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I Love You, Beth Cooper by Larry Doyle — book cover

I Love You, Beth Cooper

by Larry Doyle
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Overview

Denis Cooverman wanted to say something really important in his high school graduation speech. So, in front of his 512 classmates and their 3,000 relatives, he announced: "I love you, Beth Cooper."

It would have been such a sweet, romantic moment. Except that Beth, the head cheerleader, has only the vaguest idea who Denis is. And Denis, the captain of the debate team, is so far out of her league he is barely even the same species. And then there's Kevin, Beth's remarkably large boyfriend, who's in town on furlough from the United States Army. Complications ensue.

Synopsis

Denis Cooverman wanted to say something really important in his high school graduation speech. So, in front of his 512 classmates and their 3,000 relatives, he announced: "I love you, Beth Cooper." It would have been such a sweet, romantic moment. Except that Beth, the head cheerleader, has only the vaguest idea who Denis is. And Denis, the captain of the debate team, is so far out of her league he is barely even the same species. And then there's Kevin, Beth's remarkably large boyfriend, who's in town on furlough from the United States Army. Complications ensue.

Publishers Weekly

Former TV writer and magazine editor Doyle frenetically chronicles in his debut a long night of goofy teenage antics. After concluding he has nothing to lose, geekazoid valedictorian Denis Cooverman declares, during his graduation speech, his love for Beth Cooper, the way hot chief cheerleader. He is amazed to discover Beth is not completely repulsed by his feelings for her, although her army boyfriend, Kevin, is enraged. Beth, implausibly, later shows up at Denis's graduation party with two interchangeable sidekicks, Cammy and Treece. The party comprises exactly two guests, Denis (aka "The Coove") and his possibly gay best friend, Rich. Once Denis and Rich recover from the shock of being in the presence of pretty girls, they attempt to party, but the awkward celebration is cut short when Kevin arrives with his bruiser friends. Denis and Co. make their first of what will be several escapes, the circumstances of each providing Denis with evidence that Beth isn't the flawless goddess he'd imagined her to be. Overly rapid pacing, unlikely turns of events and quirky, funny dialogue reveal Doyle's TV roots (he has written for The Simpsonsand Beavis and Butt-head). Doyle wrings from his typecast crew just enough teenage agony and ecstasy to keep readers interested. (May)

Copyright 2007 Reed Business Information

About the Author, Larry Doyle

Larry Doyle, a former writer for The Simpsons, works in showbiz and writes somewhat funny things for the New Yorker. He is the author of I Love You, Beth Cooper, which won the 2008 Thurber Prize for American Humor and was made into a motion picture.

Reviews

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Editorials

John Searles

"…this book is laugh-out-loud funny…"

New York Magazine

"…the book is great... dark, absurdist, insanely funny send-up of a John Hughes movie…Buy it."

E! Online

"…hilarious high school romp... never ceases to charm...unlike, say, PE."

Blogs - Houston Press

"A smart, incredibly funny pastiche…Doyle’s writing is fast-paced and full of self-aware nods to the audience."

Dave Barry

"If this book doesn’t make you laugh out loud, something is wrong with you."

Tom Perrotta

"...an instant classic, right up there with great end-of-school landmarks like American Graffiti and Dazed and Confused."

Kurt Andersen

"Larry Doyle has created a perfect literary hot fudge sundae: sweet, naughty, delicious, irresistible."

David Schickler

"...a one-night-only joyride through Larry Doyle’s brilliant sense of humor."

Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

"I have never laughed as consistently hard with (or at) anything as I did with this book…"

New York Press

"Doyle [injects] his own brand of insightful, engaging humor and convincingly recreates the high school experience..."

E! Online - Cool Stuff

“…hilarious high school romp... never ceases to charm...unlike, say, PE.”

Daily Candy Los Angeles

"It’s all outlandish fun, but what do you expect from a former Simpsons writer?"

Booklist

"…outrageously funny novel… "

New York Times Book Review

"Larry Doyle…gives a 21st-century gloss to this familiar tale… wickedly funny…"

Esquire

"...hilarious..."

Indianapolis Star

"This funny, hopeful novel is like a John Hughes movie in book form."

Weekly Standard

"...a demonstration of the power of good comic writing…"

New York magazine

“…the book is great... dark, absurdist, insanely funny send-up of a John Hughes movie…Buy it.”

