BuzzSugar

Buzz Book Club: The Conclusion of Four Blondes

BuzzSugar — Fri, 30 May 2008 08:15:14 -0700

Welcome back Buzz Book Club readers! The time has come to bid farewell to the characters of Bushnell's world in Four Blondes. It seems fitting that the final story in this book would be the most autobiographical (although I have no idea if Bushnell ever went to London looking for love) because she seems most at home with this character.

If you're new to the Book Club, this is how it goes: every week I'll suggest chapters to complete by the next post. In these weekly Book Club posts, I'll posit a few questions to prompt discussion in the comments section.

Of course, you are always welcome to read beyond the weekly chapters, but please don't spoil anything in the comments! After the jump you'll find some questions that struck me as I read this section.

And stay tuned for the announcement of my June book club selection!

To discuss the final section of Four Blondes (in which we read to the end of the story titled "Single Process," read more.

After the first three stories, I found this last one to be a bit of a relief! I found it funnier and easier to enjoy than the others, so I think it's my favorite of the four. Now that all four have been read, which story was your favorite, and why?
Comparisons between Americans and the English run rampant in this story. What do you make of all these sweeping statements (i.e. it's "easy" to find a relationship/husband in London, English men are "bad in bed" and talk too much, etc.)? Do see truth in any of these? And is Bushnell saying anything in particular in bringing up all these stereotypes?
Near the end, the married-with-children English friend, Mary tells the narrator that she envies the single career woman and sometimes feels invisible. Then she describes the "black fantasy" married women have (that their husbands die while they are still young, leaving them "free"). I wonder where Bushnell got this idea, or if she actually knew women who told her that. What did you make of this section?
Do you like Bushnell's style of writing and her depiction of modern women? Did you find Four Blondes to be a nice, light, breezy read, or not so much?

Buzz Book Club: Four Blondes, Section Three

BuzzSugar — Fri, 23 May 2008 07:00:25 -0700

Welcome back Buzz Book Club readers! We're now three stories into Four Blondes, and somehow I'm not surprised that she gave us an honest-to-goodness princess in the section we read this week. I suppose after former model and magazine editor, it's the next logical place to go, right? Sidenote: I really think Candice Bushnell's at her best when she's writing in the first person. The story raised a few questions for me and I can't wait to discuss.

If you're new to the Book Club, this is how it goes: every week I'll suggest chapters to complete by the next post (which, in this case, will go up every Friday in May). In these weekly Book Club posts, I'll posit a few questions to prompt discussion in the comments section.

Of course, you are always welcome to read beyond the weekly chapters, but please don't spoil anything in the comments! After the jump you'll find some questions that struck me as I read this section.

The next assignment: Finish the book by completing the final story titled "Single Process." We'll chat about the final section a week from today, Friday, May 30.

To discuss the second section of Four Blondes (in which we read to the end of the story titled "Platinum," read more.

In the story, Cecelia has achieved everything that Janey (from the first story) was striving for and probably would have envied - she literally married a wealthy prince and became a socialite. And yet, even in this lifestyle, she's not only miserable but drowning in a kind of paranoia. Do you think Bushnell is making a statement about the goals these women have for themselves?
More than the others, this story focuses on female friendships - but just like the male-female relationships so far, they aren't particularly healthy or happy. In fact, in both Cecelia's past friendship with Amanda and her current friendship with Dianna Moon, there is a sense of unhealthy obsession and an emotional instability on the parts of all the women. What do you make of these friendships? Are they meant to just highlight how alone Cecelia is because of her lifestyle, or do you think Bushnell is saying something about female friendship overall?
I found it difficult to discern many redeeming qualities about Cecelia, and I also found her to be an unreliable narrator in many ways because she is so unstable. And yet, there is one moment of clarity for Cecelia that I was really on board for: when she stops and ponders whether she's ever done anything without the help of a man. It's these moments when Bushnell questions sexual politics and gender roles that I find her writing most appealing. And yet, these musings come to us by way of the most mentally unstable character of all the blondes so far. What do you think of this?

Buzz Book Club: Four Blondes, Section Two

BuzzSugar — Fri, 16 May 2008 08:15:32 -0700

Welcome back Buzz Book Club readers! Now that we've read the first two stories in Four Blondes, I gotta say this second section was better crafted than the first but these characters give Janey a run for her money in the "abhorrent" department. Still, that's good stuff to discuss, especially since they're a little less materialistic and far more pretentious.

