Sign-In
Cart
The Critic at Rest
Paperback
Publisher Price: $20.00
Publisher: Sibylline Digital First
Published: Sep 11 2026
Pages: 214
Weight: 0.56
Height: 0.49 Width: 5.50 Depth: 8.50
Language: English
When an art critic descends on a local high school art show, two teen girls' lives are about to change. Told from the point of view of Beth Lindley, this astutely comic novel charts the outlandish eccentricities of art critic Neil Barris and his influence on the lives of Beth and her best friend and budding artist, Quincy California, as they come of age in the '60s L.A. art scene and beyond.
An irresistible juxtapose of professorial charm, profound self-obsession, genuine belief in young Quincy's career potential (amid ongoing efforts to get her into bed and impose himself into her personal life) and spectacularly unhinged behavior, Neil Barris is the enthralling, confounding muse of The Critic at Rest.
About the Author
Diane Leslie was born in Hollywood and by age nineteen was working as a television researcher and story analyst. After sailing halfway around the world, she married a sailboat rigger. Home in Los Angeles once again, she began writing fiction while raising two sons. For thirty years she hosted author readings and led book groups at Diesel and Dutton's Brentwood Bookstores. She is the author of Fleur de Leigh's Life of Crime and Fleur de Leigh in Exile. This brilliant novel is being published posthumously.
Also in
Humor
I Can't Believe I Did That: The Game That Gives You Points for Sharing Awkward, Awesome, and Unforgettable Memories: Card Games
Nadelberg, David
Katcher, Neil
Other
The Science Magpie: Fascinating Facts, Stories, Poems, Diagrams and Jokes Plucked from Science
Flynn, Simon
Paperback
How to Be a Cat: (Cat Books for Kids, Cat Gifts for Kids, Cat Picture Book)
Lazar, Ralph
Swerling, Lisa
Hardcover
The Chapo Guide to Revolution: A Manifesto Against Logic, Facts, and Reason
Chapo Trap House
Hardcover
Peculiar Questions and Practical Answers: A Little Book of Whimsy and Wisdom from the Files of the New York Public Library
New York Public Library
Hardcover
How to Be Okay When Nothing Is Okay: Tips and Tricks That Kept Me Alive, Happy, and Creative in Spite of Myself
Lawson, Jenny
Hardcover
Wtf America?!: The Way Out of This Hell and Back to Democracy
Meiselas, Jordy
Meiselas, Ben
Meiselas, Brett
Hardcover
Not Today, Fascists: The Lies That Got Us Here, and the Truths That Will Reunite Us
Welch, Jennifer
Hardcover
Big Fan: Two Friends, 82,490 Miles, and the Wild, Wonderful Sports We Love
Posnanski, Joe
Schur, Michael
Hardcover
Pardon My Book: Ten Years of the Best (and Worst) in Sports from Pardon My Take
Commenter, Pft
Big Cat
Hardcover
How to Grow Up Without Becoming a Grown-Up: Big Lessons from Little Kids
Shapiro-Barnum, Julian
Hardcover
Black Out Loud: The Revolutionary History of Black Comedy from Vaudeville to '90s Sitcoms
Bennett, Geoff
Hardcover
Bake It Off: An Unofficial Taylor Swift-Inspired Cookbook for Every Era, from Breakfast to Midnights
Smith, Lindsey
Hardcover
We Are the World (Cup): A Personal History of the World's Greatest Sporting Event
Bennett, Roger
Hardcover
The Ultimate Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Five Novels in One Outrageous Volume
Adams, Douglas
Paperback
The New Worst-Case Scenario Survival Handbook: Expert Advice for Extreme Situations
Borgenicht, David
Piven, Joshua
Hardcover
We've Been Here the Whole Time!: A Not So Sacred Guide to All Things Native America
Clift, Joey
Paperback
There Are Moms Way Worse Than You: Irrefutable Proof That You Are Indeed a Fantastic Parent
Boozan, Glenn
Hardcover
How to Talk to Your Cat about Gun Safety: And Abstinence, Drugs, Satanism, and Other Dangers That Threaten Their Nine Lives
Auburn, Zachary
Paperback
Nobody Wants Your Sh*t: The Art of Decluttering Before You Die (New York Times Bestseller)
Condo, Messie
Hardcover