Rating: 
Summary: Four Blondes
Review: This book was a waste of money. There were some good parts but not enough to merit the cost. Each story starts out slow, gets a little interesting and then abruptly ends. We are only given glimpses of the lives of the people in the book and you feel as if you are still waiting on the "climax" when each story ends.
Rating: 
Summary: she's got it
Review: A perfect book in many ways. Bushnell was eminently readable and sharp at the Observer, and people have tended to dismiss her work out of hand as society fluff, a fun read, etc., because it's so enjoyable. But Bushnell's got it; she's a master satirist, and so subtle, that the level at which she's working seems lost on most people. She's not playing the kind of tricks Wolfe did w/Radical Chic, which walked around with a huge sign screaming: THIS IS A LAMPOON! on its ass. Bushnell writes quiet, and she could be a great satirist, in its great tradition, if she wanted to be. She has an ability to write dialogue and turns of phrase (she describes a character with cystic acne, and i'm paraphrasing, as having the type of skin that looks as if its trying to eat the face), and also hones in on details and background moments (the pimples on a brit's 'bum', the 70's-style east village hooker get-up of one character's plagiarizing co-worker) that i think about now that the story's over. 4 vignettes about 4 blondes: first, about a hamptons summer girl, is probably the best. bushnell enjoys this character, feels sympathy for her, and accurately portrays the nouveau-riche-acts-old money scene. she likes them too, or at least has a sense of humor about them. Bushnell hates her second blonde winnie, a sexless careerist magazine writer, and bushnell's obvious distaste for the sort of person she lampoons creates a sort of flat characterization of her. the third one's great. society princess, a fairy tale. and again leaves me with a few strands of thought that resonate: specifically, in regards to a certain type of man that many women in nyc regard as the 'good ones', that, often, beneath the numerous permutations of looks, wealth, manners, etc., these men are not even assholes--they're not even that--but they're boring. the last blonde was lovely, nice story, nice ending, straightforward, sounds like bushnell's life, etc., but she's always so wonderful to read. i started this book and didn't put it down. i never do that anymore.
Rating: 
Summary: Back to the 1980's
Review: Reading Candace Bushnell's new tome, I was transported back to the 1980's and reminded of writers like Jay McInerny, Bret Easton Ellis and Tama Janowitz. Her new collection of stories, "4 Blondes", is supposedly set in a contemporary setting, but the actions of the majority of her characters (drug consumption, blase sexual attitudes, fascination with celebrity, etc.) feels strangely dated.This said, Ms. Bushnell has a wonderful gift for characterization, and her characters have a wonderful way of not conforming to the reader's expectations of them. My favorite piece in the book is "Platinum", the story of a social climber turned princess turned disillusioned, pill-popping mess. "Oh my dear, what has happened to you. You're turning into a little Courtney Love" says her gay friend D.W. Her hilarious misadventures are gleefully recounted by Ms. Bushnell in stacatto prose. In "Highlights (For Adults)", she tells of a jealous New York journalist who logs on to Amazon.com to peruse reviews of her competitors work. If the sales ranking of one of their new books is low, she feels good. If you are a fan of HBO's "Sex and the City" (which was based on Ms. Bushnell's earlier work), you are sure to enjoy the snappy one liners and outrageous situations of "4 Blondes". If you're looking for serious, biting, New York wit, re-read Fran Lebowitz.
Rating: 
Summary: A wonderful way to pass the time...
Review: There are two things I know about Candace Bushnell. The first is that she is every bit a beautiful as her characters (judging from her photographs). The second is that reading her books is great fun. When SEX AND THE CITY was published I read it as soon as I could get my hands on it. I wasn't disappointed by it at all. (Sidebar: Unless you have been living on Mars, you know that this was turned into a very popular series on HBO and several of the bits in the book made it to the screen.) I was amongst those who eagerly awaited FOUR BLONDES to be released. Once again, I wasn't disappointed. The first story is one of those in which I found myself rooting for the heroine, Janey Wilcox, as she traversed the delicate and somewhat deadly social/sexual world of New York City and more precisely, the Hamptons. Janey is so well presented that I had to remind my self that she wasn't real (although may be based on real people), and that I couldn't actually ride to her rescue in real life. I won't give away how Janey's story ends, but it is a great ending. The second story is about a (somewhat) high powered media couple, James and Winnie Deike, What was fun for me is that I actually know a man like James Deike who behaves in a similar manner in real life. The other stories are every bit as much fun as the two mentioned above. But, even for the reader who isn't fully involved or even very aware of the world of New York and it's environs, this book is still a fun read. In fact, it could even be something of a primer for those who are moving to NYC anytime soon and plan to (or aspire to) play in the big leagues. I gave up novels years ago because I seldom have the time to read them, but I always make an exception for Ms. Bushnell. Four Blondes is worth the time.
Rating:
Summary: Smart and funny, great follow-up to SEX AND THE CITY
Review: Candace Bushnell has a knack for telling stories about the rich and fabulous, but her stories aren't about fake cardboard cut-outs of Barbie-like creatures. Her stories are about real people -- people with insecurities, relationship problems, and trouble at work. FOUR BLONDES is a collection of stories, each about a woman with her own set of personal and professional issues. While these women are glamorous and gorgeous, their stories sounded like things I hear from my friends. The characters' insecurities and disappointments will ring true to anyone who reads this. Perhaps more important is that these ladies are FUNNY -- and that will have you flipping pages well into the night....
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: 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: 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: How to enjoy this book
Review: Ok, first, do like me and borrow it from your local library. Is not worth to pay for it. Second, read fist the last story, sadly, the shortest, but the only one really worth your time. Fun, dynamic, interesting. If you want, adventure on the third story. Princess Cecilia have all what we dream and still she is terrible unhappy. Her character stayed with me for some time. But I'm still traying to forget Winnie Diekes, protagonist of the second story. I guess Candance herself does the same than Winnie and came to Amazon to read the reviews. Sorry Cand, just 2 stars here, and only because the last 30 pages of your book. I just hope your sex is better than hers. And if you dare, read the fist story, about Janey. Boooooooooooooooooooooooooring. And if a short story wasn't boooooooooooooooooooooooooring enough, Bushnell when with a loooooooooooooooooooooooooong booooooooooooooooooring book about here, Trading Up. Not even worth the trip to the library. Characters that are ugly and then magically get beautiful (Janey) Characters that are beautiful and then suddenly became ugly just to latter, magically, get beautiful again. (Janey's sister). Ridiculous situations every page. Please...Stick to Carry Bushnell, she is your best (and only) good creation.
Rating:
Summary: Blondes DON'T Have More Fun
Review: I was expecting 4 Blondes to be a fun read just like Sex in the City is fun to watch. Boy, was I wrong. The four blondes are self-obsessed, egotistical, and conceited. The four stories had nothing to do with each other (well, I haven't read the last 5 pages it's been so boring). It's written like 4 short stories that don't end, they just stop. My advice: if you must read it then borrow it from the library. Don't waste your money.
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