Krinsky, Natalie 1982-

views updated

KRINSKY, Natalie 1982-

PERSONAL: Born 1982, in New York, NY. Education: Yale University, graduated, 2004.

ADDRESSES: HomeNew York, NY. Agent—c/o Joni Evans, William Morris Agency, 1325 Avenue of the Americas, New York, NY 10019.

CAREER: Writer. Staff member with an advertising agency.

WRITINGS:

Chloe Does Yale, Hyperion (New York, NY), 2005.

Former author of column "Sex and the Elm City" for Yale Daily News; maintains Web log for Village Voice.

SIDELIGHTS: Natalie Krinsky was born and raised in New York City, then went on to attend Yale University in New Haven, Connecticut. At Yale, Krinsky began writing a sex column for the Yale Daily News titled "Sex and the Elm City." The online column became so popular that it grew to receive upwards of 350,000 hits per week, and Krinsky received a great deal of fan mail.

Krinsky combined her New York City upbringing, Ivy League education, and experiences writing her column to serve as the foundation for her first novel, Chloe Does Yale. The book stars Chloe Carrington, a protagonist who bears a strong resemblance to Krinsky herself. Like Krinsky, Chloe is a smart, savvy New Yorker who writes a sex column while attending Yale University. Also like Krinsky, Chloe has an Israeli mother and a Korean best friend. The similarities grow vague after that, as Krinsky refuses to divulge which of Chloe's wild college antics are based in reality and which are purely the product of the author's imagination. When stories veered toward the truth, Krinsky was sure to alter names and events sufficiently so as not to embarrass anyone. In an interview for USA Today, she admitted to Olivia Barker that "I didn't want to lose my friends."

In Kirkus Reviews, a contributor noted that "Krinsky's narrative strives to make her Chloe into a Carrie Bradshaw for the privileged college elite, dispensing sarcasm and hard-earned wisdom in equal amounts … but it scarcely musters up a chuckle." Reviewers who regarded the book more as a light-hearted romp appeared to look on it more favorably, however. Aleksandra Kostovski, writing in Booklist, called the novel "a sweet and funny take on [fledgling] relationships of all kinds." Library Journal contributor Lisa Davis-Craig wrote that Chloe Does Yale "neatly captures the feel of student life and provides a smart yet vulnerable heroine."

BIOGRAPHICAL AND CRITICAL SOURCES:

BOOKS

Krinsky, Natalie, Chloe Does Yale, Hyperion (New York, NY), 2005.

PERIODICALS

Booklist, February 1, 2005, Aleksandra Kostovski, review of Chloe Does Yale, p. 942.

Chicago Tribune, March 9, 2005, "Sex Column Can Spice up Resumé," p. 48.

Cosmopolitan, March, 2005, "Three Frisky Page-Turners," p. 256.

Entertainment Weekly, March 4, 2005, Jennifer Armstrong and Clarissa Cruz, "Chick Lit 101: Beaus and Booze," p. 77.

Kirkus Reviews, January 1, 2005, review of Chloe Does Yale, p. 12.

Library Journal, March 15, 2005, Lisa David-Craig, review of Chloe Does Yale, p. 72.

People, March 21, 2005, Eleni Gage, review of Chloe Does Yale, p. 62.

Publishers Weekly, February 7, 2005, review of Chloe Does Yale, p. 43.

USA Today, March 4, 2005, Olivia Barker, "Novel 'Chloe' Flirts with Sexy Tales from Yale," p. E1.

ONLINE

Hyperion Books Web site, http://www.hyperionbooks.com/ (May 20, 2005), "Natalie Krinsky."

Village Voice Online, http://www.villagevoice.com/ (May 20, 2005), "Natalie Krinsky."