Love: A User's Guide [Paperback]

Clare Naylor (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: July 6, 1999

Working for Vogue, Amy spends her days dressing waif models in London's latest apparel while fending off insults from the Gucci-garbed staff. Hardly the glamorous job she hoped it would be. But that won't stop her from fantasizing about the jet-set life she knows she's destined for--or the prince who's bound to redeem her from a less than glowing record in romance.

However, beneath her dreamy exterior, Amy has a sure streak of common sense. So when the impossible happens--and her path crosses that of London's hottest film star--she swoons with longing, expecting nothing in return. But Orlando Rock has other ideas. For Amy is just the kind of girl he's after--smart and witty, with a penchant for quoting from the classics, different from the daft supermodels and vain leading ladies he's dated before. Or is she? For with fame, fortune, and true love just around the corner, Amy's head is spinning, her jet-fueled imagination poised for takeoff. Is her love for Orlando stronger than her lust for the limelight--or is she merely fated to be the paparazzi's latest prey . . .?

Hip and hilarious, this enchanting, sizzlingly sexy tale of a winsome twenty-something caught between romance and reality will have you rooting her on through each outrageous mishap and daring plunge toward love. . . .

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

The British Invasion rolls on, with permutations of Bridget Jones popping up everywhere, this time in Naylor's light-hearted and assured debut novel. Twentysomething Amy is a fashion assistant at Vogue, where she dresses undernourished teen models who "look like heroin addicts in bondage gear." Despite the Cinderella nature of her surprisingly unglamorous job, Amy remains staunchly convinced that fame and fortune are in her future. When she meets her Prince Charming in the form of gorgeous film star Orlando Rock, she believes that her dreams of romance and celebrity have finally come true. But then the hitch: although he returns Amy's affections, Orlando is determined to keep their romance a secret from the tabloids, escorting her only to out-of-the-way places not at all consonant with her ideas of the high life. Will Amy be able to forgive the screen god for merely loving her and wanting to be with her? Naylor hilariously details Amy's frenzied preparation for dates with Orlando while providing her with a lively supporting cast, most notably in the person of Amy's boss, who could easily do a stint on Absolutely Fabulous. She's also savvy enough to pepper the plot with the kinds of misunderstandings, complications and flies in the ointment that romantic comedies thrive on. Most importantly, however, she has created a comic heroine with a difference. A fan of Shakespeare, Dostoyevski and Ana?s Nin, Amy's romantic expectations are glossed with literary allusions. With the sharply intelligent wit of a modern Elizabeth Bennett and the imagination of Ally McBeal, Amy is the best excuse yet for surrender (temporarily at least) to the Invasion. (July)
Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Kirkus Reviews

A British debut considers the superficiality of stardom with quirky, careless charm. Amys adventures, relayed in a bright, tongue-in-cheek narrative, begin with a fairly quiet weekend on the Dorset coast. Away from her pins-and-needles job as an assistant at Voguethe impossible lure of that Prada skirt, the perfect waifish posing of the models, the Eurotrash cattiness of those in charge can really bring a girl downjet-setter wannabe Amy has few expectations for her country respite, though she quickly learns that fate knocks on the door only when your face is covered in cucumber mask. While frolicking al fresco in the best-dressed sort of way, shes introduced to the impossibly beautiful Orlando Rock, leading man of every Bronte-Hardy-Forster film of recent memory. As luck would have it, the two keep bumping into each other and begin to dateeven though, to Amys horror, Orlando is just a regular Joe: more fond of beer than champagne, greasy spoons than celebrity hot-spots. Amys hunger for glamour goes quickly undernourished, and she begins to dig her own grave. After a perfect vacation in Australia, she begins bragging about her liaison with Orlando, passing around snaps and relating the details of their love life for all and sundry to hear. Which makes her just the kind of woman publicity-shy Orlando is afraid of, having just divorced a media-slave wife. After a series of mishaps and confusions (contributed to in large part by Amys evil flatmates), Amy leaves Orlando and hops on the 15-minute roller coaster of fame-by-association. The problem is that Orlando is truly in love with Amy, and she thinks shes probably in love with him, toothe real him, that is. Lighter than marshmallow Fluff, but also fun ... la Bridget Joness Diary. -- Copyright ©1999, Kirkus Associates, LP. All rights reserved.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 288 pages
• Publisher: Ballantine Books (July 6, 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0449005569
• ISBN-13: 978-0449005569
• Product Dimensions: 5.1 x 0.6 x 8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (63 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,659,528 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

16 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Funny and Entertaining, July 9, 2000

By 

CoffeeGurl - See all my reviews
(TOP 1000 REVIEWER)    (HALL OF FAME REVIEWER)   

This review is from: Love: A User's Guide (Paperback)

Have you ever had a crush on a celebrity? How would you feel if the celebrity has a crush on you? That's what happened to Amy, the precocious heroine in this charming love story.

Working for Vogue magazine, Amy spends endless days and nights dressing Euro-trash models. To her disappointment, the job is not as glamorous as she thought it would be. But when she meets Orlando Rock, a famous actor in England, she feels that she has found the jet-set life she has dreamed of. Amy wants to attend movie premieres, cast parties, photo shoots -- in other words, she wants to become a celebrity in her own right. But all Orlando wants is a private life and a relationship with a "normal" woman. Does Amy love Orlando, or is she using him?

This novel vaguely resembles the movie Notting Hill, but the romance in the book is much better. I highly recommend it!

14 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Very fun beach read!, May 15, 2000

By 

"lisadiva" - See all my reviews

This review is from: Love: A User's Guide (Paperback)

I read this book in two days while laying out in the sun at the beach . . . and did not notice my sunburn until it was too late! It is a delightful, cute, funny, quick read. So the main character isn't completely realistic -- but I think everyone can relate to her on some level. Who hasn't imagined being interviewed by People Magazine or Entertainment Tonight? Who hasn't watched the Oscars and imagined what it would be like to walk down the red carpet? Amy has her ups and downs and takes us along on her hilarious adventures -- it is a vivid and humorous look into a twenty-something's life. If you're looking for something more insightful or with more meaning, this is not the book for you. However, I highly recommend it to anyone looking for an easy diversion from everyday life. Only one problem -- after reading this, you start to think that it would be possible for a famous actor to cross your path and fall in love with you and your less-than-glamorous life!

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Don't waste your time, August 20, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: Love: A User's Guide (Paperback)

Someone needs to inject a little reality among all the rave reviews on this page. This is a horrible book, a muddled mess. Its biggest problem is Amy, possibly the world's most shallow, unlikeable heroine, who truly doesn't deserve the happy ending she receives. The charming hero (the one saving grace of the book) is so appealing one wonders what he could possibly see in a twit like Amy. Plus, the book sometimes steps back and takes a detached, omniscient-narrator tone that is supremely irritating and simply doesn't work. Worst of all, the book isn't funny at all, although it tries valiantly to be.

I realize that not every piece of literature needs to be deeply meaningful, but it should at least be well written and somewhat convincing. This book fails on both counts, and on many others. Avoid it unless you're in the mood for a less-straightforward version of a Harlequin romance.