Adelle Waldman is an American novelist, columnist and blogger. Her first novel, The Love Affairs of Nathaniel P., was published in 2013.

Adelle Waldman
Waldman at the 2014 Brooklyn Book Festival
Waldman at the 2014
Brooklyn Book Festival
Born1977 (age 46–47)
Baltimore, Maryland
OccupationMagazine writer and novelist
NationalityAmerican
Notable worksThe Love Affairs of Nathaniel P. (2013)
RelativesSteve Randy Waldman (brother)
Website
Official website

Life and education

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Waldman was born in Baltimore, Maryland,[1] in 1977.[2] She has one brother, Steve Randy Waldman, who blogs about finance and economics.[3] She attended a Quaker high school.[4]

Waldman graduated from Brown University in 1998. She later attended the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism.[5]

Writing

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Early career

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Waldman worked as a reporter at the New Haven Register, located in New Haven, Connecticut; and The Plain Dealer, located in Cleveland, Ohio, and wrote a column for the website of The Wall Street Journal. She has written book reviews and essays for Slate,[6] The New Republic, Vogue.com,[7] and The New York Observer, among others.[8] When her daughter was one year old, she woke up at 2:30am in order to work from 4 to 8am at a big box store.[4] While writing The Love Affairs of Nathaniel P., she worked as an SAT tutor.[9]

The Love Affairs of Nathaniel P.

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Waldman published her first novel, The Love Affairs of Nathaniel P., in 2013. It was heralded as one of the year's best books.[10] It follows Nate Piven, a writer living in Brooklyn, New York, and his romantic relationship with a woman whom Nate considers an intellectual match but with whom he finds other faults.[11][12]

Waldman later published a novella telling the same story from the point of view of Aurit, a female friend of Nate's. It was released as a Kindle single. An excerpt of The Love Affairs of Nathaniel P., read by Waldman, appeared on the Lit Hub/Podglomerate podcast Storybound, accompanied by an original score from singer-songwriter Haley Johnsen.[13][14]

Help Wanted

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In 2018, Waldman got a low-wage job unloading boxes at a big-box store near her home in the Catskills.[15] She said in an interview with New York Magazine that after working the job for several weeks, she “felt passionate that there’s something worth writing about.”[15] The store was the inspiration for her second novel Help Wanted, which was released in 2024.[15]

Personal life

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Waldman is married to journalist Evan Hughes. They have a daughter.[15] In 2016, they moved from the Fort Greene apartment they bought in 2009 to Rhinebeck New York.[15]

Selected bibliography

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  • The Love Affairs of Nathaniel P.. New York, NY: Henry Holt and Company. 2013. ISBN 9780805097467.
  • "Why the Marriage Plot Need Never Get Old". The New Yorker. November 14, 2013.
  • "The Ideal Marriage, According to Novels". The New Yorker. January 15, 2016.
  • "Jay McInerney's Middle-Aged Malaise". The New Yorker. August 1, 2016.
  • Help Wanted. New York, NY: W. W. Norton & Company. 2024. ISBN 9781324020448.[16][17]

References

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  1. ^ Woods, Baynard (October 16, 2013). "In a surprisingly fun read, Baltimore-born Adelle Waldman satirizes the males of Brooklyn's hipster class". Baltimore Sun.
  2. ^ Gordon, Helen (2018). Being Beautiful: An inspiring anthology of wit and wisdom on what it means to be beautiful. White Lion Publishing. p. 235. ISBN 9780711239173.
  3. ^ Krugman, Paul (January 17, 2013). "All Your Base Are Belong To Us: What Is the Question?". The New York Times. Retrieved July 26, 2014.
  4. ^ a b Gould, Emily (February 29, 2024). "Adelle Waldman Takes the Early Shift". The Cut. Retrieved February 29, 2024.
  5. ^ Lubitz, Rachel (August 2, 2013). "Author Adelle Waldman strove to create realistic male lead, even if he isn't likable". The Washington Post. Archived from the original on January 26, 2017. Retrieved January 26, 2017.
  6. ^ Waldman, Adelle (May 2013). "I Read Everything Jane Austen Wrote, Several Times". Slate. Retrieved July 30, 2014.
  7. ^ Adelle, Waldman (June 25, 2014). "Shyness Is Nice (Except on Social Media)". Vogue. Retrieved January 19, 2020.
  8. ^ Staff (undated). "Adelle Walman – About". Adelle Waldman. Retrieved December 30, 2014.
  9. ^ Bernstein, Nat (October 10, 2013). "An Interview with Adelle Waldman, Part II". Jewish Book Council. Retrieved January 19, 2020.
  10. ^ "About Adelle Waldman". Retrieved January 19, 2020.
  11. ^ Fan, Jiayang (July 5, 2014). "The Love Affairs of Nathaniel P Review – Adelle Waldman's Witty Love Story – Adelle Waldman Brings Austen-Flavoured Crackle to Her Wry Take on the Liaisons of the Brooklyn Literati". The Guardian. Retrieved July 27, 2014.
  12. ^ Russo, Maria (August 4, 2013). "In 'Love Affairs of Nathaniel P.,' Women Flummox a Writer". The New York Times. Retrieved August 4, 2013.
  13. ^ "The Return Of Radio Theater". Radio Ink. October 22, 2019. Retrieved October 26, 2019.
  14. ^ "Introducing the Storybound Podcast". Literary Hub. October 22, 2019. Retrieved October 26, 2019.
  15. ^ a b c d e Waldman, Adelle (February 19, 2024). "It's Not Just Wages. Retailers Are Mistreating Workers in a More Insidious Way". Retrieved February 29, 2024.
  16. ^ Chang, Alexandra (February 27, 2024). "Book Review: 'Help Wanted,' by Adelle Waldman, and 'Green Dot,' by Madeleine Gray". The New York Times. Retrieved April 3, 2024.
  17. ^ Salazar, Miguel (February 18, 2024). "Book Review: 'LatinoLand,' by Marie Arana". The New York Times. Retrieved April 3, 2024.
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