{"product_id":"spent-a-comic-novel-by-alison-bechdel","title":"Spent: A Comic Novel by Alison Bechdel","description":"\u003cp\u003eSpent: A Comic Novel by Alison Bechdel\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cdiv class=\"productDetailElements\"\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eISBN:\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan id=\"pd-product-id\"\u003e0063278928\u003c\/span\u003e   \u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003e\u003ca\u003e\u003c\/a\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eEAN:\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003e9780063278929\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv class=\"productDetailElements\"\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003ePublisher:\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cspan\u003e Mariner Books\u003c\/span\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv class=\"productDetailElements\"\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eUS SRP:\u003c\/strong\u003e $32.00 US  \u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv class=\"productDetailElements\"\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eBinding:\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003eHardcover\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv class=\"productDetailElements\"\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003ePub Date:\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003eMay 20, 2025\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv class=\"productDetailElements\"\u003e\n\u003cmeta charset=\"utf-8\"\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003ePhysical Info:\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cspan\u003e 1.1\" H x 9.1\" L x 6.4\" W (1.6 lbs) 272 pages\u003c\/span\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv class=\"productDetailElements\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv class=\"productDetailElements\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eThe celebrated and beloved\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cem\u003eNew York Times\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/em\u003ebestselling author of the modern classic\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cem\u003eFun Home\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/em\u003epresents a laugh-out-loud, brilliant, and passionately political work of autofiction.\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eIn Alison Bechdel's hilariously skewering and gloriously cast new comic novel confection, a cartoonist named Alison Bechdel, running a pygmy goat sanctuary in Vermont, is existentially irked by a climate-challenged world and a citizenry on the brink of civil war. She wonders: Can she pull humanity out of its death spiral by writing a scathingly self-critical memoir about her own greed and privilege?\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eMeanwhile, Alison's first graphic memoir about growing up with her father, a taxidermist who specialized in replicas of Victorian animal displays, has been adapted into a highly successful TV series. It's a phenomenon that makes Alison, formerly on the cultural margins, the envy of her friend group (recognizable as characters, now middle-aged and living communally in Vermont, from Bechdel's beloved comic strip\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cem\u003eDykes to Watch Out For\u003c\/em\u003e).\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eAs the TV show\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cem\u003eDeath and Taxidermy\u003c\/em\u003e\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003eracks up Emmy after Emmy--and when Alison's Pauline Bunyanesque partner Holly posts an instructional wood-chopping video that goes viral--Alison's own envy spirals. Why couldn't\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cem\u003eshe\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/em\u003ebe the writer for a critically lauded and wildly popular reality TV show...like\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cem\u003eQueer Eye\u003c\/em\u003e...showing people how to free themselves from consumer capitalism and live a more ethical life?!!\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eSpent\u003c\/em\u003e's rollicking and masterful denouement--making the case for seizing what's true about life in the world at this moment, before it's too late--once again proves that \"nobody does it better\" (\u003cem\u003eNew York Times Book Review\u003c\/em\u003e) than the real Alison Bechdel.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cmeta charset=\"utf-8\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eAlison Bechdel's\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cspan\u003ecult following for her early comic strip \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cem\u003eDykes to Watch Out For\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/em\u003e\u003cspan\u003eexpanded wildly for her family memoirs, the \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cem\u003eNew York Times\u003c\/em\u003e\u003cspan\u003e bestselling and \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cem\u003eTime\u003c\/em\u003e\u003cspan\u003e magazine #1 Book of the Year graphic memoir \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cem\u003eFun Home,\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/em\u003e\u003cspan\u003eadapted into a Tony Award-winning musical, and \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cem\u003eAre You My Mother?\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/em\u003e\u003cspan\u003eMost recently, \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cem\u003eThe Secret to Superman Strength\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/em\u003e\u003cspan\u003ewas named a \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cem\u003eNew York Times\u003c\/em\u003e\u003cspan\u003e Best Graphic Novel of 2021. Bechdel has been named a MacArthur Fellow, among many other honors.