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Bought
by
Anna David (Goodreads Author)
Anna David turns her reporter's eye for detail toward Tinseltown's seedy underbelly yet again and "eloquently and humorously unveil[s] what could be a new subgenre: Chick Lit with a Message" (New York Post).
Tired of gathering banal quotes from the B-list on the sidelines of the red carpet, Emma Swanson publicly yearns for a more substantial career but privately dreams of a...more
Tired of gathering banal quotes from the B-list on the sidelines of the red carpet, Emma Swanson publicly yearns for a more substantial career but privately dreams of a...more
Paperback, 288 pages
Published
May 19th 2009
by Harper Perennial
(first published 2009)
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Community Reviews
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536)
Mar 16, 2013
Yuniar Widiastuti
rated it
4 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Recommends it for:
Anyone needing chick lit with substance
Shelves:
e-book
Secara teknis, novel ini memang bisa digolongkan ke dalam kategori chick lit, tapi seperti yang dibilang sebuah review dari The New York Post, novel ini adalah chick lit with a message.
Emma Swanson adalah seorang reporterkelas teri paruh waktu yang bertugas meliput selebriti kelas B (B-list) di red carpet untuk majalah Substance. Dia bermimpi keluar dari jeratan kerjanya yang membosankan ini dan mengejar karier sebagai jurnalis serius yang meliput berita-berita yang lebih serius. Jalannya untuk...more
Emma Swanson adalah seorang reporter
This book was a fairly enjoyable, light read at first. However, as the book went on, I found myself increasingly disbelieving that anyone in the narrator's position would act as she did. This lack of realism ultimately led to my low rating for the book. Read on for a more spoiler-filled review.
(view spoiler)...more
(view spoiler)...more
Anna David's "Bought" is a wonderful tale of the appeal and dangers of fame. Anna's heroine, Emma, is smart, funny, and worldly, but not worldly enough to fail to be shocked by, or in awe of, the trappings of fame. But the story is not so much about fame as it is about what we give up in our lives to achieve our goals. Emma wants to be a feature writer for a Los Angeles magazine. It is that goal that brings us to the point; along about chapter four; as to how she might obtain that status. We are...more
Bought is not standard chick-lit; in fact, I'm not really sure that term really applies at all. Some chick-lit trappings are present, but reading through it, it struck me as almost more of a coming-of-age story with a healthy dose of Woody Allen-esque neurosis peeking through. As in Party Girl, David's first novel, the protagonist gets seduced by the "dark side" - whereas in Party Girl it was drugs, in Bought it's the allure of a certain lifestyle, and the book does an excellent job in raising t...more
So Emma, a struggling reporter, decides to write a story on the interesting world of kept women. These women are far superior to run of the mill prostitute. They actually have contracts and acept only "gifts" in the form of cars, apartments, $8,000 handbags, etc. Most of these girls are acutally pretty intelligent. My favorite quote from the book appears while Emma is talking to a friend. She cant understand why all the successful attractive men are hiring these girls when they could have any gi...more
This book is not high literature, but that's not the intent. It's clear the author knows the subject matter - from being a journalist of course, not a high paid escort! And though I don't know much of this world (thank goodness), the story felt very authentic and I have no doubt there are real life characters who mimic the fictional ones in this book. I had some trouble relating to the heroine because she did things and tooks risks I never would but by the end I was hooked into her story and wan...more
Party Girl was underrated as chick lit when it was really a smart, witty, moving—and sometimes harrowing—take on a young woman's coming-of-recovery, and now Ms. David raises the bar with another tale of an uncertain young woman's arm-wrestle with self-respect. This time, it's a disillusioned journalist (how timely!) who meets a cool, high-living call girl (timely again) and is seduced not just by the vixen's world, but by her reasoning. The obvious analogy here is our greed-based culture, and in...more
Anna has the ability to make you feel like you are living the story. You feel the inner struggle and the array of emotions of her main character Emma Swanson. The book quickly draws you in and you can barely put it down. There was not a dull moment or anything that you saw coming or that was predictible. What I enjoyed the most, because I watch Anna David on Red Eye and I follow her on Twitter, is her wittiness, as I read, I would suddenly burst into laughter because of something that Emma (Anna...more
Bought will take you on a wild ride!
