Kargman, Jill 1974–

views updated

Kargman, Jill 1974–

PERSONAL: Born 1974, in New York, NY.

ADDRESSES: Home—New York, NY. Agent—c/o Author Mail, Broadway Books, 1745 Broadway, New York, NY 10019.

CAREER: Writer.

WRITINGS:

NOVELS

(With Carrie Karasyov) The Right Address, Broadway Books (New York, NY), 2004.

(With Carrie Karasyov) Wolves in Chic Clothing, Broadway Books (New York, NY), 2005.

Also author, with Carrie Karasyov, of screenplay Bittersweet 16. Coauthor and coproducer, with Karasyov, of film Intern; coadaptor, with Karasyov, of Auntie Claus, for Nickelodeon. Writer of programs for MTV. Contributor to periodicals, including Vogue, Harper's Bazaar, Interview, and Elle. Author of weekly column "Eye Spy" for Salon.com.

WORK IN PROGRESS: Two film projects; adapting the screenplay Bittersweet 16 into a novel.

SIDELIGHTS: Jill Kargman and frequent collaborator Carrie Karasyov were both raised on New York City's prestigious Upper East Side. Their insight into life in that exclusive world inform their novels The Right Address and Wolves in Chic Clothing. Karasyov and Kargman attended the same private schools and, after graduation, worked together on some screenplays. In The Right Address they present a comic tale of Melanie Korn, a social-climbing airline stewardess who marries an elderly billionaire whose fortune was made in the funeral business. Though her marriage brings her all the trappings of the upper-crust life, Melanie finds acceptance into high society elusive, despite her best efforts to win the approval of the old-money set. Melanie seeks advice from one of her servants on how to handle herself, as she goes to the right charity balls, lunches and gossips at the most fashionable spots, and spends lavishly on shopping sprees. The plot is "predictable," according to People reviewer Allison Lynn, and the dialogue sometimes "awkward…. Yet even with these flaws, it's impossible to resist the charms of this modern Manhattan fairy tale."

In an interview for the Random House Web site, the authors remarked: "There are several buildings in Manhattan that are considered the most elusive and prestigious addresses in New York City. The New York newspapers are constantly covering these buildings, and discussing the rituals and decisions made by the co-op boards in these various buildings—it's a topic we found fascinating. Having grown up in Manhattan, we were particularly interested in how the denizens of co-ops interact with each other, and basically how they don't interact with each other." In relating the lives of several families within the neighborhood, they hoped to describe "how different people's lives can be, even though they are being led only a few floors apart."