The Boy Next Door (novel)

Last updated
First edition The Boy Next Door (novel).jpg
First edition

The Boy Next Door is a novel written by Meg Cabot. The book was published in 2002. [1] It is written with an e-mail format throughout the book.

Contents

Plot

The main character in this novel is Melissa Fuller, but "You can call me Mel", as she says. Mel is a gossip columnist for the New York Journal and has just broken up with her longtime boy next door, Aaron Spender. Her best friend, Nadine Wilcock, a food critic, is marrying her boyfriend, Tony Salerno, who is a chef at the popular restaurant Fresche. Melissa also has many coworkers, including Dolly Vargas, an outlandish Style Editor who has her eyes on quite a few men.

The book starts with Melissa being late to work after finding her neighbour, Mrs. Helen Friedlander, facedown on the carpet of her apartment after a brutal attack. Mel gets her to the hospital but has yet to solve the problem of walking Paco, Mrs. Friedlander's Great Dane. She calls upon Mrs. Friedlander's nephew, Max Friedlander, to come and take care of Paco and the two cats Tweedledum and Mr. Peepers. Max, who is on vacation with the supermodel Vivica, calls upon his millionaire friend John Trent, who is a crime reporter for the New York Chronicle, the Journal's top competitor. John impersonates Max and moves into Max's Aunt Helen's apartment.

John and Melissa get off to a good start after sharing mutual affections for not only each other, but other things as well. They go on a date but are stopped by Tweedledum's hospitalization. Afterwards, John kisses Mel over Chinese food, and gets mixed reactions from her as she jumps off to her apartment.

John is troubled over whether he should sleep with Mel. He asks for advice from his family, including his grandmother, Genevieve Randolph Trent, his rich brother Jason Trent, and his sister-in-law, Stacy Trent. They each feel that he should go for it. He does, in fact, take Mel out for dinner and afterward, they have sex. They express their love for each other.

When John is accidentally exposed for who he really is, Mel considers moving back to Lansing, Illinois. However an email from John's sister in law proves how much he truly loves her and he is at last forgiven. However, no one knows who attacked Mrs. Freidlander. However, with a little wit, John and Mel solve the case, leading it back to her nephew, Max. The novel ends with a cliffhanger of John saying he needs to ask Mel a question. She says that whatever it is, the answer is yes. [2]

Characters

Main

New York Journal and Friends

-Several other reporters

New York Chronicle and friends

John's Family

Max's Entourage

Mel's Family

Animals

Related Research Articles

<i>Howards End</i> (film) 1992 film

Howards End is a 1992 period romantic drama film directed by James Ivory, from a screenplay written by Ruth Prawer Jhabvala based on the 1910 novel of the same name by E. M. Forster. Marking Merchant Ivory Productions' third adaptation of a Forster novel, it was the first film to be released by Sony Pictures Classics. The film's narrative explores class relations in turn-of-the-20th-century Britain, through events in the lives of the Schlegel sisters. The film starred Emma Thompson, Anthony Hopkins, Helena Bonham Carter and Vanessa Redgrave, with James Wilby, Samuel West, Jemma Redgrave and Prunella Scales in supporting roles.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Anne Bancroft</span> American actress (1931–2005)

Anne Bancroft was an American actress and director. Respected for her acting prowess and versatility, Bancroft received an Academy Award, three BAFTA Awards, two Golden Globe Awards, two Tony Awards, two Primetime Emmy Awards, and a Cannes Film Festival Award. She is one of 24 thespians to achieve the Triple Crown of Acting.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mel Tormé</span> American recording artist (1925–1999)

Melvin Howard Tormé, nicknamed "the Velvet Fog", was an American musician, singer, composer, arranger, drummer, actor, and author. He composed the music for "The Christmas Song" and co-wrote the lyrics with Bob Wells. Tormé won two Grammy Awards and was nominated a total of 14 times.

<i>The Princess Diaries</i> (film) 2001 American film

The Princess Diaries is a 2001 American coming-of-age comedy film produced by Walt Disney Pictures, directed by Garry Marshall, and written by Gina Wendkos. Based on Meg Cabot's 2000 young adult novel of the same name, it stars Anne Hathaway and Julie Andrews, with a supporting cast consisting of Héctor Elizondo, Heather Matarazzo, Mandy Moore, Caroline Goodall, and Robert Schwartzman. The plot follows Mia Thermopolis (Hathaway), an American teenager who discovers she is heir to throne of a European kingdom. Under the tutelage of her estranged grandmother (Andrews), the kingdom's reigning queen, Mia must choose whether to claim or renounce the title she has inherited.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Vivica A. Fox</span> American actress and producer

Vivica Anjanetta Fox is an American actress, producer and television host. Fox began her career on Soul Train (1982–1983) and played roles on the daytime television soap operas Days of Our Lives (1988) and Generations (1989–1992). In prime time she starred opposite Patti LaBelle in the NBC sitcom Out All Night (1992–1993). Fox's breakthrough came in 1996, with roles in two box-office hit films, Roland Emmerich's Independence Day and F. Gary Gray's Set It Off.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">John Lehmann</span> English publisher (1907–1987)

Rudolf John Frederick Lehmann was an English publisher, poet and man of letters. He founded the periodicals New Writing and The London Magazine, and the publishing house of John Lehmann Limited.

