Beach read??

Hmmm, so I said I would try not to review the books on here and that I would avoid negative comments. If someone somewhere didn't like the book, it wouldn't have been published, right? Well...I just can't sit here and praise a book that horrified me without at least touching on why I won't be rating this one high on my reread list. {sigh} Sorry, it can't be helped.

With spring break right around the corner, I still have to survive this quarter's "paper season" first and crank out two term papers of decent intelligence in the next two weeks. So I figured I would give some lighter, more vacation style books a chance. And this is what I came up with. Stats:

Title: Chasing Harry Winston
Author: Lauren Weisberger
Publisher: Pocket Books
Date: 2008
My start date: 2/28/10
My finish date: 3/1/10

I picked this one up at the grocery store, thinking I would give it a chance because a) I had read Weisberger's previous novel, The Devil Wears Prada, and had absolutely loved it for six months, b)the back cover indicated potential, and perhaps most importantly, c) it was cheap. I only wish I had remembered before the check out line that after those initial six months I reread it and saw the movie and concluded that I hated it. But the fact that I had liked it initially meant something, right?? I should know that those don't necessarily add up to a good recipe.

There are many of you out there who will love this novel. Just because I don't, doesn't mean you won't. It simply isn't my style. I never got into the whole Sex in the City craze and found the whole concept rather disgusting honestly. However, fans of that show may well find a lot to love here. My biggest problem was simply a distaste for, and complete inability to identify with the characters. The story revolves around three best friends who are possibly the most unabashedly pathetic women I have ever read. Now, I apologize to all of you out there who are going to find me "lame", but seriously, when did we decide that caring about ourselves and having a little pride and self-respect made us losers?? When did it become ok to promote disgusting habits as cool?? Come on people!! Let me think back on some of the "fun" here. Well, the main precept is to scorn one of the characters who has, heaven forbid, only slept with three men. Good grief, if you want to sleep around, I certainly won't judge you. However, I do resent the fact that society has deemed it appropriate now to scorn those who do try to maintain some kind of sanctity to their body and have a modicum of respect for themselves by being choosy with the decision of intimacy. This character is having trouble finding herself in life and the solution presented, in all seriousness, is to start a "Tour de Whore" and sleep with as many people as possible. And this isn't some cute little lesson setup, there is no moral at the end in which it is discovered that utter whoredom is not the solution. Continuing on with the list, there are recurring passages in which the delicious wonder (heavy sarcasm on my part) that is smoking is extolled. Again, I won't judge smokers here, but do we really want or need to tempt new and potentially young readers into a habit that is proven to be deadly?? STDs are laughed at, drugs are celebrated and at one point it is concluded that one of the girls is an uptight loser because she uses sunscreen. Sheesh. I was offended again and again, and as previously mentioned in my other posts, I am not easily offended.

My last complaint is more structural. Again, I try to avoid this, because I am not (at least, not yet) an editor or literary agent, so perhaps I don't always know best, but the flow here is lacking, especially as I have read Weisberger's other attempt and know she is capable of better. There are jumps in the plot and between characters that just leave the scenes feeling incomplete and hurried.

Ok, that being said, and considering how much I distained the characters, this book was, admittedly, hard to put down. Obviously, seeing as I finished it in a day and it is nearly four hundred pages. Although, granted, I still have a terrible cold and can't do much else besides read mindless chick lit. The story was cute enough and, horrifying habits and assertions aside, it was kind of fascinating to follow the lives of these New Yorkers living the high life. And I will say that the job Emmy takes sounds infinitely cool. Of the characters, Emmy was the one I came closest to liking. Anyway, if you are heading to the beach or the slopes this spring break (or this spring in general for all of you out there who actually work normal jobs...)and you were, or are a fan of these types of books, you won't be disappointed here. Although not as good as Weisberger's previous novel, she still delivers more or less the same formula here.

Anyway, on to the next. For better or worse, I am sticking to the same formula in continuing on with paper season and choosing another cult popular vacation read, only this time more in the category of a guy read mabye? Anyway, this one is a James Patterson thriller with his Alex Cross character, who I take it has featured in many a book. We will see how much better this one interests me.

Happy reading!
Sarah