Christine Coulson spent twenty-five years writing for the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Her final project was to write wall labels for the museum's new British Galleries. During that time, she dreamt of using the Met's strict label format to describe people as intricate works of art. Her first experiment with this idea described an imaginary woman called Kitty, who became the unlikely protagonist of One Woman Show.
Funny, clever and unexpectedly profound - I couldn't put it
down
*author of The Land Where Lemons Grow*
Arch and wholly original, this is a pocket rocket of a novel. The
economy with which Coulson manages to capture a life with equal
amounts of both vigour and heartbreak is a stunning achievement. An
irrepressible and timeless reflection on art, self and female
objectification.
*Wiz Wharton*
A wonderfully clever concept, and a book that lends itself to being
read in a single sitting, during which you’ll feel the corners of
your lips curl upwards again and again . . . Coulson’s wry, often
humorous, occasionally poignant commentary are moments of
transgression and longing that show there’s more to our
neoclassical heroine than her fine finish
*The Spectator*
Brilliant. Christine Coulson's tragicomedy of manners is an immense
delight. Condensed into its witty format is the story of a life, a
life like some I have known and others about which I have read.
Coulson captures her character's gentle decline with the precision
of Edith Wharton and evokes the eras she traverses with such
clarity, even wisdom, describing a woman's changing (or unchanging)
role in the world with an acuity that left this reader astonished
time and again.
*author of Far From the Tree*
Short, clever . . . it is remarkable how much information she can
convey about Kitty’s life . . . solely using wall labels
*Independent*
Heartbreaking and funny . . . Coulson's language is perfection . .
. I love the pages of voices, like voices in the galleries, and so
many moments made me laugh. Truly masterful and patient and insane,
in the best way
*author of Swimming Studies*
A delight! This novel's formal audacity is an impressive feat of
imagination. One Woman Show is a moving story of privilege,
womanhood, and the sweep of the twentieth century told through a
single American life. I loved this book
*author of Leave the World Behind*
Wildly original…[A] tiny but powerful novel… It’s sometimes snarky,
sometimes sad, with enough poignant moments to make me wish it
could go on and on. … You can sit down and read it in less time
than it takes to drive to the art museum, but you’ll be thinking
about it for far longer. If you appreciate truly original structure
and storytelling, put this modern masterwork on your reading
list.
*NPR*
Strange, biting, tender, and heartbreaking in turns. AND all at
once . . . I read it in one fell swoop. It is brilliant
*author of Women Holding Things*
A funny and clever take on the interchangeability of women and
works of arts as possessions
*author of Breakfast at Sotheby's*
Beautiful, beautiful book . . . the cover is absolutely gorgeous,
it would make a delicious Christmas gift
*Art Juice Podcast*
Coulson tells us Kitty Whitaker’s story stylishly and succinctly
through label-length entries
*Harper's Bazaar*
Compulsive and spry
*the Observer*
Coulson’s formally inventive, witty novel uses gallery captions to
capture Kitty’s journey through the 20th century. At once terse and
expansive, this is a literary experiment that intrigues
*the Mail on Sunday*
A highly original and imaginative work that captivates and
intrigues . . . so brief that it can be read straight through in an
hour, but that is not to say it is slight . . . Coulson’s unusual
command of language rewards multiple readings
*The Irish Times*
the writing is clever, witty and deftly – and at times
poignantly–executed, and that more than earns One Woman Show its
coveted red dot (aka sales sticker) from us’
*Marie Claire Best Books of 2023*
Unconventional… non-narrative paragraphs somehow add up to create
mounting tension, with wry social commentary, feminist barbs and
psychological insight bursting through the lacquered surface
*The Lady*
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