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3 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
2.0 out of 5 stars
A bit too fabulous dahling, 28 Jun 1999
By A Customer
Light, nice and fun, but...As primary-coloured pop fiction, I wasn't expecting much, but was still disappointed by the presumption that we all find glossy oxbridge media dahlings utterly riveting. Don't get me wrong, it's far more entertaining than flat-caps and whippets, but the stereotypes are bound to have anyone West End whincing. Yes, these people exist; yes, we all recognise them; yes these things happen; but their juxtapostion seems all artificial, the stereotypes are tied together by cliches, London just dosn't feel authentic (there weren't nearly enough Australians...). The second half of the book seemed to sit better with me, and, aside from a few points which felt rather belaboured, Victoria Routledge's writing was good enough, the plot was fine, it's just the environment and characterisation were too simple. Friends Like These will I'm certain be a success, however although I'll probably read her future books, I sincerely hope that Victoria Routledge dosn't decide, given it's success, to use FLT as a template for future stories, as she seems capable of much better. 2 out of 5 aint great, but 40% is still a pass in most exams, I'm a harsh marker, and compared to most pop fiction it probably deserves a three.
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