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Four Blondes
L'univers de la jet-set est impitoyable, même pour les blondes sexy taille mannequin et top classe. Autant dire qu'ici la réussite des unes et la satisfaction des autres ne se mesure pas à l'aune de la sensibilité ou de la gentillesse. Mais plutôt à la capacité d'attraper l'homme idéal, celui possédant le plus grand nombre de mètres carrés de résidence secondaire et la piscine la plus profonde et la plus bleue. Sun, sex and dollar sont les mamelles du quotidien de l'élite new-yorkaise. Et pourtant, derrière ce royaume de faux-semblants et de silicone se cachent aussi des êtres sensibles : quatre femmes à la poursuite désespérée du succès, du bonheur et de l'amour. Mais ce dernier, lorsqu'il est trop souvent bafoué, vous revient violemment en pleine figure. Et les quatre blondes de Candace Bushnell vont devoir le vivre à leurs corps défendant.
Dans la droite ligne Bridget Jones mais avec un humour encore plus noir et plus grinçant, l'auteur réussit le tour de force de nous faire à la fois détester ses héroïnes superficielles et s'apitoyer sur leurs pauvres sorts. Une réussite horripilante et drôle qui n'a pas échappé à Bret Easton Ellis, maître en matière de tendance décalée caustique, pour qui Candace Bushnell a su, à travers ses récits, "saisir la vérité qui tue". Les fashion victims auraient-elles une âme ? --Stelio Paris
368 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2000
About the author
Candace Bushnell
46 books3,415 followersCandace Bushnell is the critically acclaimed, international best-selling author of Killing Monica, Sex and the City, Summer and the City, The Carrie Diaries, One Fifth Avenue, Lipstick Jungle, Trading Up, and Four Blondes. Sex and the City, published in 1996, was the basis for the HBO hit series and two subsequent blockbuster movies. Lipstick Jungle became a popular television series on NBC, as did The Carrie Diaries on the CW.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 1,078 reviews
April 17, 2018
CW: eating disorders and fat shaming (so much weight shaming in general)
**I will be including some quotes directly from the book, so please be advised as they will include some of that content warning.
I'm just so confused and appalled by what I just read. I don't understand what Candace Bushnell was trying to say? The back of the book claims, "She chronicles the lives of four beautiful women [...] as they face turning points in which each must choose between her passions." I don't know what book they read to make that blurb, but what I read was a heap of self-absorbed drivel that relied heavily on stereotypes. I thought the first story was terrible but then the second and third one had me debating which was the worst. The fourth story just seemed like a last minute add-on (it's the shortest and least detailed). If the Sex and the City book is anything like this, it amazes me both that it was published AND that it was made into one of the most well-known television series of all time.
Also, Candace Bushnell takes every opportunity to weight shame. Everyone is too fat and too thin all at once and there is just constant attention brought to how women look in these stories. I just don't understand what point Bushnell is trying to make. I don't doubt that vapid and self-absorbed women exist in the world, but why tell these stories? I just don't get it. This book doesn't feel like it has a point. I don't like any of the characters, but their unlikeability feels like it has nothing to say. I'm fine with unlikeable characters. I just want there to be a point. On top of that, the writing is terrible. There's no sense of movement in the narrative and it's awkward trying to follow exactly what the characters are doing at any given point.
I'm going to include some quotes now just to illustrate the strangeness and awkwardness of the story, and also to bring to light some of the stereotyping and weight shaming. (Heed the content warning, please.)
"Janey, who had a fat belly and fat thighs, was never able to distinguish herself. At fourteen, when she got her period, her mother said, 'Janey, you must be careful with boys. Boys like to take advantage of girls who are not pretty because boys know the girl is desperate for attention.'" p. 25
"Winnie still considers it part of her job to be the good-looking one in the relationship. Being good-looking is part of mastering the world. It is part of being perfect. (It is not about being beautiful. Beautiful women are self-indulgent. Beautiful women are stupid because they don't have to try.) She is five-seven and weighs 125 pounds. If she let herself go, let her body reach its natural weight, she'd probably weigh between 130 and 135 pounds. But she won't let herself go. (It's about control.) ... If she is two pounds overweight, she takes care of it. Taking care of herself is part of being a nice girl." p. 91
"I take off all my clothes and step on the scale; Weight, 117.5 pounds. Percentage fat, 13. GOOD. I've lost a quarter of a pound from the morning." p. 143
What is shocking to me is that this is from three different stories, which are about three different women. Why is there so much emphasis on this? None of the women seem happy. They all seem trapped and sad. Please just stay away from this book.
