Customer Reviews

Fashionably Late

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

 

 

Goldsmith held me rapt again with her insider view of the fashion design industry with protagonist Karen Krahn, who seems very like real world Donna Karan. KK has hit it big in the New York design scene but has problems to handle on every level of her life. She can't have a baby because she's just been told by her OB-GYN that she is permanently infertile. Her husband doesn't want to adopt but does want her to sell their company to a huge corporation which will have all of the work done offshore under dubious conditions. Her impossible mother won't reveal who her birth mother is plus her half sister has her eye on Karen's husband. This is a very juicy novel which I couldn't put down. It transports you to that design world and doesn't let go until the end.

This was a great book that I found very hard to put down. This story revolves around an excellent fashion designer Karen Kahn, who after many years in the aggressive and competetive fashio world, has finally received golden honours. She has a loving husband, wonderful working environs and a dysfunctional but entertaining family, so why is she still unhappy? Karen would love to concieve a child but cannot, plus she was adopted when she was very young, so this really is a story about Karen finding out who she is and what she wants out of life. But, this is not a heavy finding-yourself book, it is a very entertaining and easy to read book that will have you laughing, crying or hurling the book across the room, depending on the bit you are reading!!

I really enjoyed 'Young Wives Club' and 'Bestseller' and this is up there with those two books. I cannot wait to get OS next book as they are all brilliant esp if you are looking for entertaining books to keep you happy over the weekend!

Highly recommended!

I loved this book! The heroine was likeable and real and the plot engrossing. The parts that were somewhat unlikely were still great fun to read. Ms. Goldsmith combines stories that consist of the way life really is and the way that we'd like it to be (happy endings, sweet revenge etc.)

This book is perfect vacation reading and like all of Ms. Goldsmiths books the perfect gift to give to a woman friend. My only regret is that I don't own it in hard cover. I'm going to have to buy multiple copies because of all the wear and tear I've inflicted by re-reading it and lending it out.

What the late Olivia Goldsmith did for the movie business with the excellent Flavor of the Month, here, in FASHIONABLY LATE, she does it again for the fashion world. Yes, her characters may not be as finely tuned, but the novel is never boring. It is a fast and witty read with a touching undertone. Recommended.-----Martin Boucher

As a huge Olivia Goldsmith fan, I was a bit disappointed in Fashionably Late. It was interesting to see an inside view at the fashion industry - and that is one of the main things I like at Goldsmith's storytelling - it seems you come away with a little knowledge about something.

That being said - I waited for the coke storyline involving her niece - I just knew that was going to happen. Ditto with her husband's ex roommate - and who couldn't see the baby coming from a mile away?

However, Goldsmith through in a few surprises - the Mother's story was surprising - and I'm still not real clear on her youngest niece.

Not a bad read - just expect what you expect.

First off, let me say that I didn't dislike reading this novel. However, I could not identify with any of the characters. Does anyone really care about clothes THAT much? The scorn that Oliva/Karen seemed to have for the common woman who can't afford the 900 dollar dresses was extremely evident. Could it be that she wants to be part of a world in which she will never be welcome?

I am a big fan of O.G. This book is a slow read, and I found it hard to get into. Lacks zip, and it is too work oriented for my taste. I read it and didn't give it another thought. She's a great writer, and most of her books are superb!!! Flavor of the Month and Marrying Mom are my favs!!!!

I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book. It is a relaxing read and doesn't require one to devote a lot of mental power to understanding the message. As a female, like most of my gender, I am interested in the fashion world. Goldsmith, in this tale, gives a key-hole view of the fashion world as it were at the time of her writing. The fashion world has changed a little since then, but, not much. Models still starve themselves, or binge then purge, or manage their health through a good exercise and food intake program or are naturally thin. Message her is THIN IS IN. Hopefully, the readers are motivated who choose this profession to follow the healthy approach and not the obvious unhealthy ones.

As long as we follow the practice of clothing our bodies in our society, we will be concerned about what we wear. Now I give the provision of wearing clothes because from what I am seeing in our society today, we are wearing smaller and smaller amounts of clothing. The tiny tops and bottoms that are in fashion for the ladies and men, border on returning to the Tarzan and Jane era--meaning very little clothing.

Karen Kahn does a sizable job of revealing to us the competitive nature of her the fashion designing profession. Weave into her workworld are the pressures she faces in her private and/or home life. For her, home life was not very good. Her husband, sister (half), and mother (adoptive) all had contradicting programs which made for little harmony for her. Facing pressures from home life and work life make for a pressure cooker environment. Sooner or later something must give. Now many of us, who live in the real world, have experienced or are experiencing such a pressure driven environment and can identify with her plight. Thanks to her, we now know we can work our way out of that sick environment and live a healthy life ever after.

I love heroine stories and hope Goldsmith keeps them coming.

Karen Kahn, a fashion designer at the top of her field, should be on top of the world with happiness. So why isn't she? She's dealing with the knowledge that she's unable to have children, is searching for her biological mother, and is selling her successful business, reluctantly. Feeling pressured from all sides---husband, mother, sister---Karen slowly takes control of her unstable life. This book is written in typical Goldsmith style---stressed out female becomes a strong female able to take control of her life----fun to read, but very predictable.

I liked First Wives Club and Young Wives alot better than this one. The fashion element intrigued me to pick it up, and the subplots were interesting, but like another reviewer said, all karen kahn did was to put down "regular" women. She mentally made them over, wondered whether mainstream America would "understand" her designs, and despised the "bridge and tunnel" crowd as being unforgivably dowdy and out of touch. That aspect of the book really turned me off! We read Vogue out here too! She sounded really elitist. Is Goldsmith trying to make a point? She only tried to see the other point of view when at the end, she was forced to. All of a sudden, the American woman was inspiring! I also wanted to see what would happen to Tiffany. I liked all of the other characters except Karen. Oh well, I hope her next ones will be better.