Title of Book: Valley of the Dolls
Author: Jacqueline Susann
Pages: 440-ish?
Grade: A
Buyability: 9/10
Status: Bought, owned & lent out to virtually everyone I know
Review: Another book for pop lit and probably my favourite to date, although I did enjoy Peyton Place this was just so much more crushing! Basically it follows the rise to fame for 3 young women in New York, from about age 20 to 40 and all the trials that befall them along the way. The book I think, is a satire on fame and feminism, given it gives the 3 girls a taste of pure joy but repeatedly crashes it down by punishing the girls with what they value (or are valued for) most...looks, personality, determination/wealth. The very things that get the girls to the top are the same things taht drag them to the 'valley of the dolls' - dolls being uppers and downers that play a significant role in the story.
I won't say too much about the plot, other than it has a lot of repetition...but for interesting reasons. The first time these repetitive storylines are introduced, you feel a ton of sympathy for the female characters. The second time, perhaps moreso, but it also shows how the cycle of fame is quite fickle and just that - a cycle. A neverending one.
What I liked (and simultaneously hated) about this book the best was the ending. There is no easy exit for these women from the lives they've created for themselves. I also loved how much the book shed light on celebrity - many of the patterns and commentary in this book is some of the same stories I've heard today! It really got me thinking about the celebrity world a lot more. Although the book isn't particularly...forceful...in its suspense, the very idea of how much bigger or how much worse or how much better can it be is what makes you keep on turning the pages.
Overall this is a great book - but the A- grade comes from the fact some of it is kind of dippy and fluffy and really unnecessary. The book is quite staggeringly long for its genre, but despite its pop lit/fluff motif, it also has some hard hitting lessons and commentary about women's power. If you want to borrow it, get in line, I'm shoving it down the throats of all my friends....the power of fame = deadly!
Showing posts with label girly book. Show all posts
Showing posts with label girly book. Show all posts
Thursday, May 24, 2007
Thursday, May 17, 2007
Book #21: Peyton Place
Book #21: Peyton Place
Author: Grace Metalious
Pages: 372
Grade: A
Buyability: 7/10 (probably in the library, but good enough to own)
Status: My sister got this for HER pop lit class, but I have absorbed it into my own collection
Review: This is a really famous book I read for pop lit class and I devoured it despite the fact it's a bit tough to read here and there cause it's so packed with information! Peyton Place (PP) is actually the basis for modern soap operas in a lot of ways...it really would have been a shocking book for its time so I get the appeal and shock value back then. Did you know the character of "Peyton" on One Tree Hill and the title of Melrose PLACE are both tributes to PP? Yep.
To sum up, it's the story of the inhabitants of a small New England town called Peyton Place, named after a black guy who managed to get a ton of $$$, build a castle, which attracted other people to the area, and then the castle looms over the place forever...the people in the town are BIG on gossip and there happens to be a lot of it to go around. It takes place over 3 sections of time - when the younger characters (Allison, Selena, Norman, Rodney etc.) are at the cusp of high school at 14, when they are just about graduated at 17, and a couple of years after that.
I can't really say much more about the plot cause it's SO interwoven. Nearly every character has a plot arc, some have several. Overall though this book is fabulous, definitely not just another 'school book' for sure! I loved the way it wove between stories so effortlessly, you never sat and read too much about one person or family and you were never bored, especially because you were always surprised. This was a GREAT book! Read it.
Author: Grace Metalious
Pages: 372
Grade: A
Buyability: 7/10 (probably in the library, but good enough to own)
Status: My sister got this for HER pop lit class, but I have absorbed it into my own collection
Review: This is a really famous book I read for pop lit class and I devoured it despite the fact it's a bit tough to read here and there cause it's so packed with information! Peyton Place (PP) is actually the basis for modern soap operas in a lot of ways...it really would have been a shocking book for its time so I get the appeal and shock value back then. Did you know the character of "Peyton" on One Tree Hill and the title of Melrose PLACE are both tributes to PP? Yep.
To sum up, it's the story of the inhabitants of a small New England town called Peyton Place, named after a black guy who managed to get a ton of $$$, build a castle, which attracted other people to the area, and then the castle looms over the place forever...the people in the town are BIG on gossip and there happens to be a lot of it to go around. It takes place over 3 sections of time - when the younger characters (Allison, Selena, Norman, Rodney etc.) are at the cusp of high school at 14, when they are just about graduated at 17, and a couple of years after that.
I can't really say much more about the plot cause it's SO interwoven. Nearly every character has a plot arc, some have several. Overall though this book is fabulous, definitely not just another 'school book' for sure! I loved the way it wove between stories so effortlessly, you never sat and read too much about one person or family and you were never bored, especially because you were always surprised. This was a GREAT book! Read it.
