Maiden

'Cynthia Buchanan is a brilliant satirist. Maiden is Day of the Locust if Nathanael West had his consciousness raised and a sense of humor' Lili Anolik, author of Didion and Babitz 'Maiden is a madcap comedy about female desire, an absurdly funny satire of the LA singles scene in the early '70s, and a surprisingly moving exploration of what sex represents to a late bloomer. This is one of the most deliciously weird novels I've ever read' Leigh Stein, bestselling author of Self Care 'Cynthia Buchanan is a writer of such alarming, unruly, bravura brilliance that I can hardly believe she exists' Avigayl Sharp, author of Offseason 'A tender, profane, highly entertaining artifact preserved in the glowing amber of rollicking prose' Elisa Albert, author of The Snarling Girl 'I love Maiden so much I can't even do it justice! . . . An American classic, it's wonderful' Lily Tomlin * Thirty-year-old Fortune Dundy is not ready to give up on finding True Love. Unencumbered by experience or social grace, she pursues romance through endless date-matching questionnaires and personal ads, a virginal Don Quixote in rhinestones and sequins. A flyer for a swinging singles apartment complex named Villa Dionysus beckons Fortune to Southern California, where she hopes to find love amid the sand and suntan oil. She meets a slew of desperate characters - including her roommate Biscuit, an embittered divorcee with a psychotic jealous streak; Milo, Biscuit's boorish new boyfriend; and Skip, a handsome and elusive dentist - who become ensnared in her quest for the Right One. Audacious and hilarious, Maiden is a rediscovered comic masterpiece destined to become a cult classic, and Fortune Dundy one of literature's most lovable antiheroines: hopeful, delusional, and absolutely unforgettable.