**I will be including some quotes directly from the book, so please be advised as they will include some of that content warning.
I'm just so confused and appalled by what I just read. I don't understand what Candace Bushnell was trying to say? The back of the book claims, "She chronicles the lives of four beautiful women [...] as they face turning points in which each must choose between her passions." I don't know what book they read to make that blurb, but what I read was a heap of self-absorbed drivel that relied heavily on stereotypes. I thought the first story was terrible but then the second and third one had me debating which was the worst. The fourth story just seemed like a last minute add-on (it's the shortest and least detailed). If the Sex and the City book is anything like this, it amazes me both that it was published AND that it was made into one of the most well-known television series of all time.
Also, Candace Bushnell takes every opportunity to weight shame. Everyone is too fat and too thin all at once and there is just constant attention brought to how women look in these stories. I just don't understand what point Bushnell is trying to make. I don't doubt that vapid and self-absorbed women exist in the world, but why tell these stories? I just don't get it. This book doesn't feel like it has a point. I don't like any of the characters, but their unlikeability feels like it has nothing to say. I'm fine with unlikeable characters. I just want there to be a point. On top of that, the writing is terrible. There's no sense of movement in the narrative and it's awkward trying to follow exactly what the characters are doing at any given point.
I'm going to include some quotes now just to illustrate the strangeness and awkwardness of the story, and also to bring to light some of the stereotyping and weight shaming. (Heed the content warning, please.)
"Janey, who had a fat belly and fat thighs, was never able to distinguish herself. At fourteen, when she got her period, her mother said, 'Janey, you must be careful with boys. Boys like to take advantage of girls who are not pretty because boys know the girl is desperate for attention.'" p. 25
"Winnie still considers it part of her job to be the good-looking one in the relationship. Being good-looking is part of mastering the world. It is part of being perfect. (It is not about being beautiful. Beautiful women are self-indulgent. Beautiful women are stupid because they don't have to try.) She is five-seven and weighs 125 pounds. If she let herself go, let her body reach its natural weight, she'd probably weigh between 130 and 135 pounds. But she won't let herself go. (It's about control.) ... If she is two pounds overweight, she takes care of it. Taking care of herself is part of being a nice girl." p. 91
"I take off all my clothes and step on the scale; Weight, 117.5 pounds. Percentage fat, 13. GOOD. I've lost a quarter of a pound from the morning." p. 143
What is shocking to me is that this is from three different stories, which are about three different women. Why is there so much emphasis on this? None of the women seem happy. They all seem trapped and sad. Please just stay away from this book.
February 26, 2007
This book doesn't even deserve one star. This has to be one of the worst books that I've ever read in my life. I only kept reading it in the ridiculous (and futile) hope that it surely would have to get better at some point. Surely the women who came up with the idea for Sex in the City couldn't possibly suck THAT bad as an author.
Well as it turns out, she can. Don't waste your time or anyone else's with this book. It's about 4 stupid women who make ridiculous choices and live lives consumed by selfishness and boredom.
I wouldn't even let my dog read this book.
Well as it turns out, she can. Don't waste your time or anyone else's with this book. It's about 4 stupid women who make ridiculous choices and live lives consumed by selfishness and boredom.
I wouldn't even let my dog read this book.
August 1, 2018
I'm not quite sure what the author was going for with this one. This was published after her previous book, Sex and the City and maybe she was hoping to catch lightning in a bottle twice. Regardless, this one just did not work. The characters featured in the short stories are unlikable which actually isn't the biggest problem. The issue is you just don't give a crap about their stupid lives. This book is missing heart, substance, and whatever else that gives you a compelling urge to flip the pages to find out more. To be honest, if I didn't have an annoying habit of having to finish books I paid for even when in this case I picked it up for a dollar at a thrift store, I wouldn't have bothered reading til the end. Definitely do not recommend.
November 18, 2016
“James is scared about his work. Every time he finishes a piece, he's scared he won't get another one. When he gets another assignment (he always does, but it doesn't make any difference), he's scared he won't make the deadline. When he makes the deadline, he's scared his editor (or editors-there are always faceless editors lurking around in dark little offices at magazines), won't like the piece. When they like the piece, he's scared that it won't get published. When it does get published, he's scared that no one will read it or talk about it and all his hard work will have been for nothing. If people do talk about it (and they don't always, in which case he's scared that he's not a great journalist), he's scared that he won't be able to pull it off again.”
