the novel hits the bestseller list, Penelope soon finds herself leaving her quiet Connecticut life behind for the sparkle of Hollywood and the opportunity to co-write the American Mermaid screenplay for a major studio.
The second book is Penelope’s novel, American Mermaid, excerpts from which are interspersed within the main narrative thread featuring Penelope. This is where we meet Penelope's beloved protagonist, Sylvia, a young woman who, after spending her entire life in a wheelchair, discovers that her useless legs are the remnants of a mermaid tail.
Writing a book within a book is no easy feat, but Langbein pulls it off flawlessly. Penelope and Sylvia’s stories parallel and intersect in such interesting ways, and I really don’t know which story I enjoyed more.
But what will make American Mermaid a tough sell for some readers is the writing. It’s cerebral and not very straightforward, making it difficult to glean Langbein’s meaning from her prose.
On top of that, the story is tinged with both fantasy and sci-fi while being written with a feminist and satirical bent. Langbein also incorporates a dark, biting, and often ridiculous humor into the narrative, and while all of this is a huge plus for me, others may not be as enamored with such a mélange.
For this reader, though, American Mermaid is a perfect fit. The comedy of it, the absurdity of it, the originality of it – I just loved it.
My sincerest appreciation to Julia Langbein, Doubleday Books, and NetGalley for the digital review copy. All opinions included herein are my own.
January 22, 2023
American Mermaid defies genre, capturing a weird mix of sci-fi, feminist lit, and action thriller.
Penelope Shleeman was a high school teacher, tired of “doing lawyer hours and making babysitter money”. She’s as shocked as anyone when her novel is a hit and even more shocked when Hollywood wants to make it into a movie. She moves to LA where she’s teamed up with two professional screenwriters to adapt the novel into a screenplay. But their ideas swing wildly away from the original plot. They want the heroine, an asexual scientist in the book, to become a teenage sex goddess.
Stories that rely on a “book within a book” demand that both stories are equally engrossing. Both stories started off well. I loved what Langbein had to say about being a teacher and Penny’s thoughts on helping to develop unformed minds. And her initial experiences in Hollywood as a fish out of water (pun intended) also worked. But as the story goes on, it seemed that the Hollywood movie machine was the butt of every joke which grew tiresome. Langbein is making the point about sexism and the dumbing down of storylines in Hollywood. But it was like she thought she was pulling back the curtain on some fresh idea, not a given.
American Mermaid, the name of Penny’s book, quickly evolves into a story of a cliched evil genius trying to ruin the world for his own gain. Like the action movies this book makes fun of, the basic plot behind American Mermaid was too wild and unbelievable to work for me. But I did like the character of Sylvia. Penelope has returned to the original idea of mermaids, of them as sirens. Instead of mermaids that want to come ashore for love, they are dangerous creatures that entice men to their deaths. And given their lack of genitalia, they are a symbol of asexuality. As much as the majority of this story didn’t work for me, I appreciated her ending and the importance of maternal rather than amorous love.
This book had a good premise but it needed more finesse to work for me. I wanted more fresh thoughts.
My thanks to Netgalley and Doubleday Books for an advance copy of this book.
Penelope Shleeman was a high school teacher, tired of “doing lawyer hours and making babysitter money”. She’s as shocked as anyone when her novel is a hit and even more shocked when Hollywood wants to make it into a movie. She moves to LA where she’s teamed up with two professional screenwriters to adapt the novel into a screenplay. But their ideas swing wildly away from the original plot. They want the heroine, an asexual scientist in the book, to become a teenage sex goddess.
Stories that rely on a “book within a book” demand that both stories are equally engrossing. Both stories started off well. I loved what Langbein had to say about being a teacher and Penny’s thoughts on helping to develop unformed minds. And her initial experiences in Hollywood as a fish out of water (pun intended) also worked. But as the story goes on, it seemed that the Hollywood movie machine was the butt of every joke which grew tiresome. Langbein is making the point about sexism and the dumbing down of storylines in Hollywood. But it was like she thought she was pulling back the curtain on some fresh idea, not a given.
American Mermaid, the name of Penny’s book, quickly evolves into a story of a cliched evil genius trying to ruin the world for his own gain. Like the action movies this book makes fun of, the basic plot behind American Mermaid was too wild and unbelievable to work for me. But I did like the character of Sylvia. Penelope has returned to the original idea of mermaids, of them as sirens. Instead of mermaids that want to come ashore for love, they are dangerous creatures that entice men to their deaths. And given their lack of genitalia, they are a symbol of asexuality. As much as the majority of this story didn’t work for me, I appreciated her ending and the importance of maternal rather than amorous love.
This book had a good premise but it needed more finesse to work for me. I wanted more fresh thoughts.
My thanks to Netgalley and Doubleday Books for an advance copy of this book.
April 8, 2023
2.5 stars very generously rounded up. I really, really loved the premise of this book, (and nobody loves the “book within a book” genre more than me) but it’s execution was really flawed & the writing just left me confused - so I probably skimmed nearly half of it & really just should have just DNF’d it (sigh). Felt very tedious & way, way too long… Next!
January 16, 2023
I really wanted to like this more than I did. I’m interested in how movies get made, and I read books about the film industry and how to write scripts and even attempted to write a screenplay (it was terrible), so I felt like I should have enjoyed a story about a schoolteacher who publishes a book that becomes a hit and goes to Hollywood to turn it into a script. I liked moments, but that’s about it.
