Customer Reviews

SIMPLY DIVINE: AND BAD HEIR DAY

5 star:		(3)
4 star:		(17)
3 star:		(7)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(11)

 

 

"Simply Divine" deals with Jane who worked as an underappreciated feature writer for women's magazine "Gorgeous." She had a live in boyfriend, Nick who didn't respect her or her job. At the same time, she was also attracted to Tom, the guy living a floor above hers and had a one-night stand with him. Even though Jane was very attracted to Tom, she felt guilty about their fling especially since she thought that Nick and her still had a chance. Just as she convinced herself that, Nick dumped her for another woman and had been cheating on her. However, this is not the main storyline.

Jane's work took a bad turn when her editor asked her to write for this in demand celebrity named Champagne. Champagne was paid generously to "write" a column but in reality Jane had to check in with Champagne frequently to write the column for her. This was basically the main theme. Particularly, her contacts with Champagne and her best friend's mansion (called Mullions) which was in ruins and Jane had to help her friend finds a rich man who could restored the mansion.

I have only two problems with the book. Firstly, the fact that Wolden makes Jane "in love" with Tom when she only had a one night stand was to me, a little far-fetched. There was a lack of development in Jane's love life except that she keeps holding out for Tom even after he had left for New York. My second problem is the secondary character, Tally, Jane's best friend. She was very unlikeable and her character I felt was not fully developed. Other than that, the book is relatively entertaining. I also enjoyed Wolden's style of writing which is very smooth and flows nicely. However, bear in mind that this is a comedy not a romantic comedy.

This is a horrible book. I actually returned it to the library and then for some reason took it out again. There are lots of Brit-chick books out there but this one is definitely the worst.

It plods. It bores. It irritates. It makes you want to confiscate all the writing utensils of the author so she can't strike again.

Jane is a Brit-chick who works in journalism (like all the others -- are there really NO other professions in London?) She has to follow some party girl named Champagne D'Vyne around, who has no talent except for having a big chest. I mean, she has NO career except to be "a party girl". Jane ghost-writes her column for her. This leads to what are supposed to be hilarious situations, but just leaves you wondering why Jane doesn't get some self-respect, smack Champagne and tell her to write her own column.

Jane has been left by her boyfriend Nick and is taking up with this guy Tom, who disappears to New York for most of the book. He's the luckiest character thus far.

Jane has a best friend named Tally Venery who has a falling- down estate called Mullions that she is trying to save because her family has lost its money due to her mom's New Age-ism. WHO CARES.

As if the contrived plot wasn't bad enough, it's full of terrible puns! Like "Breeding, apparently, is something that Japanese people do after cutting themselves." Is that supposed to be funny? Sorry, Wendy Holden, it's not --- like the millions of others you injected into the story. Fire your literary agent, or find a ghost-writer yourself.

Potential readers, don't make the same mistake I did! If you need a Brit-chick fix, read a Marian Keyes or Isabel Wolf novel instead.

Another desperate and dateless British woman (Jane) whose main preoccupation in life begins and ends with herself. Comparisons with Helen Fielding's Bridget Jones are unavoidable - neither character seems able to function outside the context of being in a(ny) relationship, both obsessively detail weight, clothes, men, sex, and just how terrible single life is. Holden's book is so derivative that from the first pages I felt I was reading a bad early draft of Fielding: I am puzzled that anyone can deny this similarity. Imitative fiction doesn't have to mean a reduction in quality and sometimes it can surpass the original, but not so here.

The subject stays the same but the writing shows the difference. I expected to enjoy this book and its slaying of the foibles of the rich and famous, and I love British humour - it has an intelligence and an element of self-deprecation that charms, but the book disappoints on both counts. Bridget's narcissism was saved by the author's recognition of its absurdity, but Jane is such an insipid cipher she deserves everything she gets (including the equally dull hero).

There are some genuinely funny lines in this book. But these get lost in overkill: the oh-so-witty references become more about showcasing Holden's throwaway lines than adding anything to the story, heaven forbid the narrative interrupt the jokes. There's no subtlety; Holden seems to work from the assumption her readers are morons who need everything explained in bold type. If Jane is being ironic to a character, we aren't expected to realise this without being told so and then being shown how stupid the other character is for not getting it. Perhaps the characters are simple like us and need Jane to explain irony.

Am I taking this book too seriously? Possibly. We don't pick up these kind of books looking for deep meaning, but if this book purports to be a satire, it fails. Satire mocks yet says something significant under the humour: this has nothing to say. There's a mean spiritedness about it that lacks generosity. Good looking women are vilified as being brainless, yet Jane is consumed with envy and obsessed with looking like them. Unattractive women don't fare any better, their only value appears to be in bolstering Jane's ego. And the only men worth knowing must be gorgeous and entirely devoted to pleasing Jane without having the temerity to demand reciprocal treatment. These are perfect setups for satire, but Holden misses the mark entirely, making the fatal mistake of trying to take Jane too seriously. What is really disappointing is that these talented comedic writers seem unable to portray women except in negative caricatures - which in itself is ironic, considering the target audience is women.

Overall, the book appears to be nothing more than an exercise in uninterrupted vacuity and shallowness. ... I'm certain Holden's capable of better than this and perhaps her next book proves it, but I for one will never know.

