In a city brimming with opportunities for heroism, twenty-seven-year-old Zephyr Zuckerman has often fantasized about committing acts of bravery that would make front-page news. Now she may get her big break–though it may require plunging a few toilets. When the superintendent of her parents’ Greenwich Village brownstone is led away in handcuffs, unemployed Zephyr takes over his post and unleashes her inner sleuth: discovering titillating secrets about her tenants–from a smoky-voiced Frenchwoman who entertains throngs of unsavory visitors to a moody musician who just has to be hiding something–and realizing that her new reality is far more intriguing than her imagination. Soon Zephyr has sussed out wrongs that stretch from losers on the Internet to art fraud and an international crime ring. The mob thinks she’s in the FBI, and the FBI thinks she’s in the mob–a predicament she needs to clear up fast. But perhaps not before a cute, surly exterminator helps her solve the mystery of what to do with the rest of her life….
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""Super" cute book.....and the author spoke at our local bookstore, so now I even have a signed copy! At first glance, I thought this was some silly chick lit read......and yes, it was funny and light......BUT on the contrary, I had to look up SIX words in the dictionary. She's smart this author......and I told her and the audience at the book-signing that I was impressed at the fact that I had gained some new vocabulary/SAT words from her novel......she was very happy to hear that from me."
— Maria (5 out of 5 stars)
“One should not simply read Super in the City; one should gobble it up like candy.”
— Elizabeth Gilbert, New York Times bestselling author“Undoubtedly smarter and funnier than most girls-in-the-city novels.”
— Publishers Weekly“[A] lively, smart chick-lit mystery.”
— Booklist“[A] funny, enjoyable caper about a dirty job…with a polished lead character, an ear for snappy dialogue, and a propulsive storytelling style.”
— Kirkus Reviews" This is a debut novel for Uviller. It was very slow to capture my attention but after reading about 50 pages it began to be more interesting. A little bit of a mystery but not typical of that genre. I will give Uviller another try since she does have a followup novel with the same character and her group of friends and family. We'll see if I like that book any better. "
— Joanne, 2/16/2014" Lay off me, I need my chicklit! "
— Sarah, 2/5/2014" I loved this book. I thought it was great, just what I was wanting to read and I loved the characters. Chick Lit for sure, but by a smart writer with engaging narrative. Forgot to add that I would laugh almost every page. "
— Julia, 1/28/2014" i was all geared up for this book. i expected hilarious stories about how the main character deals with the residents of her building. but no, it was all about her love life. if you're looking for a quick, light read, then this book fits the bill. "
— Nicole, 1/28/2014" Fun chick lit with a protagonist that is smart but at a loss career-wise. (Though I plucked this off the mystery new book shelf, I think it's definitely chick lit). Anyway, Zephyr ends up being the superintendent for her parents' apartment building in Greenwich Village, while dealing with a slimy ex-boyfriend, her friends' romances as well as her own, jury duty, and many Walter-Mittyesque fantasies. I liked it a lot, and hope that Uviller writes about the friends, too. I want to hear more about the shark parisitologist. "
— Sandy, 1/11/2014" I greatly enjoyed this book. Once I picked it up it was hard to put it down. At first I found Zephyr's over active imagination a little annoying nd felt that it was delaying the story. However, once I got sed to the author's style I found her imaginative scenarios rather funny. The way her different activities throughout the story come full circle in the end is very interesting and I think made for a good ending. "
— Bonny, 1/5/2014" Hilarious! Fun read. "
— Phil, 12/31/2013" Cute story, part mystery, but mostly chick-lit. When a NYC twenty-something becomes the super at her parents apartment building, she meets an intriguing exterminator and stumbles into a crime mystery. "
— Corene, 12/23/2013" Hilarious, irreverent, & honest. Be prepared for language and s-e-x. But I laughed my way through it though and felt a little more normal because my life and imagination aren't half as crazy as hers! "
— Corrina, 12/14/2013" Picked this up by chance in the library and liked it enough to buy it for someone else. "
— Julia, 12/11/2013" A fun read - frothy, romantic, happy ending, amusing. "
— Janette, 12/6/2013" This book was just plain old fun. Very light reading. I was surprised to see that the author was indeed a super! "
— Wendy, 11/18/2013" Very cute--funny story--Zephyr is a quite a character, as are her parents and friends. Looking forward to reading Hotel No Tell. "
— Kathleen, 10/25/2013" The narrating protagonist was annoying and the mystery didn't hold together. I finished it, so I didn't exactly hate it, but it could have been much better. "
— Barb, 10/17/2013" ugggg "
— linnea, 8/18/2013" Just what we need: another mid-20s female protagonist who thinks that all her problems will be solved if she finds the right guy. She does have a bit of enlightenment, which is why I give it the second star. It did somewhat entertain me while I was sick, so I'd almost give it a 2.5. "
— Betsy, 7/12/2013" It was a fun, quick beach read. "
— April, 6/20/2013" I really enjoyed reading this book. It is an entertaining quick read. I didn't want to put it down. Was a nice change from the "heavier" books I have been reading "
— Lucia, 5/22/2013" Reading this book may be grounds for having your NOW membership rescinded, as the main character may reflect every bad stereotype about women. There was so much I hated about this book, but it kept my (annoyed) interest, so I couldn't in good conscience give it one star. "
— Stephanie, 4/6/2013" This book had me laughing out loud most of the time. When I wasn't laughing, I was cringing at how much I identified with the directionless 20-something protagonist. "
— Annie, 11/21/2012" This is fun chick lit, largely in part due to the narration of the likable main character Zephyr Zuckerman. There's a quote on the jacket by Elizabeth Gilbert, the author of Eat, Pray, Love: "One should not simply read Super in the City, one should gobble it up like candy." Heh. "
— Lisa, 6/30/2011" Mind candy for fans of Bushnell and her ilk, but with a distinctly more downtown flavor. "
— Leslie, 6/11/2011" Very cute--funny story--Zephyr is a quite a character, as are her parents and friends. Looking forward to reading Hotel No Tell. "
— Kathleen, 5/19/2011" I lost interest and didn't finish it. "
— Jennifer, 5/10/2011" A light read, but nice, fun, easy, short. Written by Judge Rena Uviller's daughter; it was the last name that caught me. "
— Laurie, 10/15/2010" It was a fun, quick beach read. "
— April, 4/13/2010" <br/>Daphne's very funny in real life--and, it turns out, three times as funny on the page. "Super" was a great summer read based around a sympathetic depiction of a certain kind of 20-something confusion. "
— Matt, 1/3/2010" Picked this up by chance in the library and liked it enough to buy it for someone else. "
— Julia, 10/12/2009" so far, this book is silly and very fun. "
— Sienna, 9/5/2009" This was such a fun read! As a single girl, it is so easy to relate to what she goes through living on her own and trying to find love. I loved this book! "
— Laura, 8/18/2009" A little too predictable and silly for my taste. An easy read though. Great for the beach if you want some mindless reading. "
— Tracyj, 8/10/2009" This book had me laughing out loud most of the time. When I wasn't laughing, I was cringing at how much I identified with the directionless 20-something protagonist. "
— Annie, 7/21/2009" cute story about a crazy girl, her life, her work, her love, and her friends. "
— Mairin, 7/21/2009Daphne Uviller was superintendent of her family’s building in the West Village for ten long years. She is a former books/poetry editor for Time Out New York and has written for the New York Times, Washington Post, Newsday, New York, Allure, and Self. A third-generation Greenwich Village resident, she now lives in her childhood apartment with her husband and two children.
Emily Rankin is an audio narrator and winner of two AudioFile Earphones Awards.