Rating: 
Summary: slow
Review: The last 100 pages of this book were great. Unfortunately, it's a 400 page book. Good overall story and plot, but it weaves more than the Mississippi River.
Rating: 
Summary: Fun and the city!
Review: TRADING UP tells the story of Janey Wilcox, an ambitious blonde who has finally made her mark on the fashion industry by becoming a Victoria's Secret model. Now that she's semi-famous, she thinks she can leave behind the world of sleeping with rich men to get ahead, but her reputation precedes her and she still doesn't get the respect she thinks she deserves. Not about to give up, Janey finds herself a high-class best friend and decides to marry a rich older man who just happens to be an executive at a movie company. But Janey still isn't satisfied...she'll do anything it takes, including stabbing her 'friends' in the back and lying to her husband, to get what she wants. I read this novel right after picking up THE LOSERS' CLUB by Richard Perez, another wonderful if less obviously "commercial" product. Both books are recommended highly. Lively and fun casual reads.
Rating: 
Summary: The most odious heroine since Becky Sharp
Review: Bushnell creates an incredibly vile, worthless character. Unfortunately, there's not much to compare her to in the remainder of the cast. I wonder if Bushnell admires or craves being similar to these creatures and the world they inhabit?
The characters' traditional values and morals are non-existant, replaced by an unslaked thirst for notoriety, adulation, and unearned money. Even though the sex is minimal, it still leaves you feeling like your mind needs a good shower.
The closest this book got to saying something interesting was the brief flashback sequence to the beginning of Janey's becoming a whore, however, when the reason turns out to be her lust for over-priced luxury items, sympathy evaporates. The fact that she is allowed to triumph becuase of her selfishness and shallowness makes me feel about her as the French did Marie Antoinette.
Rating: 
Summary: SASSY! An excellent read!
Review: Loved it! I've lived in New York, and L.A., and can envision the world that the author is writing about. Bushnell takes us behind the closed doors of the elite, privileged, and powerful. I will read this one again, and again.This book is about the return of the great Janey Wilcox from 4 Blondes. Janey doesn't know if people laugh at her, or with her. It doesn't matter.....Her troubles, and triumphs kept me following along. It's a wild ride, indeed.
Rating:
Summary: Candace Bushnell is the next Jackie Collins
Review: This book was a complete waste of my time. Trading Up made me want to re-think my policy on reading a book from cover to cover. I kept hoping that the book would bet better, but it never did. The story centers around a shallow, self-absorbed character named Janey Wilcox. There is nothing redeeming about Janey and she is not an interesting character. Couple this with a meandering plot and additional superficial characters who only care about money and thier looks, and you have the makings of a trashy novel. If you are looking for the same wit that Bushnell used in Sex and the City, don't pick up this book. Move over Jackie Collins, there is a new trash novelist in town.
Rating: 
Summary: A Great Beach Read
Review: It's difficult reading a book when there are no sympathetic characters. Janey Wilcox is beyond reproach and you keep just waiting for her to get her comeupance. I resisted buying this book because I thought Four Blondes was trash but Candace Bushnell is a good writer, knows how to keep your interest and does very well with descriptions. To liken Janey to Lily Barton however and Candace to Edith Wharton is clearly a no- no. I do wonder however how much of the real Candace Bushnell is transposed into Janey Wilcox. Furthermore,I found the ending weak and confusing with the part about the screenplay that she did or didn't write. It's almost like Bushnell didn't know how to tidy it all up and it didn't quite work. My quest was for an end of summer book that was a light read. It certainly delivered on that...a real page turner.
Rating:
Summary: pleasant reading
Review: I thought the book would be a little more interesting. I did not recommend it to my friends BUT I just had to finish it. I wanted to know what was going to happen to the main character in the end. I find it pleasant reading.
Rating:
Summary: Oh, good grief
Review: Trading up? Uh-uh. Trading on her fame, that's what Candace Bushnell has done. And it's definitely a letdown, after Sex and the City. The whole schtick centers around some model named Janey Wilcox, and you know what? By the end, I just didn't care a whit what happens to her.
Fergeddit, IMO.
Rating:
Summary: No sympathy for Janey
Review: What I like about this book is that the characters are consistent. The main character, Janey Wilcox, has no redeeming qualities. She is self-centered and narcissistic. As I read the book, I expected the author to do something to make Wilcox suddenly grow and become a deeper person. But she never did - and she stayed true to that to the end. And isn't this reality? The only criticism I have for the book was that it was a tad too long. I think some of the more descriptive sections could have been shortened.
Rating:
Summary: Not as steamy as I thought it would be....
Review: ...not that there's anything wrong with that, but sex was mostly eluded to. This is the first Candace Bushnell book that I've read. I bought it to read on the beach in Cabo and it was a good choice. She's a pretty good writer and the characters are fun. I found myself really disliking the main character which made for a compelling read. If you want to feel better about the fact that you're NOT rich and beautiful and famous then read this book. If there's a sequel I'll read it.
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