Wednesday, May 2, 2007
Book #17: Shopaholic & Baby
Title of Book: Shopaholic and Baby
Author: Sophie Kinsella
Pages: About 350
Grade: A-
Buyability: 6/10
Status: Bought & owned
Hmm so I'll probably have another book review by tonight the way I'm ploughing through. This is also probably my last bit of pleasure reading for awhile. And pleasurable it was indeed! This is the latest (and quite delayed imo) installment of the shopaholic series, starring the plucky Becky Bloomwood as she prepares for motherhood. For those of you not familiar with the series, I believe this is the 5th book, which features Becky, a woman with a bit of a shopping problem and a lot of imagination. Each book usually features a bit of financial mayhem, shopping glory, and relationship problems between her and her family, friends, and now husband, Luke Brandon.
The focus here is not as obvious as one might think - of course Becky goes haywire shopping for baby stuff here and there, but the bigger issue is Luke's suddenly mysterious behaviour once they go to a new celebrity obstetrician, Venetia Carter...who happens to be Luke's gorgeous ex! Of course many other issues swim about throughout the book, including Becky's failing career destination, Suze's war with her so-called friend Lulu, Jess' new love interests etc.
I liked this book because I had forgotten a fair bit about the shopaholic series. I mean I remembered the characters, the motifs, how the plot would break down, but I remembered Becky being out of control and insane, and after a discussion with friends about who was the more annoying character - Becky Bloomwood or Bridget Jones, I faithfully stood by Becky and was well rewarded. Perhaps she has been toned down a bit in this book but I found her behaviour to be slightly less flightly, although still quite humorous, ridiculous, and unfounded at times.
What I didn't like so much, was how much the book's formats have changed for this one and the previous one. Call me a fellow shopaholic but I wanted more drama with the shopping! Then again. I probably would have bitched had they included another book on Becky's overspending woes. I guess the twist in this book was just relatively predictable, so the big dramatic scenes were kind of like...it's about time. The ending was interesting though, if they were to create another shopaholic book, my money is on it being about moving into a new house and living on a budget. A binary opposition for most - the move in means a move out of cash from your pockets.
We'll see if I'm right! In the meantime, pick up a copy of S & Baby - you won't be disappointed (I wasn't) if you are looking for a breezy, fun read that isn't annoyingly flightly, and manages to keep you on the edge of your seat (well sort of) throughout. A fun read that I couldn't put down for school books! Shocker...haha.
Author: Sophie Kinsella
Pages: About 350
Grade: A-
Buyability: 6/10
Status: Bought & owned
Hmm so I'll probably have another book review by tonight the way I'm ploughing through. This is also probably my last bit of pleasure reading for awhile. And pleasurable it was indeed! This is the latest (and quite delayed imo) installment of the shopaholic series, starring the plucky Becky Bloomwood as she prepares for motherhood. For those of you not familiar with the series, I believe this is the 5th book, which features Becky, a woman with a bit of a shopping problem and a lot of imagination. Each book usually features a bit of financial mayhem, shopping glory, and relationship problems between her and her family, friends, and now husband, Luke Brandon.
The focus here is not as obvious as one might think - of course Becky goes haywire shopping for baby stuff here and there, but the bigger issue is Luke's suddenly mysterious behaviour once they go to a new celebrity obstetrician, Venetia Carter...who happens to be Luke's gorgeous ex! Of course many other issues swim about throughout the book, including Becky's failing career destination, Suze's war with her so-called friend Lulu, Jess' new love interests etc.
I liked this book because I had forgotten a fair bit about the shopaholic series. I mean I remembered the characters, the motifs, how the plot would break down, but I remembered Becky being out of control and insane, and after a discussion with friends about who was the more annoying character - Becky Bloomwood or Bridget Jones, I faithfully stood by Becky and was well rewarded. Perhaps she has been toned down a bit in this book but I found her behaviour to be slightly less flightly, although still quite humorous, ridiculous, and unfounded at times.
What I didn't like so much, was how much the book's formats have changed for this one and the previous one. Call me a fellow shopaholic but I wanted more drama with the shopping! Then again. I probably would have bitched had they included another book on Becky's overspending woes. I guess the twist in this book was just relatively predictable, so the big dramatic scenes were kind of like...it's about time. The ending was interesting though, if they were to create another shopaholic book, my money is on it being about moving into a new house and living on a budget. A binary opposition for most - the move in means a move out of cash from your pockets.
We'll see if I'm right! In the meantime, pick up a copy of S & Baby - you won't be disappointed (I wasn't) if you are looking for a breezy, fun read that isn't annoyingly flightly, and manages to keep you on the edge of your seat (well sort of) throughout. A fun read that I couldn't put down for school books! Shocker...haha.