Buffalo News

"Hip and hysterical...a fun, teen coming-of-age story."

Rocky Mountain News

"…hilarious coming-of-age novel…"

USA Today

"I Love You, Beth Cooper…made B&N fiction buyer Sessalee Hensley ‘laugh-snort through my nose.’"

Salt Lake City Tribune

"...darn funny."

Entertainment Weekly

"Doyle’s hilarious debut novel [moves] at a clip but never forgets that humor needs heart, too." Grade: A

Houston Press - Blogs

“A smart, incredibly funny pastiche…Doyle’s writing is fast-paced and full of self-aware nods to the audience.”

Vanity Fair

"In the flagrantly funny I Love You, Beth Cooper, Larry Doyle gives the coming-of-age novel a swirly."

Blueprint Magazine

"Hilarious, suspenseful, and a little good-kind-of-sad, the novel is a mashup of John Hughes movies.

Time Out Chicago

One of the "best comedy books of the summer."

Cleveland Plain Dealer

"...a romp, a goof, a wedgie to the coming-of-age novel... the book is blessed release."

Newsweek

"Fresh, sweet, seriously funny."

Publishers Weekly

Former TV writer and magazine editor Doyle frenetically chronicles in his debut a long night of goofy teenage antics. After concluding he has nothing to lose, geekazoid valedictorian Denis Cooverman declares, during his graduation speech, his love for Beth Cooper, the way hot chief cheerleader. He is amazed to discover Beth is not completely repulsed by his feelings for her, although her army boyfriend, Kevin, is enraged. Beth, implausibly, later shows up at Denis's graduation party with two interchangeable sidekicks, Cammy and Treece. The party comprises exactly two guests, Denis (aka "The Coove") and his possibly gay best friend, Rich. Once Denis and Rich recover from the shock of being in the presence of pretty girls, they attempt to party, but the awkward celebration is cut short when Kevin arrives with his bruiser friends. Denis and Co. make their first of what will be several escapes, the circumstances of each providing Denis with evidence that Beth isn't the flawless goddess he'd imagined her to be. Overly rapid pacing, unlikely turns of events and quirky, funny dialogue reveal Doyle's TV roots (he has written for The Simpsonsand Beavis and Butt-head). Doyle wrings from his typecast crew just enough teenage agony and ecstasy to keep readers interested. (May)

Copyright 2007 Reed Business Information

Kirkus Reviews

A former scribe for Beavis and Butt-Head and The Simpsons humorously addresses the agony and ecstasy of adolescence. It's high-school hell, where jocks and geeks alike guzzle "diet vanilla cherry lime kiwi coke," scan car radios for tunes by "Jakob Dylan's dad" and cheer at the senior variety show when "the Sullen Girl sang, wringing fresh bitterness from the already alkaline lyrics." Doyle has the scene down cold. Coldest (and best) is his wince-inducing master creation, ultra-nerd Denis Cooverman. Best pals with maybe-gay vintage-movie-addled Rich Munsch (at Buffalo Grove High, they're called "Penis and Dick Munch"), Denis is the Star Wars-loving debate-team captain valedictorian who delivers a revolutionary graduation-night speech: Shockingly and suicidally, he outs classmates for their eating disorders, bullying, zero self-esteem and sexual abuse at the hands of relatives. Knees trembling, he adds his own confession: "I love you, Beth Cooper!"-pretty, pouty Lolita, cheerleader in excelsis. Then red with shame and bravado, he invites her to a party at his house, where his mom, indulging him, this time opts not for such organic treats as "croque-tofu, like grilled cheese only terrible" but a groaning board of "Triple Minty M&M's" and "Quatro Formaggy Cheetos." Miracle of miracles, Beth actually shows up, accompanied by two Lolitettes. Thus begins the most memorable night of Cooverman's life, a nadir/zenith during which he flees from Beth's Army Man boyfriend, finagles illegal booze, rides through the night like a mad romantic from a Meatloaf video and ends up making out. The plot, a pell-mell contrivance, isn't so much the point as is the hormones and humiliation of life in TeenageWasteland.

Entertainment Weekly - The Must List

“…this side-splitting novel of adolescence is a classic teen movie waiting to be made.”

Book Details

Published
April 1, 2008
Publisher
HarperCollins Publishers
Pages
304
Format
Paperback
ISBN
9780061236181

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