“I adored this novel. It’s a story about being an awkward, misfit girl with big dreams in a man’s world. It made me laugh out loud, and it made me really, really want a tattoo.” —Clare Pooley, New York Times bestselling author of The Authenticity Project
An uplifting, feminist coming-of-age love story about a young woman who dreams of becoming a tattoo artist, and living life on her own terms
Introvert Gina Mulley is determined to become a tattoo artist, and to find somewhere she belongs in her conventional Long Island town. But this is 1985, when tattooing is still a gritty, male-dominated fringe culture, and Gina’s funky flash is not exactly mainstream tattoo fare. The good news is that her older brother Dominic owns a tattoo shop, and he reluctantly agrees to train her.
Gina has a year to prove herself, but her world is turned upside down when a mysterious psychic and his striking assistant, Anna, arrive on the scene. With Anna’s help, Gina recognizes that the only way she has a shot at becoming a professional tattoo artist is to embrace her quirkiness both in her art and her life.
The tattoo shop is rocked by a crisis just as Gina finds herself falling in love with Anna. Dominic gives Gina an ultimatum, and she’s faced with an impossible choice: Is the romance and newfound independence she’s found worth sacrificing her dreams? Or can she find a way to have it all?
Genre: Literary Fiction
An uplifting, feminist coming-of-age love story about a young woman who dreams of becoming a tattoo artist, and living life on her own terms
Introvert Gina Mulley is determined to become a tattoo artist, and to find somewhere she belongs in her conventional Long Island town. But this is 1985, when tattooing is still a gritty, male-dominated fringe culture, and Gina’s funky flash is not exactly mainstream tattoo fare. The good news is that her older brother Dominic owns a tattoo shop, and he reluctantly agrees to train her.
Gina has a year to prove herself, but her world is turned upside down when a mysterious psychic and his striking assistant, Anna, arrive on the scene. With Anna’s help, Gina recognizes that the only way she has a shot at becoming a professional tattoo artist is to embrace her quirkiness both in her art and her life.
The tattoo shop is rocked by a crisis just as Gina finds herself falling in love with Anna. Dominic gives Gina an ultimatum, and she’s faced with an impossible choice: Is the romance and newfound independence she’s found worth sacrificing her dreams? Or can she find a way to have it all?
Genre: Literary Fiction
Praise for this book
"Gervais' debut is an utterly original, wonderfully charming story that dives deep into the fringe world of 80s Long Island. I couldn't stop reading!" - Jessica Anya Blau
"As if a queer, feminist, 80s coming-of-age novel weren't enough, Jobs for Girls With Artistic Flair also introduces us to a host of interesting characters in all the shades of gray, a gathering storm of family drama, and a burgeoning tattoo scene I knew nothing about and was delighted to be (pun intended) drawn into." - Laurie Frankel
"Bizarre and charming, June Gervais' debut is beautifully crafted, a coming-of-age story that celebrates the messiness of finding yourself, the pleasure of marching offbeat, the beauty of unknown paths. Gina Mulley is a winning narrator who I both wanted to hug and be tattooed by." - Jean Kyoung Frazier
"This coming-of-age debut is for all the readers who once felt a little quirky, who longed to find their place in the world and the courage to go after it. In Gina, a soulful, aspiring tattoo artist, June Gervais has given readers a love letter to the 80s, to growing up blue collar by the sea, to self-discovery and becoming an adult, and to falling in love for the first time. Beautiful, vulnerable, and moving. Not to be missed." - Donna Freitas
"Gina Mulley is irresistible: clever, stubborn, loving, slightly out of control. I couldn't stop reading because I had to find out what happened, but I didn't want this smart, engaging novel to end." - Alice Mattison
"A colorful coming-of-age story brimming with gorgeous prose and vibrant misfits, and a fascinating glimpse into the world of tattooing in the 1980s. This novel is for anyone who's ever searched for their place in the world or fought for their dreams--in other words, everyone." - Margarita Montimore
"June Gervais has delivered an uncommonly assured debut, equal parts subculture and style. Smart, confident, witty, and tender, Jobs for Girls with Artistic Flair is a love song to those dreams that resist obstacles and the young women who dare to dream them." - Ivy Pochoda
"I adored this novel. It's a story about being an awkward, misfit girl with big dreams in a man's world. It made me laugh out loud, and it made me really, really want a tattoo." - Clare Pooley
"Jobs for Girls with Artistic Flair is an absolute delight--fascinating, funny, touching and hugely compelling. I loved the richly-drawn characters and was completely absorbed by the setting. A fantastically accomplished debut by an author to watch." - Rosie Walsh
"As if a queer, feminist, 80s coming-of-age novel weren't enough, Jobs for Girls With Artistic Flair also introduces us to a host of interesting characters in all the shades of gray, a gathering storm of family drama, and a burgeoning tattoo scene I knew nothing about and was delighted to be (pun intended) drawn into." - Laurie Frankel
"Bizarre and charming, June Gervais' debut is beautifully crafted, a coming-of-age story that celebrates the messiness of finding yourself, the pleasure of marching offbeat, the beauty of unknown paths. Gina Mulley is a winning narrator who I both wanted to hug and be tattooed by." - Jean Kyoung Frazier
"This coming-of-age debut is for all the readers who once felt a little quirky, who longed to find their place in the world and the courage to go after it. In Gina, a soulful, aspiring tattoo artist, June Gervais has given readers a love letter to the 80s, to growing up blue collar by the sea, to self-discovery and becoming an adult, and to falling in love for the first time. Beautiful, vulnerable, and moving. Not to be missed." - Donna Freitas
"Gina Mulley is irresistible: clever, stubborn, loving, slightly out of control. I couldn't stop reading because I had to find out what happened, but I didn't want this smart, engaging novel to end." - Alice Mattison
"A colorful coming-of-age story brimming with gorgeous prose and vibrant misfits, and a fascinating glimpse into the world of tattooing in the 1980s. This novel is for anyone who's ever searched for their place in the world or fought for their dreams--in other words, everyone." - Margarita Montimore
"June Gervais has delivered an uncommonly assured debut, equal parts subculture and style. Smart, confident, witty, and tender, Jobs for Girls with Artistic Flair is a love song to those dreams that resist obstacles and the young women who dare to dream them." - Ivy Pochoda
"I adored this novel. It's a story about being an awkward, misfit girl with big dreams in a man's world. It made me laugh out loud, and it made me really, really want a tattoo." - Clare Pooley
"Jobs for Girls with Artistic Flair is an absolute delight--fascinating, funny, touching and hugely compelling. I loved the richly-drawn characters and was completely absorbed by the setting. A fantastically accomplished debut by an author to watch." - Rosie Walsh
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