One Fifth Avenue
by Candace Bushnell
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Book Reviews of One Fifth Avenue
Book Review: Well-crafted tale about hopelessly shallow characters
Summary: 2 Stars
Ms. Bushnell is a polished, confident writer, and this story is told as smoothly and elegantly as it can be. The question is whether or not you will care -- I didn't. Every single character in this book is shallow in the extreme; the ones you are supposed to sympathize with are essentially as materalistic and self-absorbed as the rest. The only real difference is that they're physically more attractive. We are told that Philip and James are truly accomplished writers, that Schiffer Diamond (I am not making that name up) is a brilliant actress, that Annalisa is a fine lawyer and that Enid is incredibly cultured. But will you ever see those characters displaying any of the intelligence necessary for those professions? No. (Not that intelligent people cannot be shallow, self-absorbed or sometimes foolish -- but they are SOMETIMES intelligent, except in this book.) I heartily loathed all of them by the time this was done. If this had been funnier, it might have worked on the level of farce, but it didn't for me. I bought this thinking it would be great "fluffy entertainment reading" for a plane ride and was so turned off I spent half my time watching "Kit Kittridge: An American Girl" on the inflight screen instead. So consider yourselves warned.Book Review: Be a Fly on the Wall..
Summary: 3 Stars
Every so often, I need to have the guilty pleasure of reading fashionista/high society lit. (a sub-genre of chick lit, I suppose) Candace Bushnell's books tend to fall in this category. Her latest offering, ONE FIFTH AVENUE, was an amusing quick read. In this novel, Bushnell focuses on the residents of a classic upscale residence in New York City at One Fifth Avenue. These individuals run the gamut from a gossip columnist, award-winning novelist turned scriptwriter, new money hedge-fund math wiz and movie star.
I found this particular book a bit meatier than Bushnell's previous offerings. As Bushnell gets older, her characters have grown more mature and have a greater depth. It felt like being a fly on the wall within the building, watching the loves, successes, downfalls and frustrations of the residents. Even though Bushnell can be almost merciless with some of the characters, she finds sympathy for most residents...even a self-absorbed Sex and the City wannabe. She limits her skewering to the hedge fund guy who is focused on money to the exclusion of everything else. It gives insight into what Bushnell values these days.
ONE FIFTH AVENUE is a quick, entertaining read for those looking for light, uncomplicated fare.
Book Review: Like porn, pointless, but you cannot put it down
Summary: 4 Stars
As usual, Bushnell writes about a most eclectic group of people, all money hungry, selfish, greedy, promiscuous and never satisfied with what they have. The most normal character in the book was an adolescent boy. Everybody has more money than they know what to do with it, but never enough. I was both appalled and entranced. It was like reading porn. Is utterly pointless, but you cannot put it down. You have two men that think with their lower body organs instead of their actual head, a woman that will sleep with whomever to live in a particular building, an actress that is weary of lying in the bed she made, a mom with a married life very similiar to the rest of us folks, an old busy body, and of course, a possibly gay fellow. And let us not forget the filthy rich and high and mighty upstairs. This book follows their lives and it is shocking how their choices and situations entwine. I could not put it down. Bushnell somehow does it again. There is quite possibly a moral in this novel. "Treat others as you would like to be treated.." OR "Be nice to a fellow today cause he may be your boss tomorrow." One never knows who will rise above or fall below. You may be pleasantly surprised.Book Review: One Heck of a Book and a Guilty Pleasure
Summary: 5 Stars
I really enjoyed this book. Since "Lipstick Jungle", I think that Ms. Bushnell has come into her own as a credible, literary writer. As much as I loved SATC the series, the book seemed disjointed from a literary perspective.
This book is tight and is a page turner. Being a New York CIty girl, I appreciated her take on this building and its cohabitants. I have been in this building a few times myself and it is all that. NYC apartment buildings really are like small villages.
If any of you have lost money on the stock market, you will be vicariously gleeful at what befalls the hedge fund people too. It is a win win kind of book with totally flushed out characters. I loved Ms. Bushnell's observations because at 55, I have had many of the same observations regarding the younger generation. I loved the various perspectives of all the characters of varying ages and the intermingling of stories. I think this is her best work to date but I said that about "Lipstick Jungle." ONE FIFTH is a cohesive ride told by a master storyteller. Bravo. A brilliant book!
Book Review: Highly entertaining
Summary: 4 Stars
Candace Bushnell's "One Fifth Avenue" revolved around a historic Manhattan building where residents were artsy and somewhat rich. Things became complicated when one of its resident died and there was a vacancy in the building. Soon, Annalisa and her hedge-funder husband, Paul Rice moved in and began to change the way things were done in the building, especially since they were a lot richer than the rest of the residents. The other residents included Philip Oakland, a famous writer with his young girlfriend, his aunt, a columnist who also owned a unit there, and Mindy Gooch, the annoying and also the head of the resident board.
This was an extremely fun read for me, as Bushnell wrote about the gossips and the social happenings involving the residents. I was surprised that the book was quite engaging as I was lost at the beginning with the introduction of so many characters. All the characters in the book were not necessary unique but were definitely captivating and I can see the book being made into a movie or a TV series. Highly recommended!