Penelope is teamed up with two experienced screenplay writers who have a history working together. These two men keep changing the actual story of a woman who uses a wheelchair and discovers as an adult that she’s a mermaid when she hits water. In the original novel, Sylvia is an androgynous feminist eco-warrior, but they are sexualizing her and making other changes, which is frustrating Penelope, making her feel that she’s sold out the story she really believes in. She goes to parties and hobnobs with the rich, which is interesting enough. My problem with it was that I found it a slog to get through. I really had to force myself to keep reading.
NetGalley provided an advance reader copy of the novel, which RELEASES MARCH 21, 2023.
Penelope is teamed up with two experienced screenplay writers who have a history working together. These two men keep changing the actual story of a woman who uses a wheelchair and discovers as an adult that she’s a mermaid when she hits water. In the original novel, Sylvia is an androgynous feminist eco-warrior, but they are sexualizing her and making other changes, which is frustrating Penelope, making her feel that she’s sold out the story she really believes in. She goes to parties and hobnobs with the rich, which is interesting enough. My problem with it was that I found it a slog to get through. I really had to force myself to keep reading.
NetGalley provided an advance reader copy of the novel, which RELEASES MARCH 21, 2023.
June 3, 2023
An interesting idea gone flat
Penny is a PhD English teacher on the east coast whose debut novel bears the same name as this book. It's popularity takes her by surprise and her agent informs her of a studio wanting to option it. With a fat check in her hand, she travels to Hollywood to get the ball rolling.
The narrative toggles back and forth between Penny's back story, Hollywood experience and excerpts of "American Mermaid". Of the three, her novel is the only engaging aspect.
There's little doubt that Hollywood producer parties are prevalent, but Julia overuses them throughout the narrative. When added to flat characters, its more of a drone than a buzz. Were it not for Penny's novel excerpts I would have DNF'd this earlier, though I'll be honest saying I bailed out before finishing it.
What fascinates me is how long it took once I put a hold on it at the library and the sheer number of others who seek it out. As the saying goes, 'different strokes for different folks' and this is the furthest thing from what I'd call engaging.
Penny is a PhD English teacher on the east coast whose debut novel bears the same name as this book. It's popularity takes her by surprise and her agent informs her of a studio wanting to option it. With a fat check in her hand, she travels to Hollywood to get the ball rolling.
The narrative toggles back and forth between Penny's back story, Hollywood experience and excerpts of "American Mermaid". Of the three, her novel is the only engaging aspect.
There's little doubt that Hollywood producer parties are prevalent, but Julia overuses them throughout the narrative. When added to flat characters, its more of a drone than a buzz. Were it not for Penny's novel excerpts I would have DNF'd this earlier, though I'll be honest saying I bailed out before finishing it.
What fascinates me is how long it took once I put a hold on it at the library and the sheer number of others who seek it out. As the saying goes, 'different strokes for different folks' and this is the furthest thing from what I'd call engaging.
May 30, 2023
3.5 stars
With Disney's latest Little Mermaid film just coming out, I guess I was in the mood for a non-Disney mermaid story and so selected this from my NetGalley shelf.
A story within a story, I enjoyed escaping into the two worlds offered:
One of a teacher, Penelope, who wrote a book called American Mermaid and was offered the Hollywood experience of making it into a movie and assisting in the writing of the screenplay.
And the other that of the mermaid, Sylvia, found alone as a baby and brought to America to live as the daughter of a (secretly mad) scientist and his wife.
While I'm not normally drawn to fantasies or magical realism, or mad scientists, this worked for me I think because of Langbein's original characters and her explanations of how both worlds worked. They didn't always work well, mind you, but they worked for me. Her imaginings of an illusive mermaid world, of which Sylvia was denied most of her young life, simply fascinated me, as did the whole making-of-a-screenplay storyline.
As the story neared completion, it grew more and more bizarre and I struggled with it a bit. But overall I was pretty impressed with it all.
With Disney's latest Little Mermaid film just coming out, I guess I was in the mood for a non-Disney mermaid story and so selected this from my NetGalley shelf.
A story within a story, I enjoyed escaping into the two worlds offered:
One of a teacher, Penelope, who wrote a book called American Mermaid and was offered the Hollywood experience of making it into a movie and assisting in the writing of the screenplay.
And the other that of the mermaid, Sylvia, found alone as a baby and brought to America to live as the daughter of a (secretly mad) scientist and his wife.
While I'm not normally drawn to fantasies or magical realism, or mad scientists, this worked for me I think because of Langbein's original characters and her explanations of how both worlds worked. They didn't always work well, mind you, but they worked for me. Her imaginings of an illusive mermaid world, of which Sylvia was denied most of her young life, simply fascinated me, as did the whole making-of-a-screenplay storyline.
As the story neared completion, it grew more and more bizarre and I struggled with it a bit. But overall I was pretty impressed with it all.
August 23, 2022
Julia Langbein’s American Mermaid is two stories in one. There’s the tale of Sylvia, a mermaid whose earnest story pulls at the heartstrings. Then there’s the story of Penelope, the writer of the book about Sylvia’s journey. Penelope’s book, American Mermaid, goes viral and Penelope heads to Hollywood to adapt her novel for the screen with the help of two slick bros. The experience is disheartening, to put it mildly, and sends Penelope into a bit of a spiral during her time in LA. Things begin to happen that seem beyond the realm of circumstance, and Pen wonders if the character she’s created is exacting revenge on her and the people involved in its desecration.
