Nothing Special pairs the signature funny, self depreciating style of Nicole Flattery's short stories with an evocative, exciting, insightful portrayal of 1960s New York. Glamor, excitement and reckless ess echo through every page, reminding me of Joan Didion's writing about the end of the 60s. I really loved the idea that instead of seeing Warhol's factory though his eyes, or through anyone who's name we might remember, we see the action unfold at a distance from the point of view of his typists.

Everyone in this novel is eager for something to happen, and no one is who they say they are. The rich, bored young people whose world Mae finds herself in are no less lost desperate, but still at the centre of things, demanding an audience in the typists who are eager to feel like they're at once part of it all.

Typewriters in mid twentieth century novels feel like gateways, offering women an entry point to office life and the freedom and reinventions this seems to offer, and Mae and Shelley feel they almost become mechanical or one with their typewriters as they records hours of a secret interview project. A particularly striking moment is when Mae types with her headphones on, facing the wall and only seeing the Platonic reflections of the "main characters" of the on it and feeling superior, that she was the one making something meaningful and lasting.

Through transcribing the interview tapes Mae gets a clear insight in how personal stories can be given first willingly and then twisted or used against them, as many writers now see happen with their own personal offerings. This feels particularly eerie now as more and more writers and content creators offer up their own lives and stories not realising what this demands from them.

I wish that the action started earlier in the book but that is fitting too. By the time Mae "arrives", the good bit is nearly over - the artists are moving somewhere wealthier and cooler, the project has entered the mainstream, and she is already being left behind. Life moves on and this becomes just a chapter, though one that still feels fresh and painful as she becomes less than a footnote in such an exciting time in cultural history.

Nothing Special is a coming of age novel set in 1960s New York in which the author imagines the lives of two young women – Mae and Shelley – caught up in the hedonistic world of Andy Warhol’s studio, known as The Factory. It became the place to be for artists, musicians, socialites and wannabe performers. The book brilliantly captures the art scene of New York of the period, a time of sexual experimentation, drug-taking, non-stop parties and pushing the boundaries of convention.

Teenage Mae is something of an outsider. She has a troubled relationship with her mother and the only person she is really close to, or who looks out for her, is her mother’s sometime partner, Mikey. Mae says things others wouldn’t dare, or even think. One such occasion brings about the end of her relationship with her only schoolfriend. Alienated, she drops out of school in favour of aimlessly wandering the streets of New York City or riding the escalators of Macy’s department store.

A chance encounter brings her to The Factory where she is given a job as a typist – typing being the only thing she excelled in at school – and is befriended by Shelley, a fellow typist. The girls form a bond over their shared desire to escape from a life of boring convention. Or at least that’s what Mae believes as Shelley, although presenting herself as a runaway, is noticebly reticent about her family background.

Initially Mae is employed typing up fairly humdrum documents, mainly letters requesting money written in the name of the rich girls who hang around the loft space of The Factory. When Mae joins Shelley transcribing the tapes which will form the basis of Warhol’s book, a, A Novel, she views it as a sign of her specialness. Mae comes to believe she is playing a key role in producing something important, not realising that her role will only ever be peripheral. However, until that point she is drawn into a frenzied, hedonistic lifestyle where anything goes. When understanding dawns, it brings disillusionment and a feeling of worthlessness. ‘The prospect of success, the possibility that I could have become known through these typewritten pages: it now seemed like an obscene, perverted dream…’

Although I was familiar with Andy Warhol and some of his art, I had no idea he had written a novel and knew nothing about the nature of the book or that it was based on a series of taped conversations, reproduced verbatim complete with pauses, repetitions, etc. I had also never heard of ‘Ondine’ (the stage name of actor Robert Olivo), one of the people who appears on the tapes. So, thank you, Google. I think this put me somewhat at a disadvantage although we do, through Mae and Shelley’s reaction to what they are listening to, get a sense of the explicit, sometimes disturbing and voyeuristic nature of the material. I had some sympathy with Mikey’s no-nonsense response to Mae’s description of the work she’s engaged in as ‘writing’. “Who is on the tapes?”, he asked. “Friends, people like that.” “Recording your friends,” he leaned back. “That doesn’t sound like writing, Mae. It’s eavesdropping. It’s surveillence.” I have to say Warhol, the figure to whom everyone gravitates, comes across as self-absorbed and manipulative, taking advantage of people’s desire for their ‘five minutes of fame’.

