Sushi for Beginners [Paperback]

Marian Keyes (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: November 30, 2001

Number one internationally bestselling author Marian Keyes works her magic once again in this charming tale of three modern women and their search for happiness.

Prada-wearing magazine editor Lisa Edwards thinks her life is over when her "fabulous" new job turns out to be a deportation to Dublin, launching Colleen magazine. No more jet-setting to the fall collections. No more fabulous parties and photographs in the society pages. The only saving grace is that her friends aren't there to witness her downward spiral. Might her new boss, the disheveled and moody Jack Devine, save her from a fate worse than hell?

Ashling Kennedy, Colleen's assistant editor, is an award-winning worrier, increasingly aware that something fundamental is missing from her life -- apart from a boyfriend and a waistline. And then there's her closest, oldest friend Clodagh "Princess" Kelly, who is apparently living the domestic dream in a suburban castle. So why, lately, has Clodagh had a recurring urge to kiss a frog -- sleep with a frog, if truth be told?

Set in the sparkling -- and serpentine -- world of women's fashion magazines, as well as the hilarious underground comedy club circuit, Sushi for Beginners is about searching for happiness. And how, if you let things bubble under the surface for too long, sooner or later they'll boil over. Sharp, funny, and sweet, Marian Keyes's latest novel confirms her place as the queen of contemporary fiction.

--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

For Ashling Kennedy, the new job she lands at start-up Irish fashion magazine Colleen is a dream come true. For Lisa Edwards, a high-maintenance London editor expecting a promotion to New York, her appointment as editor-in-chief of Colleen is a slap in the face, the only consolation being her rumpled-but-handsome new boss, Jack Devine. Furious at being passed up for a job at Manhattan magazine, Lisa vows to make Colleen the envy of the fashion industry, even if it kills her. She drives her Dublin staff to exhaustion, and Colleen becomes a smashing success. But after a particularly lusty meeting with her much-maligned long-distance London boyfriend, she wonders if the move and the single-minded career obsession have been worth it. Meanwhile, Ashling is betrayed by her boyfriend and her best friend Clodagh, whose bourgeois domesticity she's long envied. Ashling realizes that she has to let go of her cheerful "Miss Fix-It" demeanor and go after what she wants. Lisa is chagrined and Ashling is shocked to learn that Jack may actually fancy Ashling, but one "sushi for beginners" dinner has her convinced. British bestseller Keyes's latest confection (after Watermelon) makes such a painfully brittle start the reader nearly despairs of the cardboard cutout characters, but slowly they begin to breathe and morph into charmers. Keyes's considerable following on these shores will declare this a delight.
Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Booklist

Keyes' latest novel about hipster singles in the city takes place in Dublin, where they live and play and bemoan their romantic and professional fates. All the best elements of the popular literary trend in British "chick-lit" are here--a lovable, yet awkward, every-girl heroine; the boss-cad with a heart of gold; the funky best friend; and everyone dropped in a chic and happening workplace, the editorial offices of new Irish women's magazine Colleen. Ambitious fashionista Lisa has been summarily removed from her coveted editorship in London to one in Dublin, where she regularly barks orders to her rookie assistant, Ashling. World-class worrier Ashling vents with her friends Joy and Ted while secretly envying her friend Clodagh's domestic dream life. Clodagh, meanwhile, has been having strong urges to run away from her loving husband, demanding children, and countryside manor. Keyes stirs these delightful ingredients into a frothy mixture that will please her fans. Readers will happily visit with these likable blokes, who are definitely "friends of Bridget." Kaite Mediatore
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 563 pages
• Publisher: Poolberg (November 30, 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1842230441
• ISBN-13: 978-1842230442
• Product Dimensions: 6.8 x 4.4 x 1.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 10.6 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (121 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,484,506 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Marian Keyes lived in London for ten years before returning to her native Dublin. After receiving a law degree and studying accounting, she began writing short stories in 1993. She is the author of three previous novels--Watermelon, Lucy Sullivan Is Getting Married, and Rachel's Holiday--all major bestsellers around the world.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