I honestly laughed my tail off so many times, especially towards the end of this book. It’s a well-crafted, witty read and I think it will be a huge hit—maybe even a movie! 5 stars.
This ARC was provided by NetGalley. The opinions expressed are my own.
I honestly laughed my tail off so many times, especially towards the end of this book. It’s a well-crafted, witty read and I think it will be a huge hit—maybe even a movie! 5 stars.
This ARC was provided by NetGalley. The opinions expressed are my own.
March 16, 2024
A fun debut novel, read for the 2024 Tournament of Books. The feminist mermaid story I didn’t know I needed, although when the author is a former standup comedian with a doctorate in art history, you can figure you’re going to be in for an unusual reading experience.
March 11, 2023
I wanted to like this book, I really did. The 2 things that drew me to it was the cover and the blurb on NetGalley- “A brilliantly funny debut novel…”. While the cover truly is beautiful, I didn’t find anything funny about the book at all.
Penelope Schliemann is an 11th grade English teacher from Connecticut. After the novel she writes gets great accolades and a bid to buy it for a screenplay, she sells it, quits her job, and moves to LA where she works with two jerkish writers to turn her novel into a movie. Mostly, though, she goes to parties, inserts herself into conversations of strangers in an attempt to make friends, humiliates her family, and is either drunk or hungover the majority of the time. Throughout this book we get to read excerpts of Penelope’s book, American Mermaid.
The characters in both the book and the book within the book are all one dimensional and unlikeable. I found many chapters to be nearly the exact same thing (Penelope is at a party with people she doesn’t know, Penelope is texting or emailing the 2 other screenwriters, Penelope is getting lectured by her father) over and over again, and while the book within the book has actual movement, it’s plot is all over the place. Is it a coming of age story? Is it a mystery? Is it fantasy? Whatever it is, it is not good.
I do commend the author for using several “SAT” words, but a vast vocabulary doesn’t take away from the lousy writing. I was very surprised to learn the author is actually a stand-up comedian, because I never would have guessed that from this. This will be out in the public on March 21st and I thank Doubleday and NetGalley for the advanced copy.
Penelope Schliemann is an 11th grade English teacher from Connecticut. After the novel she writes gets great accolades and a bid to buy it for a screenplay, she sells it, quits her job, and moves to LA where she works with two jerkish writers to turn her novel into a movie. Mostly, though, she goes to parties, inserts herself into conversations of strangers in an attempt to make friends, humiliates her family, and is either drunk or hungover the majority of the time. Throughout this book we get to read excerpts of Penelope’s book, American Mermaid.
The characters in both the book and the book within the book are all one dimensional and unlikeable. I found many chapters to be nearly the exact same thing (Penelope is at a party with people she doesn’t know, Penelope is texting or emailing the 2 other screenwriters, Penelope is getting lectured by her father) over and over again, and while the book within the book has actual movement, it’s plot is all over the place. Is it a coming of age story? Is it a mystery? Is it fantasy? Whatever it is, it is not good.
I do commend the author for using several “SAT” words, but a vast vocabulary doesn’t take away from the lousy writing. I was very surprised to learn the author is actually a stand-up comedian, because I never would have guessed that from this. This will be out in the public on March 21st and I thank Doubleday and NetGalley for the advanced copy.
March 22, 2023
4.5 stars
American Mermaid is definitely a unique, fun, and delightful ride, getting inside the mind of Penny. this book has a sense of humor that won’t be everyone’s cup of tea, bur i really enjoyed it and appreciate the directions Langbein takes with the story.
We also get ‘book within a book’ chapters from Penny’s novel interspersed throughout, and the only thing hindering this from being a 5 star book for me was that i felt those portions started losing steam about halfway through and i just wanted to go back to Penny’s story.
would it be too meta to wish this was made into a miniseries?
American Mermaid is definitely a unique, fun, and delightful ride, getting inside the mind of Penny. this book has a sense of humor that won’t be everyone’s cup of tea, bur i really enjoyed it and appreciate the directions Langbein takes with the story.
We also get ‘book within a book’ chapters from Penny’s novel interspersed throughout, and the only thing hindering this from being a 5 star book for me was that i felt those portions started losing steam about halfway through and i just wanted to go back to Penny’s story.
would it be too meta to wish this was made into a miniseries?
April 14, 2023
I adored this novel - both of them! I'm generally a big fan of books within books and Langbein totally nailed this one.
Admittedly, at first, I was like WTH am I reading? (I don't read the synopsis before I start a book as I generally love going in blind and though sometimes it backfires, why change my ways now?!) But quickly enough, I was completely engrossed in both stories.
For much of the beginning, I loved the American Mermaid story about Sylvia and I was less interested in the present day story. That changed about a third of the way through though when I loved both stories equally and really couldn't get enough.
I adored that both stories were so completely different. Penelope was quirky but also totally relatable and her love for her novel felt authentic. She had poured her heart and soul into American Mermaid and the characters had become family to her. It also added so much to the story that Penelope was really trying to make it in the literary and Hollywood worlds in order to save her life. Again, it felt authentic that she got pretty wrapped up with the money and glamour and parties, and that made the book more entertaining and fun to read even though there was serious subject matter at heart.
