Amazon.co.uk Review
Janey Wilcox is an MAW (that's Model/Actress/Whatever to the uninitiated). The problem with Janey, the protagonist of
Trading Up, the new novel from
Sex and the City author Candace Bushnell, is not the M or the A part. It's the W. Here is a rare alphabetical anomaly: in Janey's case, W stands for "prostitute". Janey never crosses the line into actual hookerdom, but she does sleep with extremely wealthy men in the hopes they'll improve her status, her financial situation, or her lifestyle.
When we first met Janey in Bushnell's novella collection 4 Blondes, she was up to her usual tricks (so to speak)--scamming a guy for a Hamptons vacation rental. At the opening of Trading Up her fortunes have improved. She's now the star of a Victoria's Secret ad campaign and as such she's found access to undreamed-of echelons of New York society. She makes friends with Mimi Kilroy, a senator's daughter "at the very top of the social heap in New York." She gets invited to all the best parties. And she finally finds a wealthy man who will actually marry her: Seldon Rose, a powerful entertainment industry executive. Of course, Janey's social ambitions are not hampered by her marriage to Seldon and the clash between her expectations (more parties) and his (normal life) send Janey into a tailspin that leads to heartbreak. Bushnell is clearly trying to channel Edith Wharton (The Custom of the Country is even invoked by Janey as a screenplay idea), but ends up sounding a lot more like a cross between Tama Janowitz and Judith Krantz. This is a novel about shopping and sex, and while it's fizzy enough, it's not Cristal. --Claire Dederer, Amazon.com
Review
'The pace never flags and the plot twists remain compelling. The pithy elegance of her writing and the faultless ear for barbed chit-chat reminded me of Dorothy Parker' SUNDAY TELEGRAPH 'A dark, pitiless world lit up by Bushnell's razor-sharp wit.' INDEPENDENT 'There is something that sticks in the memory after TRADING UP is closed. Bushnell is so good at conveying the clenched teeth behind the most brilliant smile' GUARDIAN 'Hugely entertaining, and littered with the astute observations that have become the writer's trademark' INDEPENDENT 'So deliciously engaging...laugh-out-loud good. Unsettlingly dark too.' SCOTSMAN 'Bushnell shines her light on love, sex, wealth and society with wit and skill.' SUNDAY MIRROR 'Bushnell is writing about a world that she knows well and she does it entertainingly.' SUNDAY EXPRESS 'Bushnell succeeds because she provides what readers and audiences have always craved, from Moliere down through Wilde and Witford to Dynasty and the rash of current celebrity magaxines- a window on the stupidities and weakness of the rich and powerful, inspiring an addictive mix of envy and moral superiority.' OBSERVER 'Typical Bushnell, full or mordant wit, casual sex and highly conspicuous consumption.' DAILY MAIL 'A divinely delicious and wicked satire on New York society.' PUBLISHING NEWS 'unputdownable.' B MAGAZINE 'Insightful and wickedly funny.' COSMOPOLITAN 'TRADING UP is an exciting look at how the socialites in New York live, a rollercoaster read of money, sex and fashion enlivened by Bushnell's sharp wit.' IRELAND ON SUNDAY 'Much like sitting down with a well-connected, well-informed and witty friend to get the latest gossip, this is a wicked thrill best enjoyed with a bottle of wine. Bushnell's knack for balancing superficial sparkle with shrewd social observation elevates the book way above chick-lit fluff.' TNT MAGAZINE
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by Candace Bushnell
by Candace Bushnell
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