Town House

by Tish Cohen

Book Overview

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...

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0061131318
• ISBN13: 9780061131318
• Release Date: May 2007
• Publisher: Harper Perennial
• Length: 304 Pages
• Weight: 0.50 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.8" x 5.4" x 8.0"

Customer Reviews

Town House - MUST Read then see the movie

Town House is an amazing story by Toronto author Tish Cohen, whom I met in June with authors Patry Francis and Jennifer McMahon. Not only did Tish write her book in three and one half-weeks, (it WAS fully plotted - but, still - that is an amazingly fast write - even for a writer who writes, as Tish does - everywhere - (on the keyboard or on scraps of paper scrawled while grocery shopping) she soon sold Town House to Fox movies. Ridley Scott has been signed as the producer; Doug Wright as the screenwriter. Tish told me recently in an email that filming is slated to begin in Boston in January. NEWS FROM THE AUTHOR, (Tish herself!)We've had some nice film news--John Carney, who directed the much-acclaimed indie film, ONCE, has signed on to direct Town House. ONCE won at Sundance, it's a great film that's getting a lot of Oscar buzz. Tish has a fantastically creative and quirky style. That is one reason her book sold so quickly. Another reason? I have no idea. But hum a few bars for me or give me the recipe and I'll try my hand...Hmm. Maybe not. Tish is sui generis, a unique author with a unique story to tell. On to Tish's book. Admittedly, an agoraphobic herself, Tish's main character, Jack Madigan, is also agoraphobic. He lives in the house his dead, rock-star legend father, Baz Madigan, left in his will. (This fictional house and the cover of the book is a Boston Town House, the subject of the book. Once upon a time, Tish fell in love with Boston when she was here for a conference. She skipped the conference but toured Boston with its fabulous history, culture, and architecture.) Like Jack's life, the house is a once-glorious enterprise now in near ruins. Yet, Jack is still way too good looking for his own good and is fast spending the inheritance from his father's royalties. However, in Town House, like in real life, once the money runs out, it becomes time to pay the piper. Jack must negotiate his way through many characters in this fast-paced story. The bank is threatening to foreclose; the ex-wife wants to take their son to California - and a maddening girl next door keeps barging in on his life. Then there is the matter of the real estate agent. So Jack turns to his ingenuity to save his mortgage, his sanity and his son. And to venture out into the real world beyond his front door. This is a comic read in the best sense - zany characters who seem too nutsy to be real and yet they are characters you recognize as your own neighbors (or, possibly as yourself). * * * Excerpt: This is from the Prologue: "The pills clung to the bottom of Baz's dry tongue like barnacles. He held his breath, waiting for the nurse's tyrannical bosom to swing away and lead her downstairs, toward the street where her teenage son was waiting, or honking rather, in his shiny new '78 Pinto. "Swallow," said the nurse, narrowing her eyes. He opened his mouth to show his empty tongue. "Were you always this bossy?" One of the pills struck the un

GREAT CHARACTERS, RIVETING PLOT

You may never have had a panic attack like the ones that plague Jack Madigan, or found comfort by pretending to be a dog like Lucinda, the wise little girl who saves his soul in some important way, but you will feel as if you did when you read TOWN HOUSE. That's how powerfully these characters are drawn. Read this novel because it is hilarious and unique; but more importantly, read it because underneath its quirky humor, it is poignant and true. WARNING: It may also make you long desperately to live in a town house on Beacon Hill.

Not Just an Ordinary Town House

This book is hilarious! I could not stop laughing throughout the book. I definitely recommend it to everyone! Enjoy!

I wish I hadn't finished it so I could still be reading it!

Town House was such a great read...I had to use all my willpower to not read it in one sitting, and still it was done in three days! Tish Cohen's characters were all so wonderfully quirky - she really gave them each a unique voice, something other authors often fall short of. Now that I'm done with the book, I find myself missing the characters and wishing there was some kind of sequel I could pick up now. This really is a great novel that I think speaks to all audiences - Tish Cohen beautifully captured the anxiety, ambivalence, and inner struggles of a main character that we can all empathize with.

A definite must read

Awesome! A great book! I just turned the last page and am ready to flip to cover and start over again. Tish Cohen's book, Town House, is one of the best books I have read in a very long time. The characters are hilarious, endearing, and real. Town House is an amusing, sensitive, frank look at one man's struggle with the harsh realities of life, yet the entire time I was reading I felt uplifted, encouraged, and completely entertained. The characters Cohen created came to life for me, and I looked forward to spending time with them every day. This is one of those rare books that left me sad when I finished because I won't being seeing my friends anymore...well, at least not until the movie comes out - I can't wait. Any fan of John Irving's or Anne Tyler's will quickly become a fan of Tish Cohen's! This is a must read.