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Good reading copy. No writing or highlights. Corner, edge and cover wear. General wear from storage, use and handling. Spine is sturdy. Sticker on the back. Solid copy. 100% Satisfaction Guaranteed and Shipped by Amazon. Good reading copy. No writing or highlights. Corner, edge and cover wear. General wear from storage, use and handling. Spine is sturdy. Sticker on the back. Solid copy. 100% Satisfaction Guaranteed and Shipped by Amazon. See less
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Social Creature: A Novel Paperback – June 18, 2019


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One of the Best Books of the Year:
Janet Maslin,
The New York Times
Vulture
NPR

"
Social Creature is a wicked original with echoes of the greats (Patricia Highsmith, Gillian Flynn)." —Janet Maslin, The New York Times

For readers of Gillian Flynn and Donna Tartt, a dark, propulsive and addictive debut thriller, splashed with all the glitz and glitter of New York City.

They go through both bottles of champagne right there on the High Line, with nothing but the stars over them... They drink and Lavinia tells Louise about all the places they will go together, when they finish their stories, when they are both great writers-to Paris and to Rome and to Trieste...

Lavinia will never go. She is going to die soon.

Louise has nothing. Lavinia has everything. After a chance encounter, the two spiral into an intimate, intense, and possibly toxic friendship. A
Talented Mr. Ripley for the digital age, this seductive story takes a classic tale of obsession and makes it irresistibly new.
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Editorial Reviews

Review

The New York Times, "17 Refreshing Books to Read This Summer"
Vulture, "18 Books We Can't Wait to Read This Summer"
Refinery29, "Brilliant Books to Bring to the Beach This Summer"
O: The Oprah Magazine, "Top Books of Summer"
People, "The Best New Books"
New York Post, "The 20 Best Reads for Your Summer Break"
Popsugar, "Best New Books for June"
Brit + Co, "12 Page-Turning New Books to Read in June"


"Diabolical...A wicked original with echoes of the greats (Patricia Highsmith, Gillian Flynn)."
—Janet Maslin, The New York Times 

"Sharp as a shard of broken mirror...a formidable burlesque by Tara Isabella Burton.  Her obvious model is Patricia Highsmith's Tom Ripley [but] Burton's tale has a great deal to say about the very tangible conventions of our time.  Its superb dialogue and cutting sense of humor help it glide irresistibly toward the unnerving moment when Louise has to decide whether to kill again."
New York Times Book Review

“What would Patricia Highsmith have made of today’s socialites with their squad goals and weaponized Instagrams? Probably a fictional stew of envy, tension, and mystery like the one Burton stirs together, crafting a story at once familiar and fresh, summery and shadowy.”
—Vulture

"Edgy and hypnotic."
People

"Dark, stylish...Burton's exceptional character work further elevates the tale; every individual is both victim and villain, imbuing their interactions with oceans of emotional subtext and creating conflict that propels the book toward its shocking yet inevitale conclusion...At once a thrilling and provocative crime novel, a devastating exploration of female insecurity, and a scathing indictment of society's obsession with social media."
Kirkus *starred review*

"Fans of the cult classic Poison Ivy will appreciate the mousy girl-wild girl dynamic on display in Burton's fiendishly clever debut...An ingenious dark thrille rin the Patricia Highsmith Tom Ripley mode...This devious, satisfying novel perfectly captures a very narrow slice of the Manhattan demimonde."
Publishers Weekly *starred review*

"Last summer, you read Jessica Knoll's Luckiest Girl Alive. You relish bad-girl thrillers fueled by toxic friendship, bad choices and exclusive parties. This summer, try Social Creature...Deliciously dark...Glorious fun."
BookPage

"This fast-paced, stylish, dialogue- and character-driven debut...will definitvely ensnare readers. Diabolically playing on what we think we know about others and what we reveal about ourselves in the social-media age, it will give readers the creeps, too."
Booklist

"Pulsing energy, polished language, perfectly drawn characters."
Library Journal

“A Talented Mr. Ripley for the social media age.”
New York Post

"Burton has a gift for crafting suspenseful scenes while giving Louise and Lavinia each a fully formed inner life that makes them unforgettable."
—Stylecaster

"Social Creature is getting comparisons to novels like Gone Girl for good reason. The gritty thriller mixes the glitz and glamour of NYC with the darkness of murder, jealousy, and a lethal friendship between two young women."
—Popsugar

"This book is dark and disturbing, but totally compelling. I've never loved such unlikeable characters more."
—HelloGiggles

"Party Monster meets The Talented Mr. Ripley...Mysterious and addictive."
Fodors, "The 22 Best Books to Read on Your Summer Vacation"

"One of the most darkly shimmering books I've read this summer."
Constance Grady, Vox

"I inhaled
Social Creature, which is like if Gossip Girl did a whole season in the mode of The Talented Mr. Ripley."
 
