Chasing Harry Winston: A Novel
by Lauren Weisberger
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Book Reviews of Chasing Harry Winston: A Novel
Book Review: Same Old, same old...
Summary: 1 Stars
Every chick lit book has the same sort of format: a 20 to 30 something girl (or girls) with one or more dilema - in her love life, her job, or in her diet, most likely. The only thing that seperates good chick lit from bad one is how well written the story is. We love our chick lit when we can identify with the protagonist, while laughing at the extremes that she reaches in attempting to work out what she needs to work out - which is actually pretty similar to what we have to deal with in our real lives. Originality, of course, is also a must - while avoiding the pitfall of too extreme plot twists (especially towards the end of the book). And let's not forget the lessons the protagonist learns by the end of the book, which make the ending so satisfying (& usually happy) for us.
This isn't the case here. All three girls seem to already have a charmed life right in the beginning of the book: they all have good jobs, no money problems, no problems attracting guys (& very eligible guys, at that), they all look more than reasonably well, they all have great friends. So all their problems seem to be small & petty, and don't really require that much whining over. And what's even worse - they all do the most shallow & predictable things in order to get their lives "in order", and I hadn't felt that any of the, grew or came up with any conclusions after all those trials & experiences they went through...
Book Review: Three Friends Make a Pact...
Summary: 3 Stars
Three best friends living in New York are approaching thirty. And they're all questioning their life choices so far.
So what will they do to totally change their lives?
Emmy, Leigh and Adriana all vow to reverse their current patterns and change everything...before they turn thirty.
Adriana, who has, up until now, used her wiles to capture men---men of all types---to enjoy for the moment, vows to find that one perfect man to commit to for life. Emmy has been with only three men in her life---a serial monogamist, she vows to embark on a year of "serial affairs". Leigh is with the "perfect" man, has the perfect job and apartment, and suffers anxiety attacks. She isn't sure what she wants to do about any of this...she maintains a stand-back-and-see approach.
What happens throughout this year of total metamorphosis will translate into the slightly unexpected.
Charming, interesting, but predictable...Chasing Harry Winston: A Novel, a tale of three New York singles trying to change their lives is not compelling. It is merely mildly amusing. But it is intriguing enough for a beach read or for that time when you need a break from the deeply enthralling books.
Book Review: Do not want.
Summary: 1 Stars
In the end, the joke is on me. I have read all of Lauren Weisberger's books and haven't found one of them to be worth her advance (I don't even want to know...). The story of the Devil Wears Prada was interesting, but for God's sake, the writing was atrocious.
I don't know why I bothered picking up the other two as they were just as horrible with an even crappier story. How this woman continues to write such vapid characters and has an editor who lets her get away with it is beyond me.
I wish I hadn't wasted my time, or money, on Chasing Harry Winston as it's hands down the worst of her books. The writing, as another reviewer stated, doesn't flow at all. There were times that I was sure the pages had stuck together and I'd missed something as there was no logical way she'd gone from point A to point B. The characters were flat and I could barely muster any enthusiasm for their stories.
In addition, there were times that I actually wondered if certain companies had paid for product placement in this book as the dropping of brands and websites seemed to not have any relevance to the (lack of) story.
In the end, the book fell completely flat, like Weisberger whipped it out on the way to a much more important spa appointment. That's the last time I read one of her books for sure.
Book Review: It's Fun (if you Manage your Expectations)
Summary: 4 Stars
I'm a bit puzzled by the obnoxious 1 star reviews of this book. It's not Pulitzer Prize material, but did you really expect that when you read the premise of the plot? Does it surprise you that characters who are "chasing expensive diamonds" (and men) are a bit shallow and neurotic?
I thought it was certainly worth reading. There are some very entertaining parts and funny observations that resonate with an almost-thirty-something who is looking to settle down.
I agree that the writing was mildly disjointed (jumping from scene-to-scene with no smooth transitions). Also, I thought the plot's concept was solid, but Weisberger didn't flesh it out as well as she could have. The ending is lame (especially if you are a reader who likes closure). It seemed as if Weisberger just got sick of writing it, so she tied up HALF of the loose ends and just let the rest fizzle out.
My overall impression of the book was that Weisberger was in a rush to get it finished. It had a lot more potential than it delivered on. And that is disappointing. Even so, compared to most chick-lit out there, a 75% effort by Weisberger still holds its own.
It's a fun beach read with a few hilarious stand-out scenes interspersed between several ho-hum ones. Nothing more, nothing less.
Book Review: Half good
Summary: 3 Stars
There are parts of this book that show flashes of real talent from Lauren Weisberger. Particularly in the sections involving the expressive, scene-stealing parrot (yes, you read that correctly...I said parrot). She has a real clever wit to her writing and, as evidenced by her chapter headings, a fiendish sense of humor.
However, the book is ultimately just not that successful at creating a compelling storyline. Yes, the girls are making strides to change their lives, but why should we care? If we don't particularly relate to and/or like the characters themselves, then their respective storylines fall flat. And this is the main problem with this book. It's almost more focused on flashing glib humor and outrageous antics to mask the fact that the characters aren't all that likable or, at times, believable.
I've followed this writer ever since The Devil Wears Prada and, while I believe this is a better offering than Everyone Worth Knowing, it still falls short of expectations. Though, I do think it's just a matter of a writer trying to find her voice - Prada was focused on a story that she actually lived, and I think Weisberger, once she gets the hang of creating stories not based on her reality, will deliver on the promise of her first novel. This one just isn't quite there yet.