The Perfect Manhattan

May 23, 2005
In their attempt to titillate while criticizing the high life, bartender/writer Shear and bartender/actress Toomey shake an imperfect cocktail with this story of a sexy young mixologist's fabulous but sordid summer working in the Hamptons. After graduating from Columbia, aspiring writer Cassie tends bar at a posh SoHo watering hole, experience that lands her a summer spot at the front bar of Hamptons hot spot Spark. Cassie, who has blue collar roots, is quickly swept up in the scene: flirting for tips up to $1,000 and landing handsome trust-fund boyfriend James Richard Edmonton III. By Labor Day weekend, the frenetic socializing and spending hard-earned cash on designer dresses take a toll on the hopeful screenwriter. While the authors divulge interesting behind-the-bar secrets plus tidbits on how bartenders rip off bar owners, in fleshing out the Hamptons elite they resort to stale Lizzie Grubman and P. Diddy references and WASPy stereotypes. (Cassie dubs her romantic rivals, decked out in pastel cashmere sweater sets and pearls, the "Pearls Girls.") Add banal commentary on differences between old and nouveau riche to Cassie's ultimate disavowal of "selfish, shallow, boring people spending money," and this concoction's fizz goes flat. Agent, Elizabeth Weed
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February 1, 2005
Having bartended in Manhattan and the Hamptons, erstwhile journalist Shear and actress Toomey are well prepped to cowrite the story of a college grad who decides to pay off her burdensome loans by mixing drinks. With a national tour.

Copyright 2005 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

July 1, 2005
Cassie Ellis has just graduated from Columbia University with a degree in creative writing. Unlike her classmates who are heading off to high-powered jobs at investment firms, Cassie isn't sure what the next step is. She wants a job that will allow her time to work on her screenplay, a " Pygmalion"/" Pretty Woman" hybrid called " Glass Slipper." When she sees an ad for bartending school, Cassie decides to sign up. A chance meeting with bar owner Dan Finton leads to a job offer, but when she arrives to work, Cassie finds she has to prove herself to veteran bartender Billy and win over the customers. When the gig doesn't bring in the big bucks she was hoping for, she sets her sights on a more lucrative posting: a summer job in the Hamptons. N.Y.C and Hamptons bartenders Shear and Toomey know the world of which they write, and give readers a detailed glimpse into the steamy nightlife of the Big Apple and the summer hot spot. A perfect beach read.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2005, American Library Association.)