From Publishers Weekly
For Ashling Kennedy, the new job she lands at start-up Irish fashion magazine Colleen is a dream come true. For Lisa Edwards, a high-maintenance London editor expecting a promotion to New York, her appointment as editor-in-chief of Colleen is a slap in the face, the only consolation being her rumpled-but-handsome new boss, Jack Devine. Furious at being passed up for a job at Manhattan magazine, Lisa vows to make Colleen the envy of the fashion industry, even if it kills her. She drives her Dublin staff to exhaustion, and Colleen becomes a smashing success. But after a particularly lusty meeting with her much-maligned long-distance London boyfriend, she wonders if the move and the single-minded career obsession have been worth it. Meanwhile, Ashling is betrayed by her boyfriend and her best friend Clodagh, whose bourgeois domesticity she's long envied. Ashling realizes that she has to let go of her cheerful "Miss Fix-It" demeanor and go after what she wants. Lisa is chagrined and Ashling is shocked to learn that Jack may actually fancy Ashling, but one "sushi for beginners" dinner has her convinced. British bestseller Keyes's latest confection (after Watermelon) makes such a painfully brittle start the reader nearly despairs of the cardboard cutout characters, but slowly they begin to breathe and morph into charmers. Keyes's considerable following on these shores will declare this a delight.Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information, Inc.
From Booklist
Keyes' latest novel about hipster singles in the city takes place in Dublin, where they live and play and bemoan their romantic and professional fates. All the best elements of the popular literary trend in British "chick-lit" are here--a lovable, yet awkward, every-girl heroine; the boss-cad with a heart of gold; the funky best friend; and everyone dropped in a chic and happening workplace, the editorial offices of new Irish women's magazine Colleen. Ambitious fashionista Lisa has been summarily removed from her coveted editorship in London to one in Dublin, where she regularly barks orders to her rookie assistant, Ashling. World-class worrier Ashling vents with her friends Joy and Ted while secretly envying her friend Clodagh's domestic dream life. Clodagh, meanwhile, has been having strong urges to run away from her loving husband, demanding children, and countryside manor. Keyes stirs these delightful ingredients into a frothy mixture that will please her fans. Readers will happily visit with these likable blokes, who are definitely "friends of Bridget." Kaite Mediatore
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved
Book Description
Hard-nosed, bitch-goddess London fashion editor Lisa Edwards was certain her "fabulous" promotion would mean more A-list parties, society page photos, and jet-setting jaunts to the fall collections.
Instead, she's being deported, Prada wardrobe and all, to supremely un-chic Dublin to launch Colleen magazine. Her assistant editor, over-organized world-class worrier Ashling Kennedy, however, is thrilled with her new job . . .until she discovers it comes with a very high price tag: Lisa Edwards. And then there's Ashling's oldest, dearest chum, Clodagh "Princess" Kelly, who seems to have achieved true happily-ever-after suburban fairy tale bliss -- but lately has this irresistible urge to kiss a frog. The chances of three such diverse, equally unsatisfied women bonding would be remote anywhere except in staid Dublin town, "the magazine version of Siberia." And once they do, they're going to start shaking things up -- in print and out of it -- especially when Colleen's rumpled, moody, wickedly attractive head honcho Jack Devine is tossed into the mix.
Download Description
"E-Book Extra: The Seven Deadlies: A Previously Unpublished Short Story by Marian Keyes
Hard-nosed, bitch-goddess London fashion editor Lisa Edwards was certain her ""fabulous"" promotion would mean more A-list parties, society page photos, and jet-setting jaunts to the fall collections.
Instead, she's being deported, Prada wardrobe and all, to supremely un-chic Dublin to launch Colleen magazine. Her assistant editor, over-organized world-class worrier Ashling Kennedy, however, is thrilled with her new job . . .until she discovers it comes with a very high price tag: Lisa Edwards. And then there's Ashling's oldest, dearest chum, Clodagh ""Princess"" Kelly, who seems to have achieved true happily-ever-after suburban fairy tale bliss -- but lately has this irresistible urge to kiss a frog. The chances of three such diverse, equally unsatisfied women bonding would be remote anywhere except in staid Dublin town, ""the magazine version of Siberia."" And once they do, they're going to start shaking things up -- in print and out of it -- especially when Colleen's rumpled, moody, wickedly attractive head honcho Jack Devine is tossed into the mix. "
Home
