Customer Reviews

The Gift Bag Chronicles

5 star:		(9)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(5)

 

 

The Gift Bag Chronicles provides a sometimes humorous account of Alex Davidson, Hollywood party planner. Most of us have probably read these types of novels before- Stressed out L.A. life, boyfriend troubles, difficult rich people who demand ridiculous things, so on and so on. De Vries' novel doesn't really take a unique approach to this theme, and I felt that a couple of the subplots were neglected a bit at the end. However, I take the book for what it is: Good escapist fun that's easy to read.

too many endless details and monotonous chatter and not enough story. if the book is about a party planner, why not start it at a party? i just didn't care about this woman or her boring life.

I have learned to steer clear of trendy, chick-lit books, especially if they're set in showiz circles; I mean, that girl who wrote "The Devil Wears Prada" is nearly illiterate, and don't even get me startedon Plum Sykes' attempts at stringing together a sentence. BUT, despite the genre that "The Gift Bag Chronicles" may get lumped into, the bottom line is it's just a really good read. I found myself getting sooo sucked into the story of Alex and her 3000-miles-away-boyfriend Charles and how some guy who's utterly NOT her type (Oscar) slowly starts to work his way into her life. The thing is, It's sexy and fun and these people are not stupid and you won't be embarassed or ashamed after you've read it.

Someone gave me De Vries' other book ("So 5 Minutes Ago") and I read it on a really long plane flight and it made the plane flight go so quickly. I mean, it was genuinely funny, the characters were compelling and real. I could totally relate to Alex (he main character). I just loved the book. So when De Vries came out with Gift Bag Chronicles, I was eager to get it and....mmmm, wary. Y'know the term, "sophomore slump?" Fortunately, that is so not the case. "Gift Bag Chronicles" shows De Vries to be the real deal. It's just as funny as "So 5 Minutes Ago," with an added measure of poignance, I thought. It's so good, I'm actually kind of mad that I've already ready it: I've got another long plane flight coming up, and this would've been the perfect travel companion.

I am not one to start a book and not finish it, but this one was one I seriously considered breaking that rule for. I gave this book way too much credit in hoping that upon each new chapter it would redeem itself. The writing was elementary at best best and the sentences with only. one. thought. and. then. a period. Drove me nuts. The impact was lost when it was done every other paragraph. Trying to follow who the writer was speaking to at times was a chore and why she called her parents by their first name was really never explained. There was too much detail in some areas that seemed completely unnecessary and then other times there was not nearly enough to describe certain situations. Overall this book was entirely not worth the money invested and would have been better spent had I just read the dollar bills themselves. Save your money and read books by Michel Faber for more in-depth, quality writing or for something fun, Gigi Levangie Grazer has an excellent writing style.

I have read some bad books before, but never have had to talk myself into finishing one hoping it would get better. It didn't. Don't waste your time or money.

Both Alex and her author have grown up in this very entertaining, but also more thoughtful follow-up to So 5 minutes ago. I found the book hard to put down and very relaxing in an extremely stressing period (maybe because I like reading about people whose lives are more stressed out than mine:-). The lack of a predictable "happy ending" taking over where the previous chapter had left was a surprise bonus: most of the times, imperfection is the way to go.
Again, I find that people sometimes expect way too much from books that are written mainly to entertain. If you want depth, excellent writing and cerebral writing, read Ian McEwan instead.

Hilary De Vries is a very clever and always readable author, but So 5 Minutes Ago, DeVries first novel about Alex Davidson, was a much easier read than The Gift Bag Chronicles. There is a very pervasive sense of exhaustion in this novel, and I'm not sure it's entirely attributable to the heroine's insanely demanding job. In this book, the love found at the end of So 5 Minutes Ago turns to dust and ashes, in order that a new love can be found, but the whole thing feels a little contrived and made-to-order. It would have been interesting to see Alex grow up within a relationship, instead of having the formulaic chick lit "the guy you really ought to be with is right under your nose" revelation. Something about this book just felt like hard work. (Which will in no way affect me rushing out to buy Book #3, if and when it appears!)

I listened to this book - book on CD version... the narrator's voice was kind of annoying at times - when she was doing the various characters....The book was cute, easy to get into and relate... however, I was very disappointed with the ending! I sat there thinking, that's it?? What about this or that? So many unanswered questions and I didn't feel like Alex "grew" as a person through the novel. Kind of stayed in her old habits. All characters did - predictable I suppose. I'd recommend buying this one used... if you're looking for a very light read.

Hilary De Vries's "The Gift Bag Chronicles," centered around Alex, a publicist working in Los Angeles who had to deal with the endless demands of the rich and famous. She was also dating her agency's president, Charles who was based in New York. Their relationship was an unconventional one as they rarely saw each other. Basically, Alex's life was centered around her work and she did not have much personal time for herself.

This is yet another book that takes a look at the glitz and glamour of Hollywood parties. It is not much different from books such as "Everyone Worth Knowing," "The Twins of Tribeca" or "The Perfect Manhattan." It's all basically about slaving and dealing with the difficult rich people. This is an okay book with not much of character development, and the author focuses solely on Alex's career. It's basically an okay read.