Product Description

Having removed the overly dramatic makeup of her solitary high school days, Ellie looks forward to recreating herself and her art. Arriving alone for winter session at the New England College of Art and Design, Ellie finds the ideal opportunity. In her first days she begins dirty dancing with the Devil. Then she makes out with him. A story about independence, trust, and boys.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #212766 in Books
• Published on: 2002-08-26
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 272 pages

Amazon.com Review
Ellie Yelinsky is starting her freshman year at the New England College of Art and Design, and it's not exactly turning out like she expected. She falls for the devil at a costume party (in reality, cute sophomore Nate Finerman). She finds that her hippie parents have hidden pot in her baggage. Her beginning art instructor is a hysterical arm waver who only speaks in one tone: earsplitting. But the most disturbing discovery Ellie makes is that her paintings, mostly "screaming heads strangled by boa constrictors" are not dark, brooding masterpieces, but cheesy melodrama. However life, like art, isn't always what it seems. Nate actually is the devil, or at least a smooth-talking painter who considers himself the campus de-virginizer. Her dad only put pot in her suitcase in an attempt to make a meaningful connection with her. And even if Mr. Gilloggley is in desperate need of volume control, the more Ellie listens to him, the more she sees that what he has to share might actually help her grow past teen angst into true art.

Using spare language and a dry, witty tone, Hillary Frank skewers the hypocritical world of art school in this brilliant debut novel. Ellie's sharp, restrained observances are a refreshing change from the gushing girl novels that have sprung up in the wake of Louise Rennison's Angus, Thongs and Full Frontal Snogging. Intelligent and mature, Better Than Running at Night will appeal most to those discerning teen connoisseurs of The Perks of Being a Wallflower, by Stephen Chbosky, and My Heartbeat, by Garret Freymann-Weyr. (Ages 14 and older) --Jennifer Hubert

From Publishers Weekly
Set at a prestigious (fictional) art school, this first novel revolves around a talented college freshman wrestling with her first relationship. Ellie, the narrator, is first met while dirty-dancing with the Devil, in a scenario quickly revealed as a costume party; a "sneering Elvis" joins them to set up a threesome ("Soon we were all making out"). This provocative opener only partially prefigures Frank's themes. Nate, the student dressed as the Devil, and Ellie make love a week or so later; shortly afterward, Ellie learns that Nate has an "open relationship" with a longtime girlfriend, plus a reputation for womanizing. Meanwhile, she acclimates to student life and deals with her parents, former hippies who openly discuss their youthful drug-taking and who have no idea which of Ellie's mother's many partners was Ellie's biological father. Frank proves most successful in characterizing Ellie as a painter the discussion of art is unusually specific, knowledgeable and convincing. The author also skillfully depicts the zeitgeist among the students, most of whom lionize the showy performance artists (among them a teacher who leads his class in taunting Ellie for her "old fart" pursuit of representational art). But Frank fumbles in linking Ellie's family dynamics to her attempts to come to terms with Nate. The parents are much less developed than the other characters, and this aspect of the story never quite jells. On balance, however, the many truthful moments and the strong portrayal of the heroine will likely compel readers' attention. Ages 14-up . (Aug.)
Copyright 2002 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From School Library Journal
Grade 9 Up-Ellie's first year at art school starts with her first party, complete with a three-way dance and kiss with a costumed Devil and Elvis. She finds herself having sex for the first time with Nate, the Devil, a week after the event. As they continue on together, Ellie soon discovers that he has an "open relationship" with an old girlfriend, as well as a number of suspect encounters with other female students. She balances this questionable relationship, her classes, and a strange background in which her parents, former hippies who named her Ladybug, try to convince her to smoke pot to relax and are not sure of the identity of her biological father. The book shines when Ellie is discovering and devoting herself to art, making her seem even more serious when compared to the silly and showy professor and performance artists who are adored by her fellow students. Readers will enjoy the presentation of a strong female who puts finding herself and moving ahead with her talent ahead of maintaining a false pretense to her boyfriend or to the professor who is unwilling to acknowledge the dedication and improvement she has shown.
Betsy Fraser, Calgary Public Library, Canada
Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Customer Reviews

A new orginal YA novel
Ellie Yelinsky is away from home for the first time in her life at art school in New England. She wants to concentrate on improving her art, all which show a grim out look on life, but before she can even start classes her usually slow and isolated life gets changed. She dances with the devil at a costume party, and makes out with him as well. She later learns the devil's name is Nate and as she gets to know him she has a hard time finding out if he's more of a devil or an Angel. Her father thinks the only way he can bond with her is to give her the things he enjoyed as a teenager, mostly meaning drugs. The classes Ellie starts are much different from she had ever expected. Her teacher only speaks in one tone, yell, and he has her focusing on things she doesn't think are important. But as it turns out her teacher may be the only one that can teach her about art, and maybe something more than that.

This is the only book that's ever inspired me to join a school club, art club that is. If your in the mood for an original YA novel that can be read by adults as well, this is for you. The author, Hillary Frank, writes in a very artistic manner. She doesn't tend to spell everything out for you but trusts the intelligence of the reader to figure some things out for themselves. The cast of characters manages to be original while realistic at the same time. Whether it's the loud and obnoxious art teacher, the shy stoner Sam, or the sometimes good, sometimes evil Nate. This is a great book for people that are fans of books such as Sloppy Firsts and Love and other Four Letter Words.

Book review-Bak MSOA
Better Than Running at Night, being her first novel, Hillary Frank writes a 240-page true-life story about college life, and living on your own. Frank's novel captures the essence of college life, and a strong portrayal of a young heroin that will likely compel readers attention.
A talented young freshman, Ellie Yelinsky, is attending her first year of college at a prestigious art school, New England College of Art and Design. Before leaving for college Ellie lives with her two hippie guardians. Her mother and her stepfather. With Ellie's mother's youthful drug-taking days, she has no idea who her biological father is. She doesn't connect with her stepfather, and the ways he tries to bond with her is by placing marijuana in her bag, and by urging her to smoke with him and her mother.
In the first page of the novel we are first introduced to Ellie at a costume party. She is "dirty dancing" with the "devil". The student dressed as the devil is Nate. Ellie and Nate make love a week later, and then she realized that Nate has an "open relationship" with his ex-girlfriend. Shortly after that Ellie finds that Nate has a reputation for womanizing. In all her art classes there is a dread locked boy that she notices. Sam has the "stoner" reputation by keeping to himself, listening to his headphones and now socializing. Ellie began being friends with Sam. This love triangle makes me feel like I can relate to her.
As being a fellow art student I enjoyed reading about her triumph over artistic talent. Her intriguing journey through too as she is learning different teaching styles and as she develops new techniques for depicting what she sees and feels. Meanwhile Ellie reached out to her stepfather by inviting him to share art that is meaningful to her.
Me being a sucker for young adult books this is one of my favorites. I liked how there was a drawing on each chapter heading. This helped add more artistic flavor of the book. I rated the book 5 stars because I really enjoyed reading it. It gave me nostalgia of my sister because she is away at art school. It made me wonder if her life is like this. I recommend this book for someone who enjoys reading about love triangles and human metamorphosis.

read it on one plane ride
THis is one of those fully enveloping books, you just sink into it and that's all you know for a few hours. I loved the voice of Ellie, so insightful yet still the sort of clueless teenage girl we all were (at least I was). I was also releived that the expected ending never came; it was something surprising yet satisfying. It was also a great rendering of the art school absurdity. Hurrah for this book! I will now have to go look for her radio stories on This American Life.