Customer Reviews

The Right Address: A Novel

5 star:		(23)
4 star:		(18)
3 star:		(16)
2 star:		(20)
1 star:		(34)

 

 

This novel could have been so much better, and it's hard to forget that when reading. There's no question that the authors know the world they're satirizing inside and out, and at first it's fascinating to have an entree into the world of High Society. But that fascination isn't enough to carry a whole book (especially when other books take on the same world: The Nanny Diaries and Bergdorf Blondes).

Melanie Korn is a sweet bubble-headed blonde who's way out of her league. But unlike say the heroine of Gentlemen Prefer Blondes, another book about a social-climbing gal, she lacks the humor and irreverance to make her vulgarity really likable. The shifting points of view and multiple narrative threads don't help-- there's a really nasty sub-plot about a neighbor who wants to kill his Latina mistress. The book wants us to sympathize only with him as she's portrayed as a terrifying shrew, but the snobbery is ingrained in the narrative throughout.

Then, once Melanie has her dreams dashed, I kept waiting to see her somehow triumph anyway and make it to the Top via a surprising strategy. Instead the moral of the story is there's more to Manhattan than just a few blocks, that people live on the West Side, that love and marriage and children are Good. Well, duh. The last thirty pages of the book were a homily to the joys of the Real World-- it's well meant but terribly condescending. Where do they think their readers live?

The two mean gossips who narrate some of the book are tiresome, and never get the comeuppance they really deserve.

I gave this two stars because it's such a missed opportunity. With better editing and direction this could have been a sort of Jane Austen type book for our times. Instead, it's just a minor example of gossip lit.

The prose is fair-- better than The Devil Wears Prada but nowhere near the humor and elegance of The Nanny Diaries.

It's a quick read, but there are better quick reads out there. On the plus side, the book does leave you feeling grateful the world of High Society is so very irrelevant. Ah, you say as you shut it, thank goodness I am middle class!

Yes, this "gossip novel" has all been done before so there's nothing new going on here. I recognized descriptions from other books and tv shows ("Seinfield", "Sex and the City"). The biggest difference is that this book is the most poorly written, poorly edited piece of garbage I have ever suffered. In particular, the dialogue (no matter the character, their age, or the situation) is written in the same shallow vocabulary of an early 30-something Spence School grad. "Let's have a contest to see how many exclamation points can be used in one paragraph! OK, great!" Thankfully, this book was a gift so it wasn't my money wasted in purchasing it...just wasted my time reading it.

I love a good, fun, guilty pleasure type read as good as the next woman but this book had no point. It was just silly. It is fun to read books with these funny and extravagant characters when something actually happens. This was more of a childish running commentary. I got to the end and just wondered why even waste time writing something like this?

In the grand scheme of things, this book wasn't thaaat bad. It is by no means great literature, but a semi-entertaining read nonetheless. I knew going into this book what it was all about, but figured, since I already bought it, might as well read it.

Melanie was a stewardess until she met coffin tycoon Aurthur in the air. After a whirlwind romance and marriage, they move into his Park Avenue home in NYC. Melanie's not welcome in the circle of New York's elite, by she tries her darnedest. This story line was beat into our heads repeatedly for a while...Melanie tries to impress...then fails...tries again...and fails, etc.etc. Got a little old.

There were some amusing moments and characters. Joan and Wendy, the gossipy best friends were kinda fun, and Jerome and Guffey were OK, but each storyline was wrapped up so perfectly. Morgan Vance, who after having a fling with his cleaning lady gets her knocked up...that was cleaned up nicely in the end. His wife Cordelia's klepto problem? Not a problem for long! Wendy and Joan...they get theirs.

In the end, this was a mindless read. One that, once I'm finished with this review, will never give a second thought to. I'm not sure this deserves 3 stars, but I did sit through the whole thing, and I didn't despise it, so 3 it is. If you have nothing else to read, give this a shot, otherwise...move on.

Think of "The Right Address" as "The Nanny Diaries" without the nanny -- just the uppermost echelons of NYC's rich, shallow and moneyed. Carrie Karasyov and Jill Kargman don't forge much new territory, but they manage to craft a beach read with a likable lead and storylines straight out of a guilty-pleasure soap.

Melanie is newly married to coffin mogul Arthur Korn. But now the honeymoon is over, and she is desperately trying to fit into his world -- a chic, coded world that sees her as a trailer-park upstart and ex-stewardess. And the harder she tries to impress, the nastier everyone is to her. And unknown to her, Arthur is besotted with a gorgeous socialite-author.

Her neighbors have problems of their own -- Morgan Vance is being threatened by his trashy mistress Maria, whom he has just had a baby with. Problem is, Morgan has just realized how he loves his wife -- and he's willing to hire a hit man to get Maria out of his life. Meanwhile, one horrible interview shatters Melanie's chances of ever making it in high society -- until she figures out what is really important.

"The Right Address" is one of those books that you'll enjoy a lot more than you think you should. It's a guilty pleasure, with soapy subplots and dirty little secrets. Some of the stories -- like the Mexican maid mistress -- should have been slashed out completely. So long as they stick to the guilty pleasures of the moneyed, things are good.

