Gilding Lily (Paperback)

by Tatiana Boncompagni (Author)
Key Phrases: baby quotas, New York, Save Bucharest, Thursday Trends (more...)

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly
Boncompagni (who writes for the New York Times Sunday Styles section) wittily describes the rise and fall of Girl of the Moment Lily Grace. After relocating to New York from Nashville, Lily becomes a society darling and marries the handsome, charming, well-educated and wealthy Robert Bartholomew. But an unplanned pregnancy destroys their nuptial bliss, and Lily becomes flabby and cellulite-laden as soon as she's carrying. Robert quits his job at a law firm and spends more and more time with his mother, a manipulative socialite. Lily, meanwhile, begins writing lifestyle pieces, which brings her back to the social-climbing world she inhabited pre-pregnancy. Lily's successes are marred by the constant indignities she suffers at the hands of her peers, forcing Lily to decide what she's willing to pay for her social standing. Boncompagni has an eye for the comedic aspects of this privileged, insular group, and her humor tends toward the absurd rather than the malevolent. The author's familiarity with the world she describes allows her to garnish the narrative with tantalizing details, and her protagonist is likable even at her most dastardly. (Sept.)
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Review
"A fun society read that will keep you intrigued in the rise and fall of its glossy characters." -- Plum Sykes, author of Bergdorf Blondes

"A gawker-licious look at life inside the biting world of New York society. Juicy, gossipy, and ultimately redemptive, Guilding Lily is in a league with Nanny Diaries and The Devil Wears Prada." -- Jennifer Coburn, author of The Queen Gene

"Boncompagni has en eye for the comedic aspects of this privileged, insular group...The author’s familiarity with the world she describes allows her to garnish the narrative with tantalizing details, and her protagnoist is likable even at her most dastardly." -- Publishers Weekly

"Rivetingly readable, Gilding Lily gleefully exposes the secret underbelly of socialite life." -- Holly Peterson, author of The Manny

"With crackling humor and spot-on detail, Boncompagni captures the rarified world of New York society—and the juggling act of modern motherhood." -- Bridie Clark, author of Because She Can

Only a true insider could dish…the way Tatiana Boncompagni has in this smartly written tale…" -- Karen Quinn, New York Times bestselling author of The Ivy Chronicles

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 320 pages
• Publisher: Avon A; 1 edition (September 9, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0061451010
• ISBN-13: 978-0061451010
• Product Dimensions: 7.8 x 5.3 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars See all reviews (16 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #44,590 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Delicious, Fun and Ultimately Touching Read, September 9, 2008

By	Doreen Orion MD "author, QUEEN OF THE ROAD" (on the road...) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This is a great book to curl up with and devour. It's so nice to start a novel and know within the first few pages you're going to love the read. It never let me down. Aside from being well-written and just plain fun, GUILDING LILY offers a delicious glimpse into New York high society. Yet, even though most of us don't live lives anything like Lily's, we can still identify with her struggles for acceptance from others and ultimately herself.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Gilding Lily, September 9, 2008

By	Readin' Fool (New York City) - See all my reviews

I thoroughly enjoyed Gilding Lily. Tatiana Boncompagni really knows the world about which she writes. She captures the foibles of young Manhattan socialites brilliantly. This book was absolutely impossible for me to put down. I read it in two sittings. The characters felt very real and the story moves at a brisk clip. If you enjoy intelligent books about the world of Manhattan high society, this one is for you.

6 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars well written insightful contemporary tale, September 18, 2008

By	Harriet Klausner - See all my reviews (#1 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

Lily Grace moves from Nashville to New York with plans of taking Manhattan by storm. She becomes very popular amidst the elite social class and meets educated wealthy charmer Robert Bartholomew. They marry.

When Lily becomes pregnant, Robert loses interest in her as she gains weight and is no longer the it "Girl of the moment". He quits his job as a lawyer and begins spending time with his socialite mother who never wanted the southern belle as her daughter-in-law. Lily begins writing lifestyle articles that allows her reentrance into the high society world her pregnancy kicked her from, but she is treated with distain led by Robert's mother.

Using hyperbole as an amusing saber, Tatiana Boncompagni provides a fascinating look at what people will accept in order to belong to a group that treats "outsiders" as pet rocks. Lily holds the tale together with her need to be part of the upper crust elitist crowd whose motto ought to be "Let them eat cake off our Persian rugs". Humorous yet somewhat sad as the human need to belong supersedes self actualization even when the members disdain you as inferior. This is a well written insightful contemporary tale in which readers will like the desperate Lily and root for her to find the grace of telling her spouse, her in-laws and the wealthy in crowd to pound rocks although at the same time the audience knows her inclination is in the opposite direction.

Harriet Klausner