17 of 18 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Starts slow but gets better, April 7, 2004

By 

Beth Cholette "doctor_beth" (Upstate NY USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Sushi for Beginners: A Novel (Hardcover)

This is the sixth Keyes novel I have read. Generally, I find that she provides average-to-good reads, although for the type of fiction she writes, I find her books to be a bit too long. This novel was no exception, as the first half of the book really dragged; in particular, it was hard to get into the story because one of the main characters, Lisa, was not at all likeable. However, the book definitely picked up in the second half, when the characters became more three-dimensional and better developed. The story centers around Lisa, a hotshot London magazine editor who has been banished to Ireland to start up a new magazine; Ashling, the plain Jane who gets a job as an assistant editor of the magazine; and Clodagh, Ashling's gorgeous best friend who feels smothered by her roles as wife and mother. All three women are trying to sort our their work and love lives while also dealing with demons from their respective pasts. The cast of supporting characters adds interest, including Jack, Lisa and Ashling's boss; Joy and Ted, Ashling's supportive friends; Boo, a homeless man who Ashling befriends; and Oliver, Lisa's estranged husband. My actual rating of this book is three and a half stars: if you can hang in there through the somewhat boring first half, you'll be rewarded with several unexpected twists in the second half. A worthwhile read for fans of Keyes, but perhaps not for others.

17 of 19 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness.....Irish Style, September 21, 2003

By 

Antoinette Klein (Hoover, Alabama USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Sushi for Beginners: A Novel (Hardcover)

Marian Keyes is deservedly known as the queen of contemporary womens' novels, and SUSHI will not disappoint either her long-time fans or those new to her work.

Set in the glitzy world of a high-fashion magazine with a detour through the madcap comedy club circuit, this book has its hand and heart on the pulse of young Dublin singles and marrieds who aspire to be successful, wealthy, and happy.

Ashling Kennedy is the heart of the story---the everywoman with boyfriend problems and weight problems. When she is offered a second banana spot on "Colleen" a new magazine for the upwardly mobile Dublin woman, she feels she has latched on to something really good. Unfortunately, her boss and editor-in-chief is the very disappointed Lisa Edwards. Instead of a big promotion to the New York office, this assignment feels like a passport to hell to the ultra-ambitious fashionista. Horrified at being shuffled out of London and off to Dublin, she vows to make this new magazine one the world will sit up and take note of.

Rounding out the trio of women is Ashling's best friend, Clodagh Kelly. Married to a handsome professional, the mother of two children, and tucked away in a beautiful home, Clodagh seems to have it all. The only glitch in her life is that she is bored and miserable.

The lives of the three women weave together and eventually collide as life takes some unexpected turns. An ex-husband, a wayward boyfriend, a handsome managing director, and staunch friends add interest to this story of surviving the daily grind and making it work for you.

8 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Another Amazing Winner - She Just Gets Better And Better!, May 28, 2003

By 

Caroline P. Hampton (Columbus, Ohio USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Sushi for Beginners: A Novel (Hardcover)

Marian Keyes does it again with "Sushi For Beginners". This talented Irish author tackles the world of fashion magazines with her new tale, and does it with her usual charm and humor.

The backdrop of "Colleen" magazine is the perfect place to set up the main characters. First you have Londonite and fashionably dressed Lisa Edwards, who thinks that her life is over when she is shipped off to the great north to be the editor of this new magazine with a the smallest staff known to man, no perks, and well ---- it's in Ireland (which she thinks is a fate worse than death.)

The bright spot is the really sweet (sometimes overly sweet) Ashling Kennedy. Ashling is everything that Lisa is not. She's not fashionable, she's not worldly, she's not --- well, posh. But, she's the foundation of this book and really the driving force behind this great tale of work, love and friendships.

I don't think there is a better author out there than Marian Keyes and she didn't let me down with this one. I love "Sushi for Beginners" and would suggest it to any lover of this genre or great fiction in general.

Cheers!!!!!!