As Cool As I Am
Encyclopedia
As Cool As I Am is a 2003
coming of age
novel by American author Pete Fromm
.
. Her relationship with her mother is easy-going provided she keeps the house tidy. Her mother's lenience even allows her daughter to drive her car, even when she is too young to apply for a license.
As Lucy turns 14, she becomes more in tune with her sexuality and her family dynamics. She develops a type of friends with benefits relationship with her best friend Kenny. She also ditches her toyboy image, embraces make-up and grows out her hair. She begins to realise that her parents marriage is not as solid as she had imagined. She realises that her father's extended stays abroad are not typical of other fathers. Furthermore she realises that her mother does not pine for her father as much as she does herself. In fact, her allegiance to her father is tested when she discovers her mother is enjoying a romance with a colleague.
She pro-actively seeks sexual satisfaction after she is left with a void when Kenny has to move away. She also begins to realise that there is more to her father's extended stays in Canada than she had previously imagined.
described the novel as "Spirited and sharply intelligent". The San Francisco Chronicle
heaped praise in the work "One of the more startling beautiful and evocative tales of young womanhood...Fromm's voice-on loan to Lucy-is provocative, gritty, erotic, hilarious and genuine, and this book is a fresh breath of teen spirit."
, with Sarah Bolger
starring as the protagonist. Claire Danes
and James Marsden
star as the parents. The film is being directed by Max Mayer, who recently directed Adam.
2003 in literature
The year 2003 in literature involved some significant events and new books.-New books:*Peter Ackroyd - The Clerkenwell Tales*Atsuko Asano - No...
coming of age
Coming of age
Coming of age is a young person's transition from childhood to adulthood. The age at which this transition takes place varies in society, as does the nature of the transition. It can be a simple legal convention or can be part of a ritual, as practiced by many societies...
novel by American author Pete Fromm
Pete Fromm
Pete Fromm is an American novelist, short story writer, and memoir writer.-Biography:Fromm was born in Shorewood, Wisconsin, and holds a B.S. in wildlife biology from the University of Montana where he graduated with honors in 1981...
.
Plot summary
The protagonist and narrator is Lucy, a self-confessed tomboy that is considered one of the guys with her masculine haircut and attitude. She gets on well with her father but is frequently separated from him for months on end when he works in CanadaCanada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
. Her relationship with her mother is easy-going provided she keeps the house tidy. Her mother's lenience even allows her daughter to drive her car, even when she is too young to apply for a license.
As Lucy turns 14, she becomes more in tune with her sexuality and her family dynamics. She develops a type of friends with benefits relationship with her best friend Kenny. She also ditches her toyboy image, embraces make-up and grows out her hair. She begins to realise that her parents marriage is not as solid as she had imagined. She realises that her father's extended stays abroad are not typical of other fathers. Furthermore she realises that her mother does not pine for her father as much as she does herself. In fact, her allegiance to her father is tested when she discovers her mother is enjoying a romance with a colleague.
She pro-actively seeks sexual satisfaction after she is left with a void when Kenny has to move away. She also begins to realise that there is more to her father's extended stays in Canada than she had previously imagined.
Reception
Publishers WeeklyPublishers Weekly
Publishers Weekly, aka PW, is an American weekly trade news magazine targeted at publishers, librarians, booksellers and literary agents...
described the novel as "Spirited and sharply intelligent". The San Francisco Chronicle
San Francisco Chronicle
thumb|right|upright|The Chronicle Building following the [[1906 San Francisco earthquake|1906 earthquake]] and fireThe San Francisco Chronicle is a newspaper serving primarily the San Francisco Bay Area of the U.S. state of California, but distributed throughout Northern and Central California,...
heaped praise in the work "One of the more startling beautiful and evocative tales of young womanhood...Fromm's voice-on loan to Lucy-is provocative, gritty, erotic, hilarious and genuine, and this book is a fresh breath of teen spirit."
Film adaptation
In May 2011, the film went into production in New MexicoNew Mexico
New Mexico is a state located in the southwest and western regions of the United States. New Mexico is also usually considered one of the Mountain States. With a population density of 16 per square mile, New Mexico is the sixth-most sparsely inhabited U.S...
, with Sarah Bolger
Sarah Bolger
Sarah Lee Bolger is an Irish actress. She is known for her role as Princess / Lady Mary Tudor on The Tudors and for her role as Mallory Grace in The Spiderwick Chronicles.-Early life:...
starring as the protagonist. Claire Danes
Claire Danes
Claire Catherine Danes is an American actress of television, stage and film. She has appeared in roles as diverse as Angela Chase in My So-Called Life, as Juliet in Baz Luhrmann's Romeo + Juliet, as Kate Brewster in Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines, as Yvaine in Stardust and as Temple Grandin in...
and James Marsden
James Marsden
James Paul Marsden is an American actor, singer and former Versace model. He is known for playing the superhero Cyclops in the first three X-Men films and for his roles in other commercially successful films such as Hop, Superman Returns, Hairspray, Enchanted, The Box, and 27 Dresses.-Early life...
star as the parents. The film is being directed by Max Mayer, who recently directed Adam.