Rating: 
Summary: BLONDE: JUST ABOUT THE RIGHT COLOR FOR THIS BOOK.
Review: A quick read of the reviews here has me wondering what the other readers were expecting from this book. Bushnell writes (or has been known to write, I guess) for the New York Observer. It'd be a tall order to line up expectations of literary ingenuity or deep mystique about the characters that 4 Blondes is about. Three of the four leads are single, all live in NYC, and all socialize with (or aspire to socialize with) the type of people who read or appear in High Society sections of leading dailies. This is a novel of manners with no manners, pop literature that smartly captures the mores and obsessions of our times and does so with wit, insight and a lot of unshackled talk about sex. We read about enough penises to make Philip Roth blush. It's a snappy, quick breeze through modern urban pop culture. And yes, there ARE people like this in all megapolis urbanscapes of the world, from NYC to Tokyo. And it makes no pretense of being otherwise. Which makes for a fabulous fun if you don't suffer from a Moralizing Itch.
Rating: 
Summary: For once T.V. is better than a book!
Review: As a faithful watcher of Sex and the City I really thought I was in for a treat to read Candace Bushnell's Four Blondes. But I soon learned I should stick to watching HBO reproduce her idea.
The books is actually four short novellas about young, wealthy, beautiful and glamourous women and their sex lives. And little else. The author leaves each of the four stories unfinished with loose ends. There was little substance to each story and then an arubt, but certainly welcome from the boredom of reading it, botchy ending.
If you have heard of Candace Bushnell and are thinking of giving her books a go, I would definitely suggest skipping the author and going straight to your television set and watching an episode of Sex and the City.
Rating: 
Summary: Literary Junk Food
Review: Don't we read "4 Blondes" and similar drivel for the same reasons we eat junk food? They're both quick, tasty, cheap and predictable. And we feel slightly guilty and abused afterwards. I couldn't bring myself to buy this bomb, so I read it at Barnes & Noble in about three hours and left it for some sucker to purchase. Sorry, Candace, no royalties from this reader. Plus, what self-respecting guy like me would want this turkey on his bookshelf, even if I DID read it? Yes, I got sucked into reading this thing, just as I stumble into McDonald's every once in a while. At least nobody I knew saw me reading Candace's dirty little book, just like you hope none of your friends see you furtively ingesting a Big Mac. And I always wash my hands after touching filth. So, listen, I'm a New Yorker who has participated to a small and unfortunate degree in the life that Candace Bushnell describes. For all you readers out there in the hinterlands (where Bushnell is from and which she now detests), I'm happy to report that "4 Blondes" (and the author's "Sex in the City" and the resulting HBO series) are far more of a parody than any sort of reality of our life here in New York. Yes, there are neurotic and conniving people (men AND women) here in New York (and elsewhere) just as Bushnell describes, but I like to think that our vast population operates on a higher plain. Sure, Bushnell creates salacious situations that are beyond the scope of our everyday lives to engage and entertain us. That's what cheap literature is all about. And that's what sells. But "4 Blondes" is pretty superficial, with stilted dialogue, preposterous situations, unconvincing characters and arrested plot development. Bushnell throws four novellas at us in "4 Blondes", as if she couldn't figure out a way to tie it all together into a meaningful book. And for all of her lewdness, Bushnell's works (and the HBO series) are not erotic in the least. They both obsess about sex and forget love. And, in the end, soft porn is pretty boring.
Rating:
Summary: Gives blondes a bad name!!!!
Review: First off, I thought this book was one story, but in fact it is 4 different stories on 4 different blondes. I only made it through the first two. I thought this book was horrible. The stories didn't even finish in any kind of satisfying way (at least for me). Very disappointed!!!
Rating: 
Summary: Good Read
Review: I found most of this book very good with a few exceptions. It is definitely just for fun and not an excellently written book! I love Sex & the City and enjoyed a couple of the characters in this one. I would definitely read Candace's next book! It's a guilty reading pleasure.
