[.ca] Four Blondes (ISBN 0451203895)

From Amazon.com:
Candace Bushnell made her reputation as the creator of the HBO special Sex and the City, based on her book of the same name (based in turn on her eros-intensive New York Observer column). In Four Blondes, she returns with a quartet of novellas on her favorite subject--the mating habits of wealthy sex-, status-, and media-obsessed New Yorkers. These are people for whom a million or two does not make one rich, and who consider Louis Vuitton and Prada bare necessities. Janey Wilcox, for example, is a former model who each summer chooses a house in the Hamptons--or, rather, picks up a wealthy man with a pricey rental. With one movie in her past, her "lukewarm celebrity was established and she figured out pretty quickly that it could get her things and keep on getting them, as long as she maintained her standards." Yet even Janey eventually realizes that what she's getting isn't exactly what she wants. Cecelia, on the other hand, has gotten the ultimate prize: a royal husband. Still, she finds herself descending into paranoia as the Manhattan media circus reports her every flaw. Then there's Winnie Diekes, a high-powered magazine columnist whose marriage flounders as she pushes her unambitious husband to write the book that will make him--and her--famous. Finally, in the most clearly autobiographical story, a writer gives up on the commitment-impaired men of New York and goes to London to find a husband. There she trolls for the typical Englishman--"a guy who had sex with his socks on, possessed a microscopic willy, and came in two minutes." Bushnell is famous for this sort of sexual brashness, and the book is full of her sharp wit, both in and out of the boudoir. She also clearly enjoys her characters and their misadventures, with one exception: the politically correct Winnie, with her distaste for alcohol, night life, and casual sex, inspires an odd sort of authorial contempt. Otherwise, though, Bushnell's ironic takes on the sexual foibles of the rich and famous are mordant, mischievous fun. --Lesley Reed

Gives blondes a bad name!!!!:
First off, I thought this book was one story, but in fact it is 4 different stories on 4 different blondes. I only made it through the first two. I thought this book was horrible. The stories didn't even finish in any kind of satisfying way (at least for me). Very disappointed!!!

Complete and utter rubbish:
I have just five words of advice for all you Amazon shoppers: do not buy this book. I mean it. Even if you don't believe me when I tell you how bad it is, and you insist on reading it, don't buy it. Borrow it from a friend or take it out from the library (if you absolutely must). This drivel doesn't even deserve your time let alone your money or shelf space. Judging from this book alone, Candace Bushnell is a horrible author. I've yet to read 'Sex and the City', but I love the show. If that novel is anything like this trash, I'll have no choice other than to stay away. Not only is every character blonde, Bushnell must have run out of ideas because every character is either a model, an actor, a writer, or a business person. Oh, and they're all addicted to cocaine, like it's normal to be carrying around a vial of coke. It's sick, really. As you may or may not be aware, 'Four Blondes' is not a novel about (as the title suggests) four blondes. Rather, it's four short stories about four different blondes. The first two stories are complete wastes of time. In fact, if I were you, I wouldn't even bother with those two. Even if you've already taken the time to take the book out from the library. Of course, if you've taken the time to visit the library and pick this trash up, you've obviously decided against heeding my adive anyway, in which case, you may as well go ahead and continue to ignore me. The second two stories arn't much better than the first, but I found them to be the lesser of two (or in this case, four) evils. The first story is about an ex-model named Janey Wilcox. She's a manipulative sleaze who cares about no one except herself. She also loves using men for their summer homes in the Hamptons, and doesn't even care if she dispises these men, she'll still sleep with them. Janey is shallow, vain, and wants to do "something" with her life (here's an idea, get a job you trashy, evil woman). She loves ruining other people's lives and then expects them to, not only care, but actually come running to her aid when she's managed to dig herself into a situation she could have avoided if she was a decent human being. She hates her sister, Patty, because Patty's successful, happy, and a good person. I liked Patty. Usually, arn't readers supposed to like the primary, rather than the secondary, characters? The second story is about Winnie and James Dieke. They're a married couple who never should have gotten married in the first place. You think Nick Lachey and Jessica Simpson are a match made in I-can't-believe-how-unbelievably-stupid-spoiled-and- annoying-we-are Heaven? Well, then you've never been introduced to the Diekes. They're both journalists and, basically, they hate each other. Winnie is over-controlling, and wants desperately to be successful and famous, whilst James has basically given up on life and is annoyingly frightened of everything. He's a wimp, a pushover, and an all around lazy guy. He's terrified that Winnie will leave him (oh, how will he go on without her telling him how to put on his socks!?), but she won't because she's still determined that being married to him with further her career. Oh, did I mention they have a son? Probably not, since they basically pay him no attention, and his name is never even mentioned in their story. What great people the Diekes are! The third story is about Princess Cecelia. She's a self-absorbed snob who acts horribly to everyone, even her husband, Hubert. She seems to think she's head and shoulders above everyone else in the world because she's managed to marry the Prince of Luxenstein. She's basically insane. No, seriously. She's completely paranoid and is convinced her family is trying to kill her. She treats her husband like scum, even though he does absolutely nothing wrong. She's jealous of every other woman who's ever been in Hubert's life, and is convinced he's having an affair. She relies on other people for, basically, everything. And, even when they're trying to help her, she's discustingly rude. She does whatever she wants, whenever she wants, and when she doesn't get her way she complains about it, and acts like an idiotic snot. The last story is the shortest, which is unfortunate because it's the least offensive of the lot. It's about a journalist who refers to herself simply as "grasshopper". She writes for a magazine, answering women's questions about sex. She's been sent to England to compare the sex-lives of Londoners with those of New Yorkers. She basically meets a lot of different people, has different conversations with both men and women, and picks up alot of different veiwpoints on different ideas and beliefs. This story isn't funny, but it's hilarious compared to the first three (in case you were thinking this entire book was going to be a "laughfest"). Well, I obviously don't recommend this book, as I've made perfectly clear. If I had to (and by that, I mean, if I was forced at gunpoint, because there's no other way I'd ever willfully open this garbage again) read it again, I think I'd start from the end. That way, if I somehow died halfway through, I wouldn't have had to read those first two again. I'm going to warn you all one more time: STAY AWAY!

ehhh....I know its not great lit but come ON:
I found her stream of thought-style of writing to be sometimes difficult to follow, and at one point I decided that every character spoke in hysterics, because everyone was "crying" when they talked. i.e. she cried "I'm going to the bathroom". he cried "my soup is cold", etc. things that don't require such a high level of speaking emotion. And when I saw trading up was all about one of these barbie dolls, I passed on it.

You guys don't get it.:
For those on here who gave this book a bad review, a lot of you are missing the point. Of course the book has an empy feeling. Of course some of it is uncomfortable, perhaps even embarrassing. Of course you don't "like the characters". Guys, this is the whole point. Candace Bushnell's novel is a postmodern satire, a critique an how people in some parts of society are living their lives. I found it humerous and intelligent. If this woman continues to evolve, she could easily become a postmodern writer on the same level as Bret Easton Ellis, yet one that women can relatte to more. In a sort of secret, shameful way we all have little things in common with at least one of these Blondes.

Burn it.:
It's a Jackie Collins novel without a plot. I'm sure Bushnell has a point to make somewhere but the novel is so unengaging you just can't be bothered to think too much about it once you're done. If you haven't read it, don't. Rent Sex and the City instead of reading any of Bushnell's novels and you'll have done yourself a huge favour.