― Candace Bushnell, Four Blondes
What a gloomy book. This book "Four Blondes" is by Candace Bushnell who of coarse wrote "Sex and the city". I liked that book and love the series so I was curious about this book.
It is a Series of short stories about different women. The only thing they have in common is they are all blondes. It did look interesting.
So this is pure chick lit and I enjoyed maybe one of the stories (the first one). But surprisingly, rather then being fun, I found this little book to be rather dreary.
Very few of the women in these stories are likable and the stories were on the dull side. There was a sadness to a few of them that surprised me but other then that there was not anything memorable and it was sort of a let down. Actually scratch the "sort of".
It is readable and it's short to but honestly I did not get much from it. This is not a book that I personally would recommend unfortunetly.
― Candace Bushnell, Four Blondes
What a gloomy book. This book "Four Blondes" is by Candace Bushnell who of coarse wrote "Sex and the city". I liked that book and love the series so I was curious about this book.
It is a Series of short stories about different women. The only thing they have in common is they are all blondes. It did look interesting.
So this is pure chick lit and I enjoyed maybe one of the stories (the first one). But surprisingly, rather then being fun, I found this little book to be rather dreary.
Very few of the women in these stories are likable and the stories were on the dull side. There was a sadness to a few of them that surprised me but other then that there was not anything memorable and it was sort of a let down. Actually scratch the "sort of".
It is readable and it's short to but honestly I did not get much from it. This is not a book that I personally would recommend unfortunetly.
January 28, 2009
Bushnell is one of the worse writers of all time. I hope she wakes up every morning and thanks whichever god she believes in because however she got Sex in the City published is supernatural. That someone saw past her schlocky prose to an award-winning television series is beyond me.
Four Blondes is a trite story about four women you couldn't care about if they were on fire on the midtown bus. Their stories, remarkably, are less interesting. Read this book only if you are being threatened with death. Or worse.
Four Blondes is a trite story about four women you couldn't care about if they were on fire on the midtown bus. Their stories, remarkably, are less interesting. Read this book only if you are being threatened with death. Or worse.
Read
August 21, 2007Terrible. I finally followed the 50 page rule, where if it's not good by the first 50 pages, dump it. This was the worst book I have ever attempted. I picked it up at a garage sale for a quarter because I enjoy "chick-lit", and Sex and The City was a hit show, I thought the author would at least have something worthwhile. Big mistake! The storyline and characters were so unrealistic, fake, and BORING! Don't bother.
February 2, 2016
"Pour yourself a drink, put on some lipstick, and pull yourself together. "
----Liz Taylor
Candace Bushnell, an international best-selling author, has penned a sassy tale of four blond women from Manhattan, in her book, Four Blondes that narrates the tale of four different women, independent and strong-willed, who pave their way in the jungle called life by standing strong along with the men, fashion, age, needs and fame and to claim fame, they would do anything for it.
Synopsis:
Four Blondes charts the romantic intrigues, liaisons, betrayals and victories of four modern women: a beautiful B-list model scams rent-free summerhouses in the Hamptons from her lovers until she discovers she can get a man but can't get what she wants; a high-powered magazine columnist's floundering marriage to a literary journalist is thrown into crisis when her husband's career fails to live up to her expectations; a 'Cinderella' records her descent into paranoia in her journal as she realizes she wants anybody's life except her own; an artist and an ageing 'It girl' - who fears that her time for finding a man has run out - travels to London in search of the kind of love and devotion she can't find in Manhattan.
A selfish and lazy ex-model, a career-minded and dominating journalist, a paranoid princess and an aging "IT girl"- all four had few things in common, they all belong from The Big Apple, all four are thoroughly selfish, all four are unexceptionally modern out of their times, and not to mention they are all blondies. So why read about these four feminist women? Well, my answer will be, if you are getting bored and wanna read something light, something like no-strings-attached, something that will give you a good laugh, then you may pick a copy of this book. Well, I won this book from Hachette India's giveaway along with a copy of Sex and the City. It may not disappoint you, considering the fact that you are an occasional reader, but serious readers like me, might tear apart this book with words of criticism. But I can hardly ever trash a author's hard work, hence, I'd like to give this book 3 stars, since I got it for free, and secondly, the book cover is really pretty.
I can't complain about the author's writing style, its funny, sassy and way too polished. The narrative too is quite alluring and catchy with a really fast pace. The author pens this book with her trademark style of boldness, independence and feminism. The story line is layered with lots of funny anecdotes and remarks related to sexism.
