Recently Published - Mullane Literary Associates

Just Published

Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakthrough by Ruth Pennebaker

“A laugh-out-loud romp through a household populated by three generations of women....an irresistible comic novel that is breezily hilarious, thought-provoking, and, ultimately, tender and heart-tugging.... vibrant with life, conflict and high spirits.”

Sarah Bird, author of How Perfect Is That

“There’s a rare honesty in Pennebaker’s work that allows for both empathy and ample schadenfreude as the women examine themselves and each other.... a winning warts-and-all air of authenticity. Pennebaker’s effort delivers right through to its hopeful yet realistic conclusion.”

Publishers Weekly starred review

”Bold, funny, and irreverent....Pennebaker’s wit and themes of sisterly solidarity and growth are likely to resonate with fans of humorous women’s authors like Rebecca Wells, Nancy Thayer, and Jennifer Weiner.”

Library Journal

“Writing with her usual light touch, Pennebaker turns [a] worst-case scenario into a continuous source of comedy by making the characters as blind to their own faults as they are aware of one another’s.... We care about them and, in the end, they clearly care about one another. It’s a book with a little bit of a message, though not so much as to get in the way of idle enjoyment.”

Dallas Morning News

“A standout novel... the story of the most complicated relationship on earth—mothers and daughters.... offering comedy, life, great longing, and connections that are often missed....Thanks to Ruth Pennebaker’s wit and wisdom....it all works out—if not wonderfully, then certainly well enough.”

“What to Read” wowowow.com

“Everyone who’s ever had a mother or a daughter—or been a mother or a daughter—will be saying ‘Yes!’ all the way through Ruth Pennebaker’s marvelous first novel....I really cared about these people, and you will, too.”

Margo Howard, author of Ann Landers In Her Own Words

“Ruth Pennebaker not only delivers her trademark wit in abundance, but she also serves up passages so inspired and unexpected, I found myself laughing and crying at the same time! Ruth Pennebaker’s prose is sharp enough to do Dorothy Parker proud. ”

Robert Leleux, author of The Memoirs of a Beautiful Boy

Ruth Pennebaker is a commentator for the KUT, the NPR affiliate in Austin, Texas, and is a contributing writer at the Texas Observer. Visit her blog at www.geezersisters.com and her website www.ruthpennebaker.com

In the News

A New York Times Notable Book of the Year
Chosen by Dwight Garner at The New York Times as one of the Top Ten Books of the Year
One of GMA’s Top Picks for Great Summer Reading

Howard Bryant’s widely acclaimed new biography, The Last Hero: A Life of Henry Aaron, just published by Pantheon, has been receiving raves from coast to coast. The first full-length profile of Aaron to appear in more than three decades, it's been called “a first-rate biography,” “beautifully written and culturally important,” “illuminating and rigorously researched,” “an epic baseball tale,” “a classic” and “one of the most impressive profiles of a ballplayer in years.”

Howard Bryant, who writes for ESPN.com and ESPN The Magazine and is a regular on NPR's “Weekend Edition,” is also the author of Juicing the Game: Drugs, Power, and the Soul of Major League Baseball and Shut Out: A Story of Race and Baseball in Boston. For information about Howard's tour dates and appearances, go to www.howardbryant.net.