Thursday, March 22, 2007
Book #11: The Perfect Manhattan
Book #11: The Perfect Manhattan
Authors: Leanne Shear and Tracey Toomey
Pages: About 445
Final Grade: A-
Buyability: 5/10
Status: Borrowed
First I'd like to preface this by saying this book earned its grade because I was surprised at how good it was. I'm using good as a relative term - no this was not Chaucer or Proust, hell it wasn't even Sophie Kinsella (whose writing style incidentally drives some people batty) but what it was an excellent, light, but gritty and fascinating portrayal of the under belly of the 'good' life and the 'night' life.
The story follows a recent college grad of Columbia who is saddled with debt and a slightly useless creative writing degree (perhaps why I relate?) named Cassie, who decides to enroll in bartending school, ultimately fails, but manages to lie and smile her way to the 'top' of the bartending scene, and indirectly, the social scene of Hampton's once she lands a gig at a hot club. Of course she deals with a romantic relationship with an extremely well-to-do Hamptonite, and it's quite obvious throughout the book how things will turn out in Cassie's love life...but I have to give the writers credit for the romantic conclusions they draw between Cassie and her boy James' love lives....they handled the relationship between them in a fairly realistic manner throughout, not the least of which was found in the end of the book.
But forget the love story or the 'thrill' of getting an insiders guide to Hampton's bar life - the thing I found most interesting about this book was the extremely graphic and somewhat digusting description of what it means to be a bartender. From the opposite side of the counter, suddenly all of the things Cassie internally dwells on rung true, whether exploring misogyny, sex, or wealth I always found Cassie to be exceptionally insightful - which gave this book the depth it needed to earn it an A- grade! I recognized the trappings of what I've heard from bartending (and waitressing) friends, and it also reminded me of an IPP presentation for the girls in the year above me in cre com who did a documentary on how working at a restaurant such as Earls encourages alcoholism. I found the lifestyles of the main characters in this book so insanely bizarre (getting home at 7 am and being up and at em a few hours later? hungover? ICK!) that it just drew me in regardless of the somewhat 'flat' characters throughout. As I said, the insights of Cassie probably came more from the two girls who wrote this book, former bartenders and likely aspiring writers at the time, and as such I found this a very valuable book in learning to tip and be a bit more polite at bars! A good read for anyone interested in a fun story that more than makes up for its lack of concrete plot in its insider look at the service industry.
Authors: Leanne Shear and Tracey Toomey
Pages: About 445
Final Grade: A-
Buyability: 5/10
Status: Borrowed
First I'd like to preface this by saying this book earned its grade because I was surprised at how good it was. I'm using good as a relative term - no this was not Chaucer or Proust, hell it wasn't even Sophie Kinsella (whose writing style incidentally drives some people batty) but what it was an excellent, light, but gritty and fascinating portrayal of the under belly of the 'good' life and the 'night' life.
The story follows a recent college grad of Columbia who is saddled with debt and a slightly useless creative writing degree (perhaps why I relate?) named Cassie, who decides to enroll in bartending school, ultimately fails, but manages to lie and smile her way to the 'top' of the bartending scene, and indirectly, the social scene of Hampton's once she lands a gig at a hot club. Of course she deals with a romantic relationship with an extremely well-to-do Hamptonite, and it's quite obvious throughout the book how things will turn out in Cassie's love life...but I have to give the writers credit for the romantic conclusions they draw between Cassie and her boy James' love lives....they handled the relationship between them in a fairly realistic manner throughout, not the least of which was found in the end of the book.
But forget the love story or the 'thrill' of getting an insiders guide to Hampton's bar life - the thing I found most interesting about this book was the extremely graphic and somewhat digusting description of what it means to be a bartender. From the opposite side of the counter, suddenly all of the things Cassie internally dwells on rung true, whether exploring misogyny, sex, or wealth I always found Cassie to be exceptionally insightful - which gave this book the depth it needed to earn it an A- grade! I recognized the trappings of what I've heard from bartending (and waitressing) friends, and it also reminded me of an IPP presentation for the girls in the year above me in cre com who did a documentary on how working at a restaurant such as Earls encourages alcoholism. I found the lifestyles of the main characters in this book so insanely bizarre (getting home at 7 am and being up and at em a few hours later? hungover? ICK!) that it just drew me in regardless of the somewhat 'flat' characters throughout. As I said, the insights of Cassie probably came more from the two girls who wrote this book, former bartenders and likely aspiring writers at the time, and as such I found this a very valuable book in learning to tip and be a bit more polite at bars! A good read for anyone interested in a fun story that more than makes up for its lack of concrete plot in its insider look at the service industry.
