27 of 30 people found the following review helpful:
2.0 out of 5 stars
with friends like these... I'd move, change my name, and only make friends with men!, August 21, 2009
This review is from: I'm So Happy for You: A novel about best friends (Paperback)
The story revolves around the relationship (I hesitate to use the word 'friendship' out of respect for the term) between two women and their crew. Immediately, you're plunged into a circle of women and their chronic pettiness. The main character, Wendy, is possibly the most insincere, insecure heroine imaginable. She's passive-aggression personified. (Who throws a baby shower for a woman, then insults her guest of honor by writing something vile on the gift???) I think occasional stabs of envy are normal, but Wendy is off the reservation. Daphne is not much better. After fifteen years of using her friend as an emotional crutch, her idea of getting her life together is to "fall in love" with a man that is handsome and wealthy. He's a complete ass, but that fact is largely ignored after his purchase of a large Brooklyn brownstone. Daphne, once a ditz with a penchant for married men, now becomes the woman Wendy desperately envies. Every thought, spoken word, and email these women generate seem premeditated to inflict the most damage on their friends. They spend the duration of the book hating each other, and it's sad to watch.
But it's not just the story that grated at me. It was the book's insinuation that all female friendships are like this. According to "Happy For You," women are incapable of liking each other's company without constantly eying your companion's jewelry, home, or husband. Competition, not solidarity, is the real glue that binds females together. If this is what the author really thinks or has experienced, she has my deepest sympathy.
I thought this would be a slightly more cerebral version of "Something Borrowed" and "Something Blue" by Emily Giffin, but was wildly disappointed. Giffin's characters had redeemable qualities; Rosenfeld's do not. While we may see (small) pieces of ourselves in Rosenfeld's women, they are impossible to like. The resentment these women quietly (and then not so quietly) harbor for each other became a character itself. And, sadly, it's the most consistent one.
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10 of 11 people found the following review helpful:
1.0 out of 5 stars
I'm So Unhappy for Me, November 19, 2009
This review is from: I'm So Happy for You: A novel about best friends (Paperback)
Wow. Where do I even begin? I suppose my biggest question for the author is how did she get this novel published? I know that's very Wendy/Daphne of me to ask so here's hoping she won't be too offended by the question. Neither Wendy nor Daphne endeared themselves to this reader. These female characters were just plain pathetic.
The bag of flour at the baby shower was over-the-top ridiculous and unbelievable as was Wendy's OBGYN suggesting Wendy buy some pretty underwear in order to solve her infertility problems. The sound of Daphne's voice was like nails on a chalkboard. Wendy lies, steals, is selfish, jealous, highly insecure, a slacker at work and seems ill-suited to work for a magazine such as Barricade. The expedited train wreck ending was only good in that it ended the novel. Sure wish our book group had selected that novel by Gore Vidal instead.
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8 of 9 people found the following review helpful:
1.0 out of 5 stars
The Worst Book I have Ever Read, November 18, 2009
This review is from: I'm So Happy for You: A novel about best friends (Paperback)
Hands down, the worst book ever. Only the comatose father-in-law manages not too offend. The characters are poorly written and loathsome in every way. Not only do I not know any women like this (thankfully), but I've never even read about such a narrow minded, narcissistic crew. If you love the Real Housewives shows, this book is for you.Its plot, people and trajectory are almost as witty and introspective as what you'll find there. I am forced to give this book 1 star because amazon won't accept zero. After reading this book, I'd like a refund on my time.
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