This isn't my usual sort of book, but the premise intrigued me and so I wanted to read it. It has ambitious young women, journalism, politics, rock music, and even delicious relationships with older men. At first it was entertaining, but I got bored after a while. The repetitive descriptions of the female characters' outfits and their personality traits and the over-the-top gratuitous sex scenes didn't add to my enjoyment of the book. In fact, they detracted from it. By placing so much emphasis on Topaz and Rowena as sex objects, the author undermines the notion of feminism, which is bandied about far too liberally to make any real mark upon the reader.As for the characterisation, it was lacking. The author was consistent from start to finish, but everyone - the protagonists included - was one dimensional. It got to the point I was wincing every time Topaz Rossi was described as a fiery Italian or Rowena's cool intelligence was mentioned. By the end, it was as though they had become parodies of themselves, which was a shame.What irritated me the most was that Topaz, after envisioning marriage and children with Nate, decided several months after his death that she hadn't really loved him - casual as anything. There was nothing to indicate that the passing of the man she had shared her life with for a number of years had any lasting impact on Topaz. It was unconvincing, as was the relationship with Joe - although it was highly predictable. Why on earth would Topaz, who - as the author is relentless in reminding the reader - is a career obsessed independent woman - want to be with a misogynist? Joe believed that women are secondary to men in the workplace, that their place is more or less at home; in short, the antithesis of everything Topaz supposedly stood for. The mind boggles. "Career Girls" was fairly well written, and despite its flaws, the plot was interesting enough (if a tad hammy, i.e. the tennis metaphor for the rivalry) that I kept on reading in spite of the novel's inherent flaws. It was good fun, but nothing special.
Possibly one of the most annoying books I have read in a long time. I read Passion by Louise Bagshawe and really enjoyed it, so I picked up her first offering, Career Girls. Big mistake. Urghhh, these so called "career girls" - supposedly strong women, feminists - are a pair of hussies who sleep with every bloke they meet. Rowena, who slept with her best friend Topaz's boyfriend at university, apparently learned her lesson years later by - what else? - starting an affair with a married man. Shows how principled she is, doesn't it? Oh, but it's true wuv, so it's completely excusable. And as for Topaz, ughhhhh - BITCH is the word that springs to mind. She gets pissed off at a guy for holding a door open for her. For god's sake, I'm all for women being treated as equals to men, but really? What's wrong with just a smile and a thank you? Oh and she is the champion for "real women" who are larger than a size 8, but apparently she has a figure like Jessica Rabbit. Yeah, cos that's how "real women" look.Seriously. Bagshawe's snobby Tory roots definitely show in this book - and I quote, "some bunch of untalented northerners". Snob, snob, snob. I'm gutted because some of her later books seem to be really good. Maybe I should just avoid the ones she wrote in the 90s. Either way, utter trash.
What do You think about Career Girls (1995)?
I'd read this book once a long time ago and picked it up again because I remembered it being a fun easy read.Boy is my memory faulty. Maybe I was drunk. Here is a list of things I hate about this book:1. This book is anti-feminist at best, downright misogynistic at worst. Topaz Rossi ends up married to a man who outright admits that he thinks women belong in the home, that he dislikes feminists, that he hates the fact that she does better than him, and we don't see even one thought to suggest th
—Hazel
Topaz Rossi and Rowena Gordon……best of friends….turned worst of enemies. Reminds me of the saying “Hell has no fury as a woman scorned”. Super story that keeps you turning pages as the game, set and match between the two career girls progresses..while they screw the living daylights of all men who they come in to contact with...and a good ending that you can put down with a sigh of relief and a smile of satisfaction.Hot and spicy from the word go..but too many pages are spent on the details of glamorous, branded clothes, shoes, etc…I skipped over some of it. You kind of get immune to the thrill of the hot scenes, cos it happens all the time…
—Lilanthi
I'll start with good points, it was an east read...my issue was similar to other peoples, in the feminism, shes totally contradicted herself, both women sleeping their way to the top, Rowena being completely submissive with Krebs, Topaz getting married to a guy who openly hates feminism and it didn't change and both using their bodies to make a point. The sex in the book made me cringe, it got to the point it was on every page and it was ridiculous, the wording was a little offputting, 'slick' and 'nub' to mention a few. Even more annoying was her saying what designer outfits they were wearing, every outfit, it didnt add to the story and it really started grating on me. Finally how she skipped over the fact of Topaz saying she never really loved Nate, (a reason was he didn't have sex with her enough) his death was ignored after a few pages, Krebs poor wife just being cheated on and finally dumped and him getting what he wants, Rowena selling her business without a hint of regret and becoming president even after being fired so publicly, Topaz suddenly stops her vendetta, when thats what the whole book was about and both Topaz and Rowena getting jobs because they yelled at their bosses. All that aside, I still continued to read, so something gripped me, I wouldn't read anymore of her books though
—Mandy
