Mr Wilder and Me: 'a Love Letter to the Spirit of Cinema' Guardian

**the Dazzling New Novel From The Prize-winning, Bestselling Author Of Middle England** 'as Good As Anything He's Written - A Novel To Cherish' Observer _______________________________________________________ In The Heady Summer Of 1977, A Naïve Young Woman Called Calista Sets Out From Athens To Venture Into The Wider World. On A Greek Island That Has Been Turned Into A Film Set, She Finds Herself Working For The Famed Hollywood Director Billy Wilder, About Whom She Knows Almost Nothing. But The Time She Spends In This Glamorous, Unfamiliar New Life Will Change Her For Good. While Calista Is Thrilled With Her New Adventure, Wilder Himself Is Living With The Realisation That His Star May Be On The Wane. Rebuffed By Hollywood, He Has Financed His New Film With German Money, And When Calista Follows Him To Munich For The Shooting Of Further Scenes, She Finds Herself Joining Him On A Journey Of Memory Into The Dark Heart Of His Family History. In A Novel That Is At Once A Tender Coming-of-age Story And An Intimate Portrait Of One Of Cinema's Most Intriguing Figures, Jonathan Coe Turns His Gaze On The Nature Of Time And Fame, Of Family And The Treacherous Lure Of Nostalgia. When The World Is Catapulting Towards Change, Do You Hold On For Dear Life Or Decide It's Time To Let Go? _______________________________________________________ 'a Beautiful, Bittersweet Novel That Is Itself Crying Out For The Silver Screen Treatment' Scotsman 'effortlessly Pleasurable And Deceptively Simple' The Times 'utterly Charming, Deeply Poignant And Ultimately Uplifting' Mail On Sunday 'a Charming, Bittersweet Book, And A Perfect Reminder Of Art's Value In Stark Times' Spectator 'a Book More Loving Towards Its Readers Or Its Subject Is Hard To Imagine' John Self, The Critic The prize-winning, bestselling author of Middle England turns his gaze to one of cinema's most intriguing figures - famed director of Some Like It Hot , Billy Wilder. ***SOON TO BE A MAJOR FILM*** In the summer of 1977, naïve Calista Frangopoulou sets out to venture into the world. On a Greek island that has been turned into a film set, she finds herself working for Billy Wilder, about whom she knows almost nothing. While Calista is thrilled with her new adventure, Wilder himself is living with the realisation that his star may be on the wane. Rebuffed by Hollywood, he has financed his film with German money, and when Calista follows him to Munich, she finds herself joining him on a journey of memory into the dark heart of his family history. At once a tender coming-of-age story and an intimate portrait of a Hollywood icon, Mr Wilder and Me explores the nature of time and fame, of family and the treacherous lure of nostalgia . . . __________ 'Utterly charming, deeply poignant and ultimately uplifting ' Mail on Sunday 'Sweeps beautifully from Hollywood to Greece and London' FT, Best Books of 2020 'The dialogue's sharp, the comic timing excellent' Sunday Times Written with his signature wit, Jonathan Coe's unmissable new novel, Bournville , is available now! "A young woman named Calista meets the famed Hollywood director Billy Wilder in the sweltering summer of 1977. She knows nothing about him or his work, but this chance encounter will change her life for good. But while Calista is thrilled with her new adventure, Wilder himself - struggling to raise the money for his next feature film - is living with the realisation that his star may be on the wane. In his new novel that is, by turns, funny, tender and profoundly truthful, Jonathan Coe turns his gaze to the nature of time, fame, family and nostalgia. When the world is catapulting towards change, do you hold on for dear life or decide it's time to let go?"--Publisher