Author: Maggie Alderson
Publisher: Berkley
Publication Date: September 2005
Genre: Chick-Lit / Contemporary Romance
Buy The Book: Amazon | BN | Audible
Description: When London editor Georgia Abbott comes to Sydney to work on Glow, a glossy woman's magazine, she has high hopes for a bright new start. Leaving behind a broken heart (her own) and a philandering ex-fiancé, she's looking forward to immersing herself in the Tim Tam-eating sisterhood of women's mags. Not to mention being whisked off into the dusty Australian sunset by a suntanned, Akubra-hatted fantasy man.
At first, things seem promising, as Georgia is swept up in a whirl of A-list parties, dancing, dinners, and debauchery. But while Australian water may go down the plughole the other way, Australian men are starting to look all too familiar. And then there's the chaotic bunch of women Georgia works with on Glow, to whom every relationship disaster is a potential article, not least of all Georgia's, whose quest for love is fast becoming headline material. What to do when all the blokes you've found are either gay, married, unfaithful, unable, or just plain unworthy?
My Thoughts: Pants on Fire by new to me author Maggie Alderson was an enjoyable story but fell flat for me with character development. I thought Australians, in general, were painted in a negative light in this story as party animals who spend their lives boozing it up, popping pills and snorting lines left and right and indiscriminately sleeping with whoever crosses their path. I honestly could not understand why Georgia would waste her time hanging around these people. I get that they showered her with affection and adoration, and she really needed that in her life at the moment, but it seemed to go on longer than it should. Maybe it’s just me (and it probably is), but I would think if you moved to another country to get over your cheating ex of a fiancé, the last thing you would immerse yourself in is more of the immoral personality types you left behind.
The relationship dynamics I did enjoy witnessing Georgia having were those with Debbie’s family. The reader is led to believe that Georgia’s only family is a brother living in Scotland, so making a family type connection seems to be what Georgia needs more than the debauchery she has been engaging in. Though I didn’t believe these encounters Georgia embarked on were meaningful or healthy for her in any way, I was entertained by the antics of Antony and his friends.
I wish Georgia and Rory got themselves sorted out before the end (and I mean the very end) of the book. It was obvious from the beginning that they were meant to be together, obvious to everyone, but them, of course. I rolled my eyes so hard at this, I gave myself several brain cramps.
My Final Verdict: If you are looking for a light and fluffy read that gives you a tour around Sydney, Australia and the surrounding area or a silly chick-lit story featuring people that just “want to have fun”, then give this one a go. If you prefer strong character development and stories with characters who are capable of getting their act together before the last chapter, you may want to pass on this one.
No comments:
Post a Comment