Monday, March 12, 2007
Book #9: Little Altars Everywhere
Book #9
Title: Little Altars Everywhere
Author: Rebecca Wells
Pages: 200
Grade: A
Buyability: 7/10
Status: Borrowed
This isn't *really* my kind of book - it reminded me eerily of something like Margaret Laurence's "A Bird In The House", given it is a collection of interwoven short stories told from the perspectives of different members of a small-town Louisiana family, most notably from the character of Siddalee. So how did it get an A? Well there wasn't anything I didn't like about it. I found the prose easy to get through and imaginative. The stories for the most part were captivating and enchanting. The characters were well developed and familiar despite our polar opposite lives. The plot moved enough from section to section to keep me interested. I can't justfiy giving it a lower grade just because it's not my preferred style (ie: novel over short stories) or preferred subject matter (ie: modern day as opposed to the past).
The stories revolve around two points in the character's lives - their childhoods in the 1960's and their relatively young adulthood in the early 1990's. Vivi is their eccentric, perhaps dangerously so, mother who also features in the ya ya sisterhood book I'm assuming. Interestingly enough this book was written before (and publicized after) the ya ya sisterhood - yet there are frequent mentions of the ya ya's and some dark secret they share and so on...so I'm guessing that book was simultaneously in the works as this one. Big Shep is Vivi's husband, a working class man who makes a few poor choices that make him forget how to love. Their children include the eldest daughter Siddalee, who is probably the most identifiable as the main character in the book. Sidda goes through several phases of independence/autonomy and relying on her family for guidance. Her younger brother Lil Shep doesn't feature much in the book other than his desire to be freed from the nasty secrets his family is keeping. I can't remember the next siblings name, I think it's Lulu, stars in my favourite story in the book about petty thieves and liars. Finally there is Baylor, the youngest, who lives in a dream both as a child and an adult.
Overall I can't say I recommend or don't recommend this book. I enjoyed it yes, but I wasn't floored to be gushing about it. A nice read for winter days.
Title: Little Altars Everywhere
Author: Rebecca Wells
Pages: 200
Grade: A
Buyability: 7/10
Status: Borrowed
This isn't *really* my kind of book - it reminded me eerily of something like Margaret Laurence's "A Bird In The House", given it is a collection of interwoven short stories told from the perspectives of different members of a small-town Louisiana family, most notably from the character of Siddalee. So how did it get an A? Well there wasn't anything I didn't like about it. I found the prose easy to get through and imaginative. The stories for the most part were captivating and enchanting. The characters were well developed and familiar despite our polar opposite lives. The plot moved enough from section to section to keep me interested. I can't justfiy giving it a lower grade just because it's not my preferred style (ie: novel over short stories) or preferred subject matter (ie: modern day as opposed to the past).
The stories revolve around two points in the character's lives - their childhoods in the 1960's and their relatively young adulthood in the early 1990's. Vivi is their eccentric, perhaps dangerously so, mother who also features in the ya ya sisterhood book I'm assuming. Interestingly enough this book was written before (and publicized after) the ya ya sisterhood - yet there are frequent mentions of the ya ya's and some dark secret they share and so on...so I'm guessing that book was simultaneously in the works as this one. Big Shep is Vivi's husband, a working class man who makes a few poor choices that make him forget how to love. Their children include the eldest daughter Siddalee, who is probably the most identifiable as the main character in the book. Sidda goes through several phases of independence/autonomy and relying on her family for guidance. Her younger brother Lil Shep doesn't feature much in the book other than his desire to be freed from the nasty secrets his family is keeping. I can't remember the next siblings name, I think it's Lulu, stars in my favourite story in the book about petty thieves and liars. Finally there is Baylor, the youngest, who lives in a dream both as a child and an adult.
Overall I can't say I recommend or don't recommend this book. I enjoyed it yes, but I wasn't floored to be gushing about it. A nice read for winter days.
Sunday, March 4, 2007
Book #8: Forever In Blue
Book #8
Title: Forever In Blue
Author: Ann Brashares
Pages: 260
Grade: A-
Buyability: 8/10
Status: Owned (bought)
There isn't too much to say about this book, in part because if you haven't read the series this review'll mean nothing to you! This is the fourth and (supposedly) final chapter of the Sisterhood of the Travelling Pants series - which detail the summers four best friends spend, sometimes apart, sometimes together. They are of course, as per the legend, bonded together by a pair of 'magical' pants that give them the strength of the love they feel as friends even when they aren't together.
In all fairness I read the third book quite some time ago so reading the new fourth one was a bit of a cognitive leap - I could barely remember a lot of what happened in the past! Anyway in this one the girls are bridging the gap between their first and second year of university. They've actually shared the pants year-round this time because they have spent the year at different colleges etc. That should be your first clue something is up - the girls are very very much so a lot more individual characters this time around, which was both refreshing and problematic. Of the latter, it was good because I was sick and tired of how cheesy and overemphasized their relationship was - although some sappy moments still exist towards the end, they are certainly toned down. But in the abscence of their friendship it almost defeated the purpose of the book, and the pants of course.
