In one week, Karen Carmody, 30, manages to lose both her job and sublet. She's unemployed, broke, and homeless. As with every era, heartless landlords and high rents rule in 1980s Manhattan, landing Karen in The Arcadia, a "Home for Young Ladies" - never mind that most of its occupants are in their second or third youth.
Among its many eccentricities, The Arcadia is run by The Army of Light and thus off-limits to males - so why has Karen's secretive roommate, Martha, crammed a teenage boy into their tiny room? And speaking of males, there's stockbroker and sexy Jury Duty pal Mark Pitofsky to consider. Now that she's hit rock bottom, things can only go up for Karen. Right?
PRAISE FOR THE LAST ROOM IN MANHATTAN
"A fine, funny, and moving story about bright, hip, but unambitious Karen Carmody, a young woman searching for direction, meaning, an apartment and love in a dead-on depiction of the contemporary urban landscape. Karen is the sort of marginal character Tama Janowitz writes about, but Lawrence handles the material more honestly, less superficially, without the romantic sheen. Karen is immensely likeable, and her life altogether real." -Kirkus Reviews
"An offbeat adventure about women living on the edge in an unforgiving city. The author captures the emotional state of near homelessness, when the fear that one is approaching the border can still be kept at bay by a Visa card, though it may be an expired Visa card. Lawrence gives the best, most succinct reason why people want a piece of New York so much, why they stay when they come, despite the odds 'I like what can happen in the city.'" -New York Times Book Review
"Caustic humor...wit and sensitivity. What differentiates [Lawrence's] writing is her ability to bring warmth into her reminiscences besides just humor-a nutty, but charming 1980's love affair blossoms...Halfway between reality and fairy tale, this contemporary novel will delight urban singles and suburban dreamers." -Library Journal
"Lawrence displays a sure hand in her witty, gritty depiction of down-and-out life in contemporary Manhattan...The reader comes to an understanding of Karen's prickly, impetuous, and embattled nature. The author's lively humor, keen observation, gift for dialogue and ability to arouse compassion are strong."-Publisher's Weekly
"This book is really a hilarious, but insightful and deep example of contemporary fiction. I was laughing through most of it... a delightful group of characters...full beings that enrich the reader and make this book an excellent choice."-The Vermont Standard
"[Lawrence's] story rings true; her characters have flesh on their bones. They are people you can believe exist. Their world certainly does, and Lawrence has hit home with her book about them."-The Dayton Daily News"
"The Last Room in Manhattan gives us the frantic, frustrating, grabbing-for-straws lifestyle of a young, upwardly mobile career woman who has just been knocked off her career ladder... her youth, wit and ever-hopeful attitude serve her well. A Manhattan without flash or glamour...an interesting story of people who live on the edge."-Chattanooga News Free Press
ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
Kathleen Rockwell Lawrence is the author of three books - her two novels Maud Gone and The Last Room in Manhattan and The Boys I Didn't Kiss, a collection of her essays, several of which appeared in The New York Times, Ms., Glamour, Salon, Vogue, and The Antioch Review, among others. She is grateful for her residencies at Yaddo, MacDowell, Bread Loaf, and Ragdale. She has taught at Hunter College High School and The City University of New York. Lawrence is a member of PEN America, The Authors Guild, and The Writers Room, where she is currently working on a new novel.
