Southport
Reporter® is the Registered Trade Mark of Patrick Trollope.
Southport News -
Issued on the 21st August 2001
VENUS ENVY
This
week's book review by Louise Bagshaw.
Crack open the Chardonnay, start counting the calories and cigarettes - Bridget Jones is back! Only,
er, it's not Bridget - it's a younger, non-smoking version who abodes with three flatmates and goes by the name of Alex.
This fourth novel by the successful writer Louise Bagshaw - Oxford educated and the youngest ever contributor to The Tatler at the age of fourteen - has so many similarities to Bridget that it's a wonder she's not been done for copyright!
Although it's still quite an entertaining read if you can stop yourself comparing the two books. Alex's flatmates for example keep the interest factor reasonably high. Femme Fatal Keisha only ever dates celebrities and divides her wardrobe into three distinct categories TDO (top designer outfits) MDO (medium designer outfits) and SDO (sale designer outfits), there's
Browen, a groovy media type with a penchant for kinky bank managers, and then Gail, Alex's sister who's waif-like. pretty, irritating and ready to give up work in a flash if only some man would pay for the life to which she could so easily become accustomed!
Of course, there's love interest aplenty with Tom who Alex has known platonically since collage days as an overweight solid dependable type who - surprise, surprise has dieted and transformed into a Colin Firth look-alike!, and slimy, married Seamus who lies beguiles and impresses his way into her life.
All in all it's a well-written book even if the characters aren't all that likeable and the plot predicable it did provide a few laughs and the occasional feeling of 'yes, I've been there'. To
summaries, it's ok - but not V. V. good!
Book
Review:-
Turn
a Page Award =
Deadline
for next edition Friday the 24th August, for publishing on Tuesday
the 28th August.