Well, I was pretty aware what I was getting myself into, before reading this book. Unfortunately, the author has projected the hard truth about 21st century women. Yes these characters might sound very vague and dumb in the beginning, but mind it, women like these characters exist everywhere in the world. Not to mention these four characters are unexceptionally flawed, some are lazy, do not want to work and wanna depend on their lover's filthy money to sustain them through the summers, or some are tremendously hard-working and egotistic about their jobs and constantly dominating their husbands and criticizing their jobs or some love to act paranoid or some is desperate to settle for less.
In short, this book is strictly not for serious readers, even though you are a serious reader who loves chick-lits with quality, but this book does not hold any quality instead, it has lots of SEX, and if you enjoy that, do grab a copy of this book for sure.
Verdict: Modern times or shameless times?? The author has marvelously featured some of the independent blond women as an object of sex or rather say, she has paraded them like S**Ts all through out the city of Manhattan and London.
----Liz Taylor
Candace Bushnell, an international best-selling author, has penned a sassy tale of four blond women from Manhattan, in her book, Four Blondes that narrates the tale of four different women, independent and strong-willed, who pave their way in the jungle called life by standing strong along with the men, fashion, age, needs and fame and to claim fame, they would do anything for it.
Synopsis:
Four Blondes charts the romantic intrigues, liaisons, betrayals and victories of four modern women: a beautiful B-list model scams rent-free summerhouses in the Hamptons from her lovers until she discovers she can get a man but can't get what she wants; a high-powered magazine columnist's floundering marriage to a literary journalist is thrown into crisis when her husband's career fails to live up to her expectations; a 'Cinderella' records her descent into paranoia in her journal as she realizes she wants anybody's life except her own; an artist and an ageing 'It girl' - who fears that her time for finding a man has run out - travels to London in search of the kind of love and devotion she can't find in Manhattan.
A selfish and lazy ex-model, a career-minded and dominating journalist, a paranoid princess and an aging "IT girl"- all four had few things in common, they all belong from The Big Apple, all four are thoroughly selfish, all four are unexceptionally modern out of their times, and not to mention they are all blondies. So why read about these four feminist women? Well, my answer will be, if you are getting bored and wanna read something light, something like no-strings-attached, something that will give you a good laugh, then you may pick a copy of this book. Well, I won this book from Hachette India's giveaway along with a copy of Sex and the City. It may not disappoint you, considering the fact that you are an occasional reader, but serious readers like me, might tear apart this book with words of criticism. But I can hardly ever trash a author's hard work, hence, I'd like to give this book 3 stars, since I got it for free, and secondly, the book cover is really pretty.
I can't complain about the author's writing style, its funny, sassy and way too polished. The narrative too is quite alluring and catchy with a really fast pace. The author pens this book with her trademark style of boldness, independence and feminism. The story line is layered with lots of funny anecdotes and remarks related to sexism.
Well, I was pretty aware what I was getting myself into, before reading this book. Unfortunately, the author has projected the hard truth about 21st century women. Yes these characters might sound very vague and dumb in the beginning, but mind it, women like these characters exist everywhere in the world. Not to mention these four characters are unexceptionally flawed, some are lazy, do not want to work and wanna depend on their lover's filthy money to sustain them through the summers, or some are tremendously hard-working and egotistic about their jobs and constantly dominating their husbands and criticizing their jobs or some love to act paranoid or some is desperate to settle for less.
In short, this book is strictly not for serious readers, even though you are a serious reader who loves chick-lits with quality, but this book does not hold any quality instead, it has lots of SEX, and if you enjoy that, do grab a copy of this book for sure.
Verdict: Modern times or shameless times?? The author has marvelously featured some of the independent blond women as an object of sex or rather say, she has paraded them like S**Ts all through out the city of Manhattan and London.
February 27, 2008
This book is not good. It is divided into four sections about four women with barely any brains and their stories never connect. At first I felt like I was missing some big secret underlying message about society while I was reading it, but then I thought that it was just about four stupid rich women.
The writing style of the second section almost made me quit reading. Sentence length averages 6 words and every other sentence is in parentheses which I think was meant for humor but ended up being the final straw.
You can read this book in approximately 3 hours and be none the wiser. Also, the cover art is terrible. I should have known better.
The writing style of the second section almost made me quit reading. Sentence length averages 6 words and every other sentence is in parentheses which I think was meant for humor but ended up being the final straw.
You can read this book in approximately 3 hours and be none the wiser. Also, the cover art is terrible. I should have known better.