This time around the girls spend most of their summer apart. Tibby is still in New York working and taking a summer class and wondering whether she has made the right choices when it comes to her relationship with Brian. Bee (my fave as always) is in Turkey getting back to basics on an archeological dig site and wondering whether the best alternative to missing her boyfriend is not missing a single thing her hot professor does. Carmen has surprisingly shrunk into her shell over the last year, and fallen under the wing of a supposedly protective, glorious friend, who turns out to be anything but as their summer continues. Lena is at art school and enraptured with a guy, shockingly this time, not the love of her life, Kostos.
This book definitely took on a more mature tone than the others - most of it dealt with sex and relationships and very little of it focused on friendship and personal self-growth - although most of the storylines evolve to give the girls those moments of epiphany. Although I enjoyed the storylines a lot more this time it almost felt like the characters were under-used and less developed because there was far less crossover opportunities given their summer was spent so far apart emotionally and physically. Brashares does a good job wrapping up the series though - I realized why she decided to do a fourth (i completely assumed the third would be the last) as each book is kind of meant to represent each of the four girls.
All in all a fitting conclusion to the series that represented, quite honestly, the realities of growing up and moving away when it comes to those true blue friends you thought you'd never forget, and those true blue jeans you thought you'd never lose.
Title: Forever In Blue
Author: Ann Brashares
Pages: 260
Grade: A-
Buyability: 8/10
Status: Owned (bought)
There isn't too much to say about this book, in part because if you haven't read the series this review'll mean nothing to you! This is the fourth and (supposedly) final chapter of the Sisterhood of the Travelling Pants series - which detail the summers four best friends spend, sometimes apart, sometimes together. They are of course, as per the legend, bonded together by a pair of 'magical' pants that give them the strength of the love they feel as friends even when they aren't together.
In all fairness I read the third book quite some time ago so reading the new fourth one was a bit of a cognitive leap - I could barely remember a lot of what happened in the past! Anyway in this one the girls are bridging the gap between their first and second year of university. They've actually shared the pants year-round this time because they have spent the year at different colleges etc. That should be your first clue something is up - the girls are very very much so a lot more individual characters this time around, which was both refreshing and problematic. Of the latter, it was good because I was sick and tired of how cheesy and overemphasized their relationship was - although some sappy moments still exist towards the end, they are certainly toned down. But in the abscence of their friendship it almost defeated the purpose of the book, and the pants of course.
This time around the girls spend most of their summer apart. Tibby is still in New York working and taking a summer class and wondering whether she has made the right choices when it comes to her relationship with Brian. Bee (my fave as always) is in Turkey getting back to basics on an archeological dig site and wondering whether the best alternative to missing her boyfriend is not missing a single thing her hot professor does. Carmen has surprisingly shrunk into her shell over the last year, and fallen under the wing of a supposedly protective, glorious friend, who turns out to be anything but as their summer continues. Lena is at art school and enraptured with a guy, shockingly this time, not the love of her life, Kostos.
This book definitely took on a more mature tone than the others - most of it dealt with sex and relationships and very little of it focused on friendship and personal self-growth - although most of the storylines evolve to give the girls those moments of epiphany. Although I enjoyed the storylines a lot more this time it almost felt like the characters were under-used and less developed because there was far less crossover opportunities given their summer was spent so far apart emotionally and physically. Brashares does a good job wrapping up the series though - I realized why she decided to do a fourth (i completely assumed the third would be the last) as each book is kind of meant to represent each of the four girls.
All in all a fitting conclusion to the series that represented, quite honestly, the realities of growing up and moving away when it comes to those true blue friends you thought you'd never forget, and those true blue jeans you thought you'd never lose.
Friday, March 2, 2007
Book #7: Lipstick Jungle
Book #7
Title: Lipstick Jungle
Author: Candace Bushnell
Pages: 430
Grade: A
Buyability: 6/10
Status: Owned (bought)
I had mixed feelings going into this book to be honest with you. On one hand, Candace Bushnell has skyrocketed to fame as the author of Sex and the City, and rumours had been abuzz that LJ (not LiveJournal - Lipstick Jungle) had been optioned for a TV Show on NBC or something. On the flip side though, I really didn't like "Four Blondes" - Bushnell's collection of novellas, and I hadn't heard the greatest things about Trading Up, which my sis owns but I have yet to read (FYI - there is a crossover mention of the character of Janey from 4B & TU in this book). Regardless, I was kind of excited when this book came up in my reading roulette because the last two I read were pretty dense.
