One Fifth Avenue by Candace Bushnell
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Book Reviews of One Fifth Avenue
Book Review: The Lust for Power and Social Position...
Summary: 5 Stars
In an Art Deco building in one of Manhattan's oldest and most hip neighborhoods, a conclave of fictional Manhattanites reside; they are a mix of old and new money, a power-hungry and socially eager group that will do almost anything to maintain their residences - and hence, their social positions - in this piece of real estate that represents so much more to each of them. Thus begins the tale of One Fifth Avenue.
First, we meet some of the elder residents - those who have the respect of the others. We meet Louise Houghton, who has been in the building for more than thirty years - and is nearly 100 years old - who occupies the penthouse apartment that hovers like three tiers on a wedding cake, above all the others. Then we see Enid Merle, whose apartment on the thirteenth floor is the best (after the penthouse, of course) and is next to her nephew Philip Oakland, a writer. She, too, is elderly.
Louise and Enid are the historians for the place, and know "where all the bodies are buried".
Schiffer Diamond, an actress, has primarily lived in LA for the past several years, but after obtaining a part in a TV series, she returns to her small unit at One Fifth Avenue.
Billy Litchfield resides on lower Fifth Avenue and has little money. However, he acts as a kind of concierge to the very rich, and thus has entrée into the soirees and special events attended by the very rich. He is in and out of One Fifth Avenue, mixing with the residents as if he belongs.
On the very bottom floor, Mindy and James Gooch reside, with their 13-year-old computer-whiz of a son. Theirs is a cramped unit with a series of box-like rooms - they were formerly luggage space - but Mindy Gooch is the head of the board for the cooperative apartment building. She wields some power in enforcing the rules and keeping out the unsavory potential residents.
But the residents shun her and exclude her from the social events.
When Louise Houghton dies unexpectedly - strangely put, since she is so old, but everyone expected her to live forever - her prime penthouse apartment is "up for grabs".
Enter Paul and Annalisa Rich, the new rich - he is a hedge fund billionaire and she, a former attorney - and more drama begins.
When the Rices buy the penthouse for 20 million, they are welcomed - at first. Then a series of events, coupled with Paul Rice's arrogant and paranoid behavior, lead to a warring of various factions, until in the end, everyone wants Paul out. He, on the other hand, with his money, greed and power, hopes to eliminate the others.
Mixed with various romances and the sexually-charged liaisons of the characters, we have a dramatic tale of power and lust gone mad.
What will happen to ultimately tip the balance of power and who will end up reigning? What sabotage will finally lead to tragedy, and who will end up paying the highest price?
These characters, richly drawn and compelling, remind us of Bushnell's other works - Sex and the City and Lipstick Jungle - and their antics kept me turning the pages eagerly until the final act.
Laurel-Rain Snow
Book Review: Antics in NYC - Bushnell does it again!
Summary: 5 Stars
Sex in the City author Candace Bushnell has hit the proverbial "nail on the head" with One Fifth Avenue. If Manhattan is a gem, then this novel incorporates all the facets that go along with such a piece.
One Fifth Avenue is the address of a Greenwich Village condo, which in a former life was a hotel. The description of the characters and the apartments they occupy gives the reader a strong sense of who is in charge in this story.
There's Mrs. Louise Houghton's, THE Queen of NYC society, who starts all the action, by dying in her grand apartment, which then gets sold. Enter Annalisa and Paul Rice, the buyers. Annalisa begins to make her own way in NYC society, while Paul starts his own personal "wealth race" as a hedge fund manager. When he doesn't get his way with the board, he threatens to buy everyone out of the place or even move altogether. Annalisa just won't hear of it.
Billy Litchfield is the dear who be-friended Annalisa to help her navigate NY society. He has his own issues with family and the price of NY real estate, but keeps a tight lid on all matters of a personal nature. When the invite to Houghton's funeral arrives, he knows then that New York has eaten them all up. The characterization of Billy is a bit Willy Loman, but the essence carries through of a man who lived, and lived well, in New York's society circles.
Oh, and one could not have this cast of characters and their conflicts without Mindy and James Gooch. Mindy is the president of the board of One Fifth Avenue and tries so hard to be "one of them" but she is so miserable and feels cheated by what life promised her 20 years ago. In the end, she finds her freedom in more ways than one, and you have to applaud her for hanging in there, being inventive, and surviving this race of humanity. James, on the other hand, is a tortured soul and seems to get himself into more trouble as the story comes together.
The saving grace of these two is their teenage son, Sam. Sam is "the" computer guy of the building, and he drives a good deal. While he charges an hourly fee with residents who require his computer expertise, he extends this service for free to the doormen because he knows what a cheap tipper his parents are at the holidays, especially his mother.
