The Go-To Girl

December 13, 2004
Anna Brown, the 32-year-old London native who narrates Bagshawe's contrived latest chick-lit offering (after The Devil You Know
), is ugly. She describes her unfortunate traits (large nose, masculine build and extra weight) soon after the story begins and never lets the reader forget them. The novel plods along as self-loathing Anna is dumped by an acne-ridden boyfriend, argues with her thin, gorgeous roommates (they're models) and achieves some small successes as an underpaid script reader for a film company. Despite Anna's low self-esteem, when she meets powerful film director Mark Swan, she manages to sabotage their budding friendship by tiresomely insisting that Swan help her sell her first attempt at a script, thus scuttling her best chance for romance. To make matters worse, she agrees to marry another man, super-rich—and super-unattractive—Charles. Few of Bagshawe's characters shrink from opportunism, and their eventual redemption may ring a little false after so much gleeful money-grubbing. Some readers will enjoy the bitchiness, but others may think that ugly is as ugly does, and that Anna deserves her big nose—though the inevitable makeover scene is good fun. Agent, Peter Matson at Sterling Lord Literistic.

January 1, 2005
Readers jaded by British chick lit will get suckered into adopting this hapless, lovable heroine. Script-reader Anna Brown longs to make it in the film production biz, but she's lousy at sucking up (unlike office-mate John) and sexy flirting (unlike office-mate Sharon). When's she not fetching coffee or taking abuse from her quixotic boss, Anna nurses a serious case of the glums from living with two glamorous models. Anna's big break arrives in the form of England's hottest bad-boy director, Mark Swan, who unearths Anna's potential as a screenwriter when she goofily interrupts his location scouting with her witty badinage. Believing she'll never make it in showbiz or catch Mark's eye, Anna allows herself to be talked into an arranged marriage with the wealthy and arrogant Charles. Traditional mishaps include getting fired, romantic misunderstandings, and hiding figure flaws. Expected resolutions include discovering hidden talent, shucking loser boyfriend, and fabulous makeovers. The same tired chick-lit elements are present but wrapped up in snappy dialogue and entertaining characters. Readers won't care if they can second-guess the plot.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2005, American Library Association.)