Waiting on Wednesday: Manicpixiedreamgirl by Tom Leveen

April 17, 2013 / 18 Comments / Book Memes, Uncategorized, Waiting on Wednesday

“Waiting On Wednesday” is a weekly meme hosted by Breaking the Spine that spotlights upcoming releases that book bloggers are eagerly anticipating.

This week’s WoW pick is one of those “I-just-heard-about-this-last-week-and-it’s-coming-out-this-week-what?!?!” books. 

Publisher: Random House Children’s Books
Expected publication date: April 23rd 2013

Sometimes the most dramatic scenes in a high school theater club are the ones that happen between the actors and crew off stage.

Seventeen-year-old Tyler Darcy’s dream of being a writer is starting to feel very real now that he’s sold his first short story to a literary journal. He should be celebrating its publication with his two best friends who’ve always had his back, but on this night, a steady stream of texts from his girlfriend Sidney keep intruding. So do the memories of his dream girl, Becky, who’s been on his mind a little too much since the first day of high school. Before the night is over, Ty might just find the nerve to stop all the obsessing and finally take action.

Guys, I’m kind of obsessed with the whole idea of the Manic Pixie Dream Girl – that girl who is so perfectly cute and funny and quirky and conveniently available and basically serves the purpose of helping the brooding male hero on his way and making him see the happiness in the world. Classic examples include Natalie Portman’s character in Garden State, Clementine in Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, Alaska in John Green’s Looking for Alaska (at least in Miles’ mind), Daisy Miller from Henry James’ eponymous short story, and pretty much all of Zooey Deschanel’s characters. 
I’ve loved each and every one of the MPDGs that I’ve seen in movies, books, etc, and I feel like it’s a trope that is seen negatively but can be played with and subverted. I’m a supporter of MPDGs because I don’t think they’re just stock characters, and I think it says so much about how we view women and how female characters are created to think they are there just to help men on their way. John Green, in particular, loves to subvert this trope, and maybe that’s why I like his books so much. 
Anyway. Point being, I feel like this book is going to play with this trope, and I’m interested because it can be taken so negatively and positively I feel like even naming the book Manicpixiedreamgirl is such a big thing, so I’m very curious to see how author Tom Leveen treats the trope. 
Also, I love high school theatre. And high school writing. And the premise! Yay!

Have you heard of MANICPIXIEDREAMGIRL? Are you excited for it? Do you know the MPDG trope and what do you think of it? Let me know in the comments!

Related posts:

Default ThumbnailWaiting on Wednesday: Starry Nights by Daisy Whitney Default ThumbnailWaiting on Wednesday: The Grass is Always Greener by Jen Calonita Default ThumbnailWaiting on Wednesday: This is What Happy Looks Like by Jennifer E. Smith Default ThumbnailWaiting on Wednesday: The Theory of Everything by Kari Luna
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18 responses to “Waiting on Wednesday: Manicpixiedreamgirl by Tom Leveen”

  2. Martina Koleva

    I haven't heard of this one before but I'll thing about reading it when it comes out. I don't see myself buying the book anytime soon but if I get the chance I might read it… I hope you enjoy reading it when it comes out.
    Come check out my WOW post.

    Reply
  9. Lizzy

    I haven't heard of this one before, but I am familiar with the trope of MPDG. This one does sound interesting, I'll have to check it out. Great pick 🙂

    Reply
  14. Jaime Lester

    Not a crazy fan of the cover, but I am a huge crazy fan of the title. Thankfully, that would be enough to get me to look at this book twice. And then again and again until I finally get the chance to read it. And I agree that this trope doesn't have to be viewed negatively. I think, if done right, turned on its head so to speak, it can be a genuinely positive thing. We shall see how it turns out in this one!

    Reply

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