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West End
 
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West End [Hardcover]

Laura Van Wormer (Author)
4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)


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Book Description

August 21, 1989
Overlooking Manhattan's prestigious Upper West Side is DBS--TV's newest network underdog and home to newscasting's brightest stars. But when the studio lights die down, off-screen passions blaze. The world of today's fast-track anchorwomen comes alive in an enticingly steamy story that will never be seen on the 6 o'clock news! HC: Doubleday.
--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Bewitching, calculating TV reporter Alexandra Waring (who appeared in the author's spicy novel, Riverside Drive ) becomes America's sweetheart when a madman shoots her on camera. Wealthy Southerner Jackson Darenbrook promptly makes her anchorwoman for the national news empire he's creating in Manhattan. The over-padded, meandering novel that follows this dramatic opening is relieved but not salvaged by snappy tongue-in-cheek dialogue and the welcome addition of Jessica Wright, an engagingly wild, if self-destructive, talk-show host. While Jessica ferrets out Alexandra's dark secret (she's bisexual), their boss Jackson scrambles to cover up illegal financial footwork that could encourage his greedy relatives to launch a coup at Darenbrook Communications. Although romances wax and wane among the major characters with the regularity of moon cycles, almost everyone ends up happy in the sugary wrap-up. Van Wormer creates memorable, quirky cameos for the Southern Gothic Darenbrook clan, but fails to sustain the plot's momentum by repeatedly wandering off on tangents.
Copyright 1989 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Product Details

  • Hardcover: 595 pages
  • Publisher: Doubleday; 1st edition (August 21, 1989)
  • Language: English
  • ISBN-10: 0385244681
  • ISBN-13: 978-0385244688
  • Product Dimensions: 8.7 x 6.3 x 1.8 inches
  • Shipping Weight: 2.2 pounds
  • Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
  • Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,189,041 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Quick Reading Order Lists:

"The Alexandra Chronicles": 1)Riverside Drive 2)West End 3)Any Given Moment 4)Talk 5)Exposé 6 )The Last Lover 7)Trouble Becomes Her 8)The Bad Witness 9)The Kill Fee 10)Mr. Murder 11)Riverside Park

"The Sally Harrington Mysteries": 1)Exposé 2)The Last Lover 3)Trouble Becomes Her 4)The Bad Witness 5)The Kill Fee 6)Mr. Murder

The "Stand Alone" Novels: 1)Benedict Canyon 2)Jury Duty 3)Just for the Summer

Best-selling author Laura Van Wormer has been a force in fiction since the publication of "Riverside Drive" in 1988. She is the author of thirteen novels. Her engrossing plots, memorable characters and insider knowledge of the media professions have won praise from the New York Times, the Los Angeles Times, USA Today, Good Housekeeping, and People.

After graduating from Darien High School in Connecticut Laura spent a year at the University of Arizona before transferring to Syracuse University, from where she received a B.S. in Public Communications from the S.I. Newhouse School and minored in English.

Upon graduation Laura went to New York looking for a job in television but landed a job instead as secretary to the editor-in-chief of Doubleday & Company. "Every day my head was spinning," Laura says. "Everyone from Leon Uris to William F. Buckley, Jr., Victoria Holt to Phyllis Whitney, Edna O'Brien to Stephen King, Arthur and Alex Hailey to Allen Drury were all publishing with Doubleday at that time."

Laura rose through the editorial ranks somewhat specializing in celebrity and mass media-related books. Caught in a deadline crunch one year, Doubleday and 20th Century Fox flew Laura out to the West Coast to create a book based on the hit series, "Dynasty". Upon her return to New York an offer was made to create a book for the rival show, "Dallas". Laura ended up taking the assignment and leaving Doubleday to write her first novel.

The novel ended up taking four years. To keep body and soul together Laura became "The Official Dallas Historian" (!) and created a game for Lorimar based on the show. She then took on "Knots Landing", wrote copy for the back of jigsaw puzzles and created a game.

Finally she finished her first novel, "Riverside Drive", published in 1988, which is currently in its 5th edition. She has been a full time writer ever since.

Laura is a longtime member of the Authors Guild of America, and also (because of "Jury Duty" and the Sally Harrington mysteries) the Mystery Writers of America and Sisters in Crime. She lives in Connecticut, New York and Shelburne, Nova Scotia.