Anna David takes us into the world of women who trade sexual favors for gifts. But she was able to bring us into this world through the eyes of Emma, a writer and Jessica, one of these women.
The book will grip you from page 1 until the final letter of the final word. Anna spun the story using her unique writing style and helps brings the reader inside the minds of these women.
Finally we can look in the mirror and realize that we all do exactly the same thing...more
Anna David takes us into the world of women who trade sexual favors for gifts. But she was able to bring us into this world through the eyes of Emma, a writer and Jessica, one of these women.
The book will grip you from page 1 until the final letter of the final word. Anna spun the story using her unique writing style and helps brings the reader inside the minds of these women.
Finally we can look in the mirror and realize that we all do exactly the same thing...more
Having lived in Los Angeles myself, this book was accurate, intriguing and very well written. Anna is hilarious and her characters are very relatable. There were so many instances where I felt like I was sucked into the novel and living Emma's life. I had a love hate relationship with Jessica throughout the entire book.
I learned that there may be a secret hiding behind the Fendi sunglasses of the well kept girls you see at Starbucks in the middle of the day.....read Bought and you'll know what...more
I learned that there may be a secret hiding behind the Fendi sunglasses of the well kept girls you see at Starbucks in the middle of the day.....read Bought and you'll know what...more
Bought is an excellent novel. It's a very entertaining story about a journalist who gets involved in the world of high class prostitution. It's a story about love, lust, power, manipulation and betrayal.
Miss David keeps the story moving right from the opening chapter to the very last page. I don't follow Hollywood or the stars, and yet I loved this novel even more than I did her first book Party Girl. I was only disappointed when I got to the last page because I didn't want it to end.
Highly re...more
Miss David keeps the story moving right from the opening chapter to the very last page. I don't follow Hollywood or the stars, and yet I loved this novel even more than I did her first book Party Girl. I was only disappointed when I got to the last page because I didn't want it to end.
Highly re...more
May 03, 2009
Mike Partipilo
rated it
5 of 5 stars
Recommends it for:
Everyone
Recommended to Mike by:
sgtnukem@gmail.com
Bought is a great read. The story is about Emma, a journalist who wants to write a story about prostitution and finds out things aren't always as simple as they appear. The characters are developed well and the story is entertaining and thought provoking. The novel has some humor, danger, twists and unexpected turns and sometimes shocking behavior by people who don't seem to be shocked by any of it at all. I enjoyed the novel from beginning to end. Definitely not chick-lit.
Bought is an excellent novel about the world of high class prostitution, and a reporter who falls into it. Trying to get her big break in the magazine biz, the Emma Swanson’s world, and the world of high class prostitution start to blur. Anna David creates a great story, with real characters that you can feel for, and leaves you wanting more. A great read, thoroughly enjoyable by both men and women.
A quick read that was ok. Emma is a lowly press line journalist (stands outside of events and tries to get quotes from celebs) who decides to write an article on high-end prostitutes/girlfriends who receive gifts, not cash. She becomes friends with the queen bee who offers to show her world to Emma. But their friendship isn't quite normal and Emma has to make some decisions - follow her new "friend" or remain loyal to her former friends and family?
It was fairly predictable and though I felt like...more
It was fairly predictable and though I felt like...more
Bought's a fun book, but I'm not a super fan of Chick-Lit. It's an off and on kind of reading. I'm finding that while the antagonist (Jessica) is really cool, the main character seems to do all these bad things without making too much of a choice about it. I'm still working my way through it (which seems like an easy read). I am loving the whole courtesan angle to the story, though.
The poor trees who had to die for this book to be printed.
