The Princess of 72 Street: Novel

In Elaine Kraf’s witty, sardonic novel The Princess of 72nd Street, the Princess Esmeralda is sure of her royalty, her seizures of “radiance,” and her domain––Manhattan’s 72nd Street from Central Park West to Riverside Drive. On the other hand, Ellen (who shares a body with the Princess) has trouble coping with an ex-lover, his psychiatrist, an ex-husband, dining out, putting just one color on her canvases at a time, and trying to keep a radiant Esmeralda from being arrested. She has even taken to propping up large signs to remind the Princess that MONEY IS THE MEANS OF BARTER and DON’T LET STRANGE MEN INTO YOUR APARTMENT. The Princess, however, can be most persuasive: she wants to remain a princess. If only she could learn to control the radiances, retain the wonderful feelings, remember what happens…