News and Other Press
The Book of Essie named as a New England Book Awards Finalist
June 13, 2018
As announced by the New England Independent Booksellers Association, The Book of Essie is a finalist in the "Fiction" category of the New England Book Awards.
Book Review: Bustle
June 12, 2018
Sadie Trombetta reviews The Book of Essie at Bustle:
"The truth is, we live in a culture where the line between life and entertainment, reality and scripted TV, is more blurred than ever, one in which a former reality-television star was able to win the presidency. That is what makes Meghan MacLean Weir's novel The Book of Essie such a fascinating read: it takes you behind-the-scenes of a fictional reality-television empire and explores how our cultural fascination with fame, celebrity, and media."
Book Review: WBUR ARTery
June 12, 2018
Carol Iaciofano reviews The Book of Essie at The ARTery from WBUR:
"The Book of Essie” proves to be a tale built on timely, contemplative topics: like the perils of adapting too well to a life in the uninterrupted spotlight; whether it’s possible, or desirable, to escape the long reach of family; and ultimately, whether it’s possible to create your own self while still caught in the strong gravitational field of those who created and tried to shape you."
Book Review: Bookpage
June 6, 2018
Trisha Ping reviews The Book of Essie at Bookpage:
"Weir, a doctor whose first book was a memoir about her pediatric residency, doles out the details of Essie’s past slowly but steadily, gaining a momentum that keeps the pages turning. As a pastor’s daughter, Weir is also adept at using the language of evangelical life, lending an authenticity that takes the book beyond a Duggar-family pastiche. The tentative trust that grows between Essie and Roarke gives The Book of Essie emotional depth, and the questions at its center have a surprising moral weight. Readers will root for Essie through every twist and turn of her story."
The Book of Essie Selected for June Book of the Month Club
June 1, 2018
The Book of the Month Club has included The Book of Essie as one of five selections for the month of June.
June's guest judge, Troian Bellisario (star of the hit TV series Pretty Little Liars), says:
"Watching Essie escape the prison that has been her whole life is breathtaking. Though raised to breathe lies and perform on a dime, her fearlessness, cunning, and authenticity had me cheering through each chapter. It doesn’t matter if you like reality TV or not, The Book of Essieis an explosive, plot-twisting, gut-punch of a novel that will keep you turning the pages and never wanting to change the channel."
The Book of Essie included on The Indie Next List (June)
May 2, 2018
As announced by the American Booksellers Association.
The Indie Next List, drawn from bookseller-recommended favorite handsells, epitomizes the heart and soul of passionate bookselling. Independent booksellers are and have always been discoverers of the next big thing, the next great read, the next bestseller, and the next undiscovered gem.
“The Book of Essie is a captivating debut. The original plot moves at lightning speed while giving the reader characters to hang on to, care for, and sympathize with. The novel focuses on 16-year-old Essie Hicks, a star on a reality TV show following her preacher father and her ultra-religious, conservative family. When Essie finds out she is pregnant, she must protect herself and her future in the face of public scorn. I couldn’t stop turning the pages to see what would happen to Essie and Roarke, the boy Essie’s mother has decided she will marry in a primetime, live-televised wedding. Weir proves herself to be a brilliant new talent with a sensitive but unflinching take on child exploitation and life in the public eye. A must-read!”
—Liv Stratman, Books Are Magic, Brooklyn, NY
New Novel Announcement
As announced on Publishers Marketplace "Deal of the Day."
Fiction: Debut: Meghan MacLean Weir's THE BOOK OF ESSIE, about the seventeen-year-old daughter of an evangelical preacher and star of her family's hit reality show, who discovers she is pregnant and must navigate the media, her family, and a potential ratings disaster, to Jennifer Jackson at Knopf, in a major deal, in a pre-empt, by Kirby Kim at Janklow & Nesbit (NA).