The list of characters goes on with gossip columnist Enid, her nephew & screenwriter du jour, Philip, a top actress, Schiffer, with whom Philip once had a relationship, and Lola, who tries desperately to get ahead with the best (only?) way that she knows how...sex.
The antics of these distinctive personalities pull the reader in with such a force that once started, it is really difficult to put down. Bushnell has again created characters and situations that one can't help but to feel like a voyeur. It's like a bad accident. You don't want to look. You can't help but to look.
Book Review: Sexier Than Edith Wharton
Summary: 5 Stars
I had never read a Candace Bushnell novel before this and never seen a complete episode of Sex and the City, though I had heard of it. I've been disappointed by most of the recent (and ballyhooed) novels I've read. But on previewing an excerpt of One Fifth in Vogue, I was intrigued by the profoundly shallow character of Lola Fabrikant, a fabricated girl with a name to match. Now on reading the book, I am genuinely impressed. Candace Bushnell is a true storyteller, and that's no small praise. She's written a pageturner, crafted memorable characters, imbued them with individuality and personality, and given them the most luscious lines to speak. Her subject is not sex despite what you may think, and though there is considerably more explicitness than in Edith Wharton or Jane Austen (you may skip, as I did, the overly anatomical descriptions), Bushnell's real subject is the pursuit of status and success in New York City at the present moment. Many have tried this subject before, but the Jayne Krentzes and Rona Jaffes of the past were hacks compared to Bushnell. She's not an artist, but she is very clever and even wise. And she spins a darn good story, which is what a novel, to me, should be about. Almost every character in One Fifth Avenue is lacking his heart's desire, is deeply dissatisfied, and these frustrated desires, which conflict with those of their neighbors, drive the plot lines of the novel. The greatest desire of all is not for love, but for real estate, in the form of a penthouse triplex at One Fifth Avenue, up for sale after the death of its centenarian socialite owner, felled on her own terrace in a driving rainstorm. A crowning irony is that this aged doyenne who possesses the acme of desire, the immense apartment atop Manhattan's coveted address, dies of pneumonia because her servants can't locate her in time in the 7,000 square foot apartment. Such is the futility of possession.Book Review: Not for the television watcher
Summary: 5 Stars
I've read a lot of reviews about this book that were disappointed since they were "avid watchers of SATC and Lipstick Jungle". Not the same as the books, frankly. ANyone who has read SATC, knows that Carrie Bradshaw was originally not a main character, just a rather interesting one. Lipstick jungle, while having the same characters as the show was also rather different than the book. People need to remember that writing a book that is meant to be read is a rather different endeavor than writing one that is meant to be turned into television viewing or vice versa. Things change drastically for the small and big screen versus what is meant to be read.
With that being said, I think that One Fifth Avenue would make an excellent movie although I hope it never makes it onto the screen. I loved that it was a book, I loved this book a lot. I'm rather young, 26, but the social commentary about noveau riche people in their late 20's and early 30's was pretty dead on accurate. In fact, I felt all her characters were spot on, well fleshed out, and each story line given proper resolution- all things I need out of a good book. It was entertaining and thought provoking and a great character study of life in the early 21st century. It was definitely juicy too, though I have to agree that some of the sexual content got a little tasteless, but gotta keep all types interested. I think this is one of her best, most refined pieces of writing. It's not for everyone and that's ok. For people who adore Bergdorf Blondes by Plum Sykes or Gossip Girl (books not the show) with all the blatant label and name dropping and easily resolved storylines, this isn't going to be your cup of tea. I definitely agree that this is a fine comparison to the great Edith Wharton.
Book Review: One Heck of a Book and a Guilty Pleasure
Summary: 5 Stars
I really enjoyed this book. Since "Lipstick Jungle", I think that Ms. Bushnell has come into her own as a credible, literary writer. As much as I loved SATC the series, the book seemed disjointed from a literary perspective.
This book is tight and is a page turner. Being a New York CIty girl, I appreciated her take on this building and its cohabitants. I have been in this building a few times myself and it is all that. NYC apartment buildings really are like small villages.
If any of you have lost money on the stock market, you will be vicariously gleeful at what befalls the hedge fund people too. It is a win win kind of book with totally flushed out characters. I loved Ms. Bushnell's observations because at 55, I have had many of the same observations regarding the younger generation. I loved the various perspectives of all the characters of varying ages and the intermingling of stories. I think this is her best work to date but I said that about "Lipstick Jungle." ONE FIFTH is a cohesive ride told by a master storyteller. Bravo. A brilliant book!