Elliot Allagash
Published on 5. August 2010
Book
Paperback/Softback
240 pages
978-1-84668-754-9 (ISBN)
Description
Seymour isn't cool, but he isn't a geek either. He's a lonely, obedient 8th grade loser at Glendale, a second tier prep school in Manhattan. His chubbiness has recently earned him the nick name "Chunk Style" and he has resigned himself to a life of isolation. All of this is about to change.
After successfully getting himself expelled from every reputable school in the country, Elliot Allagash, the arrogant heir of America's largest fortune, finds himself marooned at Glendale. Try as he may, Elliot cannot get expelled this time; his father has simply donated too much money. Bitter and bored, Elliot decides to amuse himself by taking up a new hobby: transforming Seymour into the most popular student in school.
An unlikely friendship develops between these two loners as Elliot introduces Seymour to new concepts, like power, sabotage and vengeance. With Elliot as his diabolical guide, Seymour gradually learns about all of the incredible things that money can buy, and the one or two things that it can't. Hilarious, ingenious and tightly plotted, Elliot Allagash, like a teen movie in novel form, reminds you what your teens were like, and why growing up is so hard to do.
After successfully getting himself expelled from every reputable school in the country, Elliot Allagash, the arrogant heir of America's largest fortune, finds himself marooned at Glendale. Try as he may, Elliot cannot get expelled this time; his father has simply donated too much money. Bitter and bored, Elliot decides to amuse himself by taking up a new hobby: transforming Seymour into the most popular student in school.
An unlikely friendship develops between these two loners as Elliot introduces Seymour to new concepts, like power, sabotage and vengeance. With Elliot as his diabolical guide, Seymour gradually learns about all of the incredible things that money can buy, and the one or two things that it can't. Hilarious, ingenious and tightly plotted, Elliot Allagash, like a teen movie in novel form, reminds you what your teens were like, and why growing up is so hard to do.
Reviews / Votes
I found Simon Rich's first novel, about an evil teenage billionaire, to be suspenseful and hilarious. I am so glad I don't have to lie in this blurb like I usually do -- Judd Apatow, Producer of Superbad I am a big fan of Simon Rich's first two books, which were wonderful pupu platters of absurdist comedy. And now comes his first novel, which is one of the funniest books about high schoolers since The Catcher in the Rye. We all must pray that Simon Rich won't move to New Hampshire and become a recluse who spends his time reading Eastern philosophy. Because we need more books from this guy -- A. J. Jacobs, author of The Year of Living Biblically Fellow high school losers, use your video game money to buy this book! Simon Rich will make you relive the dread, the hilarity, and the insanity of those formative years like no one else. Open at your own peril! -- Gary Shteyngart, author of Super Sad True Love Story, Absurdistan and The Russian Debutante's Handbook Imaginative premises abound. . . . As unpredictable as YouTube, as in your face as MySpace * Publishers Weekly * Rich is always funny, and he nails the bogus solemnity of high-school social politics. A high-school romp that John Hughes should be so lucky to direct * Kirkus Reviews * An unfailingly funny and compulsively readable mix of sweet and sour that will leave readers hoping for another helping * Booklist * Praise for Simon Rich: Hilarious. Open this book anywhere, begin reading, and you will laugh -- Jon Stewart Savagely funny * New York Times * Funnyman Simon Rich gives Pygmalion a makeover in his debut novel, Elliot Allagash. -- Elissa Schappell * Vanity Fair * A hilarious, high-spirited and hormone-fuelled romp through teenage angst and offbeat antics. * Monocle * Clueless for boys... suspect that, if he had a literary ancestor in mind as he charted Seymour Herson's rise, it was not Austen or [Amy] Heckerling, but Evelyn Waugh......studded with rococo set pieces of ruthless masculine one-upmanship... a joy to read...
Open the book on the beach or by the lake, and shed a crocodile tear, if you can muster one, for the craven ambition of youth. -- Liesl Schillinger * The Daily Beast * Simon Rich's absurdist approach to the underdog archetype makes for a hilarious and heartwarming romp. * USA Today * A teenage billionaire collides with a high school loner in Rich's amusing look at growing up. Diabolical Elliot Allagash decides to turn loser Seymour into the most popular kid at school, with delightful consequences. -- Robert Chilver * Waterstone's Books Quarterly * A hilariously satiric novel peppered with innovative anecdotes... the comedy is fast-paced and enthralling... laugh-out-loud... While many find it difficult to translate their comedy from the stage to the page, Rich demonstrates that not only is he capable of doing so, he's good at it too. -- Emma Langman * The List * A sharp, clever, blisteringly funny debut. -- Kate Saunders * The Times * A fantastically ingenious and unique approach to the tale of a turning worm. -- Imogen Russell-Williams * Guardian * A true original and incredibly readable... Funny, smart and generally bloody brilliant - read it. * Heat * A canny mixture of wish-fulfilment, fantasy and morality tale... The most enjoyable classroom comedy since Tom Perrotta's Election. -- Adrian Turpin * FT * Elliot Allagash is a brilliant, hilarious read that has led to the fresh-faced 26 year old author being hailed as one of the year's most outstanding new literary sensations * Weekend Herald NZ * In terms of pedigree for a comic novel you couldn't get much better * Daily Telegraph Sydney *
More details
Edition
Main
Language
English
Place of publication
London
United Kingdom
Publishing group
Profile Books Ltd
Product notice
Paperback (UK-trade)
Dimensions
Height: 216 mm
Width: 135 mm
Thickness: 18 mm
Weight
290 gr
ISBN-13
978-1-84668-754-9 (9781846687549)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Other editions
New editions
Person
Simon Rich writes for the popular TV sketch comedy show Saturday Night Live, where his sketches have starred celebrities from Justin Timberlake to Anne Hathaway. He is also a screenwriter as well as the author of two humour collections, Free Range Chickens and Ant Farm (the latter was nominated for the prestigious 2008 Thurber Prize). His work has often appeared in the New Yorker and his short story 'Strong and Mighty Men' won the Harvard short story prize. He graduated from Harvard University, where he was president of The Harvard Lampoon. Rich is 26 years old and Elliot Allagash is his first novel.