I was surprised at how much I enjoyed this story - I devoured it in three short days! The book is about three women in their early 40's - Victory, Wendy, and Nico, who are corporate magnates in their glamorous fields, fashion design, executive movie producer, and magazine editor respectively. Being powerful women doesn't come without its challenges though as these women deal with the boys in a messy corporate sandbox filled with gender expectations and rules that the women are both striving to break and afraid to. Victory is negotiating her financial stability between business obligations and relationships as she tries to blossom into a huge-name designer. Wendy is trying to deal with intense pressure at work and intense problems at home when her stay-at-home husband gets fed up with her. Nico is trying stuck in two games where she is trying to KO the other person before they KO her. Their storylines interweave with the fact they are best friends (although missing the camaraderie one would expect from Carrie Bradshaw's creator) and they have a ton of mutual people in common among the society set.
The things I liked about this book were the fun, fantastical lifestyles of the women and the light easy prose of the book that felt neither flaky nor overdone, it still managed to stay fresh. I also enjoyed the girl power aspect that shed some harsh and some enlightening light on what it's like to be a corporate top gun as a woman. The ending was a bit - wow, okay it's done? - but left plenty open for further exploration in say, a TV show? My one concern with reading this book is the slightly skewed nature of the girl power aspect. While these woman are powerful and manage to work things out in very creative and strong ways, they can really only afford to do so with money. Although the money aspect of the story definitely adds to the interest level, it also is a bit disheartening that you can only solve problems with oodles of dough at your fingertips.
Still a great, fun read and one I would surely reccomend - by far the best of anything I've read by Bushnell.
Title: Lipstick Jungle
Author: Candace Bushnell
Pages: 430
Grade: A
Buyability: 6/10
Status: Owned (bought)
I had mixed feelings going into this book to be honest with you. On one hand, Candace Bushnell has skyrocketed to fame as the author of Sex and the City, and rumours had been abuzz that LJ (not LiveJournal - Lipstick Jungle) had been optioned for a TV Show on NBC or something. On the flip side though, I really didn't like "Four Blondes" - Bushnell's collection of novellas, and I hadn't heard the greatest things about Trading Up, which my sis owns but I have yet to read (FYI - there is a crossover mention of the character of Janey from 4B & TU in this book). Regardless, I was kind of excited when this book came up in my reading roulette because the last two I read were pretty dense.
I was surprised at how much I enjoyed this story - I devoured it in three short days! The book is about three women in their early 40's - Victory, Wendy, and Nico, who are corporate magnates in their glamorous fields, fashion design, executive movie producer, and magazine editor respectively. Being powerful women doesn't come without its challenges though as these women deal with the boys in a messy corporate sandbox filled with gender expectations and rules that the women are both striving to break and afraid to. Victory is negotiating her financial stability between business obligations and relationships as she tries to blossom into a huge-name designer. Wendy is trying to deal with intense pressure at work and intense problems at home when her stay-at-home husband gets fed up with her. Nico is trying stuck in two games where she is trying to KO the other person before they KO her. Their storylines interweave with the fact they are best friends (although missing the camaraderie one would expect from Carrie Bradshaw's creator) and they have a ton of mutual people in common among the society set.
The things I liked about this book were the fun, fantastical lifestyles of the women and the light easy prose of the book that felt neither flaky nor overdone, it still managed to stay fresh. I also enjoyed the girl power aspect that shed some harsh and some enlightening light on what it's like to be a corporate top gun as a woman. The ending was a bit - wow, okay it's done? - but left plenty open for further exploration in say, a TV show? My one concern with reading this book is the slightly skewed nature of the girl power aspect. While these woman are powerful and manage to work things out in very creative and strong ways, they can really only afford to do so with money. Although the money aspect of the story definitely adds to the interest level, it also is a bit disheartening that you can only solve problems with oodles of dough at your fingertips.
Still a great, fun read and one I would surely reccomend - by far the best of anything I've read by Bushnell.
Tuesday, February 6, 2007
Book #4: The Bitch Posse by Martha O'Connor
Book #4
Title: The Bitch Posse
Author: Martha O'Connor
Pages: 341
Grade: A-
Buyability: 5/10
Status: Owned (gift)
This book made my skin crawl, my spine tingle, and most importantly - my heart break. Marth O'Connors debut into the literary world is a well-paced, interwoven story of three young women at two points in their life, shortly before graduating high school, and some tweleve years later as adults, no longer friends, but bound and tormented by a secret held between them all.