My mum's freind gave her this book to cheer her up. It didn't work.

I know Holden's novel is supposed to be funny, cute and witty. It tries hard enough, that's for sure.

This book is predictable, lame and rife with cliches! I should have stopped reading when I learned that the celebrity's name was "Champagne D'Vyne". Ugh. The main character, Jane, is a cliche of a single, self-pitying, neurotic woman. Champagne is a cliched bratty, over the top celebrity. Throw in Jane's "quirky" friend, the n'er do well man, and the dreamy writer and voila...this...book. I knew what was going to happen before it happened in every scenario, including the ending. It was so obvious. The narrator would say "Oh no! I just KNOW this will go wrong!" and "surprise"! There is a "twist" in the plot and it doesn't...yay. There is a subplot that involves the protagonist's friend Tally who wants to save her historical house. That plot was also predictable and dull.

And the puns! Oh, lord, the puns! I don't know, I couldn't handle all the "wit". You could tell that the author was being consciously clever. Here's an example: Champagne calls and says she has a crisis because her nails got ruined. So the protagonist says "looks like you have a crisis on your hands, so to speak!". Um. Yeah, the book is jam packed with this stuff.

Read Bridget Jones instead. Even if you've already read it. read it again instead of this.

I love books that portray stong women. In this case, it would have been nice if there was at least one. All the characters are pathetic and unlikable. My least favorite is the "honking" Champagne D'Vyne. Difficult read and nothing divine about it.

This is Holden's first book that I have come across. Her following books weave in-and-out of characters that (to the best of my knowledge) start here. Simply Divine takes you to another world that is most likely, terribly more interesting and fashionable than yours, or mine, for that matter. If you like to read Cosmo and Glamour, chances are that you will like this book. Read it on the plane or poolside.

Jane is a writer that gets stuck writing a column for a party girl named Champagne D'Vyne. Champagne's name appears on the column, but Jane is forced to gather all the information and write the column for Champagne. Jane is living with a guy who doesn't really love her any more and treats her like [garbage] for not keeping up on all the world news. When she has a one-night stand with the upstairs neighbor her who life changes. This story takes you on an adventure that will have you wishing it were longer. The characters are excellent, fun and a blast to befriend. A great book for the beach or over a bowl of hot soup!

Pity Evergirl Jane. Her soon to be ex-boyfriend is vile. Her job does not exactly require life or death decisions. Her best friend Tally is stuck in the back of beyond trying to hold together the family manor with stacks of books and sheer will. What could add to Jane's fun?

Try ghostwriting a magazine column for London It girl of the moment, Champagne D'Vyne. Oh no, that name was not a typo. Champagne D'Vyne is a lean, long-legged, drop dead blonde stunner with breasts that would make Pamela Anderson and Jayne Mansfield look flat-chested. Champagne comes complete with a huge trust fund and demon doggie named Gucci.

Before Jane can throw herself onto her editing pencil, Champagne invades her life. Poor Tally isn't any help, having to deal with the return of her New Age mum and missing brother. Not even a romp with the stud upstairs can lift Jane's spirits.

Champagne's column is a stunning success and Jane escapes from her magazine to one with better circulation. And guess who re-enters her life?

It's doesn't take a brain surgeon to work out the plot twists but getting to the end is a blast.

Anyone who snaps up Marian Keyes and Sophie Kinsella should give Wendy Holden a try!

Having read Gossip Hound, I wanted to get my hands on Wendy Holden's debut novel. Simply Divine is a modern fairy tale with Holden's signature style of wicked romance and satire.

Jane is a young journalist who's been given the challenging job of ghostwriting the adventures and exploits of faux celebrity and fashionista Champagne D'Vyne. Which means that her dream of taking creative control of a glossy magazine has just as well shattered. To make matters worse, she couldn't make her personal life more pathetic if she'd tried. She is in a dead-end relationship with the unpleasant Nick while desiring her gorgeous upstairs neighbor. Will she be able to upgrade her career? Will she find a suitable mate? And, more importantly, will she survive the outrageous excursions with the insubordinate Champagne D'Vyne? There are some fun twists in the novel.

Simply Divine is a rather entertaining and enlightening novel. Holden's take on the glamorous world of socialites and fashionistas is witty and insightful. Hers is the brand of ironic humor that I look for in women's fiction. The characterization in her novels is just wonderful. I flinched every time Champagne D'Vyne made an appearance. I was able to get better acquainted with the aforementioned character in Gossip Hound. She has the sort of deluded arrogance that would make Madonna seem humble in comparison. All of the characters in the novel are entertaining and compelling. Are you in the bargain for original chick lit? I couldn't recommend Wendy Holden's work enough. She's one of the best British writers to come out since Helen Fielding. Enjoy!

I was hoping that this would be my Brit chick lit fix, but it was seriously lacking. The main character is rather spineless, and the supporting are even worse. Tally in particular. I just didn't feel like the story had any heart, I honestly did not give a darn what happened to anybody in this story, it really did not hold me. I found myself speedreading sections at a time.

If you are looking for something with more depth, and actual humor, do try Asking for Trouble by Elizabeth Young. It is funny and sweet, and I really did laugh out loud several times while reading it (all in one setting I might add).