THE QUEEN OF THE JEWS

Dara Mandle

RIGHTS AVAILABLE:  All rights available and handled by the bks Agency

Inspired by Tom Wolfe, Edith Wharton, and Louis Auchincloss, Dara’s debut novel is set against the elite New York society of the early 1990’s. This is a coming-of-age story written in an accessible reading group style. Populated with a rich cast of characters, and a fun 90’s references, the reader will also gain a fascinating insight into the Manhattan based Jewish culture

Estee Gelman, with her blond hair and gentile features, is her parents’ ticket up. Estee is the queen of the Jews.

 A senior in an elite Manhattan high school, and headed for an ivy-league education, Estee is striving to please her parents by gaining the acceptance of the more exclusive German-Jewish set of New York. The year is 1991 where cynicism is the faith of the young, and benign neglect that of their parents.

 The Gelmans’ pervasive preoccupation with fitting in to Manhattan’s elite social circles leaves Estee feeling alone as she struggles to navigate her growth into adulthood. Her best friends Pamela and Ashley preoccupied with their own problems offer little guidance, and things go seriously wrong when Jim Morris – Pamela’s father and Wall Street macher – shows a questionable interest in Estee.

 As Estee fumbles through her last year of high school, her first love, and her growing independence – she begins to see that striving unites even the most established of players.

 A chance encounter with a faded movie star leads to a genuine friendship, the adult guidance Estee seeks, and a revelation of what adult life is really like behind the curtains.

A literary scout who read an early draft says:

 “Dara is a lovely writer. She is to be admired for her witty, clear-eyed, and beautifully observed storytelling. Dara evokes Estee’s world so well, painting it with equal parts affection and frustration, and I so enjoyed being by Estee’s side as she tries to navigate her world…”

Dara Mandle has written a novel of manners about the New York City of her youth. She still resides in Manhattan, on the Upper West Side, where she lives with her husband and two children and teaches middle-school English. She is a graduate of Yale University and Columbia University’s MFA program in creative writing.