Read
April 9, 2008And now we have a real dilemma: how do you honestly review a book that's so bad that you didn't really finish it and you were never interested in reading it in the first place?
Candace Bushnell (of Sex and the City fame) has written a book that is either disgusting in its skewed portrayal of vapid, mindless, and spiritually bankrupt women or genius in its satirical and ironic take on selfsame.
I'm going with the former.
Perhaps it deserves some kind of recognition at the very least for the entertainment value you get from reading the harsh reviews (which are the vast majority) interspersed with the occasional fawning acclaim (another example of ironic genius?)
Let's see if I can get this 0 star to stick.
Candace Bushnell (of Sex and the City fame) has written a book that is either disgusting in its skewed portrayal of vapid, mindless, and spiritually bankrupt women or genius in its satirical and ironic take on selfsame.
I'm going with the former.
Perhaps it deserves some kind of recognition at the very least for the entertainment value you get from reading the harsh reviews (which are the vast majority) interspersed with the occasional fawning acclaim (another example of ironic genius?)
Let's see if I can get this 0 star to stick.
May 5, 2009
Admittedly, this book has little redeeming social value, beyond being humorous. And that said, it's probably only entertaining to readers who recognize that "it's funny because it's true" - even without being in the social circles of people like these characters, you would need to realize that they exist. If you must respect the protagonist in order to enjoy a book, then don't pick up this one. Leave it for those who will laugh out loud in recognition of someone they know.
Read
April 30, 2008I purposefully didn't rate this book, because it's the worst book I have EVER read. I only finished it on principle. Awful, awful, awful. In fact, when I go to Barnes & Noble, I actually consider placing a note on the shelf that holds this book, warning people! (Updated to one star 15 years later, so it'll show up on the star ratings)
March 26, 2008
Okay this book is disgusting - but i was trying to get a feel for the popularity of Candace Bushnell (of sex in the city fame)without watching sex in the city. I notice most people rate this book pretty low, so i guess even fans don't like this one.
It was just creepy. High "Ick" factor. As in the normalization of super cringey sex ick.
However, i happened to be reading Ibsen's A Doll's House at the same time and it made a fascinating comparative study re: women's roles and what women have done with the freedoms they've fought for. Not all women of course, but some women. Hopefully fewer women than Candace Bushnell would have us believe...
So, we now have the right to eat macaroons as we please, and women from every social strata can prostitute themselves freely - yipee!
You've come a long way baby!
It was just creepy. High "Ick" factor. As in the normalization of super cringey sex ick.
However, i happened to be reading Ibsen's A Doll's House at the same time and it made a fascinating comparative study re: women's roles and what women have done with the freedoms they've fought for. Not all women of course, but some women. Hopefully fewer women than Candace Bushnell would have us believe...
So, we now have the right to eat macaroons as we please, and women from every social strata can prostitute themselves freely - yipee!
You've come a long way baby!
December 4, 2008
Don't judge...its awesome. Very well written and easy to read :) Very different from the show.
May 31, 2016
After absolutely hating Sex and the City, I was quite sceptic about this novel. I was pretty sure it will be as bad as her first work, but somehow it wasn't it. I was thinking how she will probably just recycle those girls from Sex and the City, but she didn't. Candice actually created brand new characters that felt very much alike. I found that anorexic princess character rather fascinating! Even after all this time ( I read this one a long time ago), I still can remember clearly all the characters. These 4 blonds were quite unique. This book seemed up to a good start, but by the time I finished it, I already felt rather tired of it. It might have been a good book.
The problem is that Candice still doesn't know how to write. Novel is something that is beyond her writing range. Maybe a short story would be more up her alley....or would it? Short stories are not as easy as they might seem. Anyway, I was somewhat pleasently surprised by this book in the sense I expected it to be a complex mess, but it wasn't it. What was it was something I would call ok. Not good. Not great...just ok. You see this book was pretty shallow as well. I can't say that I liked it. I didn't hated it, though. Perhaps some day she will learn how to write. Who knows? Miracles can happen.
The problem is that Candice still doesn't know how to write. Novel is something that is beyond her writing range. Maybe a short story would be more up her alley....or would it? Short stories are not as easy as they might seem. Anyway, I was somewhat pleasently surprised by this book in the sense I expected it to be a complex mess, but it wasn't it. What was it was something I would call ok. Not good. Not great...just ok. You see this book was pretty shallow as well. I can't say that I liked it. I didn't hated it, though. Perhaps some day she will learn how to write. Who knows? Miracles can happen.