Sylvia's story was incredible. I loved the way her character grew and that story went in a direction I never could have anticipated. I almost wish it was an entire novel by itself - I would definitely be reading it!
Overall, this one was fantastic. Heartfelt, relatable, totally unique, funny at times, and completely bingeable. If you want a great book and don't know what you're in the mood for, I feel like this book is exactly it.
Thank you to Doubleday Books and NetGalley for the advanced copy.
Admittedly, at first, I was like WTH am I reading? (I don't read the synopsis before I start a book as I generally love going in blind and though sometimes it backfires, why change my ways now?!) But quickly enough, I was completely engrossed in both stories.
For much of the beginning, I loved the American Mermaid story about Sylvia and I was less interested in the present day story. That changed about a third of the way through though when I loved both stories equally and really couldn't get enough.
I adored that both stories were so completely different. Penelope was quirky but also totally relatable and her love for her novel felt authentic. She had poured her heart and soul into American Mermaid and the characters had become family to her. It also added so much to the story that Penelope was really trying to make it in the literary and Hollywood worlds in order to save her life. Again, it felt authentic that she got pretty wrapped up with the money and glamour and parties, and that made the book more entertaining and fun to read even though there was serious subject matter at heart.
Sylvia's story was incredible. I loved the way her character grew and that story went in a direction I never could have anticipated. I almost wish it was an entire novel by itself - I would definitely be reading it!
Overall, this one was fantastic. Heartfelt, relatable, totally unique, funny at times, and completely bingeable. If you want a great book and don't know what you're in the mood for, I feel like this book is exactly it.
Thank you to Doubleday Books and NetGalley for the advanced copy.
January 1, 2023
Would you like to be a mermaid for just one day?
American Mermaid by Julia Langbein
Available on March 21st.
American Mermaid is a story within a story. Penelope is a Connecticut teacher. While drinking one night, she wrote a book about a mermaid named Sylvia. The book proved to be a success. Penny relocates to LA in order to network with people that can help her advance her career for the Hollywood adaptation of her book. Things turn awry when Penny starts believing Sylvia is real and is upset by the scriptwriters' changes, including Penny herself.
Penny's Hollywood struggles are interspersed with experts from her book. The first half of the book is enjoyable, but then it takes a different turn that was a bit tricky to keep up with. This book is worthwhile, but probably not a topic for all readers.
American Mermaid is a debut for Julia Langbein. It will be a pleasure to read more of her work in the future.
Thank you NetGalley, and Doubleday Books, for sharing this incredible book with me. Your kindness is appreciated. 3/5
#American Mermaid #bookishcommunity #bookstagramcommunity #blogtour #readingcommunity #Books #bookfriends #booksbooksbooks #booksta #bookstagram #newtobookstagram #bookreview #bookreviews #instabookstagram #bookish #bookishielife #Audible #newtobookstagram #newtoinsta #newtoinstagra #Bookishcom #trending #bestsellingbooks #b
American Mermaid by Julia Langbein
Available on March 21st.
American Mermaid is a story within a story. Penelope is a Connecticut teacher. While drinking one night, she wrote a book about a mermaid named Sylvia. The book proved to be a success. Penny relocates to LA in order to network with people that can help her advance her career for the Hollywood adaptation of her book. Things turn awry when Penny starts believing Sylvia is real and is upset by the scriptwriters' changes, including Penny herself.
Penny's Hollywood struggles are interspersed with experts from her book. The first half of the book is enjoyable, but then it takes a different turn that was a bit tricky to keep up with. This book is worthwhile, but probably not a topic for all readers.
American Mermaid is a debut for Julia Langbein. It will be a pleasure to read more of her work in the future.
Thank you NetGalley, and Doubleday Books, for sharing this incredible book with me. Your kindness is appreciated. 3/5
#American Mermaid #bookishcommunity #bookstagramcommunity #blogtour #readingcommunity #Books #bookfriends #booksbooksbooks #booksta #bookstagram #newtobookstagram #bookreview #bookreviews #instabookstagram #bookish #bookishielife #Audible #newtobookstagram #newtoinsta #newtoinstagra #Bookishcom #trending #bestsellingbooks #b
February 29, 2024
Such fun! I laughed twice in the very first paragraph, so I had high hopes. Hopes realized! At some point I hit every laugh mode - giggle, chortle, snicker, etc. Did every punch land? No, but at least 90% did for me. The main character, Penelope, is a blast to be around (my casting choice, Kaley Cuoco). She not only has a wicked wit and a kind of lazy, mild self-destructiveness, but she's also an author with a great way with words - her book within the book has great characters and pacing and an increasingly ridiculous and entertaining action adventure plot. (Penelope is a high school English teacher with a PhD in English Lit, so she's earned her skills.) The real author also honed her skills the hard way (she's professionally funny - stand-up, improv and sketch comedy - and an Art History PhD). Like Penelope she can be a thoughtful and subtle writer and she knows her way around the English language. The magic realism in the 'real' book didn't quite stick the landing, but that was a minor problem in the midst of all that I liked. So close to five fun stars.
