Apprentice to the Flower Poet Z.

Weinstein's first novel exposes, in cynical fiction, the politics of something like poetry in academia. In a witty tale, Weinstein, similar to "The Devil Wears Prada", exposes the cruelty and dishonesty in every dictatorial boss you've ever know. This time it is "The Flower Poet", Z, who succeeds in the poetry world despite academic rivalry, affairs, a meltdown in her marriage and relationship with her daughter. Weinstein tells the tale from the viewpoint of Annabelle, the naive and talented poet who becomes "Z"'s apprentice (and servant). It takes Annabelle a while to catch on to all the boss' machinations, but in the process, she'll charm you with her own lyrical wit and love of poetry. Light and funny!

Debra Weinstein captures the deer-in-the-headlights feel and the sometimes cryptic, usually quipping exchanges undergrads encounter inside the world of collegiate creative writing programs. Once upon a time I was a scholarship student to a midwestern university, studying under both their fiction and poetry professors. Unlike Debra Weinstein's main character Annabelle, I was not farmed out to any of these professors. Nor did I have to deal with the likes of Harry Banks, a graduate student crazy over James Joyce, and Annabelle's mild S & M fling over the course of the semester. Yet I was not completely unaware of student/teacher, teacher/teacher politics, and "Apprentice" is a believable, elegantly romping portrayal of such power struggles. The language is what pulls it off, its sparcity and precision. I've heard that style called 'minimalist,' and I've heard it compared to laziness, but Debra Weinstein uses it like a comedian who carefully sets up a joke--no flood of details to confuse everyone--and then times the punch line just right to get the laugh. But a laugh isn't always the point in this book. Annabelle's central quest is to discover what poetry is (and by default what life and love and pain is), and the frugality of Weinsteins' narrative reigns in her characters' outrageous behavior and helps to keep Annabelle's story from sliding into the ridiculous.The reader doesn't need to have any special knowledge of literature or of the literary world to enjoy this book. As a matter of fact, while I'm thankful for my years of tutelage with my professors, my subsequent degree has gone to prove that some of what's said in a workshop (mostly by students) is just literary doublespeak, political correctness gone artsy-fartsy, that time and distance from it helps to clear the head. And Debra Weinstein's book sees it reasonably clearly for a work of fiction. At its heart "A to Z" is the story of an adolescent "coming of age," a young woman disillusioned but not destroyed by her chosen vocation of poetry.

Debra Weinstein's Apprentice to the Flower Poet Z. is a clever and engaging read, one that accomplishes what others have tried and dreadfully failed at: an amusing "expose" of an evil and demanding boss. Pity poor Annabelle--a young, aspiring poet at a prestigous NY university who thinks she is the luckiest poet in the world when she lands the "dream" job of assistant to Z., a highly praised contemporary poet. Annabelle is so enthralled with Z. that she doesn't seem to mind the ridiculous demands Z. makes of her, doesn't seem to mind that so many of those demands are impossible to live up to. Annabelle finally sees the truth in Z., but not before she has been taken advantage of--the reader sees it coming long before Annabelle realizes it. Weinstein does an excellent job with this novel and her characters because, as horrible as Z. is, she has a number of redeeming qualities that make Annabelle want to remain at her job. She isn't portrayed as so ridiculously horrible that no one in their right mind would ever work for her. The story is told with much wit and humor. Weinstein does not think very highly of much of academia and her send up here is quite amusing. The prose is pretty spare, but gets her point across excellently. Enjoy.

I read such a marvelous, amusing and brilliant novel today: Apprentice to the Flower Poet Z. by Debra Weinstein. By turns morbidly then innocently funny, high wit and low, searching and cynical, finest kind indeed. And, the writing -- dear god, it's a marvel and a gift. A young under-grad poet-in-training from Long Island lucks into a fellowship in Manhattan with a highly respected poet and, dear reader, this is their story. Wow and wow. A must-read for anyone who has an interest in good novels, poetry, luscious language, insightful stories amusingly told, Manhattan, the academic milieu. My only regret on reading this book is having read it since it won't ever again be unknown ground to me. I fully expect to see this title on some of the award long and short lists for this year. This is the sort of novel I stand up for ... it's that good, and how.

A clever and wonderfully written coming-of-age story of a different sort, in which a young intellectual discovers that her idols have clay feet and more. Sexy, dishy, and very smart, this book is a delightful read. And no, I am not the author, and yes, I really read the book....