Goodbye, Jimmy Choo [Paperback]

Annie Sanders (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: April 12, 2006

In this poignant and witty debut, a bohemian and a Gucci-clad socialite form an unlikely friendship after leaving the city.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

In rural Ringford, England, the smalltown snobbery of the "Mercedes Mums" sets the standard, but two London transplants, Maddy Hoare, a prickly, wealthy housewife, and Izzie Stock, a free-spirited, lovably disorganized freelancer, realize they share a maverick sensibility. When Maddy discovers a recipe for healing balm in an old family journal, what begins as an experiment becomes a lucrative, trend-setting enterprise she and Izzie run together, as women all over England buy Paysage Enchanté. Despite their increasingly public lives, neither Maddy nor Izzie can escape the everyday—Izzie's marriage is struggling, and Maddy, who is newly widowed, must figure out how to handle her affectionate French cousin, Jean Luc. Plus, both women have young children. To add to their troubles, Pru, their PR adviser, insists that they stick to an "earth-mother" image—the polar opposite of their urban style. A warm, genuine friendship—along with a successful cosmetics line—develops in this refreshing debut, a pseudonymous collaboration from Annie Ashworth and Meg Sanders. (May)
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

From Booklist

For two young mothers from London, adjusting to rural life isn't easy, so Maddy and Izzy band together to survive their new surroundings. After their budding friendship is tested by a tragic event in Maddy's life, they make a discovery that will change their lives. Among Maddy's grandmother's belongings, they find beauty-cream recipes concocted by one of her ancestors. Armed with the recipes and some stinky weeds, Maddy and Izzy soon launch a booming beauty business. But has their newfound wealth and fame come at the expense of their families? Readers will find this a refreshing departure from the single-girl-in-the-city brand of chick lit, which is just what Brits Annie Ashworth and Meg Sanders, the two friends who cowrote this novel under one pseudonym, hoped to achieve by creating married mom characters like themselves. And, indeed, this is a charming novel about the power of friendship and the importance of family. Aleksandra Kostovski
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 416 pages
• Publisher: 5 Spot; First Edition first Printing edition (April 12, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0446697281
• ISBN-13: 978-0446697286
• Product Dimensions: 5.2 x 1 x 8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (27 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,540,747 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Awful, August 17, 2006

By 

A. Schomas "Chick Lit Reader" (Chicago, USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Goodbye, Jimmy Choo (Paperback)

This book was one of the worst I've read in awhile, but because I am obsessed with finishing what I start, I unfortunately finished it. I am an avid reader and lover of all "chick lit" especially the books that come from the UK (Marian Keyes, Jane Green, Sophie Kinsella) so I thought I'd like this book, as well.

There are several reasons why this book is awful: a) it's formulaic (I know, most chick lit books are, but combined with the other factors, the plot was unbearable) b) poor character development. The two main characters are supposed to be opposites but they are so weakly drawn the tend to bend and waiver into eachother at times. c) the writing style is old and not witty, as promised. There are two many times when aspects, including character's emotions are told, rather than shown... a KOD for good writing. Don't tell the writers what to feel, let them decide based upon the actions of the characters and d) the plot was unbelievable because it was so underdeveloped. One example: the character of Maddy loses her husband to a car accident and recovers in days, with minimal crying jags tossed in throughout the year the book chronicles. For a realistic and entertaining version of a female reaction and recovery to the death of a lover/spouse, check out: Marian Keye's newest novel. For a good, coming of age chick lit book that supports writing from the States: check out What to Do When You're Twenty-Two, written by Mandy Schomas.

The worst thing about the book was the discovery at the "About the Author Page" where the reader learns the authors is actually two women... so it's not one woman who's written a bad book... it's TWO. Lord, that's depressing.

Please, don't waste your money on this book.

8 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Tedious, August 21, 2006

By 

A reader (Philadelphia, PA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Goodbye, Jimmy Choo (Paperback)

I received this book as a gift and thought it looked like a fun summer read. I couldn't have been more wrong. The premise for the story (two "fish-out-of-water" mothers in their late thirties start their own line of beauty products) is wasted in the hands of the two writers who collaborated under the name Annie Sanders. The "plot" just drones on and on: They need more supplies to make their face cream! Whew, they managed to get the supplies. But now they need MORE supplies! Oh, what a relief, they got the supplies . . . but now they need still MORE! Ugh. As far as the two main characters, Izzie and Maddy, are concerned, I agree with the reviewer who said they were more or less interchangeable, not to mention shallow and vacant. Furthermore, though the two authors pat themselves on the back in the book's Afterword for writing about mothers of small children rather than single women, the children barely appear in the story at all except as personality-free creatures who are constantly interrupting things by needing to be picked up from school each day. In addition, Izzie's troubled marriage is dealt with so ham-handedly that it almost seems like a parody of a bad marriage, except that, unlike a successful parody, it's not at all funny.

And that's the main problem: The book isn't funny, and it's not entertaining. I can already imagine future reviewers telling me to "lighten up," but I respect fiction as an art form and in return I demand that it respect me! A book billed as funny, entertaining, and smart should actually BE funny, entertaining, and smart. It should not be rambling, pointless dreck about forgettable characters, conveyed in the world's most lackluster prose. The two authors should stick to writing how-to manuals and not inflict another "masterpiece" like this one on the world.

I agree with the reviewer who recommended Marian Keyes' new novel over this one. It has some of the same elements (tragedy in a marriage, creation and promotion of a miracle beauty cream), but it's about a million times better. Do not waste your money on this book by "Annie Sanders." You'll regret it if you do.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Chick-lit with a brain!, June 2, 2006

By 

Jen - See all my reviews

This review is from: Goodbye, Jimmy Choo (Paperback)

At last - a chick-lit title that doesn't insult the reader's intelligence! This is a funny, witty and touching tale of the pressures and pleasures grown up women have to deal with - the two main characters, Izzie and Maddy, are juggling children, work, family and financial pressures and get caught up in a crazy money-making scheme that ends up making them question all their values and priorities. The fact that it's mostly set in England doesn't get in the way. Although I didn't understand some of the expressions used, you could pretty much deduce what they meant. The problems the characters were facing will be relatable to women everywhere. One to savor!