The Second Assistant: A Tale From The Bottom Of The Hollywood Ladder (2005) - Plot & Excerpts
It wasn't entirely the book's fault I didn't finish it: I made it to page 254 before I left on a trip that I could not take this hardcover along. I was pushing myself to finish but, truth be told, after a book of different characters, I no longer felt compelled to find out what happened to the characters, whether the movie would be made, etc. I think I would rather move on to my next book than return to this one.I am lucky in that the problems with structure that led to this book's downfall showed me flaws in my own debut novel, so I could look at it with a different eye. I felt the trouble with this book was actually the abundance of "Hollywood stories": there was such a strong concentration of the bizarre "look at this different culture" stories that led nowhere, little to no connection to later plot, that when I hit the 100-page mark - the classic goalpost to decide whether to continue - there was no establishment in the story (other than setting, of course) and very little in the character. I hadn't developed any interest or sympathy yet. If I hadn't been so interested in figuring out what was wrong with the structure and curious as to "does this book ever tell a story or does it just whine about how bad Hollywood is?" I would not have continued.Why the higher star rating? It's only meant to be a silly little beach read, so how good does it have to be? While I missed the story in the beginning, these asides were amusing. The authors can write a sentence (surprisingly not always a requirement to be published nowadays) and put together some simple humour. Part of my problem, I will admit, is that I am a slow reader so 100 pages represents a fair time investment for me, so I want return fairly quickly; I know a lot of readers (including one I live with) who wouldn't mind a little more digression before the story. When I stopped reading, there were at least 3 plot lines going, I suspected I saw the course (as one usually does in chick lit) and it was cute. There are much better chick kits, I would not go out of my way for this one. However, if you find it in the hotel's "library" or the public library, it is an easy way to pass the time.
This is definitely the same Hollywood Jackie Collins has written about, but from a much different perspective. It’s the story of Lizzie Miller, who has barely begun her career in politics before it ends, and she winds up by a fluke working for a Hollywood talent agency. She’s the second assistant to Scott Wagner, agent to the stars, and spends her days learning the ropes with drug-addled bosses and vile coworkers, and her evenings discovering the joys of spiked drinks with oversexed Hollywood slime. I expected this book to be a West Coast “The Devil Wears Prada” but was pleasantly surprised to find out it was not. Instead of seeing Lizzie take increasing amounts of abuse until she explodes, this is the story of how Lizzie steels herself against the abuse and her road to working her way out from under it. She drifts for awhile, not thinking of anything but the immediate present until one day it hits her that she really wants to make it. She hooks up with aspiring young screenwriter Jason Blum, who pours the coffees at the Coffee Bean across the street from the Agency, where Lizzie works, and the two of them use everything they know to try to get his screenplay made into a movie. Meanwhile, Lizzie finds herself pursued by a phalanx of Hollywood hitters, becoming almost too cynical to snap up Mr. Right when he comes along. In the end, things don’t work out exactly how Lizzie had planned, but she learns a lot of valuable lessons along the way, and a few things do turn up roses.Lizzie is likeable enough, but as the book was written in the first person, the other characters are somewhat vague, defined by their odd behavior. While not uproariously funny, it is an amusing, light read with a heart. There could come a time when I might actually pick up the sequel.
What do You think about The Second Assistant: A Tale From The Bottom Of The Hollywood Ladder (2005)?
okay, not going to lie. This was a tough book to finish. I feel as though it was not organized very well and it seemed jumbled. I've read a lot of reviews about this book and some compare it to The Devil Wears Prada. Yes, I see a lot of the commonalities, but in the end, it was only the content that compares--not the writing.Not until the last 180 pages or so did the book actually have somewhat of a plot and not just a girl running around being a second assistant. Not a book I would recommend, but if you're into the quick "life in LA" type books, then you could probably stomach this one a little more than I did.
—Rachel
Elizabeth is thankful for a new job and a new start, moving to Los Angles to be a second assistant to Scott, a young Hollywood Producer, when her job as congressional intern comes to an unexpected end. She has alot to learn in Hollywood, as there are a whole new set of priorities and social structure that Elizabeth has never heard of or considered before. The plot follows Elizabeth through her tasks as she learns, what she has to do, what she is expected to do, and what she really wants to keep doing. She is betrayed by friends, betrays people and really learns a whole new set of priorities. As she changes the life that she though she was going to live and comes to terms what she is living now, deciding what she really wants. I enjoyed the building of the character of Elizabeth and aspects of the characters that are around her. At times I felt like some of the other characters were flat or that we only learned thing about them at the moment we needed the info, though Elizabeth knew the background or isn't surprised by the new info. It worked in that we knew primarily what our main character knows. The style that we as the outsider were just the right amount of outsider learning as Elizabeth learns. You see some of the mistakes coming, but not all of them and you see why she needs to make the ones that you see coming. I am excited to read the next book in this series. I want to see how Elizabeth continues to grow and I like the peek into the part of Hollywood you don't get to see everyday. I will do more of a review of the series when I have read the whole series, but I would say I recommend the book.check out this review and others by me at my blog
—Emily
Lizzie gets laid off political career and her only option is to work in The Agency, the driving force behind Hollywood. She has to deal with the morally corrupt, drugs, everyone sleeping with everyone and trusting no one.This was a quick light read and to be honest, the book could have been half the length. It was painfully predictable, and most of it just seemed like an excuse to set the scene without really moving the story along, which got annoying.Mostly, I could see the comparisons to The Devil Wears Prada and it does essentially follow a similar line with a less relatable protagonist who just seems to miss everything of relevance going on around her to the point where her stupidity is eyeroll worthy.
—Z
