Customer Reviews

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

5 star:		(297)
4 star:		(75)
3 star:		(14)
2 star:		(12)
1 star:		(57)

 

 

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.

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.

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

"Bitter is the New Black" is hands-down the funniest book I've ever read! It's actually pretty amazing that a book about such a serious topic (layoffs in corporate America) can be so funny, but author Jen Lancaster manages to pull it off with sass, spunk, and tons of smart-ass comments that made me laugh so hard, I almost cried.

This is a memoir about Jen, who went from being a Chicago corporate princess to standing in line at the unemployment office. As one of the casualties from the September 11/Iraq war recession, Jen was let go from her high-paying executive position and unable to find another job (even a steady-but-crappy temp one) for two years. When Jen's fiancé Fletch was also laid off, Jen found herself on a downward spiral from posh to poverty. She had to give up her chic apartment and move to a slightly less appealing area of the city (a.k.a. "Suckville"). The days of Prada bags and $300 highlights were over: Jen and Fletch eventually found themselves struggling to buy things like groceries and medication. They were as close as you can get to rock bottom without actually touching the rocks.

Despite the gravity of her situation, Jen never lost her sense of humor. This book is brutally honest and the author makes no attempt to disguise how selfish and materialistic she used to be (and to some extent, still is). There's something very endearing about Jen in spite of her snotty attitude, though, and it's impossible not to adore her and root for her throughout the entire book.

Have I mentioned how FUNNY this book is? There is a clever wisecrack (or two, or three, or four) in practically every sentence, and every single one is absolutely hysterical! Also, Jen Lancaster is the reason why footnotes were invented. I have NEVER enjoyed reading footnotes as much as I did in this book! You'll understand what I mean as soon as you start reading this. In fact, I urge you all to use the "Search Inside This Book" feature on Amazon to read the first chapter of this book...I promise that you'll be so hooked, you will drop whatever it is you're doing and run to the nearest bookstore so you can buy your very own copy of "Bitter is the New Black" and keep reading.

This is definitely one of the best books I've read in a long time...VERY impressive for a first-time author! Also, be sure to check out Jen's blog. It's all Jen, all the time! I just can't get enough of her.

This book was just not for me. I was a little upset that I didn't like it. But mostly because it had been on my wish list for a long time on PaperbackSwap, and I had been excited to get it. And now I wish I hadn't. The main character was just a picky, finicky woman who I would use a stronger wording for but I am trying to remain PG. Now I suppose to some people that might be funny. But to me it was just pointless. I almost stopped reading but by the time I was going to I was almost half way through. And at that point I had used enough time on it that I didn't wish to stop. So at least the book counts for my 2009 Challenge but that is about all it counts for. If you want my opinion skip this book, you will save yourself some trouble.

I am honestly mystified by the popularity of this book and, in particular, by reviews that describe it as "witty" or "clever." It was recommended to me by a friend, and I resolutely plowed my way through the first three chapters without coming across a single witty, clever, or even original turn of phrase. Rudeness, selfishness, and egomania can indeed be witty and clever, but they are not necessarily so. Ms. Lancaster has apparently not grasped this crucial distinction. Her particular rudeness, selfishness, and egomania is tired and dull. Who could possibly find a woman describing someone as "my gay best friend" witty and clever? Sorority girls have been doing it every day for years.

There are many funny and well-written memoirs out there, most of them authored by people who have actually done something worth publishing a book about. This is not one of them.

This is one of the worst books I've ever attempted to read. I read about 3 chapters before deciding that it wasn't going to get any better. Jen tries way too hard to be funny but comes off like one of those people that other people try to avoid because they think they are so cute and funny but they aren't. Her "all about me" shtick gets old real fast. She's like, "Here comes Jen I'm so f'ing funny, haha see how funny I am!!!!" Its that obnoxious. And I stupidly bought TWO of her books together. They both suck. If you are in to subtle, dry wit steer clear of this.

I have no idea how this book got published other than the possibility of Ms. Lancaster having connections within the industry.