Some tastes of Langbein's writing - I hope they're just as funny out of context as in:
Penelope's mother was an ecologist until her lawyer husband started making big money:
Here's Penelope, very uncomfortable and slightly buzzed at an entertainment industry party, trying to make conversation:
Penelope describes the way she imagines some frighteningly cool, self-possessed teenagers see her at her book signing:
And the two things that cracked me up in the first paragraph: Penelope teaches at Holy Cross High School - a secular public school on Holy Cross Avenue, and she lies to her diary.
Some tastes of Langbein's writing - I hope they're just as funny out of context as in:
Penelope's mother was an ecologist until her lawyer husband started making big money:
....the rapidity with which she took to manicures and luncheons was head-splitting. She still had the muscles and the build of an outdoorswoman, and she could never soften her sculptor's hands, but she wore pink lipstick and tennis whites, like a Working Group dog groomed for the Toys.
Here's Penelope, very uncomfortable and slightly buzzed at an entertainment industry party, trying to make conversation:
I pull that comment out of my mouth like a party clown pulls a fluorescent handkerchief: confused at what my face produced, pretending I had nothing to do with it.
Penelope describes the way she imagines some frighteningly cool, self-possessed teenagers see her at her book signing:
....a woman with a bad back, hobbling, in Janet Yellen's conference wear"
And the two things that cracked me up in the first paragraph: Penelope teaches at Holy Cross High School - a secular public school on Holy Cross Avenue, and she lies to her diary.
December 3, 2022
I've never read a book quite like this - which makes it that much more difficult to describe. The novel is essentially a story inside a story; in "reality", we follow the perspective of Penelope Schleeman, a high school teacher in Connecticut struggling to make ends meet. She spends her free time writing a novel that is eventually published under the title of "American Mermaid", and to her surprise, it sells exceedingly well and catches the eyes of a team of screenwriters in Hollywood that reach out to her to turn it into a movie. With the help of a newly acquired agent, Penelope agrees to do so, quits her job, and moves out to LA to work on the future production.
Interspersed across Penelope's story are passages from her novel, telling the story of young Sylvia, a wheelchair-bound woman who discovers as an adult that she's actually a mermaid, and uses her science background to champion ecological preservation. (Honestly, I loved the glimpses into this novel that we did get, and would have loved to read a full-blown novel focused solely on Sylvia.) However, Penelope finds that working in Hollywood is far from glamorous, and watches as her story gets completely twisted and transformed into a completely different creation to appease the masses. As time goes on, she begins to wonder if her creation has come to life to get revenge on her...
For a debut novel, Langbein has crafted a witty, tongue-in-cheek satire that calls out the ridiculousness of media today, while also calling out present day issues faced by women in society today. While I didn't love some of the inclusions she made (long-winded emails or text conversations between Penelope and her screenwriters, long conversations about script changes, etc.), I think the overall story framework and concept was well-written and framed. She was able to take on different writing styles and tones going between the two different stories, and tied both of them together at the end.
Thank you Doubleday Books for the advance copy of this novel!
Interspersed across Penelope's story are passages from her novel, telling the story of young Sylvia, a wheelchair-bound woman who discovers as an adult that she's actually a mermaid, and uses her science background to champion ecological preservation. (Honestly, I loved the glimpses into this novel that we did get, and would have loved to read a full-blown novel focused solely on Sylvia.) However, Penelope finds that working in Hollywood is far from glamorous, and watches as her story gets completely twisted and transformed into a completely different creation to appease the masses. As time goes on, she begins to wonder if her creation has come to life to get revenge on her...
For a debut novel, Langbein has crafted a witty, tongue-in-cheek satire that calls out the ridiculousness of media today, while also calling out present day issues faced by women in society today. While I didn't love some of the inclusions she made (long-winded emails or text conversations between Penelope and her screenwriters, long conversations about script changes, etc.), I think the overall story framework and concept was well-written and framed. She was able to take on different writing styles and tones going between the two different stories, and tied both of them together at the end.
Thank you Doubleday Books for the advance copy of this novel!
November 11, 2023
You are entitled to financial compensation if you have been victimized by yet another pretty cover and intriguing premise failed by shoddy execution. You deserve treble damages for struggling through this slogfest of convoluted and boring storytelling. I definitely deserve a little treat for my suffering. Neither this book nor the book within the book make any sense. I strongly dislike the words used and how. I am baffled that this book has been described as humorous. Excuse me, what? Where? When? How? I also find it hard to believe that the book within the book is a bestseller. On what list? Has there only been one book published and circulated to the buying public in this world? Was it bundled with the purchase of every electronic reading device and impossible to delete? I'm sure it's on the bestseller list with a dagger for bulk orders. Whatever the case, no thank you. I would rather be illiterate.
October 24, 2022
American Mermaid by Julia Langbein. Thanks to @doubledaybooks and @netgalley for the gifted Arc ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Penelope writes a best seller, America Mermaid. She quits her teaching job to go to Hollywood and help turn the novel into a movie. Facing pressure to turn her main character into a teen sex object, she begins to notice strange things happening; like the mermaid is mad.
I love books about books and this one is so intriguing and unique. It did take some time to get into. First I was way more into the book excerpts than the real story. Somewhere about halfway through, that switched for me! My favorite thing about this book was that it was serious and deep, but also had some majorly funny and witty moments. I love when humor sneaks up on you in books like that! I did love the ending but I have a nagging feeling a few things went over my head so I’ll need to reread at some point!