Each character is written with a lot of heart and empathy from O'Connor - there is a reason why the girls get into the trouble that they do. Rennie (Wren) Taylor is an honour student wanting to break out of her shell, and later on, a single teacher caught up in a dangerous pattern of sexual depravity. Cherry lives with her drug-addled mom and is forced to be both the adult and the best friend, and eventually she ends up in a mental institution, unsure of whether she belongs there. Amy Linnet is Little Miss Popular who breaks free from her life as a cheerleader to escape from the facade her alcoholic parents put on, ironically later on she is the one putting on the same facade in her troubled marriage.
The book follows an interesting pattern of narrative that rotates between the characters, the time period, and the point of view. Rennie might kick off the book in the present tense using third-person narrative, but the next section Cherry might jump in as a troubled high school senior writing in first person, followed by Amy as an adult in third person and so on...instead of creating a jarring effect, the swapping narratives helps contextualize the two periods of time in the girls lives. There is a certain amount of naivete that comes through in the first-person teenage viewpoint, and a certain amount of wiseness in the third person.
I can't reveal too much about the plot other than to say these girls are hitting hard stages in their lives at both ends of the spectrum - as teenagers and as adults. Each section offers a delicious climax that invites you to read on, to find out what will happen to each girl within each time period in their lives, but also to fill in the puzzle pieces about their deep, dark shared secret.
That's not to say the book is perfect. Quite frankly I'm afraid of Martha O'Connor. I felt like the prose and the characters were directly derived from her own opinions, that she felt as though everyone that reads the book would judge it like the characters in the book are judged. I also didn't care much for the character of Cherry - until the big secret is revealed. She is underwritten emotionally and there is a few disconnects in her plot line, again until you find out what the big secret is - however by the time you find out what the secret is, the book abruptly (and understandably) ends, leaving the reading to fill in the pieces.
Overall I enjoyed this book. I was a bit put off by the first couple of chapters, and I'd definitely say heed the opening warnings about how dark the story is - but if you're willing to keep an open mind and just enjoy some excellent, heartfelt, entrancing writing then you'll like this book.
Title: The Bitch Posse
Author: Martha O'Connor
Pages: 341
Grade: A-
Buyability: 5/10
Status: Owned (gift)
This book made my skin crawl, my spine tingle, and most importantly - my heart break. Marth O'Connors debut into the literary world is a well-paced, interwoven story of three young women at two points in their life, shortly before graduating high school, and some tweleve years later as adults, no longer friends, but bound and tormented by a secret held between them all.
Each character is written with a lot of heart and empathy from O'Connor - there is a reason why the girls get into the trouble that they do. Rennie (Wren) Taylor is an honour student wanting to break out of her shell, and later on, a single teacher caught up in a dangerous pattern of sexual depravity. Cherry lives with her drug-addled mom and is forced to be both the adult and the best friend, and eventually she ends up in a mental institution, unsure of whether she belongs there. Amy Linnet is Little Miss Popular who breaks free from her life as a cheerleader to escape from the facade her alcoholic parents put on, ironically later on she is the one putting on the same facade in her troubled marriage.
The book follows an interesting pattern of narrative that rotates between the characters, the time period, and the point of view. Rennie might kick off the book in the present tense using third-person narrative, but the next section Cherry might jump in as a troubled high school senior writing in first person, followed by Amy as an adult in third person and so on...instead of creating a jarring effect, the swapping narratives helps contextualize the two periods of time in the girls lives. There is a certain amount of naivete that comes through in the first-person teenage viewpoint, and a certain amount of wiseness in the third person.
I can't reveal too much about the plot other than to say these girls are hitting hard stages in their lives at both ends of the spectrum - as teenagers and as adults. Each section offers a delicious climax that invites you to read on, to find out what will happen to each girl within each time period in their lives, but also to fill in the puzzle pieces about their deep, dark shared secret.
That's not to say the book is perfect. Quite frankly I'm afraid of Martha O'Connor. I felt like the prose and the characters were directly derived from her own opinions, that she felt as though everyone that reads the book would judge it like the characters in the book are judged. I also didn't care much for the character of Cherry - until the big secret is revealed. She is underwritten emotionally and there is a few disconnects in her plot line, again until you find out what the big secret is - however by the time you find out what the secret is, the book abruptly (and understandably) ends, leaving the reading to fill in the pieces.
Overall I enjoyed this book. I was a bit put off by the first couple of chapters, and I'd definitely say heed the opening warnings about how dark the story is - but if you're willing to keep an open mind and just enjoy some excellent, heartfelt, entrancing writing then you'll like this book.
