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shinychick's review against another edition
3.0
Finally, Bushnell has come into her own. For reasons I could not previously comprehend, her past three books sucked so, so badly. And yet were bestsellers. However, this particular book is fantastic, telling the stories of three high-powered executive-type women in today's New York - one, a fashion designer, one, a movie executive, and one, a magazine editor-in-chief. They go through quite a lot, with jobs and relationships, and it works out well. I like them all, which is saying a lot, seeing as the characters in the other three were either uninteresting or horrifyingly awful. The one problem I found is that, occasionally, with no particular order or reason, there will be a sort of flashback scene, and it's difficult to tell when it starts, when it ends, and why it's there. It's easily bypassed, though, when you do see where she's going, and how things turn out.
happyocelot's review against another edition
5.0
I picked up this book because the television show got canceled and I wanted to know what happened to the characters since the show did not finish. Luckily, the book isn't really like the television show. It is better. I liked this book a lot. It's light and fluffy. It has a strong commentary on powerful women. It appeased my angst about women being unable to have it all. According to this book, crappy things still happen to women in power... yet in the end, they really DO have it all and can live happily ever after. A quick read and feel good novel.
beanbeanreads's review against another edition
2.0
Meh.
I loved this show when it was on for a season (or 2?). I liked the characters and i liked the flow. The book, however, was underwhelming.
I didn't care about any of the characters and i found them all pretty shallow. I did occasionally find myself rooting for Wendy, but also struggled because i found her to be kind of stupid.
Several reviews of the book mentioned how it's a book for feminists, so i was even more excited to read it. I don't know where the feminism played in though - when they were talking about their annual income? When they were cheating on their husbands? Conspiring to have people fired so they can take their jobs? Or staying with a billionaire that was not all that nice to them and they did not seem all that into? I don't get it. Besides being rich women, i did not find them in any way inspiring and actually, I'm happy that my life does not resemble theirs in any way.
maybe my expectations were too high.
I loved this show when it was on for a season (or 2?). I liked the characters and i liked the flow. The book, however, was underwhelming.
I didn't care about any of the characters and i found them all pretty shallow. I did occasionally find myself rooting for Wendy, but also struggled because i found her to be kind of stupid.
Several reviews of the book mentioned how it's a book for feminists, so i was even more excited to read it. I don't know where the feminism played in though - when they were talking about their annual income? When they were cheating on their husbands? Conspiring to have people fired so they can take their jobs? Or staying with a billionaire that was not all that nice to them and they did not seem all that into? I don't get it. Besides being rich women, i did not find them in any way inspiring and actually, I'm happy that my life does not resemble theirs in any way.
maybe my expectations were too high.
allisonmaier's review against another edition
3.0
this book is completely ridiculous and for that i loved it
amymaddess's review against another edition
3.0
It took me several years and several different copies to finally finish this book, but I have! I'm pretty sure that this was my last unread Candace Bushnell.
patrickhackett's review against another edition
4.0
Because what self-respecting 27-year-old doesn't devour this book in like 72 hours. (Can't believe I'm admitting this on Goodreads...)
acourn1's review against another edition
funny
lighthearted
relaxing
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.25
sheamaryfitz's review against another edition
2.0
I wasn't a huge fan of this book. I picked it up at a library book sale (paid probably a dollar for it), had it for awhile and decided I needed to read it so I could make room on my bookshelf. I started it a few months ago but wasn't really into it so I put it down and picked it up again about a week or so ago. This time I wasn't into it any moreso than before. I just couldn't get into the book. There's something about Bushnell's style in this one I just didn't like.
I didn't feel like the book flowed very well, and even after reading the whole thing, I don't think there was much of a plot. Nothing really happened to the characters...I felt like it was 300+ pages of the author going on and on about what it means to be a successful woman and what people think of them. Which, that's all well and good, but more suited for an essay than a novel if you ask me--if I'm reading a novel, I want something to happen in it!
I read Bushnell's [b:The Carrie Diaries|7091370|The Carrie Diaries|Candace Bushnell|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1275618679s/7091370.jpg|7347624] and enjoyed that, so I think I'll give her another shot, but if this was all I've read by her, I wouldn't pick up another one.
I didn't feel like the book flowed very well, and even after reading the whole thing, I don't think there was much of a plot. Nothing really happened to the characters...I felt like it was 300+ pages of the author going on and on about what it means to be a successful woman and what people think of them. Which, that's all well and good, but more suited for an essay than a novel if you ask me--if I'm reading a novel, I want something to happen in it!
I read Bushnell's [b:The Carrie Diaries|7091370|The Carrie Diaries|Candace Bushnell|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1275618679s/7091370.jpg|7347624] and enjoyed that, so I think I'll give her another shot, but if this was all I've read by her, I wouldn't pick up another one.
kate_elizabeth's review against another edition
1.0
"When Shane cried, it was awful. It was like he suddenly wasn't the man anymore and I wasn't the woman. And I realized I was going to have to learn how to become a new kind of woman, living without all those cliched ideas about what men and women are supposed to be."
Wendy Healy, one of the book's three protagonists, says this on page 347, and it stuck out in my mind because it's exactly the opposite of what this book is. There's a semblance of plot here - three women trying to excel in their careers while balancing their personal lives - but the majority of the book is Candace Bushnell making heavy-handed points about the differences between men and women, and how a woman's behavior would be interpreted if she were a man or vice versa. There's an example of this on almost every page. (Healy's quote is one of the less annoying examples.)
"Sex and the City" - Bushnell's most famous work - explored these concepts too, but did so subtly and entertainingly. "Lipstick Jungle" is the same schtick, but with unrelatable, one-dimensional characters and a heavy dose of preaching. No thank you. I AWARD YOU NO POINTS, AND MAY GOD HAVE MERCY ON YOUR SOUL.
Wendy Healy, one of the book's three protagonists, says this on page 347, and it stuck out in my mind because it's exactly the opposite of what this book is. There's a semblance of plot here - three women trying to excel in their careers while balancing their personal lives - but the majority of the book is Candace Bushnell making heavy-handed points about the differences between men and women, and how a woman's behavior would be interpreted if she were a man or vice versa. There's an example of this on almost every page. (Healy's quote is one of the less annoying examples.)
"Sex and the City" - Bushnell's most famous work - explored these concepts too, but did so subtly and entertainingly. "Lipstick Jungle" is the same schtick, but with unrelatable, one-dimensional characters and a heavy dose of preaching. No thank you. I AWARD YOU NO POINTS, AND MAY GOD HAVE MERCY ON YOUR SOUL.
clarissap83's review against another edition
2.0
Really quite tedious/boring. Characters aren't likeable either.