Customer Reviews

Handbags & Gladrags

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

 

 

I love fashion. I have a huge wardrobe and collect handbags. I can be superficial. STILL this novel bored me to tears until about halfway through. In short, it is the story of a fashion editor who revels in the Fashion Weeks of various cities, meets a cute and down to earth fashion photographer and has an extra-marital affair. The first half of the novel talks endlessly about fashion shows, shopping and...shopping. How many times can one really enjoy reading about the joys of Prada boots?

The second half starts to get deeper into the characters' lives and explores their motivations, which is quite enjoyable. Even though I only gave this book three stars, it does end up being a decent, light book. I think the author was trying to pull some "Princess de Cleves" style: focusing on triviality at first to show a contrast later on. However, like Madame de Lafayette, she should've kept it more in the twenty page range rather than the hundred+ page range.

I highly suggest Pants on Fire, another M. Alderson book that handles the trivial with a lot more excitement for the reader.

I normally read novels that are very deep and heavy. I enjoy John Grisham and C.S. Lewis. This summer I was looking for a quick, light, "girly" read and I bought this book on a whim. I absolutely LOVED it. I could not put it down. Despite some parts being very crude (for my taste), I still found it to be incredible. Even though I am not into the fashion world, I could still follow and really understand what was going on. It is well written and fast-paced. Parts of the novel had me rolling with laughter while others had me shocked. If you are looking for a quick, fun, light read, this is the book for you!!!

Chic Magazine fashion expert Emily Pointer would rather shop till she drops instead of dining on food or men though she makes an exception with Australian photographer Miles McCrae, who scores more often with her than her spouse sees her. Of course Miles has more opportunities as both attend the same international shows.

Still Emily wonders about all the one night stands in Milan, Paris, New York, London and Plant Tharg, etc that she has with sexy Miles. Even more so she begins to panic as she starts questioning her clothing theory of women that the garb makes the female so nothing is worn that is between the age of six months to a couple of decades; older that that might start a fad while younger is the hip chic chick trend. As Emily ponders is that all there is, she also dissects her non-relationship with Miles and that guy she is married to, what's his name?

Though the audience might consider Emily as a shallow clothing hound, she is much deeper as she struggles with her lifestyle feeling more inadequate daily. The story line focuses on her in a chick lit style, but also provides insight into the fashion world from design to runway to the fantastically dressed rich and famous. Maggie Alderson writes a droll sexy story starring a superb spirited soul struggling with HANDBAGS & GLADRAGS as the meaning of life.

Harriet Klausner

I just finished this book last week and I have to admit, it was a bit of a struggle to stick with it. I think part of the problem is that how the fashion shows go on and on and on and we basically encounter the same thing at every show-the boss that is mean a lot, the stuck-up co-worker, the people watching at the shows. It's all the same. I didn't connect with any of the characters, especially Emily. I realise that she is in the fashion world (and fills the unofficial pre-requisite of chick-lit, that almost all women in chick-lit have to work in fashion or publishing) but Emily was just too superficial and whiny for me. It wasn't like Bergdorf Blondes, where I knew that was what I going to get when I read it. But Handbags and Gladrags tries to be deep and it just can't go there with a character like Emily who only really worries about buying clothes at fashion shows and worrying about how to pay for them, how thin she is, and how to get with Miles. I bought the book and thought I would really like it but I was sorely disappointed. I probably will not read another Maggie Alderson book.

I have a soft spot for fun titles and cute book covers -- I can't seem to shake this weakness, despite having wasted hundreds and hundreds of dollars on disappointing literary purchases. Case in point: Handbags and Gladrags. My major gripe? Heroine Emily came off as whiny and not at all likeable -- and was unable to redeem herself down to the last page! You would think our little fashionista would turn herself around and be all shiny right before "the end" -- but noooo -- she was shallower than a tubful of water from beginning to end. (If you ask me, the Booklist review let this one off easy!) Not witty, not engaging, not worth it. Ha-ted-it -- Jimmy Choos, Balenciagas and all! Harrumph!

I didn't have expectations for this book beyond juicy details about the inner workings of the fashion world and the standard guilty pleasure of a chick-lit read. And this story has those things but it has more also. The main character, Emily Pointer, has more depth than the usual ditsy chick-lit heroine. As the story moves on, the reader finds out that Emily has a troubled past she's never dealt with and an even more troubled present to sort out. At times, the book gets too caught up in its fashion-world details and it was easy to lose track of Emily's real-world problems, but the author brings it all together in the end. Overall, an enjoyable--and informative--read.

I loved this book. A fashionista with a fabulous career and hot fling.

I really struggled with the fact the key character made the choice to have an affair... it all works out in the end and the characters are ok and interesting insight into the fashion world... Fun light read.

I enjoyed it more than I thought I would - was a fun read.

I bought this based on a review I read comparing this book to the Sophie Kinsella books and I have to say I prefer the Kinsella books. This book was okay but I read a lot of chick lit and it didn't hold my attention like the Kinsella novels and Jane Green novels do.