Rating:
Summary: Complete and utter rubbish
Review: I have just five words of advice for all you Amazon shoppers: do not buy this book. I mean it. Even if you don't believe me when I tell you how bad it is, and you insist on reading it, don't buy it. Borrow it from a friend or take it out from the library (if you absolutely must). This drivel doesn't even deserve your time let alone your money or shelf space. Judging from this book alone, Candace Bushnell is a horrible author. I've yet to read 'Sex and the City', but I love the show. If that novel is anything like this trash, I'll have no choice other than to stay away. Not only is every character blonde, Bushnell must have run out of ideas because every character is either a model, an actor, a writer, or a business person. Oh, and they're all addicted to cocaine, like it's normal to be carrying around a vial of coke. It's sick, really. As you may or may not be aware, 'Four Blondes' is not a novel about (as the title suggests) four blondes. Rather, it's four short stories about four different blondes. The first two stories are complete wastes of time. In fact, if I were you, I wouldn't even bother with those two. Even if you've already taken the time to take the book out from the library. Of course, if you've taken the time to visit the library and pick this trash up, you've obviously decided against heeding my adive anyway, in which case, you may as well go ahead and continue to ignore me. The second two stories arn't much better than the first, but I found them to be the lesser of two (or in this case, four) evils. The first story is about an ex-model named Janey Wilcox. She's a manipulative sleaze who cares about no one except herself. She also loves using men for their summer homes in the Hamptons, and doesn't even care if she dispises these men, she'll still sleep with them. Janey is shallow, vain, and wants to do "something" with her life (here's an idea, get a job you trashy, evil woman). She loves ruining other people's lives and then expects them to, not only care, but actually come running to her aid when she's managed to dig herself into a situation she could have avoided if she was a decent human being. She hates her sister, Patty, because Patty's successful, happy, and a good person. I liked Patty. Usually, arn't readers supposed to like the primary, rather than the secondary, characters? The second story is about Winnie and James Dieke. They're a married couple who never should have gotten married in the first place. You think Nick Lachey and Jessica Simpson are a match made in I-can't-believe-how-unbelievably-stupid-spoiled-and-
annoying-we-are Heaven? Well, then you've never been introduced to the Diekes. They're both journalists and, basically, they hate each other. Winnie is over-controlling, and wants desperately to be successful and famous, whilst James has basically given up on life and is annoyingly frightened of everything. He's a wimp, a pushover, and an all around lazy guy. He's terrified that Winnie will leave him (oh, how will he go on without her telling him how to put on his socks!?), but she won't because she's still determined that being married to him with further her career. Oh, did I mention they have a son? Probably not, since they basically pay him no attention, and his name is never even mentioned in their story. What great people the Diekes are! The third story is about Princess Cecelia. She's a self-absorbed snob who acts horribly to everyone, even her husband, Hubert. She seems to think she's head and shoulders above everyone else in the world because she's managed to marry the Prince of Luxenstein. She's basically insane. No, seriously. She's completely paranoid and is convinced her family is trying to kill her. She treats her husband like scum, even though he does absolutely nothing wrong. She's jealous of every other woman who's ever been in Hubert's life, and is convinced he's having an affair. She relies on other people for, basically, everything. And, even when they're trying to help her, she's discustingly rude. She does whatever she wants, whenever she wants, and when she doesn't get her way she complains about it, and acts like an idiotic snot. The last story is the shortest, which is unfortunate because it's the least offensive of the lot. It's about a journalist who refers to herself simply as "grasshopper". She writes for a magazine, answering women's questions about sex. She's been sent to England to compare the sex-lives of Londoners with those of New Yorkers. She basically meets a lot of different people, has different conversations with both men and women, and picks up alot of different veiwpoints on different ideas and beliefs. This story isn't funny, but it's hilarious compared to the first three (in case you were thinking this entire book was going to be a "laughfest"). Well, I obviously don't recommend this book, as I've made perfectly clear. If I had to (and by that, I mean, if I was forced at gunpoint, because there's no other way I'd ever willfully open this garbage again) read it again, I think I'd start from the end. That way, if I somehow died halfway through, I wouldn't have had to read those first two again. I'm going to warn you all one more time: STAY AWAY!
