Lipstick Jungle (2005) by Candace Bushnell

1,001 Novels: A Library of America

Lipstick Jungle (2005)

by Candace Bushnell

"Manhattan"

New York: 63/105

Manhattan: 19/34

  I am no Sex an the City hater.  I am speaking, of course, of the show/movie, not the book- which was a compilation of columns that Bushnell wrote on the subject of sex and the single girl in New York in the 90's.   I watched the original show, more or less, and definitely saw both films in the theater.   I'm not at all into the new series, who has the time for a show that is so utterly predictable and devoid of surprise, but I am in no way "above" Bushnell and her books.

   That said, this was my first Candace Bushnell novel and I found it all totally depressing in print and spread out over 550 pages.  Bushnell adheres to the plot made familiar by generations of girl lit:  Three close friends and Manhattan "alpha females" struggle to strive and survive in the concrete jungle (Manhattan).  The saddest thing about this book and its characters is the obsession with status derived from working at the pinnacle of a corporate hierarchy.  I can't think of a worse way to make a living as a wealthy individual except maybe being a partner at a top law firm.  It's just such thankless, meaningless work, and as the characters here are constantly saying to anyone and everyone, it can all go away in a second because you are always being judged by someone further up the chain of command. 

  Any questions raised about the "why" of it all is limited to either a) complaining about things not working out the way they planned or b) idle musing about escaping it all by abandoning one's responsibilities and running away.   That sounds like everyone I know in LA, including my own partner. I was not amused.