Emily Temple, LitHub

"A psychological thriller that echoes and updates Patricia Highsmith, with Burton using ever-present social media as an ingenious plot device."
—BBC, "10 Books to Read in June"

“A lot of books claim the mantle of Patricia Highsmith’s Ripley series, but this book actually delivers…Based on reactions so far, it could easily prove to be the breakaway hit of the summer, and is perfect vacation reading.”
Nashville Tennessean

"A tale of wicked obsession...chilling...demands to be binge-read."
—Brit + Co

"Exactly the kind of book you have been looking for this summer (and every summer for that matter): a twisty, glamorous, hard-as-nails-but-also-polished game of murder and identity...Feels like some unholy matrimony between Fitzgerald and Highsmith."
—BrightestYoungThings.com

“Burton creates a tense world of escalating artifice that is choked with ambition and FOMO. The result is a pleasurable blend of anxiety and thrill that deepens with each new instance of narcissistic cruelty.
Social Creature is a millennial update to Ripley, in a digital world where identity is even more porous and easily hijacked, and the fun of watching selves be invented is matched by the nastiness with which they are destroyed.” 
—Caite Dolan-Leach, author of Dead Letters

“I read
Social Creature in one breathless rush. It’s a wild nightmarish ride through a New York City of decadence and broken dreams, faking it and f*cking up, love and lies and more lies. This is the missing link between Bret Easton Ellis and The Secret History.”
 —Emma Flint, author of Bailey Prize longlisted Little Deaths

“Devious and decadent. I couldn’t put it down.”
—Courtney Maum, author of Touch and I Am Having So Much Fun Here Without You

“Glittering, breathless, and precise---
Social Creature fearlessly explores identity in the modern world through a dangerous and magnetic friendship. Tara Isabella Burton’s prose is electrifying, her characters dazzlingly bright. This novel will consume you.”
—Danya Kukafka, bestselling author of Girl in Snow

“A mesmerizing and beautifully lyrical debut about sexuality, identity, envy, confusion, and the creepy ways in which we swallow one another in attempt to become ourselves.”
— Swan Huntley, author of The Goddesses and We Could Be Beautiful

“A compulsively readable, razor sharp novel for the social media age. Edith Wharton meets Patricia Highsmith.”
— Carol Goodman, bestselling author of The Lake of Dead Languages and The Widow’s House

“Unflinching, cool, brutal. This book will make you its accomplice. You’ll go willingly.”
— Georgia Clark, author of The Regulars

"Lavis and wild and bohemian, Social Creature swept me up in its spell, spun me round the streets of New York and left me wanting moore. This book is ALL THAT JAZZ and then some."
—Ali Land, author of Good Me, Bad Me

"One of those rare literary thrillers that doesn't sacrifice one element for the other. It's fresh, fearless and exciting."
—Amy Lloyd, author of The Innocent Wife

About the Author

TARA ISABELLA BURTON is a writer of fiction and non-fiction. Winner of the Shiva Naipaul Memorial Prize for Travel Writing, she completed her doctorate in 19th century French literature and theology at the University of Oxford and is a prodigious travel writer, short story writer and essayist for National Geographic, The Wall Street Journal, The Economist's 1843 and more. She is the former Religion Correspondent for Vox, lives in New York, and divides her time between the Upper East Side and Tbilisi, Georgia.

Product details

  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Anchor; Reprint edition (June 18, 2019)
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Paperback ‏ : ‎ 288 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0525436413
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0525436416
  • Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 10.4 ounces
  • Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 5.1 x 0.8 x 7.9 inches

About the author

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Tara Isabella Burton
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TARA ISABELLA BURTON is a writer of fiction and non-fiction. Winner of the

Shiva Naipaul Memorial Prize for Travel Writing, she completed her doctorate in 19th century French literature and theology at the University of Oxford and is a prodigious travel writer, short story writer and essayist for National Geographic, The Wall Street Journal, The Economist's 1843 and more. She currently works for Vox as their Religion Correspondent, lives in New York, and divides her time between the Upper East Side and Tbilisi, Georgia. She is also at work on a nonfiction book on cults. Her first novel, Social Creature, is forthcoming from Doubleday in June.