 

Customer Reviews

3 Reviews
5 star:
 (1)
4 star:
 (2)
3 star:    (0)
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Average Customer Review
4.3 out of 5 stars (3 customer reviews)
 
 
 
 
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent Book - Complex Characters and Good Story, December 17, 2001
Amazon Verified Purchase(What's this?)
This review is from: West End (Paperback)
One of my favorite things about Laura Van Wormer's books is that if you find a character you enjoy, you're likely to find this character in other books of hers as well.

That gives the reader a real sense that the world that Laura Van Wormer has created for her characters is real. And it's true, she's created a very believable, multi-layered universe to place all her characters in. Across all her books, the characters share friendships and events, casual and otherwise.

One of my favorites of all the Van Wormer books is "West End".

"West End" is an excellent story, centered mainly on the interesting world of network news; told very much from the inside prospective of a core group of characters.

We are presented with newscaster Alexandra Waring, talk show host Jessica Wright and Executive Producer Cassy Cochran.

As with most of the Van Wormer books, the storylines are almost always female character driven, and "West End" is no different.

On a bright note - this is a good thing, as Van Wormer seems gifted with the ability to give three strong female characters very distinct, yet different, voices.

"West End" is a favorite of mine solely for the fact that it features the wonderfully enigmatic newswoman Alexandra Waring. Alexandra is the most complex character that Van Wormer has created, in my humble opinion. Alexandra is a wonderful amalgam of professional perfection and personal turmoil. She's got a history and it's not one she's often comfortable with.

Alexandra is a complex character and Van Wormer has captured her energy, pain and emotional life perfectly. She is a flawed heroine which, as it does here, means a more interesting character to read about.

The most compelling reason to buy any book is it's entertainment value and this book delivers. The story is complex, the characters fun and interesting to get to know.

I don't want to give away any of the plot twists or turns but suffice to say that I recommend this book.

Be warned though, once you get a glimpse into the world of Alexandra and her friends, you'll want to know them better, and follow their lives. Thankfully, Laura Van Wormer has written the follow-up books that allow you to do so.

Note, however, that all the books Laura Van Wormer has written are not identical. Not in the least. Some are simply great stories, and more recently, she's brought her world of characters into the realm of sophisticated mysteries.

I'd suggest starting with the first published Van Wormer book, which I believe is "Riverside Drive" (several characters that appear in "West End" are first mentioned in "Riverside Drive" ) and just settling in.

She's written 10 books as of November 2001, so you do have some catching up to do.

However, if you become enamoured with Alexandra Waring, you'll want to start with "West End" and be properly introduced to this wonderfully complex character.

I will be adding reviews of the other Van Wormer books in the future, speaking specifically to Alexandra's appearance in them. Should you find Alexandra and Jessica so very engaging ( as I do ), your next purchase after "West End" should be "Talk".

To the Alexandra specific fan - A major event in Alexandra's life is dealt with beautifully in "Any Given Moment".

Best Regards,
turtlex

If you enjoyed this review, please feel free to add me to your favorite people list

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5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars A Good Bad Book, July 19, 1999
By A Customer
Amazon Verified Purchase(What's this?)
This review is from: West End (Mass Market Paperback)
I don't know how I started reading these books, but they are so much fun. I'm absolutely addicted to Laura van Wormer's stuff, and it's all because of Riverside Drive. The characters are fun and engrossing, and I appreciate the way the author continues to use the same protagonists to keep the reader addicted. West End was not as good as Riverside Drive, but still worth the effort.
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5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars A fun, but at times tedious, read, February 10, 2001
This review is from: West End (Mass Market Paperback)
This is the third Van Wormer book I read. Unfortunately, I'm reading the books in reverse order but in the process I can appreciate how Van Wormer's style has matured. In her later books, I'm pleased to see that she's gotten over her distracting use of "and so" (ie, "This happened, and so that happened."). The story is interesting, though. It starts with the shooting of anchorwoman Alexandra Waring and her recovery and exodus to the upstart network, DBS. We're also indroduced to Jessica Wright, and see her through her alcohol problems and subsequent recovery. The likely romance between Cassy and Jackson begins, and by the end of the book DBS is solidly established. It's a good story that held my interest, but so much of it was extraneous to the plot and cumbersome with detail. I did some skimming through certain parts, like the blow-by-blow account of Alexandra getting dressed to go out jogging. However, you'll definitely need to read this one to enjoy Talk, Expose, and The Last Lover to their fullest. All three are excellent and got me hooked on Van Wormer's work.
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