“Do not go to war with women in the state of becoming. Their dark arts are deep and indomitable.”
American Mermaid comes out 3/21.
Penelope writes a best seller, America Mermaid. She quits her teaching job to go to Hollywood and help turn the novel into a movie. Facing pressure to turn her main character into a teen sex object, she begins to notice strange things happening; like the mermaid is mad.
I love books about books and this one is so intriguing and unique. It did take some time to get into. First I was way more into the book excerpts than the real story. Somewhere about halfway through, that switched for me! My favorite thing about this book was that it was serious and deep, but also had some majorly funny and witty moments. I love when humor sneaks up on you in books like that! I did love the ending but I have a nagging feeling a few things went over my head so I’ll need to reread at some point!
“Do not go to war with women in the state of becoming. Their dark arts are deep and indomitable.”
American Mermaid comes out 3/21.
February 20, 2023
Much thanks to @prhaudio for the complimentary ALC. I listened to this debut on a whim because how cute is that cover!?! Overall though it was just kind of a meh read for me. The story within a story structure bored me and I wasn’t all that interested in the protagonist either - a struggling writer working on the film adaptation of her breakout book. The narrator was good at least. 🙃
March 24, 2024
More like 2.5. Great concept- messy, execution. Wanted so much more than I got here, which is disappointing although not surprising based on existing reviews.
December 18, 2023
2.5, trying to decide whether to round up or down.
Want to read
March 17, 2023Adding this to my TBR because of this unexpectedly wonderful essay:
https://www.bonappetit.com/story/juli...
But the story sounds fun, too!
https://www.bonappetit.com/story/juli...
But the story sounds fun, too!
March 21, 2023
Review // American Mermaid by Julia Langbein
American Mermaid is a quirky, enjoyable but uneven tale of success, failure and stories within stories.
Penelope Schleeman’s first novel is not a best-seller and she is struggling to make enough money for rent, food and a potentially life-saving surgery on her teacher’s salary. But when a famous influencer posts about Penny’s book, sales suddenly go through the roof and there’s a lucrative offer for a movie adaptation. Penny quits her job, heads to Los Angeles and starts working with two hilarious but ruthless screenwriters. Her cowriters want to water down Penny’s ideas about mermaid power into a splashy action movie with a sexy mermaid protagonist who, of course, must die in the end. Penelope resists and turmoil follows.
Langbein's novel alternates between Penelope's chaotic and accident-filled adventures in L.A. and excerpts from her movie manuscript. The humor often feels a bit slapstick as the protagonist stumbles through mansions and gets in trouble with producers, agents and screenwriters. You can tell that the author is a standup comedian: some lines don’t land so well, while others make you cackle with delight and recognition. I appreciated Penelope’s self-deprecating thoughts on vanity, fantasy and friendship and preferred her romps around town to the movie manuscript chapters. To me, as a non-expert on the mermaid genre, these chapters seemed to be mostly a confusing and bizarre mash-up of various shows and movies, including The Shape of Water, Splash and Killer Mermaid.
Mermaids may not be my thing after all, but I think Langbein’s novel would be a fun summer read for bookclub or vacation: the flesh-eating mermaids will make you think twice about going for a swim, but the champagne-filled parties in Malibu, the sympathetic protagonist and the sharp comedy turn this novel into a delightfully weird beach read. And in the right hands, it might even make a decent movie.
Many thanks to Doubleday Books and NetGalley for providing a digital ARC in exchange for my honest review.
3.5/5 ⭐️
American Mermaid is a quirky, enjoyable but uneven tale of success, failure and stories within stories.
Penelope Schleeman’s first novel is not a best-seller and she is struggling to make enough money for rent, food and a potentially life-saving surgery on her teacher’s salary. But when a famous influencer posts about Penny’s book, sales suddenly go through the roof and there’s a lucrative offer for a movie adaptation. Penny quits her job, heads to Los Angeles and starts working with two hilarious but ruthless screenwriters. Her cowriters want to water down Penny’s ideas about mermaid power into a splashy action movie with a sexy mermaid protagonist who, of course, must die in the end. Penelope resists and turmoil follows.
Langbein's novel alternates between Penelope's chaotic and accident-filled adventures in L.A. and excerpts from her movie manuscript. The humor often feels a bit slapstick as the protagonist stumbles through mansions and gets in trouble with producers, agents and screenwriters. You can tell that the author is a standup comedian: some lines don’t land so well, while others make you cackle with delight and recognition. I appreciated Penelope’s self-deprecating thoughts on vanity, fantasy and friendship and preferred her romps around town to the movie manuscript chapters. To me, as a non-expert on the mermaid genre, these chapters seemed to be mostly a confusing and bizarre mash-up of various shows and movies, including The Shape of Water, Splash and Killer Mermaid.
Mermaids may not be my thing after all, but I think Langbein’s novel would be a fun summer read for bookclub or vacation: the flesh-eating mermaids will make you think twice about going for a swim, but the champagne-filled parties in Malibu, the sympathetic protagonist and the sharp comedy turn this novel into a delightfully weird beach read. And in the right hands, it might even make a decent movie.
Many thanks to Doubleday Books and NetGalley for providing a digital ARC in exchange for my honest review.