Customer reviews

3.8 out of 5 stars
1,078 global ratings

Customers say

Customers find the pacing fast and engrossing. They also describe the concept as fantastic and purposeful. Opinions are mixed on the storytelling style, readability, and writing style. Some find the story good and suspenseful, while others say it's flawed and implausible. Readers disagree on the character development, with some finding them well-developed and likeable, while others say they're poorly drawn and one-dimensional.

AI-generated from the text of customer reviews

7 customers mention "Pacing"7 positive0 negative

Customers find the book fast-paced, gripping, and engrossing. They say it keeps them interested enough to finish.

"Well, it kept me interested enough to finish, but the last 30 pages or so were a slog because by then the book had crossed a line in absurdity...." Read more

"...Yes, it is gripping, fast-paced, and pretty much impossible to put down once started; but Social Creature is anything but light...." Read more

"I really enjoyed this book! It was a fast read because it’s hard to put down. The main characters are well developed and so flawed...." Read more

"...a book is both brilliantly and elegantly written, but also a quick and engrossing read. I read most of it in one sitting flying coast to coast...." Read more

4 customers mention "Concept"4 positive0 negative

Customers find the concept fantastic, original, and fascinating. They also say the writing style is clear and purposeful.

"...The concept is fantastic, if not original. The Talented Mr. Ripley in the age of social media...." Read more

"...This is a crazy, fascinating, disturbing, can't-bear-to-put-it-down novel, and I highly recommend it...." Read more

"...directly to you via a disjointed style of writing that is clearly purposeful and a genius way to get under your skin while building up an..." Read more

"...How did that ending get past an editor? The idea is interesting and it kept me guessing, but that ending...." Read more

35 customers mention "Readability"23 positive12 negative

Customers have mixed opinions about the readability of the book. Some mention it's enjoyable, awesome, and holds their interest. Others say it's terrible, repulsive, boring, and not clever.

"...How far will good intentions take us? This book was phenomenal! I devoured it quickly...." Read more

"...There is not a high note and debrief, but a crescendo in this book. It's fun, and even talking about the characters or the atmosphere feels like it..." Read more

"...Sure hope that doesn't happen. It's a bad book and would be a much worse movie." Read more

"...The narrative style is refreshingly unique and at times joyfully manic, as if you're an in-the-know friend at one of Lavinia's parties and the..." Read more

35 customers mention "Storytelling style"23 positive12 negative

Customers have mixed opinions about the storytelling style of the book. Some mention it's good, suspenseful, and compelling. They also appreciate the excellent twists and turns. However, others find the storyline flawed and implausible.

"...Don’t let me mislead you, this is dark and suspenseful book. A book about consequences and explores how manipulative social media can be...." Read more

"...along with classical literary and arts references but the story comes up empty and hollow...." Read more

"...off-putting, but other than that, Social Creature is a low-burning psychological thriller filled with unlikable characters you want to see knocked..." Read more

"...to say that I did enjoy this book solely on the fact that it was very suspenseful and because of that, I was able to move through it very quickly...." Read more

21 customers mention "Writing style"14 positive7 negative

Customers have mixed opinions about the writing style of the book. Some mention it's fabulous and talented, while others say it's cheap language with the "F" dropped too frequently. They also say the book reads like a reality TV show and is not enjoyable to read.

"...It’s writing is whimsical, raw, and blunt. Thank you to NetGalley and Doubleday for providing an ARC of this magnificent novel...." Read more

"...Unique writing style. Creepy yet completely believable...." Read more

"...The writing style is much too self conscious, and the writer has a fascination with putting “so” before adverbs: “she exhales so slowly” “she tries,..." Read more

"...fun watching the relationship develop between the two women and enjoyed the writing...." Read more

13 customers mention "Character development"4 positive9 negative

Customers have mixed opinions about the character development. Some mention the main characters are well-developed, while others say they're not very likable. Readers also mention the book is terrible and follows a shallow and one-dimensional main character.

"...Lavinia was also not a very likeable character but, I just HAD to know what happened to her and Louise." Read more

"...It sinks under the weight of cartoonish emotions and equally flat characters...." Read more

"...It was a fast read because it’s hard to put down. The main characters are well developed and so flawed...." Read more

"This book is terrible. It follows a shallow and one dimensional main character through the same 5 scenes..." Read more

4 customers mention "Racy content"0 positive4 negative

Customers find the content racy, pretentious, and overdone. They also say the language is crude and cheap.

