By Karla Misjan
Wealth, reputations and intrigue...
So, I’m kind of addicted to chick-lit. Even the really cheesy, fluffy, ooey-gooey ones (shhh…don’t tell a soul). But this one is different. Candace Bushnell deserves the chick-lit Pulitzer Prize equivalent for her fifth book, "One Fifth Avenue."
If there is one thing I learned from my time living in New York City, it is that finding the perfect mate and the perfect apartment are like searching for the Holy Grail: always close in theory, yet somehow remotely unattainable.
After reading "One Fifth Avenue", I realized while it may be a fictional tale, these characters recognize my feelings—only their pursuits are magnified tenfold with buckets of money that I may never possess.
This book raises the question: can you really have it all? And, if so, at what expense?
Throwing you into the rungs of New York City’s elite, old-school money is on the outs and new money is in—leaving Manhattanites in a deep existential power struggle. "One Fifth Avenue" chronicles the interconnected lives of the residents of this real-life landmark address—“the center of New York Society.”
So the story goes: “for years, One Fifth had been an unofficial club for successful artists of all kinds—the painters and writers and composers and conductors and actors and directors who possessed the creative energy that kept the city alive.”
The book begins with the death of nearly 100-year-old Mrs. Houghton, the Queen of the New York social circuit, an institution in her own right and the occupant of the three-story, 7,000-sq.-ft. penthouse. The sudden vacancy leaves the residents in a tizzy, wondering who will buy the $15 million Fifth Avenue palace. With such price tags, One Fifth looses its creative flair and becomes a haven for the wealthy, creating all sorts of drama.
The struggles between old and new and rich and “poor”(owning a one-bedroom instead of a four-bedroom apartment) are well represented by this knowledgeable New York author. Status is everything for the characters, which is most obviously defined by real estate. “You know New York never changes. The characters are different, but the play remains the same” says Phillip, the screenwriter nephew.
The building, One Fifth, lends itself to a social hierarchy. Let the dethroning begin!
The Gooch family lives on the bottom floor and are on a treadmill when it comes to climbing the social ladder, crawling forever but going nowhere. Above them is Schiffer Diamond, a middle-aged actress who just returned from L.A. to her New York digs. Famed gossip columnist and her screenwriter nephew share a whole floor above her, while the Rices (the new D.C money) reign supreme on the top three floors.
…and, well, if you’re not in One Fifth, you want to be.
In "One Fifth Avenue," Bushnell brings her usual witty, sexpot prose that we all know and love from novels "Sex and The City" to "The Four Blondes," while upping the plot punch a notch or two.
Halfway through, the book veered off Chick-Lit Road and took a slight right onto Mystery Lane. With illegal exchanges, illicit affairs and indulgent lavishness, nothing in this book is predictable (unlike the typical chick-lit novels). Intelligently weaving the characters in and out of one another’s lives, I was so enthralled that I literally had to remind myself to put the book down to use the restroom.
Until Bushnell releases her next book, I guess I will have to satiate myself with rerun upon rerun of “Sex and The City.” Or, maybe I could just create a chick-lit Pulitzer in her honor.
1 comment:
This was a cute, fun read - much like how I imagine reading this book would be. Based on Cadace alone, I would pick this book up - who doesn't love SATC? Anyway, your first paragraph matches the cover perfectly. Much enjoyed.
Diane Park
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