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Morrow, May 2004, 24.95, 528 pp. ISBN: 0060520515 Her distressed mom calls events planner Gemma Hogan to inform her that her father Noel is gone. Gemma is stunned thinking her dad died, but mom explained that he left her for a thirty six years old woman. That shocks her almost as much as believing dear old dad died as Noel's new squeeze is only four years older than Gemma is. Literary agent Jojo "Yank” Harvey gets a million-pound advance for a first time novelist, an Englishman who lived as a woman in Afghanistan. Jojo also does well by writer Lily Wright, who took Gemma's man away from her and had a child with him. Lily wrote a bestseller adding to Gemma's ire and envy. Though Jojo is a superstar at work, she is a loser in personal relationships seeing a man with no intentions of leaving his wife or children. Meanwhile the events planner decides to prove she is better than Lily by getting a book contract for herself. THE OTHER SIDE OF THE STORY is an amusing look at the publishing world (and a few zillion sidebars) through a not so rose colored chick lit lens. Gemma is an interesting protagonist who wonders what to do about her parents (mom barely leaves the bed for pit stops) and even more important how to trump her best-selling, man stealing, and baby producing enemy Lily without a pregnant pause. Though the story line has too many subplots that never fully get developed, Gemma holds the humorous tale together as she seems like a real person struggling on all fronts in a world that wants to crush her. Harriet Klausner | ||
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Plot & Themes Tone of book? - thoughtful Time/era of story - 2000+ (Present Day) Romance/Romance Problems Yes Kind of romance: Life of a profession: Family, struggle with Yes Struggle with: - Father (or standin) Is this an adult or child's book? - Adult or Young Adult Book Job/Profession/Status story Yes Married, fooling around? Yes Main Character Gender - Female Profession/status: Age: - 20's-30's Ethnicity/Nationality Main Adversary Identity: - Female Age: - 20's-30's Profession/status: How sensitive is this character? Sense of humor - Mostly serious with occasional humor Intelligence - Smarter than most other characters Setting Europe Yes European country: - England/UK Writing Style Amount of dialog - significantly more dialog than descript |
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