The author really puts the reader inside Mae’s head, allowing us to witness her sparky humour and rebellious spirit but also her neediness and frequent loneliness. For me, this is the standout aspect of the book. One of the painful things about her story is that we know pretty much from the beginning that Mae’s life will be one of disappointment.

Nothing Special is inventive, thought-provoking and original, if rather different to what you might expect given the blurb and quite downbeat.

I feel like people have gained an incorrect idea of what 'Nothing Special' is based on the blurb. If you think that this is a tale of how an ordinary girl became a Warhol superstar, then you will be sadly mistaken. Indeed, while Warhol is mentioned, he is merely the pivot everyone revolves around. He barely even notices our narrator, even though he sees her every day.

What 'Nothing Special' is instead is a deft portrayal of early womanhood, when you're trying to figure out who you are and what you want. How people we form fleeting relationships with can have a significant effect on our future selves. It's about the power of female friendship and how, sometimes, you turn out to know nothing about the person you feel closest to.

Comparisons with Sally Rooney are inevitable, and Flattery shares the same cool economy of language which tells you nothing yet everything at the same time. There are a few lines in it which have stayed with me and which I will think of for a long time. I will certainly never ride an escalator in a department store in the same way again.

A coming-of-age novel set in the New York of Andy Warhol's The Factory., where the young protagonist, Mae, is a typist. I have loved Flattery's short stories and have a strong interest in Warhol. Unfortunately I could not really connect with the story, I felt the plot wasn't that well developed and fell flat for me.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Bloomsbury Publishing for the eArc in turn for an honest review.

Nicole Flattery's Nothing Special lives up to its name.

With a strong start, the prose was sharp, clean and exciting. But this plummeted around the 20% mark. For paragraphs at a time i was swimming through a slog of nothing, nothing, nothing. At 50%, when the climax was supposed to punch me in the face, i was still swimming, desperate for a sign of shore, for plot, for something to connect to, for a character to root for (not even a likeable one! just tolerable would have done!!). In the end, I struggled to feel anything but irritation. The blurb promised one thing and I received another. Reading became a chore. Not a great sign.

So, why was it so painful? I felt like an AI generator had been fed Moshfegh's Eileen and My Year of Rest and Relaxation, picked out the most uninspired passages, merged them, then spat the results between Flattery's otherwise satisfying prose. That is to say, the book felt very incongruous.

If i had to recommend an audience, i'd choose young adults who are full of the equal excitement and terror at entering the real world, like Mae is. Unfortunately, this recommendation is put forth grudgingly; like the protagonist, i dropped out of school without telling anyone. Lost childhood friends. Found a "big girl" job. But there is nothing in these pages that sixteen year old Daisie didn't know about the world. Somehow, i doubt Mae's profound observations on loneliness and wanting to escape her life will be shocking to any other teenager going through the same.

I do think this book came at the wrong time for me, and i will give Flatterly's work another go because i really enjoyed the first few chapters and there was so much potential for this book to be amazing.

I did enjoy the writing of this book, but overall, this was not one for me. Based on the writing though, I would be interested in reading more of Nicole Flattery’s work.
Thank you NetGalley and Bloomsbury for the advanced reading copy.

I found the first 70 pages of this a little slow but once I was into it, I found this a bold, compelling novel. Flattery writes her characters with tenderness and generosity while always remaining sharp and unsentimental.

This book was not really for me.

The premise was so promising and I kept thinking that I could see what the author was trying to do but ultimately I feel like this book fell flat. I can see that the author also writes short stories and I'd be very interested in reading her short stories as I do feel like this book contained some excellent ideas and themes.

Ultimately I felt a little bored and never really connected with the protagonist. I know often we have disagreeable characters, but even those I would expect to feel compelled by.

I haven't read the book that this is based on, 'a', and I wonder whether having a knowledge of that book would improve the reading experience because often we have commentary happening on how the girls are feeling about what they are hearing and having to type but it is never explicitly mentioned. Would I feel differently about this book if I had read 'a'? I suppose I'll only find out if I ever read it.

I thought the blurb of this title was a little misleading. It was a strong character exploration with an unreliable narrator, but I honestly could have done without the Warhol/Factory aspects.