It's about a journalist who investigates women who have sex for gifts, rent, drinks and jewelry instead of money. Not only is the concept disgusting, with no moral lesson, but reading about the conspicuous consumption in the book while living in this economy felt really bizarre.
It's about a journalist who investigates women who have sex for gifts, rent, drinks and jewelry instead of money. Not only is the concept disgusting, with no moral lesson, but reading about the conspicuous consumption in the book while living in this economy felt really bizarre.
This is a delicious read. It is the kind of book that is frankly, light as air and fun as heck to enjoy. A guilty pleasure that I am guilty of! It was so much fun! Hollywood, sleaze, sex and shopping with some other stuff thrown in! I won't spoil it...Girls and this is girl fiction at its finest, enjoy this pastry puff of a story. It's good fun!
Really unclear about why my step-mom sent this in a recent box from Burma. Did she like this book? Did she think I would? That's kind of embarrassing...
This was a totally trashy book that I read on a rainy day without much stopping. I thought it was pretty terrible, but I can only say so much when I read it so quickly.
Bought follows an annoying journalist of the stars through her attempt to come up with a feature article. Suddenly she becomes friends with a manipulative call girl and has to lie...more
This was a totally trashy book that I read on a rainy day without much stopping. I thought it was pretty terrible, but I can only say so much when I read it so quickly.
Bought follows an annoying journalist of the stars through her attempt to come up with a feature article. Suddenly she becomes friends with a manipulative call girl and has to lie...more
Don't believe the hype. Overrated reviews. The main character is annoying. It's hard to like someone who has zero confidence and follows the crowd so easily. Jessica, the prostitute, was more likeable. This was an OK read. We either have to love or hate the heroine, not roll your eyes at her.
I've never read a book written by one of my best friends before. It was really fun! Reading Bought was like spending time with Anna, which is always a pleasure. She is especially good at the metaphors and the book really captures what it is like to live in LA. A fun summer beach read...although I didn't read it on a beach. I read it in an uncomfortable airplane seat.
An interesting sort of book about how women go for men with the biggest...ahem...pocketbook and how we often go to great lengths to deceive ourselves that it's not the case. If you're given an expensive gift by a man and you return it for cash, have you just been "bought"? Thought provoking book.
I don't know if I would say I really like this book, but I definatily felt the need to keep turning the page to see what happenend next, especailly at the end. I actually read to 2:30 am without realizing it. I guess I would call it sintalating.
This book feels like chick lit, but not quite it. The plot doesn't revolve around a guy, but more so around a women who's struggling to make a mark in her career and figure herself out. But I come back to the chick lit theme, since it's a fun read and not an overly serious one!!!
A writer in LA? Say no more. I enjoyed this book. Turning pages to find out what would happen to the main character who befriends a "high class prostitute" in Los Angeles, I knew it wouldn't end on a happy note. I liked it!
Started out fun and with great potential (chick lit with a message) but in the end was just OK. I wanted more from the main character and the ending was far too abrupt.
I thought this book was interesting. It talks about prostituition but also how we are all selling ourselves in some way. Made me re-look at my life.
This was a good summer read - frothy and scandalous, fun and glamorous. I would definitely recommend it for a beach read!
Interesting topic, but parts of were so graphic I felt like me reading it was akin to people staring when you drive by a gory acceident. You just can't look away.
I really liked the beginning & middle, but it got a little stale towards the end. I think I expected a lot more from this book, and I thought it was going to be more "shocking", but I didn't.
this book was a fabulous book very well written it was a real page turner i could not put the book down when i got it
| topics | posts | views | last activity | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Can You Be Bought | 2 | 17 | Apr 11, 2010 06:07am |
Anna David is the author of the books Party Girl (HarperCollins, 2007), Bought (HarperCollins, 2009), Reality Matters (HarperCollins, 2010) and Falling for Me (HarperCollins, 2011) as well as the Kindle Singles Animal Attraction (Amazon, 2012) and They Like Me, They Really Like Me (Amazon, 2013). Her biography on Tom Sizemore will be released in April, 2013 from Simon & Schuster.
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