3.5/5 ⭐️
January 3, 2023
This is a story about a book and it’s author and what happens when the book is sold to a Hollywood studio to be developed into a movie. The only problem with my opening statement is that it just barely describes the events that occur.
Penny Schleeman has written a book about a mermaid who seems to take on a life of her own, at least, that’s what Penny begins to believe as she works on the screenplay with two other writers who are getting really annoyed with the changes they claim she has made in their script. Penny has no memory of making these changes and begins to believe that her character of Sylvia, the mermaid, is as unhappy with the script as she is.
The Hollywood parties that Penny attends bring your attention to the silly excesses of the rich, the famous, or pretending to be rich and famous and in the absurdity of that lifestyle. But it’s really the book within the story that has a strong message of feminine power and of a seemingly handicapped young woman who finds her true self and learns to fight for what she comes to discover about herself.
At first when I started reading I wasn’t so sure I liked this book, but the more I read the more I enjoyed it. The last 150 pages I raced through to see how each of our heroines survived what was happening to them.
I won this book in a First Reads giveaway. Thank you to Doubleday, Penguin Random House LLC and the author, Julia Langbein.
Penny Schleeman has written a book about a mermaid who seems to take on a life of her own, at least, that’s what Penny begins to believe as she works on the screenplay with two other writers who are getting really annoyed with the changes they claim she has made in their script. Penny has no memory of making these changes and begins to believe that her character of Sylvia, the mermaid, is as unhappy with the script as she is.
The Hollywood parties that Penny attends bring your attention to the silly excesses of the rich, the famous, or pretending to be rich and famous and in the absurdity of that lifestyle. But it’s really the book within the story that has a strong message of feminine power and of a seemingly handicapped young woman who finds her true self and learns to fight for what she comes to discover about herself.
At first when I started reading I wasn’t so sure I liked this book, but the more I read the more I enjoyed it. The last 150 pages I raced through to see how each of our heroines survived what was happening to them.
I won this book in a First Reads giveaway. Thank you to Doubleday, Penguin Random House LLC and the author, Julia Langbein.
January 27, 2023
American Mermaid is such a gloriously strange book! Penelope has written a bestselling book about a kick-ass feminist mermaid that is being made into a movie. After she arrives in Hollywood, the two men adapting the book into the movie change her main character and storyline to fit the typical version of mermaids in Hollywood. And then, the story starts to take on a life of it’s own. Once I started this book, I could not put it down! Penelope is fantastically flawed, relatable and hilarious. Highly recommended for fellow lovers of books that are a little weird with a sea of imperfect characters.
February 14, 2024
A nerdy New Haven high-school English teacher, Penelope, writes a surprising bestseller: the story of a wheelchair-bound woman who, after attempting suicide, is transformed into an asexual, homicidal mermaid with high-tech cyborg scales fighting against the fracking industry. The novel quickly garners attention and, when movie producers buy the rights to her book, Penelope leaves her job and moves to Hollywood to work with two screenwriters to turn the novel into a blockbuster script. But her success comes at a cost: the screenwriters want to cut out everything that made her novel such a unique, genre-transgressing feminist success—instead of her being an eco-activist scientist, they want the mermaid to be a teenage girl; instead of her contemplating her mortality on the edge of the peer, they want her to be swooning at the prom; instead of her being an asexual mermaid who reproduces by harvesting men's testicles, they insist that she have a handsome love interest. Penelope quickly finds herself to be, like the mermaid in her story, a fish out of water. The movie world is not an enlightened utopia of progressive values as she had naively imagined; misogyny and casual racism pervade the working culture of the studio, and the screenwriters and producers threaten to turn her iconoclastic thriller into a conventional romance about a lovesick mermaid.
It's a funny, surreal, picaresque novel. It felt in some parts a little light, more of a caricature than a plausible narrative.
It's a funny, surreal, picaresque novel. It felt in some parts a little light, more of a caricature than a plausible narrative.
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June 28, 2023The following book reviews have been shared by Text Publishing – publisher of American Mermaid
‘I was hooked from the first page. American Mermaid is brilliantly sharp, funny, and thought-provoking, the gripping story of a woman trying to find her way in our chaotic world.’
Madeline Miller, #1 New York Times bestselling author of Circe and The Song of Achilles
‘Every time I picked up this book I both laughed out loud and sighed in admiration. Deeply hilarious, delightfully strange, intricately constructed and remarkably satisfying, American Mermaid is sensational.’
Julia May Jonas, author of Vladimir
‘A salty, sleek and scheming satire, American Mermaid considers dangerous and alluring myths surrounding creative control, compromise and complicity. Told with a caricaturist’s energy and dynamism, Langbein’s layered narratives gleefully expose Hollywood’s ritualized humiliations. Full of skewering, mischievous precision, it is a glittering, baited hook of a novel.’
Eley Williams, author of The Liar's Dictionary
‘A comedy of wordplay. A superhero adventure. A Hollywood takedown. A hoot and a half. American Mermaid is all of these, and more. So witty and marvelous you won’t be able to put it down. So pick it up!’
Andrew Sean Greer, Pulitzer Prize winning author of Less Is Lost
‘American Mermaid is, like a mermaid herself, a beautiful mix of two things. It is a brilliantly funny and perfectly modern satire, as well as being an elegant exploration of soulfulness, longing and belonging, and the ungovernable wildness of nature herself. I’ve never read anything quite like it, and I loved it.’