An original debut - perfect for fans of Sally Rooney.
With dry wit, a carefully crafted style Nicole presents us with Mae - brings us into her world filled with insecurities and questions as she tackles her summer in New York in the most unusual surroundings.

Nicole Flattery writes like no-one else. Every sentence is a work of art. For some people, this might get wearing and I would say it isn’t a beach read, but if you persevere with it, there is so much craft and talent on display, it is incredible to behold.

Nothing Special is a slice-of-life style story, following typist Mae, who is employed at Andy Warhol’s factory in New York. Flattery’s novel offers an interesting insight into working for Warhol, and presents him as an enigmatic character we long to understand.

We come of age with Mae, who has many complicated relationships in her life. She is not the most memorable character, but she definitely does represent everyone’s desire to be valued and loved.

Nothing Special is a quick, easy read for lovers of pop culture history and writers like Sally Rooney and Coco Mellors.

Nothing Special by Nicole Flattery is a fictional account of the lives of one of the typists employed by Andy Warhol's Factory to transcribe the audio tapes that would be published as a, A Novel by Andy Warhol in 1968.

Mae, a teenager, has a difficult relationship with her mother and only one real friend at school. When that friendship sours, Mae decides that school is no longer for her. She passes time aimlessly in New York city at first but by chance discovers another world and finds herself a peripheral figure in a major popular culture movement directed by Andy Warhol.

Mae and her colleague Shelley are immature figures, young and lacking confidence, but manage to be retained by management at the Factory thanks to their excellent typing skills, although they aren't particularly well paid.

Nothing Special highlights the less important but essential figures used in the production of a, A Novel; the glamour of The Factory is totally absent in the lives of Mae and Shelley as they find ways to cope with work and family. Although this is a fairly downbeat story, I was able to feel the desperation in their lives and their relationships both at home and at work and the relief when things moved on.

I was expecting more of a peek into Andy Warhol's world but this novel was more a of a peek inside the mundane, dull lives of of young girls on the periphery of this world.

Beautifully written prose and a really enjoyable story to spend time with. Nicole Flattery’s talent for thoughtful, impressive description is on display throughout this novel. I enjoyed her debut short story collection too and eagerly await her future work.

A darkly funny study of adolescent coming-of-age in 1960s New York. I was really surprised by this book, which was very different to what I was expecting. The focus was much more on the main character's friendships and her experience trying to fit in with the world of Andy Warhol's Factory - Warhol was only a background character. I loved the sharp, clear-eyed observations of the central character and how her outsider status shifted and changed over the course of the book. And, as always, Nicole Flattery's writing is stylish and stellar.

I really thought I'd like this book. The blurb sounded like it was right up my street but unfortunately the content did not match up with the description at all. It was very disappointing.

This book was about the rather dull lives of a number of girls. I found them wholly uninteresting and unoriginal. It jumped about so I could not get a grip on the characters or the stories. It was one of those books that after five days of trying to read it I still could not remember a thing that had happened or a defining feature of any of the characters.

A coming-of-age set in the late 60's, as Mae and her new friend Shelly start working as typists for Andy Warhol in New York City, they stumble through their late teens and find themselves discovering new things about themselves, their life and what the world has to offer them.

Just as Mae does, you as the reader also become obsessed with the lives of the tapes, the famous people andy warhol is talking to that the girls as transcribing, that you lose yourself in the world, just as Nicole Flattery expects you to, and just as the girls typing out the stories do. As they struggle to distinguish between the real world and the warhol world, reading as they find their true selves will be identifying for everyone who has ever questioned their goals, their life plans, their agendas. This is the coming of age story we all know inside and out, but with that added glam of new york in the sixties. The friendship is as much a central character in this story as any individual, and the blossom between Mae and Shelly is so apt of those bonding moments that can cement your future just as easily as they can be flashes in the pan. A book that leaves you pondering the lives of the characters as well as your own.

Thank you to Netgalley and Bloomsbury UK for the arc of this novel in exchange for a genuine review.

This book is one of the most depressing I’ve ever read. That said I was riveted. Possibly I wished for life to get better for Mae but as a young girl in the sixties who wants to get in on the New York scene she seems to continually demean herself. The novel also exposes the life of Andy Warhol, someone who I knew nothing about. Needless to say my impression of him is not particularly favourable.

A good read.

Thanks so much to NetGalley and the publishers for letting me read this book in exchange for my review.