It is never a good idea to write a memoir when the main character is wholly unlikeable. One example: Ms. Lancaster sneers at people who are on welfare, and then goes on welfare...so she can buy designer shoes. That pretty much sums up her attitude about life and herself. Her sense of entitlement is positively staggering. Blah.

Part of the reason I picked up this book was a quippy little review that said: "Jen Lancaster is like David Sedaris with pearls and a supercute handbag." Usually I try to avoid purchasing decisions based on marketing ploys that follow the line of 'if you like X, you'll love Z', but I AM a Sedaris lover, and I WAS in the mood for a laugh-out-loud funny read, and to that end Mr. Sedaris has never disappointed. But someone owes Mr. Sedaris an apology. The comparison is so far off-base, I think I would have rather spent the afternoon reading 200+ pages of Mr. Sedaris' thoughts ABOUT pearls and handbags, rather than Bitter is the New Black. Most of the major flaws of the book and the writing style have already been covered by other reviewers. Yes, Jen Lancaster is not nearly as amusing, witty, or clever as she thinks she is. Much of what we're supposed to consider humorous seems simply to be re-worked jokes and tired stereotypes we've all seen and heard before. Has this narrator really changed by the end of the book? Where are the moments of introspection, of realization that make us understand she's changed? The moments of true regret that finally win us over to her side, make us actually like and root for her, make us forget how jaw-grindingly irritating she is in the beginning? She never seems to dig deep enough, never goes beyond the obvious, never reveals enough of herself, or shares her true vulnerability with the reader to redeem herself, and thus, we don't really care all that much about her and instead tend to simply agree with the blurb on the book's cover: The [...] had it coming. Indeed.

She begins, for a few scant pages at the very end, to share the true source of her misguided materialism and and to show us the insecure girl from Indiana, but as soon as she touches on something real or tender, the book is over. We can all see through the bombastic personality and hipper-than-thou superiority from the beginning and recognize it right away for what it is: deep seeded insecurity and fear. The only problem is that Jen never QUITE admits it out loud, to us, her reader, and we're left wondering if everyone knows it but her.

What simultaneously disappoints and infuriates me is the sheer lack of polish and skill on these pages. Relying on cutesy 'footnotes', reprints of emails and weblog submissions seems to indicate a laziness on the part of the author, or more likely, a lack of confidence and undeveloped skill. She ardently professes her desire to "be a writer" and yet throughout the book I find myself thinking: then work on your craft! Where is the editor? Who let her publish this material in this form? This is the fifth sentence in this chapter that isn't even gramatically correct.' Some make the arguement that because it's "memoir" and not "fiction" the author is allowed free reign to write how she pleases. There are plenty of well-crafted memoirs that showcase beautiful prose, accomplished storytelling,and impeccable form, and are stitched together with threads so fine you never see the writer's handiwork at all.

Instead, this is another case of a would-be writer throwing together some thoughts, cocktail party chatter, mildly interesting anecdotes, a couple of blog posts, and assembling it under the guise of a book. You can practially see Ms.Lancaster furiously pecking away at her laptop in a rush to get her manuscript to her publisher, all the while wondering "who will play me in the movie?"

And to the protesters who argue, "But this is Chic-lit. It's supposed to be light, fluffy, and mindless," I agree, there's nothing like an enjoyable piece of fluff. And the best kind of fluff is good, strong story-telling at its finest. I'm so tired of picking up books lately, expecting a good read only to get 250 pages of bad, unskilled writing by "writers" who don't even seem to respect their reader enough to work hard at perfecting their craft. Blurting out your inner-thoughts and throwing them down on the page does not make you interesting, witty, deep, and least of all, it doesn't make you a writer. Please, you seem like you might actually have something to say. Work hard at improving your storytelling, because after another book or two, this one-note song will be over.

This is an obnoxious person, writing about her obnoxious life and we're supposed to be entertained by it? I have no idea how this became a best seller, except if the author bought a million copies of her own book (which wouldn't surprise me based on her personality). Maybe I've met one too many people who act like this in real life - but the fact that the author is now making money off of her own self centeredness is repulsive. If you want to lose brain cells - go ahead and buy it. It's not entertaining - more like, anger invoking.