...
Show More
Enjoyable quick-paced read!
Ease Reading-Find Your Next Favorite Book
Lipstick Jungle
...
Show More
In a way, Candace Bushnell's Lipstick Jungle picks up where her career-defining book Sex and the City left off, in the money-soaked, power-hungry, beauty-obsessed jungle that is New York City. This time around, the ladies are a bit older, a lot richer, but not particularly wiser nor more endearing than Bushnell's earlier heroines.
Q: Were Victory, Wendy, and Nico inspired by any real-life women?
A: The characters and situations in Lipstick Jungle were inspired by the real-life women I know and admire in New York City. As with Sex and the City, I spent a lot of time thinking about where women were today, and what I noticed was that there was a fascinating group of women in their forties who were leading non-traditional lives. They were highly successful and motivated, they often had children, and usually were the providers for their families, and yet, they didn't fit the old stereotype of the witchy businesswoman. Indeed, so many of these women were the girls next door, the girls who reminded me of my best friends when I was a kid and we used to fantasize about the great things we were going to do in life. Like the women in Sex and the City, the Lipstick Jungle women are charting new lives for themselves, redefining what it means to be a woman when you really are as powerful, or more powerful, than a man.
Of course, you probably want specifics, so I will say that there was a moment when it all clicked. Tina Brown used to write a terrific column in the Washington Post, and one of the things she was always mentioning was how there was a group of powerful women who were meeting and lunching at Michael's restaurant. They'd been working for over twenty years, their children were now in their early teens and didn't need them every minute, and now, in their forties or early fifties, they had time to strive for new career goals and to spend more time with their girlfriends. I thought, "Aha--that's the Lipstick Jungle."
Q: What kind of research did you do to cover fashion, film, and publishing in one book?
A: To research fashion, film and publishing, I did what I always do--I talked to my girlfriends! Of course, it helps that I've worked in magazine publishing and have had my share of experience with Hollywood. I'm also lucky enough to have a couple of girlfriends who are top designers, who offered to help me out with the specific details. I still remember the afternoon when one of my girlfriends and I sat down to talk--she was over eight months pregnant, and I was worried that we were going to have to run to the hospital!
Lipstick Jungle weaves the stories of Nico O'Neilly, Wendy Healy, and Victory Ford, numbers 8, 12, and 17 on The New York Post's list of "New York's 50 Most Powerful Women."
But this is 21st Century New York, and to get ahead and stay ahead, these women will do anything, including jeopardizing their personal and professional relationships. Take for example Nico, editor-in-chief of Bonfire magazine, who betrays her boss to rise to the top of the entire magazine division at media mega-giant Splatch-Verner. As president of Paradour Pictures, Wendy may be poised to win an Oscar for her 10-year labor-of-love, Ragged Pilgrims, but her marriage is in shambles and her children care more about a $50,000 pony than their mother. And for single, 43-year-old fashion designer Victory, pleasing tough critics may be more important than ever finding the real relationship she's convinced herself she doesn't need.
This racy tale of women behaving badly manages to shrewdly flip the tables to show us how gender roles are essentially interchangeable, given the right circumstances. Whether that was Bushnell's intent when crafting this wicked tale is another story. --Gisele Toueg
Q: Were Victory, Wendy, and Nico inspired by any real-life women?
A: The characters and situations in Lipstick Jungle were inspired by the real-life women I know and admire in New York City. As with Sex and the City, I spent a lot of time thinking about where women were today, and what I noticed was that there was a fascinating group of women in their forties who were leading non-traditional lives. They were highly successful and motivated, they often had children, and usually were the providers for their families, and yet, they didn't fit the old stereotype of the witchy businesswoman. Indeed, so many of these women were the girls next door, the girls who reminded me of my best friends when I was a kid and we used to fantasize about the great things we were going to do in life. Like the women in Sex and the City, the Lipstick Jungle women are charting new lives for themselves, redefining what it means to be a woman when you really are as powerful, or more powerful, than a man.
