Party Girl: A Novel (Hardcover)

by Anna David (Author)
Key Phrases: doing coke, Absolutely Fabulous, New York, Chad Milan (more...)

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly
David, who has written about celebrities for glossy mags, delivers the saga of Amelia Stone, who writes about celebrities for a trashy gossip magazine. Amelia's on the L.A. merry-go-round of sex, booze and drugs, and she likes the ride and the A-list company. The patter is bubbly and witty, whether Amelia is getting in trouble at work, getting tangled up in another sexual exploit, snorting lines or puking on herself. Then her parents send her to a luxe rehab clinic after she ODs and gets fired, and on her last day there she learns she's been tapped, on the basis of her wild reputation, to write a column for a major magazine. The hitch? She's now sober, something she's afraid to admit to her employer. Amelia's deliberation on this point is drawn out, though David finds a steady supply of material in Amelia's closet sobriety. Between fake vodka shots and interest from HBO to turn her column into a series (yes, really), Amelia finds her way to a happy, sober ending. There will be inevitable comparisons to Sex and the City (Amelia is certainly cast in the Carrie Bradshaw mold), but pink book jacket connoisseurs will likely prefer the original.
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From Booklist
Fans of Candace Bushnell and Jane Green will lap up David's debut novel, based on her real-life experiences as a cocaine-snorting Hollywood socialite. Billed as this summer's beach read, Party Girl is the tale of twentysomething Amelia Stone, lowly staff writer at Absolutely Fabulous, a celebrity gossip sheet. Amelia's round-the-clock revelry (and frequent visits to the office bathroom for a fix) get her fired from her job. There are the obligatory stint at rehab (the book's best moments, by far) and the chance at a new beginning as a society columnist for a leading magazine. But can Amelia banter about the decadent lifestyle without actually indulging in it? If journalist and television commentator David has done even half the drugs of her fictional creation, it's a wonder she's alive—and coherent enough to write about it. It's hard to muster much sympathy for Amelia, who lacks the self-deprecation of Sex and the City narrator Carrie Bradshaw. This is mildly engaging stuff, most valuable, perhaps, as a cautionary tale (Paris Hilton, take note). Block, Allison

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 288 pages
• Publisher: William Morrow; First Edition ~1st Printing edition (May 29, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0061198722
• ISBN-13: 978-0061198724
• Product Dimensions: 8.8 x 6 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars See all reviews (18 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #346,361 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars If you can't live without your celebrity gossip, Party Girl is the book for you, August 3, 2007

By	K. Hinton "avid reader" (Atlanta, GA) - See all my reviews (TOP 500 REVIEWER)

Amelia Stone is a party girl, in every sense of the word. In fact, her story begins with her being caught in a compromising position with the cousin of the bride at a party being thrown at her mother's house. The story then goes on to describe her almost having a menage a trois with two groomsmen, before sobering up and falling asleep. Because this is what party girls do. Living her life in a haze of cocaine and alcohol, Amelia stops partying only long enough to turn in her articles at Absolutely Fabulous (an Us Weekly-type celebrity gossip mag), feed her cats, and catch some zzzzz's. Other than that, you can find her at the hottest industry parties, doing drugs in the bathroom, staying up all night, and using Ambien and alcohol to fall asleep. That is, until her hard-partying lifestyle catches up with her and Amelia finds herself in rehab.

Though she doesn't believe she has a problem with alcohol, Amelia is willing to admit she has a drinking problem. When she checks in to Pledges, her life is in shambles, she's been fired from her job, and she doesn't know what she's going to do for work. One month out of rehab later, she re-enters the world only to find that an admirer of her party girl lifestyle (the publisher of Chat, a different magazine, with a more Cosmo feel) is offering her a job to write about the crazy nights she used to have. Amelia knows she can't pass up this opportunity, but can she make a living out of writing about a life she no longer leads?

If you're the sort of person who reads Perez Hilton or Pink is the New Blog every day, and can't live without her (or his) Us Weekly, Party Girl is going to be right up your alley. This book has all the fun and entertainment of reading trashy gossip rags without the guilt, since the characters are fictional. Amelia was an intersting narrator, to say the least. At some points she was clearly so screwed up that I pitied her, but she managed to use her own downfall to build herself up bigger than she was before. The twists and turns that this book took were not all unexpected and at times the story was a bit predictable, and in that sense it's not the best book I've ever read, but it was still enjoyable from start to finish. If nothing else, it's something to kill the time while you wait for the new Us Weekly to hit the stands.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Party Girl by Anna David, April 7, 2009

By	Marina Saavedra "Spaniard Girl" (San Jose, Ca) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This review is from: Party Girl: A Novel (Paperback)

First I must say that I have enjoyed Anna's articles and have been a fan of hers before she wrote this book.
I enjoyed this book because I felt it was honest, and Anna, through her words, had the ability to make me experience something I never have. I have never been drunk and I have never tried a drug in my life, yet I was able to feel what it was like as I read through the book. I can't wait to read Bought when it comes out in May.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Party Girl Was Simply Awesome!, June 20, 2009

By	Anthony Mark "Anthony Mark" (New York City) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Party Girl: A Novel (Paperback)

Party Girl is somewhat Auto-Biographical about the 1990s life style of Anna David, the books Amazing Author!
The writing style is so very subtle, but extremely exciting
Anna quickly draws you into her world of parties, drugs, and her relationships. Then the big moments, her termination, one final incident that leads to rehab. Then a huge business opportunity after rehab
Reading the pages, I can hear Anna's voice and I can imagine each character in my mind. Anna helped me experience what it was like to use Cocaine, she described it using a method I had never read anywhere else
Her character Amelia Stone is not a heroine, shes a woman who you might love and hate all within a few pages!
Her writing style makes Party Girl and her new book Bought simply a must read!
I simply loved it!