Little Pink Slips

February 19, 2007
Former McCall's
editor-in-chief Koslow features in her mellow roman à clef Magnolia Gold, who gets booted out of her magazine kingdom, but lands on stilettos that "you could almost mistake for Manolos." Magnolia, editor-in-chief of Lady
magazine, has her dream job, a Cartier watch and a fab New York apartment, but Lady
's publisher and parent company president cozy up to gauche celebrity Bebe Blake and decide—against Magnolia's warnings that Bebe will alienate the mag's "red state Republican" readership—to turn Lady
into Bebe
and demote Magnolia to "corporate editor," a bogus position that's soon eliminated. (Bebe may remind readers of Rosie O'Donnell, who assumed Koslow's duties at McCall's
once it was relaunched as Rosie
.) As Bebe ravages the magazine, a down-and-out Magnolia orchestrates her return while she and best friend Abbey run through their share of nonstarter men. Abbey finds Mr. Right, and just as things are looking their bleakest for romantically and professionally flailing Magnolia, lightning strikes twice. Koslow's take on behind-the-scenes maneuvering will keep readers turning the pages of her debut, but her soft-focus on glossy magazine publishing (the same mani-pedis, shopping diversions and expensive meals circuit that have been catalogued elsewhere) feels reserved: the villains aren't especially vile, and the goodies are very goodly—call it a red state The
Devil Wears Prada
.

March 15, 2007
Koslow, former editor in chief ofMcCall's, writes a fictionalized account of the magazine's takeover by Rosie O'Donnell. In 2001, McCall's becameRosie, which folded after 18 months amid high drama. The publisher and O'Donnell sued each other, though the judge eventually tossed out both suits. In this thinly veiled romanà clef, Maggie Goldfarb is poised to revamp the nation's oldest women's magazine, Lady . However, her dream job turns into a nightmare when the publishers decide to bring on bawdy celeb Bebe Blake, who quickly sends the magazine to ruin with her temper, bossiness, and lack of publishing know-how. What's more, back stabbing and gossip thwart Maggie's success at every turn. Too many oddly inserted characters and a bland romantic subplot make the story clunky and detract from an otherwise interesting peek at the magazine publishing world. But this is sure to generate massive publicity, and fans of Lauren Weisberger'sThe Devil Wears Prada will snatch it up, so public libraries will want to purchase accordingly. [See Prepub Alert, LJ 12/06.]Rebecca Vnuk, River Forest P.L., IL

Copyright 2007 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

March 15, 2007
Magnolia Gold, formerly ambitious Maggie Goldfarb of Fargo, North Dakota, is now the suave sophisticated editor in chief of " Lady" magazine. So what if she has no love life? She loves her job and is looking forward to updating the magazine, if only CEO Jock Flanagan approves her new ideas. The bullheaded Jock hardly pays any attention to Magnolia's new plan because the publisher has the "fabulous" idea of turning her beloved magazine into the play toy of the overblown celebrity talk-show-host Bebe Blake. Bebe is a loudmouthed, opinionated woman (sound familiar?) with no magazine experience, and now Magnolia must kowtow to her so she can keep her job. On the heels of " The Devil Wears Prada" (2003), Koslow presents another dishy and delightful insider's view of the elite in magazine publishing, a subject she is more than qualified to spoof, having been editor in chief of " McCall's."(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2007, American Library Association.)