The Truth About Diamonds: A Novel by Nicole Richie
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Book Reviews of The Truth About Diamonds: A Novel
Book Review: A lovely little roman à clef...
Summary: 4 Stars
While on a book buying binge with a pop culture theme, I came across "The Truth About Diamonds" and I have to admit that at first I thought to myself "Do I really want to read this book?" But, then I put aside any preconceived notions and just bought it. And you know what... I really enjoyed it. I read it in one night while taking a bubble bath and I found myself so entertained that I didn't put it down until I was done...
"The Truth About Diamonds" follows wealthy socialite Chloe Parker, the adopted daughter of a music royalty, through her rise to fame, battle with drugs, adventures with friends, adventures with frienemies and eventually true love.
Is "The Truth About Diamonds" one of the finest works of literature the world will ever see? No, of course it's not, don't be silly. Is "The Truth About Diamonds" an entertaining, revealing book that would be well placed on any good gossipmongers summer reading list? Yes, yes it is. In fact, I think that "Nicole" has done a great job of creating a lovely little roman à clef with this book and if, in a few years, she decides to write another novel I'll be sure to pick that one up too.
Book Review: Stranger Than Fiction
Summary: 3 Stars
I picked this book up for two reasons. One, I have been a fan of Nicole's since her days on the Simple Life. Two, I wondered if she could actually pull this off. Well, obviously. I mean, if she could get published, she obviously has some writing talent, right? Well...maybe.
The book begins with an introduction by Nicole, telling us about her "friend" Chloe. She explains that the story is about her, told from Nicole's perspective. Sounds confusing, right? It is. It takes a while to get used to this brand of storytelling, especially since the reader can infer that Chloe is actually Nicole. Not only does this distract the reader, but it robs them of making any sort of connection with the main character. Emotional or otherwise. In some ways, this is a biased novel. It's as if we're supposed to like Chloe just because Nicole hints at what an amazing person she is (even though she spends the majority of the book on drugs and hanging out with the evil Simone).
As mentioned earlier, another distracting element is that Nicole tells Chloe's story from her own point of view even though we know it's about Nicole (it's more like an episode of 'Melrose Place' than a book). This is supposed to be fiction, yet she breaks the fourth wall by adding numerous tidbits about scandals that have surrounded her and a certain hotel heiress since their arrival, which causes the reader to break into a game of 'Guess Who and What.' But she leaves nothing to the imagination, slamming her ex-best friend, however, this is one of the more entertaining part of the books. Richie depicts Paris -- I mean, Simone -- as a drugged-out socialite, famous for making "home videos" on her signature phone, which was stolen and had all the phone numbers leaked to the press. Sounds familiar. And there is an odd tale about a disturbed childhood. Of course, this is the fiction part. And the main storyline that Chloe is asked by Simone to be a part of a national campaign, automatically informs the reader that this is in reference to Paris asking Nicole to be a part of the Simple Life.
Now, on the writing, Nicole has a very strong voice that is present with the one-liners that she has become famous for. But at times, it seems as if she's trying to make the reader laugh than telling her -- or Chloe's -- story. And there are many parts where she loses the reader within her wordy sentences. And she tends to go off on tangents, telling a story and switching over to another. But, she does admit that she is ADD in the introduction.
Entertaining? Sure. But that entertainment only lasts for so long. It's clear that this book was rushed. She has a strong story to tell, and she has great characters, but she should've spent more time tweaking the novel than writing it. For a first go, it isn't that bad. Don't pick this book up if you want direct dirt from Nicole's life. Think of this as a semi-autobiography. Half true, half fiction.
Book Review: Easy, refreshing read.
Summary: 3 Stars
This book, although juvenile and confusing at times, was enjoyable for anyone looking for more than a tabloid story and wanting about 2 weeks to get through it. Nicole fans, and fans of that whole cheesy LA lifestyle will thoroughly enjoy this. It wasn't the best thing i've ever read, but it wasn't horrible either. Just entertaining enough to spend money on and not feel guilty.Book Review: Easy Read
Summary: 3 Stars
This was an interesting, fun, and enjoyable read.
It should be something you bring to the beach or when you're able to sit down for a few minutes. I didn't usually want to put the book down, but when i did, it was easy to come back to.
Book Review: ummm... huh?
Summary: 2 Stars
I bought this book based on the past reviews stating that she dishes out a lot of dirt and whatnot. However I didn't see anything remotely close to dirt in this. It was a mixture of "her side of the story" and the view of a third person. I really didn't even understand who the names of the people were supposed to be in reality. I thought she put in good effort... but to me this book just seemed like someone trying to get extra money while putting in 2 weeks to write this book. I really wish I would have bought something more juicy. The ending was predictable even though it is based on her life story.