BOOK REVIEW

 

    I read this fiction business book when it was published in 1992. It tell the story of the magazine world, which I doubt would have changed much since reading this title. The blurb reads "in the magazine world to an overweight school-leaver Rose Summers, seems peopled by glamourous models, fascinating writers, sophisticated editors and off-beat artists. Passionately wanting a job as a secretary on the glossy magazine 'Attitude'.  Soon, she thinks, some of the polish will rub on her....she'll bloom."

Rose's career path takes her to a rival magazine, makes disastrous choices along the way but then she has acquired experience and is brought back to the ailing magazine and given six months to turn it around back into profit. Thus begins the blooming of Rose Summers. Yet underneath her professional savviness hides a turmoil of insecurity, and only when she has learnt to like herself can she learn to distinguish between hypocrisy and genuine friendship.

Blooming
by Audrey Slaughter
Published by: Transworld Publishers Ltd, London

 

   It tells a story of high business and treachery. The story is about Nina and Elizabeth, women from vastly different backgrounds come together, Nina the mistress and Elizabeth the daughter of Tony Savage.  Each woman in turn are dominated by him.  This is because these two women were marginalized within his company but they also detest each other on-sight.

They are played against one another by Savage until finally they reject him and set up their own company, they make a business agreement. Between them they climb their way to the top of the industry, finding love and romance along the way. But danger threatens their future.  

Definitely a "Who's the King of the Castle" fiction book.

Tall Poppies
by Louise Bagshawe
Published by: Orion Paperbacks

 

 

 

   This business fiction book is about crime, sexual intrigue, revenge and business. It tells the story of beautiful savvy businesswoman Claire Laurent's successful mail order company, French Silk, based in New Orleans, supplies women nationwide with dream lingerie.

However, when the Reverend Jackson Wilde, a fanatical televangelist preacher has been targeting French Silk as part of his pledged crusade to 'eradicate obscenity from the USA once and for all' and is found murdered, its up to Assistant DA Cassidy to solve the crime believing someone is out for revenge.

Cassidy is drawn to Claire by the force of attraction he can barely control, but she is his prime suspect especially as her watches her drawing the delicate lingerie and the New Orleans heat making her perspire between her cleavage as he quizzes her movements and conducts his investigation thoroughly.

French Silk
by Sandra Brown
Published by William Heinemann Ltd, London

 

   This is a business fiction book, telling the tale of Polly McLaren who is a secretary in an advertising agency, and her boss Nick Penhalligan, who she sees as rude, arrogant and ridiculously demanding as a boss, who's not best pleased that her mind is elsewhere but on her work.

It did make me wonder why he hadn't sacked her because most of the time, she is either late or saying the wrong thing at the wrong time, and all because of an old school scarf.

As Nick reminds her, "....this is not a large agency, in fact its extremely small. We have a few minor clients who provide us with a smattering of income, but we have one major client who happens to bill a great deal of money with us, namely Mr Hutchinson. He is, as you know, a total jerk but, be that as it may, he has us by the short and curlies. Because if he decides, for whatever reason, to take his revolting instant coffee away to another agency, we're sunk. Snookered. Finished. Washed Up. Bankrupt. Am I making myself clear?

All Polly does is say yes. Nick goes on "Our image is extremely important to us. Like it or loathe it, it sells us. It is therefore absolutely imperative that we create a good impression in front of clients. You come charging into my office, ranting and raving like a banshee, and we look like a Mickey Mouse agency. D'you get my drift?" Yep, Polly replies.

Nick leans back in his seat, tapping the desk with a pencil. "And another thing, Polly. If you ask me, your private life is intruding too much on your work. You just haven't got your mind on the job, have you? If you're not sitting at your desk filing your nails, you're mooning around thinking about your boyfriend and waiting for the telephone to ring. Well, that's harmless enough as long as you've done all your typing, but now I find you're picking up men on trains, bringing them into the agency, and chatting them up downstairs. I'm afraid that's just not on. I don't give a damn if you behave like that in your spare time, although frankly I'm surprised but God's sake, don't bring these guys into the agency..."

After that speech Polly required numerous cups of strong sweet tea to placate her and the steam was gushing out of every orifice and gnashing her teeth in fury.

The Old-Girl Network
by Catherine Alliott
Published by Headline Book Publishing, England

 

 

 

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