Becoming Duchess Goldblatt (Anonymous)

Becoming Duchess Goldblatt 
Anonymous, 2020
Houghton Mifflin Harcourt
240 pp.
ISBN-13: 9780358216773


Summary
Part memoir and part joyful romp through the fields of imagination, the story behind a beloved pseudonymous Twitter account reveals how a writer deep in grief rebuilt a life worth living.

Becoming Duchess Goldblatt is two stories: that of the reclusive real-life writer who created a fictional character out of loneliness and thin air, and that of the magical Duchess Goldblatt herself, a bright light in the darkness of social media.

Fans around the world are drawn to Her Grace’s voice, her wit, her life-affirming love for all humanity, and the fun and friendship of the community that’s sprung up around her.
 
@DuchessGoldblat (81 year-old literary icon, author of An Axe to Grind) brought people together in her name: in bookstores, museums, concerts, and coffee shops, and along the way, brought real friends home—foremost among them, Lyle Lovett.
 
“The only way to be reliably sure that the hero gets the girl at the end of the story is to be both the hero and the girl yourself.” — Duchess Goldblatt (From the publisher.)

Author Bio
Duchess Goldblatt, 81, is the inspirational author of An Axe to Grind"; Feasting on the Carcasses of My Enemies: A Love Story; and the heartwarming meditation on mothers and daughters Not If I Kill You First.

A cultural icon, trophy ex-wife, friend to all humanity, and sponsor of the prestigious Goldblatt Prize in Fiction, she lives in Crooked Path, NY. She’s fictional but her love is real.

Anonymous, the real-life person in whose mind Duchess Goldblatt lives and flourishes, has gathered all available truth and beauty for these pages. There’s nothing else to give. (From the publisher.)

Book Reviews
Deeply satisfying, unexpectedly moving.… As lovable as the duchess herself…. Duchess and Anonymous subtly, slowly become one person. She no longer feels alone; neither do her subjects. People find solace in this fictional character—and Anonymous does, too.
Julie Klam - New York Times Book Review


There's no recipe for Duchess Goldblatt tweets, but they often amount to one part conventional wisdom and two parts surrealism, with some grandmotherly tenderness or saltiness sprinkled in for good measure.… Her feed is one of the few places on the internet devoted to spreading unadulterated joy.… Becoming Duchess Goldblatt recontextualizes the Twitter account as a therapeutic exercise.
Kate Dwyer - New York Times


Her proclamations sound like pithy lines from a standup special—that is, if the comedian was God and if God was an 81-year-old woman from the 17th century.… [H]er community.… [finds] her amusing, comforting, assuring.… It's loving the bizarre and cherishing the weird that Goldblatt does best. And it's why so many people trust her to tell them how to live, how to treat themselves with more compassion, how to treat each other better, too.
Boston Globe


Becoming Duchess Goldblatt is many things, all of them splendid…. The best sort of self-help, demonstrating that creativity, generosity and even Twitter… can offer salvation and lift all boats…. The book is enriched by two distinct voices: one frank and vulnerable, the other all-knowing.…This sort of anonymity, in a time of too much oversharing on too many platforms, is a respite. We need magic. The book's timing is inspired. It's a summer cocktail of a book.
Washington Post


A source of wry wisdom and off-kilter commentary...A testament to the powers of redemption, reinvention, and yes, country singer Lyle Lovett.
Christian Science


A life-affirming memoir packed with hilarity and candid observations about life and love.
Marie Claire


Surely you follow Duchess Goldblatt on Twitter? If not, do yourself a favor and hit that button to subscribe to her delightful musings. In Becoming Duchess Goldblatt, the Duchess' real-life anonymous creator writes about crafting one of Twitter's (if not the Internet's) best accounts and healing herself in the process.
Real Simple


The Duchess is a light shining in the darkness, a beacon for troubled souls…. Her presence has uplifted her human avatar, even as it heartens Her Grace's ever-growing audience of "loons" and "rascals." … [A]s the Duchess would say—her love is real.
BookPage


A surprising, joyful story of social media at its best.
Booklist


(Starred review) How does a fictional character write a real memoir? Very, very well.… [The author has] created a long-term fever dream of humor, compassion, wordplay, and dog photos. A fascinating memoir by a 21st-century original.
Kirkus Reviews

Discussion Questions
We'll add publisher questions if and when they're available; in the meantime, use our LitLovers talking points to help start a discussion for BECOMING DUCHESS GOLDBLATT … then take off on your own:

1. ''Do you follow the Duchess's tweets? If so, does her book incorporate the same (or similar) style and pithiness?

2. What passages in Becoming Duchess Goldblatt do you feel carry the most weight in terms humor, compassion, or advice for living life as a person you wish to be? In other words, what most resonates with you? Did you have any "Ah-ha!" moments?

3. Well, just how funny is Duchess Goldblatt? What made you laugh out loud, or at least elicit a deep chuckle (or dainty snort)?

4. What does Anonymous tell us about her own life and her own vulnerability?

5. Who do you think Anonymous is, who's the real person behind the curtain? Well, of course, not WHO she is, but what she's like. Have some fun and create an identity for her. Speculate!—is the Duchess even a woman, is she really an octogenarian? Maybe she's a literary historian …or a 17th-18th century literature professor? Where do you think she lives?

6. The Duchess at one point insists she doesn't have many friends, that if you "get too friendly …they [will] inevitably drop you." But later she admits to a desire to connect with people, that she's "trying to make a new life" for herself. Do you find those revelation genuine ...or a part of her made-up character? Does her wariness of friendship feel familiar to you …or completely foreign?

7. The Duchess says that her followers confide in her about "trying to get or stay sober, or their marriages are unhappy or they have a child who’s terribly sick." Why do you think people are willing to share such deeply personal issues with her?

(Questions by LitLovers. Please feel free to use them, online and off, with attribution. Thanks.)

top of page (summary)