Princess of Park Avenue [Paperback]

Daniella Brodsky (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: December 6, 2005

You can take the girl out of Brooklyn, but can you take Brooklyn out of the girl?

Lorraine Machuchi has held on tight to her Brooklyn home, and to Tommy, the neighborhood guy she's been pining over for years. But the very guy she tossed everything away for just told her he'll never wind up with her--a girl who's not going anywhere.

That's the kick in the pants she needs to cross the bridge to Manhattan, where she starts coloring hair at a swank salon. There she meets a new and fascinating species: The Park Avenue Princess. Sure, their $400 cashmere sweaters, charity balls for poor girls with small boobs, and 'sexy' yoga are a bit over-the-top for someone like Lorraine, but sometimes even a Brooklyn girl can learn to love her own inner princess.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Daniella Brodsky is a freelance magazine journalist whose previous books include Diary of a Working Girl and The Girl's Guide to New York Nightlife.

Product Details

• Paperback: 352 pages
• Publisher: Berkley Trade (December 6, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0425205371
• ISBN-13: 978-0425205372
• Product Dimensions: 8.1 x 5.4 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 10.4 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (12 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,982,230 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Daniella Brodsky is the author of six novels published by Penguin, Random House, and Simon & Schuster, one of which has been adapted by Disney as the film, Beauty & The Briefcase, starring Hilary Duff. Daniella teaches at ANU's CCE and and at her Captain Cook Studio. A native New Yorker, she lives in Canberra, Australia, where she is writing her next novel, The Book Code, which has been awarded a 2012 Varuna fellowship. Visit www.daniellabrodsky.com for book information, content on the craft of fiction, news, and events.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An charming and entertaining book, December 27, 2005

By 

Bookreporter (New York, New York) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Princess of Park Avenue (Paperback)

Okay ladies, let's admit it. We've all had a guy in our lives who we just couldn't get over even though he treated us in a less than sterling manner. It might have been when you were younger or even at an embarrassingly older age, but we've all done it. Oh yeah, there might be a few of you out there who don't take any crap, but the rest of us have been there in Lorraine Machuchi's shoes, so to speak.

Now I'll have to say, it usually doesn't continue for the amount of years that Lorraine has been hanging around waiting for Tommy to crook his finger so she can go running, but hey, who are we to judge?

Lorraine and Tommy are from Brooklyn, Bay Ridge to be exact, a close-knit community where everyone knows everyone else and their business. Family members know other family members and there are no secrets. Such is the setting where we meet Lorraine.

But a girl can only take so much, and when the opportunity for a new job in Manhattan presents itself, Lorraine takes the leap and moves across the bridge to a new job and a new life. While her heart is still in Brooklyn, changes are taking place in and around Lorraine.

For instance, a free apartment in Manhattan makes it irresistible for Lorraine to avoid the move from all that is familiar. The new apartment, a rich, sexy neighbor named Matt, and a gargantuan but lovable dog known as Pooh-Pooh take Lorraine out of herself and force her to get involved in life around her.

While PRINCESS OF PARK AVENUE might be a story of unrequited love, it's also a fish-out-of-water story. While life in Manhattan may be strange to this Brooklyn-born girl, she digs down deep to find her inner strength and rises to meet the challenges her new life provides.

Lorraine might start out as a lowly shampoo girl in the swanky salon, but she soon rises to fame thanks to her unique hair-coloring skill, which draws the attention of an illustrious group of socialites known as the Park Avenue Princesses.

While you might find yourself gritting your teeth and urging Lorraine to get some gumption and stand up for herself, keep reading. She finally manages to get back in touch with the girl she used to be.

Daniella Brodsky, author and freelance magazine journalist, charms us with her second novel, following the success of DIARY OF A WORKING GIRL and her nonfiction work, THE GIRL'S GUIDE TO NEW YORK NIGHTLIFE. PRINCESS OF PARK AVENUE is an entertaining and amusing book that will remind any of us who have found ourselves lost in a relationship with a man that the real "us" still exists and we only have to look in order to find her.


--- Reviewed by Amie Taylor

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars I COULDN'T PUT IT DOWN!, December 27, 2005

By 

Alexis Ryan - See all my reviews

This review is from: Princess of Park Avenue (Paperback)

Bravo for Princess of Park Avenue! Amid the thousands of chicklet flooding the market finally a literary voice that is real. Daniella Brodsky does it again. I couldn't put it down. What a great way to spend my week off, reading this book!!

4 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars I couldn't wait to see what happened next in this book!, January 3, 2006

By 

Courtney Mcquade Lundie "Fellow book lover" (Walnut Creek, California) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Princess of Park Avenue (Paperback)

I stayed up until 1:00 AM to finish it... it was so good, I couldn't wait to see what happened next! At first I thought it would be your typical "chick" type book... but it was not at all!!! At the risk of sounding cliche', I must say this book tells a wonderful and inspiring story of love, personal growth, and following your dreams. The NYC references were so fun to read, having lived in NYC myself. The story itself holds a great, positive message, and an interesting twist at the end. I REALLY HOPE to see this come out in a movie! I highly recommend this book!!!