Kargman and Karasyov do manage to avoid one deadly sin of Manhattanite chick-lit -- they don't name-drop. Well, they do, but mostly in a negative way -- rather than necessities, designer labels are part of the despised clique atmosphere. If you don't have THIS designer or get special purses from THAT person, you are gauche -- end of story.

Most of the writing is quite ordinary, except for the occasional spurt of wit (a chaotic room is called "total Iraq"). But one of the most striking passages of the book is a pleasant interlude where the shunned Melanie goes walking in one of the un-chic areas of New York, and comes to a stunning realization. Nor, for all their barbs, do the authors descend into vengeful vitriol.

Melanie is a likable character -- she always tries her best, is honest and genuinely kind, but she doesn't fit in a world of artificiality. Morgan is almost a cliche of the cheating man, but his increasingly lost wife Cordelia is a character almost as nice as Melanie. And the swarms of acid-tongued socialites are loathsome and catty in a rather over-the-top way.

The big character flaw? A caricatured Latina maid who manipulates her boss like a puppet. Down with those racist stereotypes -- why does the maid need noticeable ancestry of any kind?

If Plum Sykes' "Bergdorf Blondes" had you gagging with distaste, then "Right Address" might be the antidote. Despite some massive flaws, this is a perfect example of a guilty pleasure.

I thought this was a cute and funny book. Great look at the superficial life of some of the New York Elite. If you like Jemima J by Jane Green, the Sophie Kinsella books and Marian Keyes, you will most likely like this sweet, funny, eye rolling book!

I see that this title recieved mixed reviews. I can see why but I actually enjoyed this book. I suggest that if you choose to read this do not take it seriously. If you want a serious book this isn't it. I believe the authors intention was to exaggerate things for shock value.

The lives of many characters are examined in this book but the main character is a woman named Melanie. She is the second wife of a wealthy man, but doesn't come from money herself (she was a flight attendant). Melanie lives in the most coveted apartment building in Manhattan, and while all of the women who don't live there are jealous of her, they will never admit it, only beat around the bush. All of the other upperclass NY women hate Melanie, and look down at her, and she just longs to fit in. She wants to be accepted, and in her quest to be accepted she only seems to alienate herself more.

Some of the smaller story lines included are, 1)Melanie's upstairs neighborand her husbands affair with his hispanic cleaning lady from the office. (She becomes demanding after becoming pregnant with his child, and he must cope with her wishes). 2)Jerome (a gay man who hangs out with 2 of Melanie's enemies) and his secret life. 3) Melanie's husbands attraction to a young author living up stairs and her secrets... to name a few.

This book had its funny parts and to me the story is just riviting. Very "guilty pleasure". Most of the story is "soap opera-esque" but I would suggest indulging if you aren't looking for a realistic book.

Take this one for what it's worth.

I enjoyed this book and read it quickly. As stated in other reviews, it is poorly edited with several obvious typos. I don't feel it was poorly written, though. The authors managed to keep the flow going throughout the book with many characters, whereas another author might have confused the reader.

Unfortunately, many of the stereotypes described in this book do exist, and I'm more familiar with the upper crust of the Midwest! I do feel the authors know their topic, contrary to a publisher's review. The heroine was pathetic for much of the book and I found myself suggesting behavior changes that she ultimately made. In that regard, the plot became somewhat predictable. The ultimate outcome of all the characters seemed a little too tidy, but that kind of ending is what many readers want.

Let's face it, NOONE reads 'chick lit' for its intellectual content. It's literary junk food. Allows us to gleefully engage in a bit of schadenfreude, peeking into the dysfunctional lives of the (fictional) incredibly wealthy and powerful. To be sure, I prefer good quality, lyrically written, long and involved novels. However, I'm no literary snob. I wasn't an English major. I periodically binge on chick lit. Heck, I proudly admit it to my friends.

So why am I even bothering to submit a review? Because there are some standards that even chick lit should meet, specifically logical sentence structure and decent grammar. I realize that many authors are not masters of the written word, but heck, that's what editors are for! Add a wince inducing caricature of a demanding Latina mistress, and one is left wondering if there was any quality control exercised during the making of this book.

Why two stars? Because I actually finished it. Yeah the ending holds absolutely no surprises, but this book will provide a bit of a diversion. It's fluffy enough to follow even if your attention is centered elsewhere (really dull day at work, day at the park, etc). If you must purchase, (instead of borrowing from library) I'd advise buying it in paperback, on sale. Heck, you might even find yourself playing editor, and writing corrections in the margins. :-)

This book was hard to start bc it was written in a different fashion than previous books I've read. But I was able to push past the first few chapters and onto the meat. The characters are developed extremely well and the plot grows well. A small town girls makes it to Park Ave and the big time. She trys to play the game of a wealthy wife... see how she turns out. I was kept on the edge of my seat but at the same time was able to predict some parts. The message of the book comes in the last chapter which I was waiting for from the middle of the book.
Totally recommend reading it.