Stuart, Sebastian

PERSONAL:

Born in NY; partner of Stephen McCauley (an author).

CAREER:

Writer and novelist.

WRITINGS:

NOVELS

Tumbleweed, Freelance Press (Dover, MA), 1993.

The Mentor, Bantam (New York, NY), 1999.

(With Judy Goldstein) Twenty-Four-Karat Kids, St. Martin's Press (New York, NY), 2006.

Wrote the lyrics, with Narcissa Campion and Stephen McCauley, for Tumbleweed, a western musical, based on Stuart's book.

SIDELIGHTS:

Sebastian Stuart's novel, The Mentor, is a psychological thriller about novelist Charles Davis, who wrote one bestseller, then languished for twenty-five years. His younger wife, Anne, a Manhattan media celebrity and head of an upscale housewares catalogue, bears the brunt of his anger when his latest effort is negatively reviewed. In an effort to help her depressed husband, Anne hires Emma Bowles to be his assistant. Emma is a troubled young woman with a horrific past who is writing her own novel. Charles seduces Emma and plans to steal her work and make it his own. Only Charles's best friend suspects that the failed novelist is planning plagiarism.

Library Journal reviewer Jane Jorgenson wrote that Stuart "turns the tale on its head, creating complex relationships along the way." A Publishers Weekly reviewer felt The Mentor contained elements of The Babysitter, Gaslight, All about Eve, and Deathtrap, and called the unfolding of the plot "ultra-stylish, equal parts ghoulish and cavalier…. An air of bemused morbidity festers amid the swanky circles of publishing and publicity, and the ambitious souls of the three main characters are creepily, masterfully authentic." Booklist reviewer David Pitt called The Mentor "a tight and tidy thriller that will make readers look forward to Stuart's next offering."

In Twenty-Four-Karat Kids, written with Judy Goldstein, Stuart tells the story of pediatrician Dr. Shelley Green, a woman of modest background who suffers from gilded culture shock when she lands a job at an elite Manhattan clinic that serves the neurotic ultra-rich and their spoiled, pampered offspring. Soon, Shelley finds herself in an unfamiliar world where a soap-opera star wants a nose job for her eight-month-old son; where the dangers of strep throat are considered less important than a manicure at an upscale salon; and where a vegetarian couple wants treatment for their child after finding a fast-food hamburger wrapper in his book bag. Helping her cope is one of the super rich residents, Amanda Walker, who schools her in the fashions, hotspots, and trappings of wealthy New York life. As Shelley learns her way around this new environment of designer labels and conspicuous consumption, she considers an affair with rich heartthrob Josh Potter, but struggles with the idea of betraying dependable Arthur, her schoolteacher fiancé. Soon, Shelley is forced to decide what, and who, really matters to her the most. Entertainment Weekly reviewer Tina Jordan called the book a "light, superficial read, but a fun one," while a Kirkus Reviews critic noted that "nice dialogue and pacing … keep this Nanny clone racing along."

BIOGRAPHICAL AND CRITICAL SOURCES:

PERIODICALS

Booklist, September 1, 1999, David Pitt, review of The Mentor, p. 74.

Entertainment Weekly, June 23, 2006, Tina Jordan, review of Twenty-Four-Karat Kids, p. 74.

Kirkus Reviews, May 1, 2006, review of Twenty-Four-Karat Kids, p. 426.

Library Journal, October 15, 1999, Jane Jorgenson, review of The Mentor, p. 108.

Publishers Weekly, September 20, 1999, review of The Mentor, p. 71; April 17, 2006, review of Twenty-Four-Karat Kids, p. 167.