Town House
A Novel
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Price:
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$17.95
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On Sale:
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26/04/2007
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Formats:
Trade PB
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New Page 1
“Its official title is Town House, but in Hollywood they’re already
calling Tish Cohen’s novel About a Girl.” —The Globe and Mail.
Jack Madigan should be leading an enviable life. He’s the sole heir of a ’70s
rock icon. He lives with his retro-obsessed teenage son, Harlan, in a
once-magnificent Boston town house. But now 36, Jack’s painting career is
buckling under a raging case of agoraphobia. And when the foreclosure notice
arrives, Jack must face losing the only home he’s ever known—and his only safe
zone. When Jack’s ex-wife announces that Harlan would be better off living with
her and her vitamin-enriched fiancé, Jack has to figure out how to deter the
perky, inexperienced real-estate agent, hold on to his house, keep his son at
home, and—through the tenacity of the little girl next door—finally step out
onto the sidewalk.
Fox 2000 swooped in to pre-empt the film rights while Town House was
still on submission to publishers. Ridley Scott’s Scott Free Productions is set
to produce the movie and Pulitzer Prize– winning screenwriter Doug Wright (Memoirs
of a Geisha) is adapting the screenplay. A book with the ability to both
entertain and move us, Town House is a smart, acerbic novel bursting with heart
and quirky charm.
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Author Extras
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Critical Praise for
Town House
“An original portrait of a pathetic man that is at times sardonically
comic and humanly poignant. Never straying into sentimentality or
veering off into ludicrousness, Cohen’s Jack Madigan is a threedimensional,
albeit anomalous, lost soul of our modern, twisted,
fractured society.”
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Rex Pickett, bestselling author of Sideways
"In Town House, Tish Cohen has created a novel that is both alarming and disarming, as tragic as it is teeming with hope. The story of Jack Madigan, the agoraphobic son of a dead, demented rock star, his teenage son and their cat, Mrs. Brady, provided comfort and delight for my inner misanthrope."
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Leah McLaren, author of The Continuity Girl
"For someone who can't leave the house, Jack Madigan is a heck of a guy. Town House is everything you could ask for in a novel: touching, wry, bewitching, eccentric, and riveting to the end. I love this book and eagerly await Tish Cohen's next."
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Sara Gruen, author of Water for Elephants
"A dead rock star who still haunts the place; his agoraphobic son who must not only leave his father’s house but sell it; the real estate agent who couldn't sell Shangri-La; and the neighbor child who visits through a hole in wall and thinks she’s a dog. You’d have to look awfully hard to find a novel with a bigger cast of memorable characters than Tish Cohen manages to squeeze into one Boston Town House."
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Philip Beard, author of Dear Zoe and Lost in the Garden
"An achingly funny yet wincingly real portrait of a man so believable you want to laugh with him, scream at him, and push him out of his doorway. Town House is a gem of a novel and in it Tish Cohen displays a remarkable understanding of the human heart."
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Matt Haig, author of The Dead Fathers Club
"Smart, well-written and completely delicious, Town House is a treat!"
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Molly Jong-Fast, author of Normal Girl
"In Town House, Tish Cohen has created a cast of characters that would make Woody Allen weep with envy.A big-hearted, delicious novel that begs for a film. Well done Tish Cohen!"
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Martha O’Connor, author of The Bitch Posse
"An agoraphobe fights to save his house, his son and his sanity in Cohen's comic, big screen-ready debut... terrifically written; Cohen's affinity for her nut-job characters is infectious and will keep readers involved as the plot reaches its peachy end."
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Publishers Weekly
"In Town House, Tish Cohen pulls together the most intriguing and uniquely endearing cast of characters of any novel I've recently read. Her crisp observations illustrate how the most unlikely relationships can often inspire our most challenging triumphs. Equally funny and insightful, Town House is a sophisticated treat."
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Josh Kilmer-Purcell, New York Times bestselling author of I Am Not Myself These Days
Reader Reviews from First Look
An excellent read! Jack Madigan’s agoraphobic life makes for an engaging story as he tries to lead as normal a life as possible while fending off foreclosure!
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David (Ottawa, ON)
An excellent read! Jack Madigan’s agoraphobic life makes for an engaging story as he tries to lead as normal a life as possible while fending off foreclosure!
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David (Ottawa, ON)
This book is a tough one to put down!
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Pat (Guelph, ON)
Town House is such a good book and going to be an amazing movie. Funny and sad at the same time, a quirky but good read. The characters are very unique and yet human, with relationships that feel very real and warm. I read this book in one sitting—one of the most enjoyable books I've read this year, only wish it had been longer!
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Patricia (Toronto, ON)
I couldn't put it down! Tish Cohen made this reader feel as if she were in the white kitchen having coffee with Lucinda and Jack.
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CHRISTINA (ST. CATHARINES, ON)
This book made me want to turn the page. The characters were believable and I found myself rooting for Jack. I'll be looking for more books by the author.
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Karen (Peterborough, ON)
I couldn't put this book down. I literally started the book on my train ride to work, read it while walking to work, read it on break, lunch, the walk/ride home...I had it finished that very same day. Jacks character and his interaction with his son kept the book alive. What a great story!
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Samantha (Oshawa, ON)
Town House is a very thought-provoking, enjoyable read! I loved the colourful and vivid images the author portrays. It was insightful to realize that phobia's can dearly affect a life ...in this case Jack's agoraphobia (panic attacks) ruled the outcome of his choices in life. An enjoyable & pleasant read!!
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Connie (St. Leonard, QC)
This book is as hip as a drum beat and it's easy to forget that not a note of music is playing. Tish Cohen's first novel, Town House, is a pleasing multi-generational jaunt filled with lyrical writing and ultra hip happenings.
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Kamela (Mississauga, ON)
Engaging story, endearing characters. Universal relationships in a unique environment distinguish this story from the bunch. I was pleasantly surprised by my enthusiasm for the storyline. Anytime well-written characters are combined with snippets of humour I am hooked. Overall this book is a good choice for anyone who wants an easy read that is at times funny and heart-warming.
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Meaghan (Vaudreuil-Dorion, QC)
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