Elizabeth Gilbert, bestselling author of City of Girls
‘American Mermaid is shapeshifting novel composed of wildly divergent elements—a biting Hollywood satire, a magical realist book-within-a-book, and a moody meditation on identity and selling out. It probably shouldn’t work, but it succeeds brilliantly, thanks to Julia Langbein’s tonal control and wicked sense of humor. This is a a debut novel of unusual ambition and scope.’
Tom Perrotta, author of Tracy Flick Can't Win and Mrs. Fletcher
‘An absolute weirdo masterpiece. With her debut, Julia Langbein pulls off an impressive tonal tightrope walk that would send a lesser writer stumbling to the ground. American Mermaid manages to be so many things at once—a zany and savage satire about Hollywood, a tale of magical realism, and an aching story about what comes after you achieve your dream, how the depths of your ambition can swallow you whole. This novel is both a pleasure to read and signals the arrival of an exciting new writer to watch.’
Jean Kyoung Frazier, author of Pizza Girl
‘Filled with wit and more than few laugh-out-loud moments…A downright delightful debut novel.’
Booklist (starred review)
‘I love Penelope Schleeman’s voice. Everything she thinks and feels, as Langbein’s first-person protagonist, is funny, smart, and irresistible…I laughed out loud.’
Good Morning America
‘Hilarious.’
Associated Press
‘Wildly inventive, this book will get you thinking about artistic integrity as it elicits plenty of snarf-yourself laughs.’
Real Simple
‘Clever…Langbein has written a sincere novel about art, Hollywood, sexuality, feminism, global warming, the cultural zeitgeist—and managed to do so while entertaining with a modern voice and a light touch of humor.’
Chicago Review of Books
‘Darkly comic…Made me burst out laughing, I have never done that before!’
Cassie McCullagh, ABC RN Bookshelf
‘Absolutely hilarious.’
Chris Flynn, author of Mammoth, ABC RN Bookshelf
‘Witty satire.’
West Australian
‘I was hooked from the first page. American Mermaid is brilliantly sharp, funny, and thought-provoking, the gripping story of a woman trying to find her way in our chaotic world.’
Madeline Miller, #1 New York Times bestselling author of Circe and The Song of Achilles
‘Every time I picked up this book I both laughed out loud and sighed in admiration. Deeply hilarious, delightfully strange, intricately constructed and remarkably satisfying, American Mermaid is sensational.’
Julia May Jonas, author of Vladimir
‘A salty, sleek and scheming satire, American Mermaid considers dangerous and alluring myths surrounding creative control, compromise and complicity. Told with a caricaturist’s energy and dynamism, Langbein’s layered narratives gleefully expose Hollywood’s ritualized humiliations. Full of skewering, mischievous precision, it is a glittering, baited hook of a novel.’
Eley Williams, author of The Liar's Dictionary
‘A comedy of wordplay. A superhero adventure. A Hollywood takedown. A hoot and a half. American Mermaid is all of these, and more. So witty and marvelous you won’t be able to put it down. So pick it up!’
Andrew Sean Greer, Pulitzer Prize winning author of Less Is Lost
‘American Mermaid is, like a mermaid herself, a beautiful mix of two things. It is a brilliantly funny and perfectly modern satire, as well as being an elegant exploration of soulfulness, longing and belonging, and the ungovernable wildness of nature herself. I’ve never read anything quite like it, and I loved it.’
Elizabeth Gilbert, bestselling author of City of Girls
‘American Mermaid is shapeshifting novel composed of wildly divergent elements—a biting Hollywood satire, a magical realist book-within-a-book, and a moody meditation on identity and selling out. It probably shouldn’t work, but it succeeds brilliantly, thanks to Julia Langbein’s tonal control and wicked sense of humor. This is a a debut novel of unusual ambition and scope.’
Tom Perrotta, author of Tracy Flick Can't Win and Mrs. Fletcher
‘An absolute weirdo masterpiece. With her debut, Julia Langbein pulls off an impressive tonal tightrope walk that would send a lesser writer stumbling to the ground. American Mermaid manages to be so many things at once—a zany and savage satire about Hollywood, a tale of magical realism, and an aching story about what comes after you achieve your dream, how the depths of your ambition can swallow you whole. This novel is both a pleasure to read and signals the arrival of an exciting new writer to watch.’
Jean Kyoung Frazier, author of Pizza Girl
‘Filled with wit and more than few laugh-out-loud moments…A downright delightful debut novel.’
Booklist (starred review)
‘I love Penelope Schleeman’s voice. Everything she thinks and feels, as Langbein’s first-person protagonist, is funny, smart, and irresistible…I laughed out loud.’
Good Morning America
‘Hilarious.’
Associated Press
‘Wildly inventive, this book will get you thinking about artistic integrity as it elicits plenty of snarf-yourself laughs.’
Real Simple
‘Clever…Langbein has written a sincere novel about art, Hollywood, sexuality, feminism, global warming, the cultural zeitgeist—and managed to do so while entertaining with a modern voice and a light touch of humor.’
Chicago Review of Books
‘Darkly comic…Made me burst out laughing, I have never done that before!’
Cassie McCullagh, ABC RN Bookshelf
‘Absolutely hilarious.’
Chris Flynn, author of Mammoth, ABC RN Bookshelf
‘Witty satire.’
West Australian
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