Of course, you probably want specifics, so I will say that there was a moment when it all clicked. Tina Brown used to write a terrific column in the Washington Post, and one of the things she was always mentioning was how there was a group of powerful women who were meeting and lunching at Michael's restaurant. They'd been working for over twenty years, their children were now in their early teens and didn't need them every minute, and now, in their forties or early fifties, they had time to strive for new career goals and to spend more time with their girlfriends. I thought, "Aha--that's the Lipstick Jungle."
Q: What kind of research did you do to cover fashion, film, and publishing in one book?
A: To research fashion, film and publishing, I did what I always do--I talked to my girlfriends! Of course, it helps that I've worked in magazine publishing and have had my share of experience with Hollywood. I'm also lucky enough to have a couple of girlfriends who are top designers, who offered to help me out with the specific details. I still remember the afternoon when one of my girlfriends and I sat down to talk--she was over eight months pregnant, and I was worried that we were going to have to run to the hospital!
496 pages, Paperback
First published January 1,2005
This edition
- Format
-
496 pages, Paperback
- Published
-
August 8, 2006 by Grand Central Publishing
- ISBN
-
9780786887071
- ASIN
-
0786887079
- Language
-
English
Readers also enjoyed
Community Reviews
Rating(4 / 5.0, 100 votes)
5 stars
30(30%)
4 stars
37(37%)
3 stars
33(33%)
2 stars
0(0%)
1 stars
0(0%)
100 reviews All reviews
...
Show More
I read this book after seeing the TV series. A friend gave me this book as a gift and then I realized I had see the TV series made from it. I loved this book. Great writing, great plot, and great characters. I highly recommend this book.
...
Show More
Many recognise this author’s name as the one behind Sex and the City. If that is the vibe one is looking for, this book scratches the itch. The novel is about three best friends in their forties – Nico O’Nielly, magazine editor, Wendy Healy, movie executive and head of Paradour Pictures, and Victory Ford, fashion designer/darling.
It’s set in the noughties of New York City, it’s glitz and glam and power women with more interest in their careers than in their marriages and families. There’s trouble in paradise for all of our heroines, sure, but nothing that can’t be solved with a lunch with the besties, or hiring the best lawyer in the city.
Lipstick Jungle is forgettable at best, but one thing I will carry with me is when Victory Ford thinks to herself how naive and sweet she was at 33. Oh, how it soothes a 27 year old to read exactly that.
Unapologetically what it makes itself out to be, this novel is one I will bring with me on holidays as often as Chasing Harry Winston (every time). A perfectly nonsensical novel – and second hand outfit – to end the summer season.
It’s set in the noughties of New York City, it’s glitz and glam and power women with more interest in their careers than in their marriages and families. There’s trouble in paradise for all of our heroines, sure, but nothing that can’t be solved with a lunch with the besties, or hiring the best lawyer in the city.
Lipstick Jungle is forgettable at best, but one thing I will carry with me is when Victory Ford thinks to herself how naive and sweet she was at 33. Oh, how it soothes a 27 year old to read exactly that.
Unapologetically what it makes itself out to be, this novel is one I will bring with me on holidays as often as Chasing Harry Winston (every time). A perfectly nonsensical novel – and second hand outfit – to end the summer season.
...
Show More
I found this book very interesting. I found myself pausing several times to absorb the subtle messages peppered throughout this book. I don't live in NYC, I am not a woman with power, but I've experienced enough to relate to the issues in this book. Trying to juggle motherhood (must we always feel guilty for not being enough?), men being threatened by women, crazy head trips that we put ourselves through, the need to pour your all into your career, and the difference between men and women and retirement. Not true for all but enough to be a bit of a lightbulb moment. I thoroughly enjoyed this book. And even though this book was copywritten in 2005, it sure hit a nerve as I read it during the overturning of ROE vs Wade.
Lipstick Jungle
Lipstick Jungle
...
Show More
Because what self-respecting 27-year-old doesn't devour this book in like 72 hours. (Can't believe I'm admitting this on Goodreads...)
...
Show More
This book is horrible. Terrible writing, cliched, vapid, and over the top. The three women blend into one- halfway through I still can't remember what one of them actually does. And why anyone would want to date or marry any if them is beyond me. Don't waste your time reading this. And please don't think that being a feminist means you can be an asshole, "just like the men". That's not what it means.
...
Show More
Really good book
...
Show More
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.
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.
Leave a Review