Books with author Elizabeth Frogel

Twenty-five years in the making, a first novel that has already been compared to The Sun Also Rises and The Last Tycoon, Cheat and Charmer is certain to be one of the most admired literary debuts of the season. Written by Pulitzer Prize—winning biographer Elizabeth Frank, Cheat and Charmer is a masterful and richly detailed work of fiction–a Tolstoyan novel of marriage, sisterhood, art, politics, compromise, and betrayal set in Hollywood, New York, Paris, and London of the 1950s.Dinah Lasker grew up in the shadow of her sister, Veevi, a stunning beauty and emerging star who enchanted both the Hollywood set and its imported New York literati. But Veevi’s home was also a hotbed of political activity, owing to her marriage to Stefan Ventura, a Bulgarian filmmaker and high-profile Communist. At the end of the 1930s, when things go badly for him in Hollywood, Ventura and Veevi flee to Paris and into the lengthening shadows of Hitler and fascism.Cut to 1951, when Dinah is subpoenaed by the House Un-American Activities Committee, which threatens to ruin her husband, Jake, and derail his successful career as a Hollywood writer, producer, and director unless she cooperates. Can Dinah live with herself if she names Veevi–whom she both loves and loathes–in order to save her husband and preserve her idyllic married life? The choices Dinah makes set in motion an unforgettable chain of events. Like Anna Karenina, Dinah must face the consequences of her choices and her needs.Written with elegance and style, Cheat and Charmer grippingly dramatizes the interior lives of Dinah, Veevi, Jake, and their social circle. Spanning decades and following complex characters on their impassioned pursuits through America and Europe, this is a novel of grand scope, about love and deception, idealism and accommodation, the lies we live, and the truths we cannot avoid.

Charlie Girl, that lovable standard poodle and true cosmopolitan canine, is back and starring in a new adventure, one where the world as she knows it is turned upside down―a new baby is on the way! Everyone in the neighborhood leans over the baby carriage to admire little Ava while Charlie Girl, left on the side, wonders to herself what happened to her life. Yet all she wants to do is protect this new baby, sit by the crib, and make sure she's okay. How can she be jealous and at the same time so protective of baby Ava? It's instinct! The feelings shared in this tale apply to humans and dog relationships in families with new children or new puppies. Over time Charlie Girl and her baby sister find they have much in common as they end up having the time of their lives together, becoming like two peas in a pod and the loves of each others lives. A true "tail" of family love, it teaches young readers how to deal with jealousy of the attention lavished on their recently born siblings and how change can often turn out to be for the better!

Charlie Girl may be a Standard Poodle, but this lovable tale about her life in the Big Apple proves that there's nothing standard about her! Charming, inquisitive, and the life of the party, Charlie Girl takes readers on a whirlwind tour--exploring her high-rise apartment that overlooks Central Park, meeting her friends on the streets and in boutiques, and visiting all of her favorite go-to spots in NYC. The whimsical watercolor illustrations bring her character and the world around her to life. Rounding out the experience with her canine pals and the street scenes that epitomize the big city, this fanciful tale of a charismatic and confident pooch will appeal to children, dog lovers and the kid in all of us, no matter what age!

“The perfect life”. That’s what it looked like anyway. But no one knew what was really going on, no one saw past the blank stares and careless lies. But this isn’t just your ordinary ‘messed-up childhood’ story. It’s just…different. The true story of one girls journey through youth. Alone? Yes. Crazy? Sometimes. Ready to give up? Never.See the traumatic side of the truth, in the hilarious words of someone who doesn’t care what you think. Most of the time.

Twenty-five years in the making, a first novel that has already been compared to The Sun Also Rises and The Last Tycoon, Cheat and Charmer is certain to be one of the most admired literary debuts of the season. Written by Pulitzer Prize—winning biographer Elizabeth Frank, Cheat and Charmer is a masterful and richly detailed work of fiction–a Tolstoyan novel of marriage, sisterhood, art, politics, compromise, and betrayal set in Hollywood, New York, Paris, and London of the 1950s.Dinah Lasker grew up in the shadow of her sister, Veevi, a stunning beauty and emerging star who enchanted both the Hollywood set and its imported New York literati. But Veevi’s home was also a hotbed of political activity, owing to her marriage to Stefan Ventura, a Bulgarian filmmaker and high-profile Communist. At the end of the 1930s, when things go badly for him in Hollywood, Ventura and Veevi flee to Paris and into the lengthening shadows of Hitler and fascism.Cut to 1951, when Dinah is subpoenaed by the House Un-American Activities Committee, which threatens to ruin her husband, Jake, and derail his successful career as a Hollywood writer, producer, and director unless she cooperates. Can Dinah live with herself if she names Veevi–whom she both loves and loathes–in order to save her husband and preserve her idyllic married life? The choices Dinah makes set in motion an unforgettable chain of events. Like Anna Karenina, Dinah must face the consequences of her choices and her needs.Written with elegance and style, Cheat and Charmer grippingly dramatizes the interior lives of Dinah, Veevi, Jake, and their social circle. Spanning decades and following complex characters on their impassioned pursuits through America and Europe, this is a novel of grand scope, about love and deception, idealism and accommodation, the lies we live, and the truths we cannot avoid.