Memphis Reads Archive

Fiction/Chick Lit

Andrea Bledsoe reviews CHASING HARRY WINSTON by Lauren Weisberger (Simon and Schuster, 2008)

What’s a girl to do if she lives in high society Manhattan, is quickly approaching 30, is single, and feels there are no prospects out there?

Well, most likely, the aforementioned young lady will either have an emotional temper-fit complete with tears, self-pity, and aggravation, OR she will hold her head up high and think it’s not even worth the stress of a second thought.

For Leigh, Emmy, and Adriana, characters in Lauren--famous for The Devil Wears Prada-- Weisberger’s latest novel, 30 and single is a death sentence. Determined to make new lifestyle changes, the girls embark on adventures of self-analysis and self-improvement.

Leigh, the neurotic, single but commitment-phobic editor, is expected to get her ESPN boyfriend to propose.

Emmy, the newly dumped chef, is not to look at any and every man as her future husband. The others convince her she should have a "long series of affairs" and not husband hunt all the time.

Adriana, the stunning, Brazilian model must prove she can be a serial-monogamist and stop using men just as sex objects.

Each young woman gets what she wants. Russell proposes to Leigh, Emmy has her affairs, and Adriana begins a committed relationship with a famous director. Even though they achieve their goals, do the results make and keep them happy? I’m not one for spoilers so readers must find out on their own.

I enjoyed this book because although I am a newly engaged, over 30 young woman, I have also been nearly 30 and single with no eligible prospects. It’s rough! The girls and their personal plights made me laugh, even though the language in the novel is coarse. Getting past that, Weisberger has written another great story.


Andrea Bledsoe, Poplar-White Station Branch Library

Labels: Chick Lit, Reviews by Andrea King