"...Warning 2: Not YA/for teens - way too racy & dark." Read more

"...I did not like the writing style at all (too cute and wry)...." Read more

"...A bit pretentious and over the top." Read more

"Crude, cheap language. Talented Mr. Ripley poorly copied...." Read more

Friendship vs Consequences
5 out of 5 stars
Friendship vs Consequences
Louise is your introvert who has moved to New York City in an effort to chase her dreams. She gets by by writing for GlaZam , SAT tutoring, and being a barista. Louise’s story is one we’ve all heard before, reminiscent of HBO’s “Girls.” Louise’s life soon transforms when she is introduced to her new SAT tutoring client, Cordelia, sister of socialite-ex-actress-writer-on-sabbatical-free-spirited-whimsical-nomadic Lavinia. Lavinia hasn’t a care in the world, to her, life is one big party you simply must live to the fullest. A friendship blossoms between Louise and Lavinia, the girls become inseparable. Lavinia introduces Louise to a life of absolute splendor, decadent parties every night, the most eclectic friends, operas, and sneaking in to New York’s landmarks. For Louise, this life is a fairytale, something she would likely never experienced on her own. Lavinia seems to have it all, a life of luxury and glam, but don’t let that fool you. Lavinia will go to extreme measures in an effort to not be alone. Soon, since they spend so much time together already, why not move in together. Louise doesn’t flinch at the prospect of free-rent. But don’t get too attached to Lavinia, she dies soon. At a party Louise meets Rex, a person she finally connects with and feels she actually belongs, rather than being a fly on the wall of Lavinia’s life. Come to find out, Rex is actually Lavinia’s first love who then, clearly becomes forbidden fruit. If there’s an anthem for this book, it’s Lana del Rey’s “This is What Makes Us Girls.” Don’t let me mislead you, this is dark and suspenseful book. A book about consequences and explores how manipulative social media can be. How far will we go to conceal the things we’ve done? How far will good intentions take us? This book was phenomenal! I devoured it quickly. I’m not usually interested in modern novels with the mention of social media and modern life in New York City, but this book is an exception. It’s writing is whimsical, raw, and blunt. Thank you to NetGalley and Doubleday for providing an ARC of this magnificent novel. Thank you Tara Isabella Burton for crafting a story that’s captivating and brilliant in every way.
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Top reviews from the United States

