Bitter is the New Black : Confessions of a Condescending, Egomaniacal, Self-Centered Smartass,Or, Why You Should Never Carry A Prada Bag to the Unemployment Office [Paperback]

Jen Lancaster (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: March 7, 2006

Jen Lancaster was living the sweet life-until real life kicked her to the curb.

She had the perfect man, the perfect job-hell, she had the perfect life-and there was no reason to think it wouldn't last. Or maybe there was, but Jen Lancaster was too busy being manicured, pedicured, highlighted, and generally adored to notice.

This is the smart-mouthed, soul-searching story of a woman trying to figure out what happens next when she's gone from six figures to unemployment checks and she stops to reconsider some of the less-than-rosy attitudes and values she thought she'd never have to answer for when times were good.

Filled with caustic wit and unusual insight, it's a rollicking read as speedy and unpredictable as the trajectory of a burst balloon.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

It doesn't take Lancaster long to live up to her lengthy subtitle ("Confessions of a Condescending, Egomaniacal, Self-Centered Smart-Ass, or Why You Should Never Carry a Prada Bag to the Unemployment Office"): in just one chapter, she gloats over cheating a homeless man, is rude to a waitress and passes judgment on all of her co-workers (including her "whore" best friend). She's almost gleeful about lacking "the internal firewall that keeps us from saying almost everything we think," but she doesn't come off as straightforward, just malicious. (Of course, it's possible she's making up much of her dialogue, which is a little too clever to be believable.) Lancaster expects sympathy for her downward slide after getting fired from her high-paying finance job in the post-9/11 recession, and chick lit fans may be entertained watching life imitate fiction, but just when you start to feel sorry for her, the snotty attitude returns. In later chapters, Lancaster increasingly relies on entries from her blog (www.jennsylvania. com) and caustic replies to criticisms, and though things start looking up—her husband finds a job, she lands a book deal—it's not clear that she's been as chastised by her experiences as she claims. (Mar. 7)
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

About the Author

Jen Lancaster is the author of Bitter is the New Black. She has lived in Chicago for ten years with her husband and pets, and has yet to get the hang of the subway or returning library books in a timely manner. Visit www.jennsylvania.com

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 18 and up
  
• Paperback: 416 pages
• Publisher: NAL Trade (March 7, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0451217608
• ISBN-13: 978-0451217608
• Product Dimensions: 7.9 x 5.2 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 10.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (455 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #14,423 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Jen Lancaster is a former vice president at an investor relations firm and a New York Times bestselling author.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

88 of 97 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Hilarious, Witty and Tons of Fun!, May 8, 2006

By 

Marion "[e-mail]" (Louisiana) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: Bitter is the New Black : Confessions of a Condescending, Egomaniacal, Self-Centered Smartass,Or, Why You Should Never Carry A Prada Bag to the Unemployment Office (Paperback)

My best friend, Sonja, (bless her generous heart) gave me this book after she read it and highly recommended it. I have to say it was even funnier than she said it was.

Jen (NOT JENNY) is one of the most loveable, egocentric, witty characters I have ever read about. The fact that it's a memoir is even better! She cusses a blue streak and comes up with awesome one-liners. When she called herself, "Carbohydate Barbie" I cracked up and could totally relate. Jen loses her high paying corporate job and must (gasp) even sell her Kate Spade shoes on Ebay before all is said and done. Her man, Fletch, is a baby doll and true blue friend. The account of their wedding in Las Vegas (where, unfortunately a porn convention was being held at the same time) was my favorite part.

If you're tired of the same old chick lit [...], get this refreshing book. Jen is an inspiring, creative survivor. I look forward to more books from her.

70 of 77 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars The Shopaholic's Evil Twin, September 5, 2006

By 

Kara J. Jorges "Avid Reader" (Minneapolis) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Bitter is the New Black : Confessions of a Condescending, Egomaniacal, Self-Centered Smartass,Or, Why You Should Never Carry A Prada Bag to the Unemployment Office (Paperback)

This is the story of the downfall and subsequent growing up of a spoiled brat. Jen Lancaster is a vice president at Corp. Com., working insane hours and bringing home an insanely huge paycheck for it. She and her devoted boyfriend Fletch live in an uber-trendy loft in an "it" neighborhood in Chicago, unconcerned about paying through the nose for rent since they both bring home fat paychecks. Jen has a very expensive salon habit and an even more expensive shopping habit, and one of the reasons she has held off marrying Fletch is that he can't afford the size rock she wants.

It all comes crashing down one day when Jen gets downsized. It's a tough economy, and in the 22 months it takes to land a new job, she learns about not taking anything for granted. When Fletch also gets laid off, they get perilously close to having to move in with her parents, and she starts to examine her silly spending habits.

Jen is a selfish, unsympathetic character who can be downright mean, but I have to admit she's funny, and while I wouldn't actually say the things she says to people, I was right there with her on her train of thought. There were times I wondered why Fletch stood by her, but mostly I just want to know where to find a guy like him. He weathers her constant tantrums without batting an eye, and when times got really tough, I admired Jen and Fletch's ability to stick together and support one another.

What I really liked about this novel was that though Jen had to learn some hard lessons and rearrange her priorities, the experience didn't change who she was inside. Though she learned not to blow wads of money on senseless things, and learned some respect for menial jobs, she didn't lose her mean streak. I also had to admire her ability to keep fighting, uncowed, even when things seemed impossible.

Though I'm uncertain whether I'd like her in person, Jen is amusing on the page. For an inside look at the downward spiral of an annoying, self-serving princess, this book does a nice job.

42 of 49 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars PowerPoint and Prada and Pearls ... Oh My!, April 15, 2006

By 

Nicole Del Sesto (Northern Cal) - See all my reviews
(TOP 1000 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

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This review is from: Bitter is the New Black : Confessions of a Condescending, Egomaniacal, Self-Centered Smartass,Or, Why You Should Never Carry A Prada Bag to the Unemployment Office (Paperback)

Jen Lancaster is my hero. And not because I share her love of shopping and fashion (I don't ... most days I'm just grateful if the one pair of jeans I have that fit, are clean.) She is my hero because throughout some really gut wrenching trials, she maintained her very keen sense of humor.

Is this book for everybody? Maybe not. But if you read that title and think 'this book is for me,' it probably is.

Jen makes no apology for her self-centeredness, but rather makes it endearing. This book is laugh-out-loud funny.

Nicole Del Sesto, author All Encompassing Trip