<i>American Dreams</i> American drama television series

American Dreams is an American drama television series that ran on NBC for three seasons and 61 episodes, from September 29, 2002, to March 30, 2005. The show tells the story of the Pryor family of Philadelphia during the mid-1960s, with many plotlines around teenager Meg Pryor, who dances on Dick Clark's American Bandstand. The show often featured contemporary musicians performing as popular musicians of the 1960s. Season one takes place in 1963–64, season two in 1964–65 and season three in 1965–66.

<i>Irene</i> (musical) Musical with a book by James Montgomery, Thomas Joseph McCarthy, and Harry Austin Tierney

Irene is a musical with a book by James Montgomery, lyrics by Joseph McCarthy, and music by Harry Tierney. Based on Montgomery's play Irene O'Dare, it is set in New York City's Upper West Side and focuses on immigrant shop assistant Irene O'Dare, who is introduced to Long Island's high society when she is hired to tune a piano for a society gentleman.

<i>Herbie Goes Bananas</i> 1980 film directed by Vincent McEveety

Herbie Goes Bananas is a 1980 American adventure comedy film directed by Vincent McEveety and written by Don Tait. The film is the fourth installment in the Herbie film series and the sequel to Herbie Goes to Monte Carlo (1977).

<i>Big Mommas House 2</i> 2006 film by John Whitesell

Big Momma's House 2 is a 2006 American crime comedy film, the sequel to 2000's Big Momma's House and the second installment of the Big Momma Trilogy. The film was directed by John Whitesell and stars Martin Lawrence reprising his role as FBI agent Malcolm Turner, along with Nia Long, Zachary Levi, Mark Moses, Emily Procter, Kat Dennings and Chloë Grace Moretz in supporting roles.

<i>The Pallisers</i> 1974 British TV drama series

The Pallisers is a 1974 BBC television adaptation of Anthony Trollope's Palliser novels. Set in Victorian era England with a backdrop of parliamentary life, Simon Raven's dramatisation covers six novels and follows the events and characters over two decades.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rosa Campbell Praed</span> Australian novelist

Rosa Campbell Praed, often credited as Mrs. Campbell Praed, was an Australian novelist in the 19th and early 20th centuries. Her large bibliography covered multiple genres, and books for children as well as adults. She has been described as the first Australian novelist to achieve a significant international reputation.

<i>Hello, Dolly!</i> (film) 1969 American musical romantic comedy film directed by Gene Kelly

Hello, Dolly! is a 1969 American musical romantic comedy film based on the 1964 Broadway production of the same name, which was based on Thornton Wilder's play The Matchmaker. Directed by Gene Kelly and written and produced by Ernest Lehman, the film stars Barbra Streisand, Walter Matthau, Michael Crawford, Danny Lockin, Tommy Tune, Fritz Feld, Marianne McAndrew, E. J. Peaker and Louis Armstrong. The film follows the story of Dolly Levi, a strong-willed matchmaker who travels to Yonkers, New York in order to find a match for the miserly "well-known unmarried half-a-millionaire" Horace Vandergelder. In doing so, she convinces his niece, his niece's intended and Horace's two clerks to travel to New York.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Julie Halston</span> American actress and comedian

Julie Halston is an American actress and comedian who appeared on television, film, and theatre. She received four Drama Desk Award nominations for her Broadway performances, and in 2020 was awarded Isabelle Stevenson Award at the 74th Tony Awards. On television, Halston best-known for playing socialite Bitsy von Muffling in the HBO comedy series, Sex and The City, its film continuation, and the sequel series, And Just Like That....

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Walnut Hills Cemetery (Brookline, Massachusetts)</span> Historic cemetery in Massachusetts, United States

Walnut Hills Cemetery is a historic cemetery on Grove Street and Allandale Road in Brookline, Massachusetts. It encompasses 45.26 acres (18.32 ha), with mature trees and puddingstone outcrops, and was laid out in 1875 in the then-fashionable rural cemetery style. Many past prominent citizens of the town, including architect H. H. Richardson, are buried here. The cemetery was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1985.

Ella the Elephant is a Canadian animated television preschool series based on the books by Carmela D' Amico & Steven Henry. The series was produced by DHX Cookie Jar Inc., in association with TVOKids and FremantleMedia Kids and Family Entertainment, with animation provided by Atomic Cartoons, with the series' funding provided by The Canadian Film or Video Production Tax Credit and The Ontario Film and Television Tax Credit. The series' completion guarantee was provided by Film Finances Canada Ltd.

<i>The Worst Woman in Paris?</i> 1933 film by Monta Bell

The Worst Woman in Paris? is a 1933 American drama film directed by Monta Bell and written by Monta Bell and Marion Dix. The film stars Benita Hume, Adolphe Menjou, Harvey Stephens, Helen Chandler, Margaret Seddon and Adele St. Mauer. The film was released on October 20, 1933, by Fox Film Corporation.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fraenkel Gallery</span>

Fraenkel Gallery is a contemporary art gallery in San Francisco founded by Jeffrey Fraenkel in 1979. Daphne Palmer is president of the gallery.

References

  1. "THE BOY NEXT DOOR by Meg Cabot". Publishers Weekly . 2002-10-07. Retrieved 2024-08-13.
  2. Cabot, Meg. The Boy next Door. New York: Avon, 2002. Print.