Read
January 26, 2015En suostu antamaan tälle kirjalle yhtään tähteä, sillä a) hukkasin elämästäni kallisarvoisia tunteja lukiessani tätä, b) kirjoitustyyli on hirveä, c) naiskuva kirjassa on hirveä ja d) tämä on ehkä ällöttävin, paskin, huonoin, surkein ja turhin kirja ikinä!
July 24, 2008
Honestly...this book is probably one of the worst books I have ever read...I did not enjoy it what-so-ever...I do not watch Sex and the City (i make fun more than anything) but my friend told me this is one of her favorite books and i had to read it. I hated the way it was written...The second story I could not stand all the parentheses and the third story the intitials bothered me also...I felt that the characters kind of sucked and you really could care less about them. I also did not like how the third story mentioned some characters from the first and the second but they were not really intertwined or related...it was kind of just thrown in. I usually enjoy stories where the characters are linked and that would have redeemed this book just a little but the way she did it really just kind of annoyed me more than anything...all-in-all...I did not like this book and would not recommend it to anyone...ever
June 24, 2008
Before I launch into another diatribe about the enormous amount of crap that is this book, let me say that chick-lit CAN be smart, it can be fun and it can YES PLEASE have a protagonist that, while interested in dating and mating, isn't obsessed over it or derive ALL of her self-esteem from it.
...the problem is that's ALL this novel is about. I get the Sex and the City thing- I even loved the show for the first few seasons before they became walking cliches of superficiality and excess, but that's exactly what this book is about.
Spare yourself this or any of Bushnell's tripe and go read some Marian Keyes.
...the problem is that's ALL this novel is about. I get the Sex and the City thing- I even loved the show for the first few seasons before they became walking cliches of superficiality and excess, but that's exactly what this book is about.
Spare yourself this or any of Bushnell's tripe and go read some Marian Keyes.
Read
March 2, 2016Of all the bad books I have read, this is pobably the one that I can say was the worst. I actually threw it across the room after reading it because I was so disgusted. Can't even give it a star.
April 7, 2020
Reseña completa en Books FD
4 Rubias ha sido una de las peores novelas que he leído, no la recomiendo, a menos que
quieran ejercitar su brazo para lanzarlo lo más lejos posible de uno. Personajes pobres,
mal perfilados, tontos, vacíos, estúpidos, frívolos… con una narración muy dispareja en
los cuatro relatos y sin una trama real. Muy muy, muy, muy mala lectura.
4 Rubias ha sido una de las peores novelas que he leído, no la recomiendo, a menos que
quieran ejercitar su brazo para lanzarlo lo más lejos posible de uno. Personajes pobres,
mal perfilados, tontos, vacíos, estúpidos, frívolos… con una narración muy dispareja en
los cuatro relatos y sin una trama real. Muy muy, muy, muy mala lectura.
July 8, 2013
This book took me two years to finish! I wish for the life of me I could have one positive remark on anything but truthfully this book is horrendous. I have never seen a cast that is so self-absorbed, manipulative, and downright one dimensional before in my life! There's only one character that comes to mind who might rival their superficiality.
Its sad when Gaston is considered a well-rounded character compared to these bitches.
Not only are they selfish they are a downright disgusting portrayal of women! In Bushnell's mind, all blonde haired women are either beautiful or whorish. Actually since I've used Gaston, then I might as well use the most perfect example of what these characters remind me of-
Only one of the characters was interesting to read and didn't make me want to rip my hair out. This book looks like it was written by a high school student who wanted to bash the blonde girls who picked on her.
Don't pick up this book!! Trust me, the book will bring out a feminist in you that you didn't know existed until after scanning through this monstrosity.
Its sad when Gaston is considered a well-rounded character compared to these bitches.
Not only are they selfish they are a downright disgusting portrayal of women! In Bushnell's mind, all blonde haired women are either beautiful or whorish. Actually since I've used Gaston, then I might as well use the most perfect example of what these characters remind me of-
Only one of the characters was interesting to read and didn't make me want to rip my hair out. This book looks like it was written by a high school student who wanted to bash the blonde girls who picked on her.
Don't pick up this book!! Trust me, the book will bring out a feminist in you that you didn't know existed until after scanning through this monstrosity.
July 26, 2015
I think I lost IQ points reading that.
April 1, 2016
Garbage. That's all that needs to be said.
October 15, 2023
4 historias de 4 mujeres distintas que están insatisfechas, que se tienen que enfrentar a situaciones que van a cambiar el rumbo de su vida.
