Customer Reviews

Face Value

5 star:		(2)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I think readers of this book fall into one of two camps. Either you love it or hate it. I was attracted to the book because of the blurb I read on the back. I was expecting something like "Jemima J", the ugly duckling to swan story with a twist, but got something else. Once I'd finished the book, I wasn't sure exactly how I felt about it and which camp I was in.

Kate Miller is a writer for a small newspaper Maidstone Bazaar. She likes her job, but doesn't do or go for any of the glamorous stuff. She writes an article on a celebrity television host/reporter and it changes her world around. She gets a call from a New York Fashion magazine, Darling, to be their new beauty editor. Kate knows nothing about beauty, and when she tries to confirm they have the right person, the editor of the magazine gives her an offer and salary she can't refuse, so she takes it.

She's settling in and learning the ropes, when she's sent to LA to meet plastic surgeons and come up with stories for the plastic surgery edition. She meets handsome plastic surgeon John Kingsley III, who comes across as really slimy and someone who has it all; the guy you have a crush on and hate at the same time. Kate who's described as being a before picture, can't understand why all of a sudden this hot plastic surgeon is pursuing her and calling her his muse. Signals get crossed, emotions become high, and all is not what it seems.

I loved how the book was written. It wasn't something I expected. Every time I thought I knew what was going to happen, something new was revealed. I liked being kept on my toes. Kate was an equally likable character. She felt like a bit of an every-woman. What I didn't like was how often she doubted herself. Dr. Kingsley III was a surprise. I will definitely take a look at Kathleen Baird Murrray's past and future releases. Happy reading! :)

Bought this book to take on a relaxing holiday on a boat. So glad I did. Just loved it - seriously couldn't put it down till I'd finished much to the upset of my fellow travellers!! Humourous, insightful and wonderfully real, rounded characters. I totally identified with Kate as she embarked on her journey into the scary world of high glamour and all that comes with it. What the 'Devil wears Prada' is to fashion - 'Face Value' is to beauty & glamour. Whatever your views or values - BUY IT -this book with its details and references really takes you behind the scenes for a peek into a world that let's face it we all have a slight fascination for.

Picked this up in New York JFK last week for a more light hearted read as was tiring of my Mussolini biography and couldn't bear to finish my "Bastard on the Couch" manual which has now clocked more airmiles than a UN envoy since it never leaves my cabin holdall. Well I reluctantly have to use that well coined phrase "I could hardly put it down.." (except for cocktail & meal breaks and occasional hops to the lavatory). Face Value has a cracking plot set in unlikey places such as Maidstone, Kent, via NYC and LA-CA where the action unfolds. Kate Miller, the principal hapless character attracts a mix of amused sympathy early on and one really begins to empathise with her plight and admire her determination and gusto. This book fizzes with humour and quirky details that definitely set it aside from your average chick-lit opus. More interestingly Face Value contains little raunchiness but instead well crafted characters. In parts a subtle uderlying sense of menace makes Kate's meanderings in the world of glamour plastic surgery even more rivetting. Definitely worth attention.

I can't honestly review this book b.c i couldn't get past the first 2 pages. It just seems like the author was trying too hard to put every big interesting word in the dictionary and it was almost exhausting to try and read. Just not for me.

I bought this book thinking it would be light reading, a funny, fantastic romp--- after all- that's what the reviews said. Even said it on the back cover. But it's more like walking thru a muddy field in heavy boots. This book is dreary, and Kate, the main character, is a woman with no sense of humor, who is very critical of the beauty business. That's fine, and I might have enjoyed the book more if the reviews had not been so misleading. If the book had been touted as an in-depth investigation of the falsity of the beauty business and its dangers, I probably would have stuck with it. But by the last quarter, I was speed reading, trying to find some of the fun the reviews promised. It just wasn't there.