Tuesday, January 30, 2007
Book #3: The Bachelorette Party by Karen McCullah Lutz
Book #3
Title: The Bachelorette Party
Author: Karen McCullah Lutz
Pages: 300
Grade: B+
Buyability: 3.5/10
Status: Owned (gift)
Given I am planning my friend Sarah's bachelorette party, this was a cute Christmas gift from Robyn. The story is fairly self-explanatory. About two-thirds of it centre around one crazy all-day and eventually all-night bachelorette party where the uptight, prim bride lets loose - the bride happens to be the cousin of Zadie, the main character, who is best friends with the husband-to-be. Needless to say Zadie is busy dealing with several things in the book, among them jealousy of her perfect cousin, annoyance with the fact her best friend and Miss Perfect are getting married when her own wedding ended up as a bust several months earlier, trying to control her cousin as she gets wilder throughout the night, coming to terms with her feelings for a male student of hers, and dealing with the mixed bag of characters also in attendance at the party.
The good things about this book are plentiful - the prose is light, fluffy, and easy-to-read, with a healthy dose of sarcasm that you find yourself shaking your head in agreement with. The characters, particularly what I would call the supporting ones in the Bachelorette party, are really fun and distinct from one another. The entire bachelorette party part of the book is really interesting and funny, and you, just like the characters in the book, almost don't want it to end. The writer also does a good job resolving some things in the story - namely the situation between Zadie and her student Trevor, and what ends up happening between Helen (the cousin) and Grey (the best friend of Zadie).
There are also some bads in the book. The main one being I had a hard time distinguishing the narrator's voice from the main character Zadie's voice. Which sounds like it shouldn't be a concern or something, but the book is written in third person, yet it feels like it should be written in first person from Zadie's point of view. As a result, there is sometimes a jarring effect where Zadie's thoughts seem really out of place with the narration or vice-versa. Going with that, there is a ridiculous amount of sexual talk in here. I understand a lot of these chick lit books have that, trust me I've come across it before, but a lot of it centres around Zadie's thoughts (or the narrator's) about Zadie taking care of herself...and it's not really something you want to read about. I also found the first section and last section of the book a bit draggy. After the big fun party scene(s) you have to endure an extra 80 pages that cram a lot of stuff into them, a lot of which didn't need to be there.
Overall I enjoyed this book. I started it last weekend and finished it last night - it was a good bit of fun that made me think about some aspects of weddings and marriages a bit differently. I have a tendency to think of books in terms of how they would translate onto film and this book *would* be good at it - particularly the party part, as sort of an Ocean's 11 meets girl's night out - except for the beginning and end would need to be seriously revamped.
Title: The Bachelorette Party
Author: Karen McCullah Lutz
Pages: 300
Grade: B+
Buyability: 3.5/10
Status: Owned (gift)
Given I am planning my friend Sarah's bachelorette party, this was a cute Christmas gift from Robyn. The story is fairly self-explanatory. About two-thirds of it centre around one crazy all-day and eventually all-night bachelorette party where the uptight, prim bride lets loose - the bride happens to be the cousin of Zadie, the main character, who is best friends with the husband-to-be. Needless to say Zadie is busy dealing with several things in the book, among them jealousy of her perfect cousin, annoyance with the fact her best friend and Miss Perfect are getting married when her own wedding ended up as a bust several months earlier, trying to control her cousin as she gets wilder throughout the night, coming to terms with her feelings for a male student of hers, and dealing with the mixed bag of characters also in attendance at the party.
The good things about this book are plentiful - the prose is light, fluffy, and easy-to-read, with a healthy dose of sarcasm that you find yourself shaking your head in agreement with. The characters, particularly what I would call the supporting ones in the Bachelorette party, are really fun and distinct from one another. The entire bachelorette party part of the book is really interesting and funny, and you, just like the characters in the book, almost don't want it to end. The writer also does a good job resolving some things in the story - namely the situation between Zadie and her student Trevor, and what ends up happening between Helen (the cousin) and Grey (the best friend of Zadie).
There are also some bads in the book. The main one being I had a hard time distinguishing the narrator's voice from the main character Zadie's voice. Which sounds like it shouldn't be a concern or something, but the book is written in third person, yet it feels like it should be written in first person from Zadie's point of view. As a result, there is sometimes a jarring effect where Zadie's thoughts seem really out of place with the narration or vice-versa. Going with that, there is a ridiculous amount of sexual talk in here. I understand a lot of these chick lit books have that, trust me I've come across it before, but a lot of it centres around Zadie's thoughts (or the narrator's) about Zadie taking care of herself...and it's not really something you want to read about. I also found the first section and last section of the book a bit draggy. After the big fun party scene(s) you have to endure an extra 80 pages that cram a lot of stuff into them, a lot of which didn't need to be there.
Overall I enjoyed this book. I started it last weekend and finished it last night - it was a good bit of fun that made me think about some aspects of weddings and marriages a bit differently. I have a tendency to think of books in terms of how they would translate onto film and this book *would* be good at it - particularly the party part, as sort of an Ocean's 11 meets girl's night out - except for the beginning and end would need to be seriously revamped.
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