Lipstick Jungle by Candace Bushnell

Book Details
Lipstick Jungle by Candace Bushnell
Paperback, 496 pages
2006, Hyperion
ISBN: 0786887079

Synopsis
The new novel that fans of the bestselling author have been waiting for, about three sexy, powerful career women who will do anything to stay at the top of their fields. Victory Ford is the darling of the fashion world. Single, attractive, and iconoclastic, she has worked for years to create her own signature line. As Victory struggles to keep her company afloat, she learns crucial lessons about what she really wants in a relationship. Nico O'Neilly is the glamorous, brilliant editor of Bonfire Magazine-the pop-culture bible for fashion, show business, and politics. Considered one of the most powerful women in publishing, she seems to have it all. But in a mid-life crisis, she suddenly realizes this isn't enough. Wendy Healy's chutzpah has propelled her to the very top of the cut-throat movie industry. When it becomes clear that a competitor is trying to oust her, something has to give-and Wendy must decide between her career and her marriage. In Lipstick Jungle, Bushnell once again delivers an addictive page-turner of sex and scandal that will keep readers enthralled and guessing to the very last page.

Review
Lipstick Jungle had a good message and a decent story. The problem was that is was always obscured by some problem. Everything felt scattered, from an all over the place time line to almost interchangeable, and therefore easily confusable, main characters.

Lipstick Jungle follows three strong, professional women who found that they could be vulnerable, but only among their female friends. The story showcased the idea that highly successful women have the same problems as average women, only on a somewhat larger scale. While managing work, family, and romantic relationships, the women predictably learn that friendship is the most important thing.

I found it difficult to always be able to decipher which woman we were focusing on at each point in time, especially when the main women interacted with minor characters usually related to another story line. This was compounded by the fact that each of the three women were basically the same. They had different careers and families, but they all had the same basic voice.

The timeline was equally hard to follow. Often we would be shown the outcome of an event and then immediately be told about the things that lead up to that outcome as if the character was thinking back on it. As the book was written in third person, that these mini-flashbacks left me wondering not only which character was which, but also where in the story we actually were. There was a lot of going back and re-reading with this book.

The problems mentioned above ultimately make this book average. Lipstick Jungle is chick lit with a clear female empowerment message. Being a strong women isn't as easy as everyone assumes. The story is entertaining, but what should be a fun indulgence becomes harder than it should be. I would only recommend this to Candace Bushnell fans and huge chick lit fans.

Rating

Links

Candace Bushnell's
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