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003e\u003cmeta charset=\"utf-8\"\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eReview Quotes\u003c\/strong\u003e:\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003e\"If [Bechdel's] characters are sad and bewildered by the state of the world, their frustration feels like a reassurance to readers who share it, and perhaps a gentle reminder that it's easy to confuse being socially conscious with being self-serious...[Bechdel's] genuine affection for her characters -- with the possible exception of the one who bears her own name -- gives \u003cem\u003eSpent\u003c\/em\u003e a sweetness that makes even its cheapest shots feel good-natured...\" - \u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eNew York Times Book Review\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003e\"[ \u003cem\u003eSpent\u003c\/em\u003e] is very smart on the questions of what we do with our money, and our money and our morals. And it's also just riotously funny.\" - \u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eKathryn Schulz, on The Ezra Klein Show\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003e\"Filled with Bechdel's usual wit and humor, \u003cem\u003eSpent\u003c\/em\u003e is an enjoyable call out that interrogates the ways we all, including the author, fall short of our ideals.\" - \u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eDallas Voice\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003e\"Bechdel's latest is a celebration of the joy and hope to be found in community, and the power only fiction has to expose a special kind of truth-literary and universal-that binds us.\" - \u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003ePEN.org\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003e\"Alison Bechdel's new book \u003cem\u003eSpent\u003c\/em\u003e is like nothing she's ever done before -- and it's like everything she's done before all at the same time.\" - \u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eAutostraddle\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003e\"Thoroughly wonderful . . . Alison and her friends are beautiful and ridiculous and ridiculously beautiful, and Bechdel is such a master of her craft that it might take a little while to appreciate what she does here. Bechdel is incisive, tender, and funny--often at the same time.\" - \u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eKirkus Reviews (starred review)\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003e\"\u003cem\u003eSpent\u003c\/em\u003e is the best kind of autofiction, braiding together strands of the author's career into a brilliant new creation... A sly social satire and a rollicking good time.\" - \u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eBoston Globe\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003e\"\u003cem\u003eSpent\u003c\/em\u003e is the best kind of autofiction, braiding together strands of the author's career into a brilliant new creation... A sly social satire and a rollicking good time.\" - \u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eNew York Times\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003e\"There's something charming and funny on practically every page of \u003cem\u003eSpent\u003c\/em\u003e.\" - \u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eMinnesota Star Tribune\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003e\"In teasing herself and her friends, Bechdel finds a new way to have fun with both.\" - \u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eWashington Post\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003e\"There's a real joy to seeing [Dykes to Watch Out For] characters return, their shapes a little baggier, their hair greyer, but their spirits the same.\" - \u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eThe Guardian\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003e\"\u003cem\u003eSpent\u003c\/em\u003e is a welcome return to the bickering polyphony of \u003cem\u003eDykes to Watch Out For\u003c\/em\u003e, with each member of the ensemble acting as a zany spokeswoman for one of Bechdel's many conflicting views. It is a pleasure to see Bechdel take up the satirist's pen once more.\" - \u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eVulture\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003e\"[S]elf-deprecating and delightful . . . Bechdel takes a gentle approach toward her well-meaning characters, but wields a razor-sharp scalpel when it comes to the indignities of modern life. For Bechdel's fans, it's a dream to see her skewer fame with such hilarious precision.\" - \u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003ePublishers Weekly (starred review)\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003e\"How, for all these years, in a remote corner of Vermont and mostly stuck in her own head has [Alison Bechdel] figured out just what to say to us?\" - \u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eAtlantic Magazine\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003e\"Truthful, rueful and delightful.\" - \u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eLA Times\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003e\" \u003cem\u003eSpent\u003c\/em\u003e's mix of witty self-deprecation and queer countercultural sex romp is gleefully entertaining \u003cem\u003e.\u003c\/em\u003e\" - \u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eThe New Yorker\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003e\"Hilariously honest... \u003cem\u003eSpent\u003c\/em\u003e succeeds at skewering the absurdities and inconsistencies of [Bechdel's] life as a progressive artist with a diverse group of friends.\" - \u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eSan Francisco Chronicle\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003e\"Sharp, funny and beautifully drawn.\" - \u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003ePeople Magazine\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e","brand":"Summer Beam Books","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":53543503200566,"sku":null,"price":32.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0745\/2301\/7526\/files\/81gM3KKIovL._SL1500.jpg?v=1767741985","url":"https:\/\/www.summerbeambooks.com\/products\/spent-a-comic-novel-by-alison-bechdel","provider":"Summer Beam Books","version":"1.0","type":"link"}