- Paperback: 320 pages
- Publisher: Harper Perennial (Nov 11 2008)
- Language: English
- ISBN-10: 0061568244
- ISBN-13: 978-0061568244
- Product Dimensions: 20.4 x 13.3 x 2 cm
- Shipping Weight: 272 g
- Amazon Bestsellers Rank: #817,539 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
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Product Details |
Product Description
From Publishers Weekly
In her debut novel, Wing uses Sun-Tzu's classic The Art of War and her own difficult transition from New York to L.A. to craft a brainy, satiric chick lit novel that forgoes a typical looking-for-love plot in favor of a happy-couple-against-the-world story. Tried and true New Yorker Stacey Knight is marrying the man of her dreams, businessman Jamie, who recently acquired a sinking Hollywood studio, necessitating their move to L.A. During the wedding reception, however, the antagonistic Trio of Terror studio heads Simon, Barb and Phil volley the first shot in a smooth but sinister dinner toast. As her enemies go all out, Stacy plays the victim for an irritating length of time before getting wise. The twists and turns, once they become clear, are entertaining, but Wing's characters aren't terribly likable, especially compared to some of the well-drawn minor characters. Though her concept, weaving in passages from Sun Tzu, is clever, the read slows to a crawl under the weight of difficult-to-follow conversations, a strange narrative style and frequent use of two-dollar words. (Dec.)
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
Review
“Jodi Wing’s debut novel--The Art of Social War--is a satirical home run. A hilarious and dead-on exploration of the people who run Hollywood and those who try their best to love them. You won’t be able to put it down.” (Aaron Sorkin )
“a brainy, satiric chick lit novel that forgoes a typical looking-for-love plot in favor of a happy-couple-against-the-world story....entertaining” (Publishers Weekly )
“THE ART OF SOCIAL WAR is a smart, witty, yet cautionary tale... Jodi Wing’s newcomer-turned-insider narrative is a look at what happens when girl world intersects with the boys club in a town where winning is everything.” (Carol Wolper, author of THE CIGARETTE GIRL and MR. FAMOUS Carol Wolper, author of THE CIGARETTE GIRL and MR. FAMOUS )
“Saucy and full of biting wit, Jodi Wing’s THE ART OF SOCIAL WAR is about as much fun as you can have reading words off a printed page. Like a BONFIRE OF THE VANITIES crossed with MEAN GIRLS, it’s hilarious and deadly and fun to the bitter end!” (Mimi Rogers )
“The gloves are off in Jodi Wing’s hilariously witty account of Hollywood’s social battle ground. For anyone who has ever wondered what it really takes to make it here, THE ART OF SOCIAL WAR delivers a knockout punch!” (Thea Andrews, correspondent for Entertainment Tonight )
“A sassy, out-spoken woman in Hollywood? What’s not to love? I couldn’t put this book down.” (Kim Delaney, actress )
“a brainy, satiric chick lit novel that forgoes a typical looking-for-love plot in favor of a happy-couple-against-the-world story....entertaining” (Publishers Weekly )
“THE ART OF SOCIAL WAR is a smart, witty, yet cautionary tale... Jodi Wing’s newcomer-turned-insider narrative is a look at what happens when girl world intersects with the boys club in a town where winning is everything.” (Carol Wolper, author of THE CIGARETTE GIRL and MR. FAMOUS Carol Wolper, author of THE CIGARETTE GIRL and MR. FAMOUS )
“Saucy and full of biting wit, Jodi Wing’s THE ART OF SOCIAL WAR is about as much fun as you can have reading words off a printed page. Like a BONFIRE OF THE VANITIES crossed with MEAN GIRLS, it’s hilarious and deadly and fun to the bitter end!” (Mimi Rogers )
“The gloves are off in Jodi Wing’s hilariously witty account of Hollywood’s social battle ground. For anyone who has ever wondered what it really takes to make it here, THE ART OF SOCIAL WAR delivers a knockout punch!” (Thea Andrews, correspondent for Entertainment Tonight )
“A sassy, out-spoken woman in Hollywood? What’s not to love? I couldn’t put this book down.” (Kim Delaney, actress )
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews on Amazon.com (beta)
Amazon.com:
3.8 out of 5 stars (5 customer reviews)
4 of 5 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars
Have Art of War, will travel to Hollywood, Nov 26 2008
By Sonshi.com "sonshi" - Published on Amazon.com
This review is from: The Art Of Social War: A Novel (Paperback)
As a founder of the leading website on Sun Tzu's Art of War, I was pleasantly surprised to learn there's a novel based on the excellent Chinese classic but with a twist in setting: social circles of wives in modern-day Hollywood. Sun Tzu never had a challenge quite like that.With news stories of Michael Ovitz and Anthony Pellicano, anyone outside of Hollywood has to wonder about this place run by big egos with big money. Given the mixture, bad behavior is something you might find when you start digging yet you decide to stop because you're afraid of finding out more if you continue. That's just where our heroine Stacey Knight finds herself when she moved to Hollywood from New York after marrying Jamey Makepeace. Behind the facade of social etiquette and leisure lie daggers drawn not by one enemy but over four antagonists (remember the name Julia Mallis, like, Wow!). Stacey made it in New York but can she make it in Hollywood? Not without her old copy of The Art of War -- and certainly not without the latest designer wardrobes, Kabbalah sessions, and celebrity-chef-catered parties.
I won't spoil it for you but you will enjoy what happens at the end. It is something that Sun Tzu would be proud of, namely that cooler heads prevailed, friends can be found in the unlikeliest places, and that karma always wins in the end.
While this is Jodi Wing's first novel, her writing style flows so well that I completed the entire book on my flight from Atlanta to Seattle. The beginning may start off slow to set the scene (sorry I'm slow because I'm neither female nor a resident of a Big City) but the reader is rewarded soon enough as the funny/dramatic/shocking events unfold. That's when the pages turn by themselves.
In summary, I highly recommend The Art of Social War. Yes you will learn Sun Tzu's principles and Ms. Wing did an excellent job expressing those principles, but you will probably conclude as I did that it's simply a fun, well-written novel that happens to conform to the lessons of The Art of War. After all, which sounds more exciting: somber Chinese generals meditating in temples -or- Hollywood wives engaging in bad behavior? Now you should have no doubt which of the two will be read by more people in the future!
2 of 3 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars
Art of Social War, Feb 3 2009
A Kid's Review - Published on Amazon.com
This review is from: The Art Of Social War: A Novel (Paperback)
i have lived in LA for the past 20 years, of which I have been in the entertainment industry. There has never been a book that could explain how ridiculous this place is before now. Art of Social War should be everyones mandatory handbook to LA. The author was able to capture the essence of what is a major industry yet let us see who these "mogals" really are beyond the red carpet.Beyond that what I loved was that we can all apply this story to our own lives. I think we can all learn from a woman that has her priorites straight and uses wit and brains to win over her oppenent. Finally a woman like us, that freaks out and doesn't get it but doesn't let that hold her back.
This book made me laugh till I cried and then it made me feel I could have a little bit of
Stacy in me too!! Very Cool!!!!
1.0 out of 5 stars
Snore, Mar 23 2012
By knitter - Published on Amazon.com
Amazon Verified Purchase(What's this?)
I wanted to like this book so badly. To me though I had to push myself through it. Boring. I basically stopped halfway through the book.
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