Book Review: "Chasing Harry Winston" by Lauren Weisberger

Now I suspected as much, but I still had to double check to find out that Harry Winston was an American jeweler, and the Harry Winston empire is known for diamonds. Uh Oh.  I got this book from the library. I quite enjoyed "The Devil Wears Prada" and wondered what the author was writing now. I wish I hadn't.

Quick plot synopsis: three women, each around 29. They are friends. Leigh is an overachieving and not overly successful editor at a publishing house who is dissatisfied with her romantic relationship, so she screws the author of the book she's editing. Adrianna is Brazilian American.  She doesn't work, lives in her parents' apartment in Manhatten and literally screams and throws tantrums when they want to stay in their own apartment when they come to visit.  Emmy has recently been broken up with after a 5 year relationship. The guy, Duncan, leaves her to be with a 22-year old virgin cheerleader (??) and Emmy is surprised and upset even though they guy cheated on her throughout their relationship.  Her solution? To take a job traveling and have sex with as many men as she can.

Now, I appreciate all kinds of literature, and this includes what we call 'chick lit'. I loved Bridget Jones, The Shopaholic series, and many more. I even like teen chick lit, like Gossip Girl and the Au Pairs. It's all good, silly fun, and can even be clever when done right.

Unfortunately, this is not the case in terms of "Chasing Harry Winston".  Technically, the book didn't work.  It jumped all over the place and ended abruptly.  It seemed as though Weisberger was trying to write like Candace Bushnell, with less than desirable results. Even though it was a short read, I found myself finding it hard to get through it; The three main characters are superficial in terms of character development and still unlikeable. They are always talking about how 'old' they are and bitching about not having a rock on their finger. Leigh has a boyfriend who seems like one of the only decent characters in the story, yet she cringes at the thought of being with him any longer. He proposes to her, and instead of telling him she doesn't want to marry him, she acts like a bitch for months, and then cheats on him. Lovely. Adrianna doesn't contribute to the story. We just hear about how hot she is and how she could get any man even though she is 'almost thirty'. The author has made her an ethnic character, and she is stereotyped to the point of ridiculousness. It drove me nuts. She said "querida" in almost every sentence she uttered. You know, because that's the way all Brazilians have to speak.  

I found the book more than a little insulting as a woman.  It's unsettling that Weisberger has fed the false notion that a woman is virtually useless once she turns thirty if she hasn't landed a man and a rock. Emmy's character is absolutely obsessed with getting married and having a baby.  In one cringe-worthy scene, a waiter asks if she would like anything else, and Emmy replies "A husband? A baby? Some sort of life? Any of THOSE on the menu?" What decade are we in here?  A woman's sexual liberation is great as well, but when Emmy decides to sleep with people to get over her boyfriend, all she does is refer to herself as a slut, calling her new way of being the 'Tour de Whore" (ew). Through Adrianna Weisberger has created a stereotype of a woman who sleeps with men to validate her attractiveness and doesn't support herself financially.  Thank you, Ms. Weisberger, for giving us another nice big step back.  If a man had written this book, people would have been outraged!

I guess I don't have to say that I don't recommend this book.