Of course, you are always welcome to read beyond the weekly chapters, but please don't spoil anything in the comments! After the jump you'll find some questions that struck me as I read this section.

The next assignment: Read the entire third story titled "Platinum." We'll chat about this third section a week from today, Friday, May 23.

To discuss the second section of Four Blondes (in which we read to the end of the story titled "Highlights (For Adults)," read more.

Well, not many of you could relate to the first character, Janey last week. How do you feel about Winnie? Do you find her more relateable?
Along similar lines, which do you find more able to stomach: Janey's empty materialism and blatant social climbing, or the judgmental and controlling Winnie?
I personally found this story difficult to enjoy with two such miserable main characters. What was your experience of reading this section? Did you find it funny and interesting, or difficult?
This section brought us not just Winnie's point of view but her husband James' as well. I sometimes found myself wishing Bushnell had focused on just one of them. What do you think of Bushnell's decision to tell the story from both perspectives?
Marriage does not look appealing in this story (or at least Winnie and James' marriage doesn't)! Do you think Bushnell is using James and Winnie's marriage to say something about marriage itself?

Buzz Book Club: Four Blondes, Section One

BuzzSugar — Fri, 09 May 2008 08:30:12 -0700

Welcome back Buzz Book Club readers! Before we start, I want to say that I know many of you have already read Four Blondes and were either turned off or maybe even appalled by the main characters. You should know I'm right there with you.

However, just like with movies, I think there is something interesting and valuable about examining what makes a book fail in comparison to others in its genre. Moreover, Four Blondes gives us a lot to talk about in terms of the portrayal of the women in Candace Bushnell's universe on the eve of the Sex and the City movie, like Bushnell's use of sex as a means of power, the unadulterated materialism of her characters, etc.

So with that said, here's a recap of how the Book Club goes If you're new: every week I'll suggest chapters to complete by the next post (which, in this case, will go up every Friday in May). In these weekly Book Club posts, I'll posit a few questions to prompt discussion in the comments section.

Of course, you are always welcome to read beyond the weekly chapters, but please don't spoil anything in the comments! After the jump you'll find some questions that struck me as I read this section.

The next assignment: Read the entire second story titled, "Highlights (For Adults)." We'll chat about this second section a week from today, Friday, May 16.

To discuss the first section of Four Blondes (in which we read to the end of the story titled "Nice N'Easy"), read more.

In this first story, the character Janey seems woefully underdeveloped and it's hard to care for her either way. That said, is there anything about Janey that you can relate to?
To me, the ending was frustrating, because it seemed like Bushnell gave Janey an easy out with a modeling job that basically fell from the sky. Would you have felt more satisfied if Janey had become a real estate agent? Is there another possible ending that would have satisfied you?
Janey's certainly not a great woman, but all of the men in this section are abhorrent as well. Are there any differences you see between the way Bushnell talks about women and the way she talks about men?

Buzz Book Club: Four Blondes

BuzzSugar — Fri, 02 May 2008 08:30:25 -0700

Hello Buzz Book Club readers! First of all, happy Friday! Now, I don't know about you, but I'm feeling a little emotionally spent from several Buzz Book Club books in a row that dragged us through the emotional ringer (Revolutionary Road, The Life Before Her Eyes).

Given that and the fact that it's Springtime, I thought I'd pick a light and frothy book for my May selection: Four Blondes by Candace Bushnell (author of Sex and the City).

It also seems appropriate, since we've had Bushnell's Lipstick Jungle on the small screen this year, and the Sex and the City movie is on the way to the big screen. So we might as well get into the spirit of the sassy, high-powered woman by reading Four Blondes.

For those of you new to my book club format, here's how it works:
I'll announce a new book each month. Every week I'll suggest chapters to complete by the next post (which, in this case, will go up every Friday in May). In these weekly Book Club posts, I'll posit a few discussion-provoking questions for you to respond to in the comments section.

To find out what Four Blondes is all about and to get the first assignment, read more.

The synopsis for Four Blondes reads:
"In Four Blondes, [Candace Bushnell] 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. 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."

The first assignment: Read the entire first story title, "Nice N'Easy." We'll chat about this first section a week from today, May 9.