Rating:
Summary: Good, Boring & I want to hurry up and get this over with
Review: I have not read Candice Bushnell's books in order. In fact I read Trading Up first. I really shouldn't have picked this one up at all. The first chapter is pretty good. Then you go to the second chapter which get more boring as it moves, rather crawls along. The third chapter was truely draining but did pick up a bit towards the end. Overall, just leave this one alone.
Rating:
Summary: What were you expecting? Henry Fielding?!
Review: I highly doubt that any of us went into reading this book for its literary content. In that assumption we were correct- this is no Gustave Flaubert or Jane Austen. Nor is it something that will cause you to engage in deep thinking (unless you count casual sex and the Hamptons to be deep thinking material). There are many things this book is not. However, there are many things that this book IS and I will choose to share those with you since other readers have bombarded you with numerous complaints about this book, which by now we are all familiar with. Candace Busnell's "Four Blondes" IS... 1. Full of dry, dark, sexual humor. One has only to look at the characters to see the irony- Janey Wilcox, possibly the most dependant character you will meet in your reading history, who's only goal in life is to find a wealthy man with a huge Hamptons home and an expensive but blonde-friendly car to live with over the summer. Winnie & James Dieke, journalists with celebrity connections, a failing marriage, and a cocaine problem (due to the celebrity connections). Princess Cecilia, obviously the wife of a prince, who is insecure in herself, her position in life, and her marriage (her husband's family wants her to be next Di. No brainer there). Finally you have an anonymous writer in a quest to find an Englishman decent in bed. 2. Amusement purposes. This is two of the stars- there are seriously some lines in here that are laugh-out-loud hilarious. Candace Bushnell is the Queen of one-liners. However, for all the humor and amusement that these pitiful and pathetic characters provide, the book barely salvages three stars. There are many things this book is not. I did not expect this book to be the greatest read of my life. However, I DID expect more fully developed characters and that is my main complaint with Ms. Bushnell. The characters seriously lacked development in several areas, making them at times too whiny and difficult to relate to. Amusing as they were, and they did have their lucid intervals of genius, I found them not up to par with the standard Bridget Jones, Becky Bloomwood, Jemima Jones. I was especially disappointed in the last of Bushnell's protagonists, the anonymous writer. She was very possibly the best developed character, and I was most unbelievably disappointed when her story was cut far too short. I could have read an entire book about HER instead of one crowded with mini novellas of three other psycopathic women. In short, this book is a guilty pleasure, and a guilty pleasure with a warning sign stamped across the front. If you are REALLY looking for an enjoyable read about smart, sexy women, read "Bridget Jones Diary", "Confessions of a Shopaholic", and/or "Jemima J", which are MUCH more well written novels. 3/5 stars. Be glad I gave you that, Ms. Bushnell.
Rating:
Summary: Pretty Good Read
Review: I thought it was a pretty good read. Definitely in my top five fave 'Chick Lit' books.
Rating: 
Summary: Satire and the City
Review: I was extremely pleased with Four Blondes. I had very much enjoyed reading Sex and the City for its dark humour and wit, and had assumed that Four Blondes would be unlikely to live up to the same caliber. However I was proved wrong.
Like S&TC, Four Blondes is a collection of short stories, this time focusing on the four women in the title. Divided into four stories, that of the ageing party girl/model, the anorexic princess, the high powered businesswoman and a writer looking for love, Bushnell paints each story with a satiric brush. Despite having money, looks and power, the first three women are seemingly insecure and unhappy. Four Blondes shows how each woman tries to regain a sense of control over their seemingly overwhelming, highly pressured lives, and how different personalities are more effective at this than others. Some women prosper whilst others fall short.
If I can find a fault with the book it is with the final woman's story, obviously based on Bushnell herself. I found her story rushed and pointless, as though it was added only to bulk up the book. It seemded more of a footnote than a story itself. It wasn't unenjoyable, but it was not as superb as the previous three tales.
The relative shortness of each woman's tale (compared to an entire book) was refreshing as it meant that the reader does not becomes bored with each story and is always left wanting more. A great read for anyone who lacks the concentration to read lengthy novels with a running narrative.
Somehow managing to be more glamorous than its older, expectionally successful sister, Four Blondes is a very dark, sometimes depressing look at New York woman who have it all. All that glitters is most definately not always gold.
An absolute must read.
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