Lipstick Jungle

July 11, 2005
Though Bushnell's fourth book opens in familiar Sex and the City
territory—a fashion show in Bryant Park where attendees sport Jimmy Choo and Baume & Mercier—the novel quickly takes off for deeper waters. For once, men—how to get them, how to keep them—aren't Bushnell's central focus, and her three main characters, all women in their early 40s, are surely her richest to date. Two of the three are married with children; all are at the top of their field. Wendy, a movie executive at the Miramax-like Parador, struggles to finish a potentially Oscar-winning flick while placating her unemployed hubby at home. Nico, editor-in-chief at Bonfire
magazine, juggles the Machiavellian politics of her corporate parent-company with the needs of her naïf boy-toy lover and her savvy Columbia professor husband. And while fashion designer Victory Ford may date a Mr. Big-like character, she takes the relationship lightly. Most of her energies are directed to saving her business, which has fallen on hard times since she launched a new, more innovative line. Bushnell herself won't face the same problem. There's plenty of the old razzle-dazzle to satisfy her fans. Her characters lunch at Michael's, go on dates to the Whitney Biennial and shop for ponies at the Palm Beach Polo Club. There's a make-out session in a bar bathroom, panty ripping on a kitchen countertop and many frank descriptions of urban sexual mores. But Bushnell's emphasis on female friendship and career ambition may also win her a legion of new readers. Her characters want "the sweet, creamy sensation of power," and it's Bushnell's account of how they got it, and how they keep it, that will really keep readers turning pages. Expect a splashy debut, followed by a long run of sales. Agent, Heather Schroder.

August 15, 2005
Bushnell's ("Sex and the City"; "Four Blondes") new novel will not disappoint her many fans. Three best friends are all named to the list of "New York's 50 Most Powerful Women." Victory Ford is a thriving fashion designer who built her company from the ground up. To reach the next level of success, she must discover what she desires most in her career and her life. Wendy Healy may be the president of a major movie studio, but she cannot manage her personal life (three children and a childish, whiny husband who depends on her for income). Although Nico O'Neilly is the toast of the publishing world as the editor credited with single-handedly reviving an ailing magazine, she has her sights on the top CEO position. Her once-successful husband now manages her career and breeds dogs in his spare time. Stereotypical gender roles are decidedly switched here: three successful, powerful friends take on the once solely masculine role of provider and leader while learning, uneasily at first, to balance their identities as women. Although the novel has its share of awkward plot machinations, Bushnell is skilled enough to create likable yet strong characters who ultimately draw in the reader. Recommended for all public libraries. [See Prepub Alert, "LJ" 5/15/05.] -Andrea Y. Griffith, Loma Linda Univ. Lib., CA

Copyright 2005 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

June 1, 2005
Bushnell rose to fame with her witty expose of the New York social scene, " Sex and the City "(1996), but since then, she's been writing fiction. Her third novel since " Sex" thrusts readers into a world that might seem familiar to fans of either Bushnell's first book or the hit TV show it inspired. Victory Ford, Wendy Healy, and Nico O'Neilly are three movers and shakers in Manhattan who still find time to lunch at the hottest restaurants, not unlike the four ladies of " Sex and the City." Victory is a world-famous fashion designer whose spring collection failed to impress at New York's all-important fashion week. As the president of Parador Pictures, Wendy is gearing up for the film she hopes will finally snag her the coveted Best Picture Oscar. Nico, editor in chief of " Bonfire" magazine, is working her way up the corporate ladder. The ladies' love lives are just as interesting as their careers. Victory is being courted by an eccentric billionaire; Wendy's handsome, lazy husband has just demanded a divorce; and married Nico finds herself drawn into a fling with a handsome, younger male model. Readers who want to immerse themselves in the trendy world of New York's high society will find themselves at home in this scintillating novel.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2005, American Library Association.)