Reviewed in the United States on June 5, 2018
Louise is your introvert who has moved to New York City in an effort to chase her dreams. She gets by by writing for GlaZam , SAT tutoring, and being a barista. Louise’s story is one we’ve all heard before, reminiscent of HBO’s “Girls.” Louise’s life soon transforms when she is introduced to her new SAT tutoring client, Cordelia, sister of socialite-ex-actress-writer-on-sabbatical-free-spirited-whimsical-nomadic Lavinia. Lavinia hasn’t a care in the world, to her, life is one big party you simply must live to the fullest.
A friendship blossoms between Louise and Lavinia, the girls become inseparable. Lavinia introduces Louise to a life of absolute splendor, decadent parties every night, the most eclectic friends, operas, and sneaking in to New York’s landmarks. For Louise, this life is a fairytale, something she would likely never experienced on her own. Lavinia seems to have it all, a life of luxury and glam, but don’t let that fool you. Lavinia will go to extreme measures in an effort to not be alone. Soon, since they spend so much time together already, why not move in together. Louise doesn’t flinch at the prospect of free-rent. But don’t get too attached to Lavinia, she dies soon.
At a party Louise meets Rex, a person she finally connects with and feels she actually belongs, rather than being a fly on the wall of Lavinia’s life. Come to find out, Rex is actually Lavinia’s first love who then, clearly becomes forbidden fruit.
If there’s an anthem for this book, it’s Lana del Rey’s “This is What Makes Us Girls.” Don’t let me mislead you, this is dark and suspenseful book. A book about consequences and explores how manipulative social media can be. How far will we go to conceal the things we’ve done? How far will good intentions take us?
This book was phenomenal! I devoured it quickly. I’m not usually interested in modern novels with the mention of social media and modern life in New York City, but this book is an exception. It’s writing is whimsical, raw, and blunt.
Thank you to NetGalley and Doubleday for providing an ARC of this magnificent novel. Thank you Tara Isabella Burton for crafting a story that’s captivating and brilliant in every way.
Customer image
5.0 out of 5 stars Friendship vs Consequences
Reviewed in the United States on June 5, 2018
Louise is your introvert who has moved to New York City in an effort to chase her dreams. She gets by by writing for GlaZam , SAT tutoring, and being a barista. Louise’s story is one we’ve all heard before, reminiscent of HBO’s “Girls.” Louise’s life soon transforms when she is introduced to her new SAT tutoring client, Cordelia, sister of socialite-ex-actress-writer-on-sabbatical-free-spirited-whimsical-nomadic Lavinia. Lavinia hasn’t a care in the world, to her, life is one big party you simply must live to the fullest.
A friendship blossoms between Louise and Lavinia, the girls become inseparable. Lavinia introduces Louise to a life of absolute splendor, decadent parties every night, the most eclectic friends, operas, and sneaking in to New York’s landmarks. For Louise, this life is a fairytale, something she would likely never experienced on her own. Lavinia seems to have it all, a life of luxury and glam, but don’t let that fool you. Lavinia will go to extreme measures in an effort to not be alone. Soon, since they spend so much time together already, why not move in together. Louise doesn’t flinch at the prospect of free-rent. But don’t get too attached to Lavinia, she dies soon.
At a party Louise meets Rex, a person she finally connects with and feels she actually belongs, rather than being a fly on the wall of Lavinia’s life. Come to find out, Rex is actually Lavinia’s first love who then, clearly becomes forbidden fruit.
If there’s an anthem for this book, it’s Lana del Rey’s “This is What Makes Us Girls.” Don’t let me mislead you, this is dark and suspenseful book. A book about consequences and explores how manipulative social media can be. How far will we go to conceal the things we’ve done? How far will good intentions take us?
This book was phenomenal! I devoured it quickly. I’m not usually interested in modern novels with the mention of social media and modern life in New York City, but this book is an exception. It’s writing is whimsical, raw, and blunt.
Thank you to NetGalley and Doubleday for providing an ARC of this magnificent novel. Thank you Tara Isabella Burton for crafting a story that’s captivating and brilliant in every way.
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12 people found this helpful
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Reviewed in the United States on June 12, 2018
The TALENTED MR. RIPLEY meets girls gone wild on Instagram. This is Tara Isabella Burton’s psychological thriller SOCIAL CREATURE. Lonely, little Louise is working her tail off as an SAT tutor, a barista, and writer at a fashion zine, and all the while hiding something from her past. Going out on the weekends is not in her thing, nor is going out in general, until she meets luscious, lascivious, Lavinia, whose sister she is asked to tutor one evening, which turns into an all-nighter. The likes of which she has never seen. Taken under Lavinia’s flowy vintage clad wing, a clubbing the two waifs will go.

What the night has in store for them is sex-filled, booze-filled, and a series of writer wannabes living off daddy because they live in Manhattan where the booze ain’t cheap and the rent is high and it sure isn’t fun to live there if you don’t have bank let alone a job.

If only Lavinia had hired a babysitter for her didn’t-need-a-tutor for her baby sister. Think before you post that pretentious selfie and self-centered hashtag, sweet Louise and Lavinia. But such is the high life in the social media stratosphere as opposed to down here on earth.

Pop open your favorite bottle of bubbly, pretend you are kicking back on the High Line, and settle in for a thrilling summer read!
5 people found this helpful
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Reviewed in the United States on June 20, 2018
Well, it kept me interested enough to finish, but the last 30 pages or so were a slog because by then the book had crossed a line in absurdity. The concept is fantastic, if not original. The Talented Mr. Ripley in the age of social media. The writing style is much too self conscious, and the writer has a fascination with putting “so” before adverbs: “she exhales so slowly” “she tries, so vainly, to shush her” “she begins to sob, so brokenly”. It was either a tic or an affectation that drove me a little crazy as it was on nearly every page. However, you can tell the writer has talent and obvious intelligence. Her talent just needs to mature. In the meantime, this is a thriller that holds your interest for the first half. It could have worked all the way through for me if the character development had been better. I can stick with a story through outlandish plot twists if i believe in the characters. I didn’t believe in these characters.
55 people found this helpful
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Top reviews from other countries

jikes
5.0 out of 5 stars a dreadful and sad wreck with no money meets a dreadful and sad wreck with too much money.
Reviewed in Canada on August 7, 2018
It was a book so i read it. Strange and disfunctional people with either too much money or not enough money meet and things don’t go well. I liked it.