SKU: 14983176467

The Portable Veblen

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The Portable VeblenLonglisted for the 2016 National Book Award for Fiction Finalist for the Baileys Prize for Women's Fiction An exuberant, one of a kind novel about love and family, war and nature, new money and old values by a brilliant New Yorker contributor The Portable Veblen is a dazzlingly original novel that's as big hearted as it is laugh out loud funny. Set in and around Palo Alto, amid the culture clash of new money and old (antiestablishment) values, and

Longlisted for the 2016 National Book Award for Fiction

Finalist for the Baileys Prize for Women's Fiction

An exuberant, one-of-a-kind novel about love and family, war and nature, new money and old values by a brilliant New Yorker contributor

The Portable Veblen is a dazzlingly original novel that's as big-hearted as it is laugh-out-loud funny. Set in and around Palo Alto, amid the culture clash of new money and old (antiestablishment) values, and with the specter of our current wars looming across its pages, The Portable Veblen is an unforgettable look at the way we live now. A young couple on the brink of marriage--the charming Veblen and her fianc Paul, a brilliant neurologist--find their engagement in danger of collapse. Along the way they weather everything from each other's dysfunctional families, to the attentions of a seductive pharmaceutical heiress, to an intimate t te- -t te with a very charismatic squirrel.

Veblen (named after the iconoclastic economist Thorstein Veblen, who coined the term "conspicuous consumption") is one of the most refreshing heroines in recent fiction. Not quite liberated from the burdens of her hypochondriac, narcissistic mother and her institutionalized father, Veblen is an amateur translator and "freelance self"; in other words, she's adrift. Meanwhile, Paul--the product of good hippies who were bad parents--finds his ambition soaring. His medical research has led to the development of a device to help minimize battlefield brain trauma--an invention that gets him swept up in a high-stakes deal with the Department of Defense, a Bizarro World that McKenzie satirizes with granular specificity.

As Paul is swept up by the promise of fame and fortune, Veblen heroically keeps the peace between all the damaged parties involved in their upcoming wedding, until she finds herself falling for someone--or something--else. Throughout, Elizabeth McKenzie asks: Where do our families end and we begin? How do we stay true to our ideals? And what is that squirrel really thinking? Replete with deadpan photos and sly appendices, The Portable Veblen is at once an honest inquiry into what we look for in love and an electrifying reading experience.



Binding Type: Paperback
Publisher: Penguin Group
Published: 11/01/2016
ISBN: 9781101981597
Pages: 448
Weight: 0.70lbs
Size: 8.00h x 5.30w x 1.40d
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SKU: 14983176467

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Firecapt45
Bozeman, US
★★★★★ 5
Very nice and priced right
Size: 48 inch, Color: Heavy Duty-Black
Although this cover is slightly larger than my grill, it's heavy duty and should last a long time in the weather. Installing was a breeze, and the velcro straps help secure it in place better than my last one. This truly is a nice cover and appears to be able to withstand anything thrown at it. Nice product, 2 thumbs up!!
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Reviewed in the United States on May 25, 2026
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F. Barber
Los Angeles, US
★★★★★ 4
Too much material so that it gets stuck under wheels
Size: 58 inch, Color: Heavy Duty-Black
Very large grill cover, lightweight, but it covers my grill and since it is over-sized very easy to take off and put back on. My problem with it is it's got too much material so that if I have to move my grill away from the house to use, the material gets stuck under the wheels. I may have to re-hem it or send it back. Those with stationary grills won't have this problem.
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Reviewed in the United States on May 25, 2026
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Brandon Jimenez
Fort Morgan, US
★★★★★ 5
Looks sharp, concert black, comfortable some stretch
Size: Medium, Color: Black
I bought this for my son to wear at his band concerts, and it’s been perfect. He’s about 5’8” and 155 lbs, and I got him a men’s medium—it fits really well with a comfortable, true-to-size feel. The quality is excellent: soft, lightweight, and breathable, with just enough stretch so he has the flexibility he needs while playing trombone. It also looks really sharp on stage.
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Reviewed in the United States on May 12, 2026
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Shania Seeraj
Dallas, US
★★★★★ 5
Great
Size: Medium, Color: Black
The sleeves are exactly how it’s showing on the picture. The size is great. I believe it’s a good value for money. The color is amazing. The quality is great. It’s very light and it’s very comfortable.
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Reviewed in the United States on May 7, 2026
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Dee
Alexandria, US
★★★★★ 5
Snazzy shirt
Size: Large, Color: Black
Fits great & looks wonderful. Can be worn casually or for work. Very wrinkly, just toss it in the dryer and they will come right out. It's lightweight & cool.
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Reviewed in the United States on May 29, 2026

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