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holtfan 's review for:
The Knockoff
by Jo Piazza, Lucy Sykes
3.5 stars for the plot + 1.5 stars for the absolutely fabulous narrator
This was an absolutely delicious audio book and if you decide to read The Knockoff, I recommend checking it out in the audio format. Katherine Kellgren somehow manages British accents, valley-girl accents, and start-up tech nerd without once making it feel forced or awkward. Delightful.
I adored the first half of this book. I enjoyed the second half. Unfortunately, the sheer drama of the second half detracts from what I enjoyed about the first half.
At the beginning we meet Imogen: a 42-year-old editor and chief of a fashion magazine. She returns from sick-leave to discover her beloved magazine has been turned into an app. Further, her former assistant, Eve, is running things. Imogen knows nothing about tech. Eve believes the world runs on tweets and selfies.
The story thus starts off as a wonderful clash between a Gen Xer trying to get her bearing in a suddenly Millennial workforce and an energetic Millennial trying to become the next Steve Jobs. And I loved it. Sure, the concept could be critiqued. At 42, Imogen seems an unlikely candidate to completely lack tech-awareness. And it seems a well-established fashion magazine suddenly tuning consumer app in only a few months would raise a few eyebrows.
But it is fun. It is fun to see Imogen grasp social media and totally rock it. It is fun to see how Millennials are portrayed (for the most part) with graciousness. I mean, the usual critiques get thrown in there. Millenials constantly need adoration. They don't value independence. They don't know how to respect their elders. etc. etc. But they're young. They're hungry. They focus on different things than Imogen and her 'generation.' So while the story pulls out all the usual complaints, it also tends to use it as character growth to look at them as unique, different human beings.
Further, it is fun to read chick-flick with a narrator like Imogen: mature, established, curious. She is not the usual air-headed innocent taking on the city for the first time.
I loved her supportive family life and strong female friendships. I love the mentoring relationships she develops with some of the girls around her.
Basically, as long as the book remained somewhat of a social critique of different generations in the workforce, I enjoyed it.
But then it cranks the drama up to ten.
Eve goes from 'boss who doesn't get it' to 'super evil Millennial witch.'
Like, diabolically, I-as-a-reader-do-not-understand-where-this-is-coming-from evil.
On the one hand, this builds the suspense for the climax and leaves you firmly rooting for Imogen. It is good guy against bad guy.
On the other, it means any sense of subtlety or nuance in the story gets completely thrown out the window.
In the end, I would say I enjoyed this one and the narrator made it a delight to listen to. I did not want to put it down. But the flip into Hollywood style drama means I will likely not remember this story long.
This was an absolutely delicious audio book and if you decide to read The Knockoff, I recommend checking it out in the audio format. Katherine Kellgren somehow manages British accents, valley-girl accents, and start-up tech nerd without once making it feel forced or awkward. Delightful.
I adored the first half of this book. I enjoyed the second half. Unfortunately, the sheer drama of the second half detracts from what I enjoyed about the first half.
At the beginning we meet Imogen: a 42-year-old editor and chief of a fashion magazine. She returns from sick-leave to discover her beloved magazine has been turned into an app. Further, her former assistant, Eve, is running things. Imogen knows nothing about tech. Eve believes the world runs on tweets and selfies.
The story thus starts off as a wonderful clash between a Gen Xer trying to get her bearing in a suddenly Millennial workforce and an energetic Millennial trying to become the next Steve Jobs. And I loved it. Sure, the concept could be critiqued. At 42, Imogen seems an unlikely candidate to completely lack tech-awareness. And it seems a well-established fashion magazine suddenly tuning consumer app in only a few months would raise a few eyebrows.
But it is fun. It is fun to see Imogen grasp social media and totally rock it. It is fun to see how Millennials are portrayed (for the most part) with graciousness. I mean, the usual critiques get thrown in there. Millenials constantly need adoration. They don't value independence. They don't know how to respect their elders. etc. etc. But they're young. They're hungry. They focus on different things than Imogen and her 'generation.' So while the story pulls out all the usual complaints, it also tends to use it as character growth to look at them as unique, different human beings.
Further, it is fun to read chick-flick with a narrator like Imogen: mature, established, curious. She is not the usual air-headed innocent taking on the city for the first time.
I loved her supportive family life and strong female friendships. I love the mentoring relationships she develops with some of the girls around her.
Basically, as long as the book remained somewhat of a social critique of different generations in the workforce, I enjoyed it.
But then it cranks the drama up to ten.
Eve goes from 'boss who doesn't get it' to 'super evil Millennial witch.'
Like, diabolically, I-as-a-reader-do-not-understand-where-this-is-coming-from evil.
On the one hand, this builds the suspense for the climax and leaves you firmly rooting for Imogen. It is good guy against bad guy.
On the other, it means any sense of subtlety or nuance in the story gets completely thrown out the window.
In the end, I would say I enjoyed this one and the narrator made it a delight to listen to. I did not want to put it down. But the flip into Hollywood style drama means I will likely not remember this story long.