Ninguna historia ha conseguido que me enganche al libro al 100%, por el contrario quería dejar el libro en muchas ocasiones, finalmente lo terminé y sigo intentando encontrar algo en las historias de estas mujeres.
Ninguna historia ha conseguido que me enganche al libro al 100%, por el contrario quería dejar el libro en muchas ocasiones, finalmente lo terminé y sigo intentando encontrar algo en las historias de estas mujeres.
October 10, 2023
Måste vara den sämsta boken jag nånsin har läst😀 Ja sluta på sidan 200 för att jag int kunde ta tortyren mera. Hoppades på lite djup i boken men det kom aldrig, hoppades att domhä storyna sku på någo sätt blanda ihop sig men nej
July 13, 2011
It was the best of blondes -- it was the worst of blondes.
I was never a big SEX AND THE CITY fan. As a rule I prefer romance to chick lit. I like guaranteed happy endings, and I also prefer a more hopeful take on men than what you get from most literary or "feminist" fiction.
The point is, I approached 4 BLONDES with really low expectations. Yet it wasn't quite as bad as I expected. Some of the satire on career women and feminists is razor sharp. Bushnell really shows how "educated" white women from schools like Barnard and Wellesley sneer at minorities while aping their victim rhetoric. They use the language of victims while fighting not for equality but for the privileges of white male aristocrats. (One part where the "smart" heroine is shocked because on AMAZON anyone can trash a book by an "important" feminist author left me smiling for days.)
On the other hand, as irreverent and clear-sighted as Candace Bushnell can be about important things, there's also a certain amount of silliness and snobbery that seems to come directly from the author, not the characters. For example, there's a whole story about a fashion model with no work skills and no formal education at all who is "shocked" that her equally brainless baby sister would marry a rock star -- because supposedly rock stars are "beneath" jet-set fashion models. The problem is, Bushnell knows nothing about rock and roll, indeed nothing about music, and never allows "Digger" to speak for himself. In real life, a tough boy like Jim Morrison or Eminem would have ripped Jane's lungs out -- even a drippy mama's boy like Elvis Presley or Kurt Cobain would have managed a put down or two. Yet in this book the rock star and his just-off-the-farm parents are supposed to be "terrified" of their brittle, artificial jet-set mother-in-law.
As my Depression-raised, Harlem-born grandfather used to say, "aw, who's gonna believe this?"
Put Ma Joad up against Lily Bart in a fist fight (or even just a catfight) and it's not Ma Joad who's going to the hospital.
When she wants to be, Candace Bushnell can be one smart cookie. But the rest of the time she's just a product whore pain in the ass.
I was never a big SEX AND THE CITY fan. As a rule I prefer romance to chick lit. I like guaranteed happy endings, and I also prefer a more hopeful take on men than what you get from most literary or "feminist" fiction.
The point is, I approached 4 BLONDES with really low expectations. Yet it wasn't quite as bad as I expected. Some of the satire on career women and feminists is razor sharp. Bushnell really shows how "educated" white women from schools like Barnard and Wellesley sneer at minorities while aping their victim rhetoric. They use the language of victims while fighting not for equality but for the privileges of white male aristocrats. (One part where the "smart" heroine is shocked because on AMAZON anyone can trash a book by an "important" feminist author left me smiling for days.)
On the other hand, as irreverent and clear-sighted as Candace Bushnell can be about important things, there's also a certain amount of silliness and snobbery that seems to come directly from the author, not the characters. For example, there's a whole story about a fashion model with no work skills and no formal education at all who is "shocked" that her equally brainless baby sister would marry a rock star -- because supposedly rock stars are "beneath" jet-set fashion models. The problem is, Bushnell knows nothing about rock and roll, indeed nothing about music, and never allows "Digger" to speak for himself. In real life, a tough boy like Jim Morrison or Eminem would have ripped Jane's lungs out -- even a drippy mama's boy like Elvis Presley or Kurt Cobain would have managed a put down or two. Yet in this book the rock star and his just-off-the-farm parents are supposed to be "terrified" of their brittle, artificial jet-set mother-in-law.
As my Depression-raised, Harlem-born grandfather used to say, "aw, who's gonna believe this?"
Put Ma Joad up against Lily Bart in a fist fight (or even just a catfight) and it's not Ma Joad who's going to the hospital.
When she wants to be, Candace Bushnell can be one smart cookie. But the rest of the time she's just a product whore pain in the ass.
