{"product_id":"9780698158450","title":"Bettyville","description":"\u003cb\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eNEW YORK TIMES\u003c\/i\u003e BESTSELLER\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eFINALIST FOR THE NATIONAL BOOK CRITICS CIRCLE AWARD\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e “A beautifully crafted memoir, rich with humor and wisdom.” —Will Schwalbe, author of \u003ci\u003eThe End of Your Life Book Club\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“The idea of a cultured gay man leaving New York City to care for his aging mother in Paris, Missouri, is already funny, and George Hodgman reaps that humor with great charm. But then he plunges deep, examining the warm yet fraught relationship between mother and son with profound insight and understanding.” —Alison Bechdel, author of \u003ci\u003eFun Home\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003eWhen George Hodgman leaves Manhattan for his hometown of Paris, Missouri, he finds himself—an unlikely caretaker and near-lethal cook—in a head-on collision with his aging mother, Betty, a woman of wit and will. Will George lure her into assisted living? When hell freezes over. He can’t bring himself to force her from the home both treasure—the place where his father’s voice lingers, the scene of shared jokes, skirmishes, and, behind the dusty antiques, a rarely acknowledged conflict: Betty, who speaks her mind but cannot quite reveal her heart, has never really accepted the fact that her son is gay.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eAs these two unforgettable characters try to bring their different worlds together, Hodgman reveals the challenges of Betty’s life and his own struggle for self-respect, moving readers from their small town—crumbling but still colorful—to the star-studded corridors of Vanity Fair. Evocative of \u003ci\u003eThe End of Your Life Book Club \u003c\/i\u003eand \u003ci\u003eThe Tender Bar\u003c\/i\u003e, Hodgman’s \u003ci\u003eNew York Times\u003c\/i\u003e bestselling debut is both an indelible portrait of a family and an exquisitely told tale of a prodigal son’s return.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003ci\u003eFrom the Hardcover edition.\u003c\/i\u003e","brand":"Penguin Publishing Group","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":47111805894896,"sku":"9780698158450","price":4.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0737\/7593\/9824\/files\/9780698158450_p0.jpg?v=1763617437","url":"https:\/\/shop-qa.barnesandnoble.com\/products\/9780698158450","provider":"Barnes \u0026 Noble (DEV)","version":"1.0","type":"link"}