Small Admissions
“The Devil Wears Prada meets Primates of Park Avenue.” (The New York Times)
When ambitious grad student Kate Pearson’s handsome French “almost fiancé” ditches her, she definitely does not roll with the punches, despite the best efforts of family and friends. It seems that nothing will get Kate out of pajamas and back into the world.
Miraculously, one cringe-worthy job interview leads to a position in the admissions department at the revered Hudson Day School. Kate’s instantly thrown into a highly competitive and occasionally absurd culture, where she interviews all types of children: suitable, wildly unsuitable, charming, loathsome, ingratiating, or spoiled beyond all measure. And then there are the Park Avenue parents who refuse to take no for an answer.
As Kate begins to learn there’s no room for self-pity or nonsense during the height of admissions season or life itself, her sister and friends find themselves keeping secrets, dropping bombshells, and arguing with each other about how to keep Kate on her feet. Meanwhile, Kate seems to be doing very nicely, thank you, and is even beginning to find out that her broken heart is very much on the mend. Welcome to the world of Small Admissions.
"Both witty and wise, Small Admissions is a big-hearted, charming novel." -The Washington Post
"A riotous, overcrowded, entertaining blowout of a novel." - The Dallas Morning News)
"A dishy, LOL delight." - Cosmopolitan
"An excellent debut." - Publishers Weekly
“Trenchant, funny, and observant...as a prose artist Ms. Poeppel leaves nothing to be desired, except this desire: that she write more and more, and as well as she does in this, her assured debut.” - Hilton Als, staff writer for The New Yorker and author of White Girls and The Women
“Small Admissions is quick-witted and razor-sharp. With a chorus of varied and absurd voices, you'll laugh at everyone involved while secretly fearing that you see yourself in the mix. Amy Poeppel manages to tell a story both poignant and hilarious, hinting that this wry and absorbing debut is the beginning of an exciting career.” - Taylor Jenkins Reid, Author of Maybe in Another Life
"A smart take on private-school 'Admissions' . . . Amy Poeppel's debut novel is a book about rejection, acceptance and our ability to maneuver between the two." - USA Today
“The Devil Wears Prada meets Primates of Park Avenue.” - The New York Times
"Poeppel gives an in-depth look at the admissions process, with a side of secrets, bombshells, heartbreak, and hope . . . perfect for fans of Curtis Sittenfeld's Prep." - Booklist