February 21, 2013
The protagonists of these stories are connected not only by their blonde hair but also by their isolation and desire for change. While each story can certainly stand alone, the author, Candace Bushnell, shows why she published them in one collection. Some of her characters exist in more than one of the stories. Bushnell does this to show that everyone, both in her stories and in the real wold, is connected in some way. These women may never meet, but they could. These stories could in fact be real. In some way, they are. Bushnell uses these stories to give readers an inside look at the lives of the wealthy and the elite. She shows us that no matter who you are you can be dissatisfied with life but she also shows us that it is never too late to make a change for the better.
While I might not become friends with any of these women if I met them in person, Bushnell has the ability to make me feel sadness for what these girls have to endure. She makes me want good things to happen for them.
I look forward to reading more of her work, and I highly recommend these stories. I must add that these stories do describe vulgar acts in vulgar language, but everything Bushnell writes is necessary. She simply writes what her characters do. The thoughts and actions of her characters cause these stories to be for mature audiences only.
While I might not become friends with any of these women if I met them in person, Bushnell has the ability to make me feel sadness for what these girls have to endure. She makes me want good things to happen for them.
I look forward to reading more of her work, and I highly recommend these stories. I must add that these stories do describe vulgar acts in vulgar language, but everything Bushnell writes is necessary. She simply writes what her characters do. The thoughts and actions of her characters cause these stories to be for mature audiences only.
August 4, 2014
In her first book since the cultural phenomenon Sex and the City, Candace Bushnell triumphantly returned with the national best-seller Four Blondes, which The New York Times says "chronicles the glittering lives of semicelebrities, social aspirants, and moneyed folk ...
WTF did I just read? Candace Bushnell, I know Manhattan has some vain and money/career driven people living there but please, let's not scare anyone away. I feel like I should be ashamed to live and love NYC. Yes, we are the city that loves money, hot careers, and hard to get into restaurants but we do have a heart.
I felt like the stories were getting more boring and stupider as I was reading. She makes it seem like marriage is this horrible event that you force upon yourself and only stay married for social status. Maybe, I'm not rich or posh enough to relate to this book. Also, I never had more WTF moments while reading a book.
When I read these kinds of books, I wonder how they get published.
WTF did I just read? Candace Bushnell, I know Manhattan has some vain and money/career driven people living there but please, let's not scare anyone away. I feel like I should be ashamed to live and love NYC. Yes, we are the city that loves money, hot careers, and hard to get into restaurants but we do have a heart.
I felt like the stories were getting more boring and stupider as I was reading. She makes it seem like marriage is this horrible event that you force upon yourself and only stay married for social status. Maybe, I'm not rich or posh enough to relate to this book. Also, I never had more WTF moments while reading a book.
When I read these kinds of books, I wonder how they get published.
July 27, 2007
I only gave this 1 star because it was an easy read and I will admit a line or two was funny, however, it was hard for me to give it 1. The main reason I bought it was because it was written by the author of Sex and the City and I thought it was going to be interesting or at least follow characters that were similar to the ones in the TV series but I was dead wrong. I kept reading only hoping (assuming) that at some point it may get interesting. The book should be called 4 dumb blondes. It’s NOT a novel like I expected, its set up as short stories (none of which end up being connected) that follow 4 woman who are basically complaining the whole time about the bad choices they made in their lives. In my opinion you should only read this if you are one an airplane or in a car with nothing better to do.
September 14, 2009
Lots of negative reviews about this novel by Bushnell. I am wondering though - it isn't bad writing. Bushnell reminds me strongly of William S Burroughs. He writes of the real dirty urban world full of unhappiness but gleams of light shine through. Sometimes it makes your stomach turn, but both write with 'this is how the world is, or at least - my world' with brief, to the point statements. Both are not overly descriptive - my husband says this is in the tradition of American literature. 4 Blondes is saddening - but for someone who also reads fashion magazines, I can understand the vapid meaningless world that some have manufactured for the joy of some and the woe of others. Being an editor of Vogue, Bushnell has seen the underbelly and is writing out her experiences.
November 26, 2007
I was hard in to the TV series Sex and the City and when I hear d about Candace Bushnell, I decided to read more books from her. I bought the 4 Blondes and I was not disappointed the style was crisp and very observing. The four women had one thing in common they are relatively rich and very beautiful, however it is not much in the city jungle, where you can always find someone younger and more beautiful. Life suck and it is even worse when main heroines are selfish and self obsessed. It is fine book if you look at it as whole, but when you try to take it in to the pieces and think about it too much it started to be dull and over cliched.
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