5 posts tagged “book review”
A Book Review by abcdefg81:
Um, this wasn't the cover on the edition I read, but whatever.
Since I know one of my two loyal readers owns, and is probably planning on reading, this book, I won't spoil anything.
Overall, pretty good. Got you kind of down and depressed at times, with all the references to porn and how the whole world revolves around sex. Which you know all too well when you're female and in your 20s, particularly if you've ever lived in LA.
Other than that, a pretty good read. It's basically about a girl in her mid-twenties, who graduated from a prestigious college back east, and can't get a "REAL" job. She's pretty stressed about what she's going to do with her career and how she's gonna get started. Of course, I can totally relate to that, and it was that basic storyline that got me to check the book out.
Like The Nanny Diaries, also written by the authors, the book got kinda whiny at times, and as I mentioned, kinda got my spirits down. And I don't think I laughed once reading this book. But, it was definitely entertaining enough!
MY RATING: Three Stars
A Book Review by abcdefg81:
A very enjoyable read. The main character "Nanny" kinda drives you nuts sometimes, because her bosses treat her like crap, and she totally lets them. But the authors do a good job portraying her dilemma: she could leave her horrible employers and maintain some sense of dignity, but if she did, she'd be ditching the poor kid she takes care of, which would really suck for the kid because she's all he has.
The authors also did a really good job showing that Nanny loved the kid... And they did that without explicitly telling you page after page, Jane Austen-style, that "Nanny loved little Grayer." There's a way to convey emotion without being totally obvious, and the authors nailed it.
On the downside, the ending was disappointing. SPOILER ALERT: Sure, Nanny's course of action is graceful and classy, but I think her alternative course of action would have been more effective. The kid's parents are so clueless, they really needed someone to explicitly, and even profanely, tell them off. While that isn't a sure-fire way to change their minds, the way Nanny chose didn't make any difference at all. At least I didn't think so. The "Xes" were so profane with each other, I think they're the kind of people that won't take you seriously unless you sink to their level, and yell and swear at them too. They won't respond to kindess, empathy, and class. So it was just kind of frustrating that in the end, you know that Nanny didn't really make a difference, and poor Grayer's gonna end up going through nanny after nanny, and never being a priority in his parents' lives. And the Xes aren't ever going to stop seeing people -- both their employees and their own children -- as being disposable. AND, Nanny didn't even get paid in full! I totally would have stolen something or sued them!
All in all, though, this book was very enjoyable. Light and fluffy, just like I like my books :) I'd recommend it.
RATING: Four Stars.
A Book Review by abcdefg81:
HORRIBLE HORRIBLE HORRIBLE!!!! I couldn't even get past the first chapter of this book. It's about a chick that gets invited to 17 weddings set to take place over six months, or some obscene number of weddings set to take place in a short period of time. Sounds like the typical kind of fluff fiction I would want to read right? Well, I wanted to like it, but just couldn't!
A blurb on the back cover describes it as "Jane Austen meets Candace Bushnell." I should have inspected the cover more carefully and considered myself warned. I hate both Jane Austen and Candace Bushnell. And the description, unfortunately, couldn't be more accurate.
I think Jane Austen is just way too descriptive and too emotional... too much text devoted to how the characters feel; I think that the reader can tell how the character feels by reading about what they DO and what they SAY. I really don't need the author telling me "Mary felt so overwhelmed with joy she thought she had died and gone to heaven." I mean, seriously. Plus, Jane Austen's style of writing is so old-school and so crammed with words that it just sounds so pretentious. Which is exactly how I would describe the style of "Wedding Season." Reading it reminded me of talking to English or Philosophy majors, the type who think they're a lot smarter than they really are; I mean, so you can read, b.f.d., so can this math major. At least Jane Austen had as an excuse the fact that she WAS writing back in the day when everyone was stuffy and pretentious and had nothing better to do but ponder their feelings. Whoever wrote "Wedding Season" doesn't have that excuse.
So, take that and mix it with Candace Bushnell... I couldn't get through "Sex and the City" either. Just too much negativity (and I'm a negative, cynical person, so that should tell ya something), and too many people taking themselves way too seriously. So, the combination gives you a pretentious, negative piece of crap that tries to be smart, but fails miserably.
Fluff fiction (which, btw, is what you're writing, when you're writing about 17 weddings in six weeks) should be just that, fluffy and light. And yes, fluff fiction can be cynical... but I think it needs to be done in a way that's more satirical and less obvious and explicit.
Rating: ZERO STARS. If I could give it negative stars, I certainly would. Now I'm going to post this scathing review on Amazon :)
Book Review by abcdefg81:
Here's one that wasn't from my local library! I read this over the summer, as part of my Bar Exam Rehab. Anyway, this was GREAT! Highly recommended. I don't want to give too much away, but it's about New York socialites and the scandalous lives they lead. It reads like a tabloid; it's full of scandal, easy to read, and so entertaining. And it managed to tell a pretty good story. Here's a sample of the writing style:
"...she revealed her interpretation of an appropriate flower arranging outfit: fire-engine red glittery pants with black stiletto boots, a gauzy low-cut black bluse, and a huge eighteen-carat gold chain. It was as if Miami threw up on her."
Tell me that isn't hilarious! A lot of the narration and dialogue isn't exactly politically correct (so if you're particularly sensitive, you might wanna think twice before reading), but you can pretty much expect that from anything I like this much :)
A Book Review by abcdefg81:
Greetings from Michigan! I read this on my loooong trip out here, which apparently included two stops. If you've read the Shopaholic books, then you recognize this author. The style of writing is pretty much the same, which makes it perfect for a long-ass plane trip. The main character here isn't nearly as psychotic as Becky from the Shopaholic series, but it's still hilarious and very light. A good, light read. If you like the Shopaholic books, I think you'd like this one too. And if you are (or ever were) clueless about cooking and doing all that domestic stuff, or were pushed into being career-driven, or have ever worked at a law firm, then you'll relate to the main character. But even if you don't relate to her in any way, it's still a good, light, girly read.
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