Swell : A Girl's Guide to the Good Life

Rating:
Summary: Nothing new here.
Review: Cute, colorful, shiny and completely at odds with my life.

The concept is terrific. Live a SWELL, glamorous life. Why, you can even buy the accessories to go with the book for a SWELL gift basket.

However, honestly, how many people are going to live life even a tenth like this book?

Read this for fun at the bookstore and save your money for something else.

Rating:
Summary: Fun and funny, but don't take it too seriously
Review: Don't think of this book as either an etiquette guide or a lifestyle manual. If you aren't wealthy, young, single and living in New York City, don't try this at home. There are very few people who can wear the clothes shown on "Sex in the City" in real life without looking ridiculous, and the same applies to the advice in this book. That doesn't mean it isn't an entertaining read. Think of it as a glimpse of an exotic and fabulous make-believe world. The women of "Swell" don't work in cubicles, don't have kids, can go out on the town every night, have weekend retreats and lots of zany friends. In fact, their lives would make a great sitcom on HBO...sorry, the similarities are just too obvious not to repeat the comparison. Sure, there are some bits and pieces in the book that will come in handy - hang over remedies, how to emerge from a limo at a big Hollywood premiere, how to throw together a last minute New Year's Eve party that culminates at midnight on a trampoline - but let's face it, this is not going to be a daily primer for your life. The authors keep referring to Frank Sinatra and Holly Golightly as models to emulate. It might work for you some of the time, but adopt it as a formula for living at your own risk.

Rating:
Summary: Ehh...
Review: I had heard that this book was so wonderful and so hilarious and so great that i spent a really long time trying to find it in the bookstores (I know i could've just bought it from here but i'm old-fashioned!). Well i bought it (may i say it's WAY overpriced!) and read it. All i can say is "ehh". Yes it's funny, but it's not a completely witty, trenchant book. Yes it gives good tips, but it leaves out a lot to be desired. I kept feeling like these people were trying to be something they aren't. "Swell" isn't very "swell". Change the title to "Decent".

Rating:
Summary: Bright and shiny with nothing inside
Review: I thought this book was a blast to read. There are such good tips from a wide-range of areas we encounter in life. Let's face it, memorable women are those that can do for themselves when they need to. For instance, under being a hostess, the authors go into how to handle bores, unexpected last-minute guests, and how get stains out items. (It's not a party until someone drops or breaks something). They even go over how to handle drunk guests. The gratuity section discusses the difference between tipping and how to duke someone. I live in a metropolitan city but had never had the need to learn this skill. However should the need arise, I am confident I could accomplish this with aplomb.

Since I enjoy entertaining, I particularly found those topics helpful. Being known as someone with a quick smile and a good joke will keep getting you invited to parties. Pulling off a memorable toast will elevate you to `star' status. However, if you can converse and partake in party games, hail a cab, and flirt with the best of them...the world is your oyster. There is an air of humor in all of the advice but who wouldn't want to feel like they are the shining star of the party as they spread their mojo around. There are style tips, posture suggestions, walking advice, and even a breakdown on indulgences, like cavier and champagne.

My thought is anytime you can polish your skills or learn new ones, go for it. There is no more entertaining read to accomplish your goal than this.

Rating:
Summary: Classic cool with a 90s twist
Review: SWELL: A GIRL'S GUIDE TO THE GOOD LIFE is one of those attractive books you just have to pick up, which perfectly describes the life of a Swell girl. Rowley and Rosenzweig, divas of Swell, give inside tips enough to fill any girl's four-inch purse.

This book has a lot of common sense a la Vogue's Book of Ettiquette 1948, but dishes tips out like a hopped-up store-bought Sara Lee pound cake: recycled-but-transformed, a little irreverant, smart, and simply brilliant. Of course, any book designed to make you into that person you've always wanted to be is a more than ambitious. I personally feel like a failure whenever I crack the pages of a fashion mag and therefore avoid them at all costs. However, the redeeming mantra of SWELL is that a girl can be herself and still be fabulous.

I'd recommend this book for anyone who digs the glamour of classic movies, envies the life of the party, and is ready to buy into the belief that anyone can be Swell with just a little preparation and a lot of fun.

Rating:
Summary: Eh. Cute -- amusing even but a little light on useful info.
Review: The book's authors keep their sassy _sex_in_the_city_ tone throughout, but unless you're a denizon on manhatten, I'm not sure how useful this book can actually be. Maybe I'm not glamourous enough for this book. I suppose it did make me strive for more glamour in my life, but when I set the book down and realized my fully suburban existence, the book came up short with truly translatable wisdom. A cute gift for a gal just leaving college. At 28, I was far too aged for this one.

Rating:
Summary: a "Swell" ethos with no social conscience
Review: The brilliant and witty ethos of Cynthia Rowley and Ilene Rosenzweig shows creativity and talent. I HAVE BUT ONE CRITICISM...WHAT THE HECK ARE THESE GALS DOING ADVOCATING THE WEARING OF FUR ON CLOTHING???? THEY WILL BE INFLUENCING THE FEMALES OF THE LAND WITH THEIR FEMME FATALLE ADVICE. WHY WOULD YOU WANT TO ESPOUSE THE TREND OF WEARING FUR IN TODAY'S WORLD?IS IT ALL ABOUT THE MONEY????? IS THIS THE WAY OF THE WORLD TODAY?...MAKE A BUCK - DON'T CARE HOW YOU MAKE IT???? Take the "shahtoosh" for instance, that is advocated to wear in place of a coat, as the "in" thing. Unfortunately, the suggestions of wearing the shahtoosh will not help the already "endangered species" from which the shahtoosh will be made, which is the Tibetan antelope. So any of you naysayers out there think that this is just one animal, and who cares??? Well, we should all care about how many species on this planet we endanger or extinct. Why do two brilliantly funny and talented women want to create a market for animal fur adornment on clothing???

Rating:
Summary: funny, but are they serious?
Review: This book did make me laugh, but I think a lot of their advice was intended as a joke. Some of it was pretty good, like buying take-out, then adding a few "homemade" touches to pass it off as your own. These girls crack me up. It's a fun read if nothign else. Buy it used, like I did.

Rating:
Summary: Bright and shiny with nothing inside
Review: This book is poorly-written, poorly-organized, and full of advice we already know or that can be gleaned from other, more substantial sources. Another review suggested you read this in the bookstore and save your money for something more worthwhile. I think that's a great idea.

Rating:
Summary: Quirky, quick and fun
Review: This was a fun little book to pass an afternoon with. The illustrations are great (probably the best part of the entire book) and there were a few interesting tid-bits learned along the way. From how to chill, store and pour champagne, to tipping everyone from the hair dresser to the cab driver to how to gamble properly this slim volume packs alot of information into a little package. None of the info provided here are new earth shattering revelations, however, if you pick up a hint or two while reading it, they are sure to help simplify and make your life more "swell" in some way.