Lipstick Jungle

by Candace Bushnell

The new novel that fans of the bestselling author have been waiting for, about three sexy, powerful career women who will do anything to stay at the top of their fieldsVictory Ford is the darling of the fashion world. Single, attractive, and iconoclastic, she has worked for years to create her own signature line. As Victory struggles to keep her company afloat, she learns crucial lessons about what she really wants in a relationship.Nico O'Neilly is the glamorous, brilliant editor of Bonfire Magazine-the pop-culture bible for fashion, show business, and politics. Considered one of the most powerful women in publishing, she seems to have it all. But in a mid-life crisis, she suddenly realizes this isn't enough. Wendy Healy's chutzpah has propelled her to the very top of the cut-throat movie industry. When it becomes clear that a competitor is trying to oust her, something has to give-and Wendy must decide between her career and her marriage.In Lipstick Jungle, Bushnell once again delivers an addictive page-turner of sex and scandal that will keep readers enthralled and guessing to the very last page.

Genres: Chick Lit, Fiction, Romance, Contemporary, New York, Adult, Beach Reads

353 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2005

About the author

Candace 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.

Reviews

[Michelle · Rating 3 out of 5]

I felt a bit disappointed with this book as I normally love Candace Bushnell books, but I felt this one lacked a strong storyline and I didn't bond with the girls in the book to be honest.

Average. Three stars.

[The Writer · Rating 1 out of 5]

If there is an award for the most ridiculous and unrealistic book ever, I would award it to Lipstick Jungle, written by Candace Bushnell. The one and the same author who wrote the widely-known "Sex and the City".

I have always been suspicious of her writing talent though. No offense, I do love Sex and the City series, like many other single and fabulous women in the world *coughs* but that's only the TV series, not the real book. When I finally had the chance to pick up the book and read it, my disappointment was so big I was practically devastated.

"This is not the Sex and the City that I know. This is just bunch of crappy short stories which have no meaning and hard to relate to", so I said to myself after I finished reading it. And let me tell you a secret *whispers* It's not only me who thinks that way. A lot of my friends were in the same emotional wreck as I was after reading the book. All of them who idolise the four tough women in the series.

But after awhile, the disappointment healed and I decided to give Ms. Bushnell another chance by picking up another novel of hers. A similar one, I must say where it portrays four women (all above 40s - way more mature than the characters in Sex and the City) who were equally successful and with men in their lives.

I guessed that Ms. Bushnell was so obssessed in the characters of Sex and the City and somehow regretted at making their lives rather unsuccessful as described by their inability to find the right men and their struggle to make their ends meet after the last shopping spree at Manolo Blahnik or Chanel boutique. She tried to fix the characters in Lipstick Jungle where the women - who are mostly CEOs or at least directors of companies - never have problem in buying a diamond set let alone a pair of Jimmy Choos.

Victory Ford, a famous designer, Nico O'Neilly, a famous magazine editor (eventually CEO), Wendy Healy (director of a film production company) and an unimportant blonde babe actress whose name I have already forgotten.

As much as Ms. Bushnell was trying to stress the importance of girl power these days, she couldn't just drop the subject that women couldn't live without men, no matter how powerful they are - which actually contradicts the whole theme. Now I begin to wonder why dildo was created in the first place, eh?

Wendy, whose family is rather dysfunctional with a spoiled staying home-dad/husband with equally two spoiled kids, feels her world is crumbling apart when her no-good of a husband Shane decides to divorce her just to punish her as she was always busy with her work and hardly home and never take care of the kids.

I can't help to wonder that the same theme, only reversed, has existed for centuries but regarded as the most natural thing on earth as portrayed by the dumbest TV series I have ever seen called "Desperate Housewives". Whatever happened to equality? How come a staying home dad now suddenly makes a big deal out of the fact that his wife works so hard that hasn't have time to take care of the kids? Aren't their roles reversed in the very first place? Similar to a normal family in the mid 1950s only that now the husband is the wife and the wife is the husband?

.....and what's up with Nico anyway? She has a perfectly good family with uptight husband who does care about her and a good daughter only that she finds it's rather frustrating that the husband is so reliable and boring. Where does she run to when she's bored? An underwear male model, of course - what else that is more effective in getting rid of boredom than having a steamy hot sex with an underwear male model? How come this is all so predictable?

The only character that is somewhat normal in this book is probably Victory Ford, the single designer who is trying to make a fortune with her clothing and her brand name. She's probably the only character in the book that is worth reading about although every single of her personality aspects scream the word "cliche". So what's left? What's so original about the book that is worth reading? Nothing.

I read it and I got disappointed. Another zero for Ms. Bushnell, unfortunately.

[Prabhjot Kaur · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book is marketed as more mature Sex and the City. I didn't like Sex and the City book but because I had already bought few books from the author, I thought I may as well read them.

Lipstick Jungle doesn't fare much better than Sex and the City. In this book, the characters are in their forties and they are all successful in their own rights. This could have been a great book at empowering women and telling their stories in their forties and saying that you don't need no man to feel accomplished and powerful and successful and complete and happy but it tells a completely different story.

All the characters had no depth and no character development from the start to end. They were all too obsessed with image, money and glamour which isn't a bad thing but the way this was written made them sound like whining, selfish and immature characters who are out for themselves only. I mean I have read other books with selfish and immature characters and actually enjoyed those but this I was not able to enjoy.

I was going to rate it 1 star but then thought that the writing wasn't that bad so I am going with 2 stars. I just wish it had a better plot or better characters.

2 stars

[Lora · Rating 1 out of 5]

Since the television series was about to come out, I thought I would read this book. I just saved myself and my tivo a lot of hours if the series is anything like the book.
*spoiler alert*
Generally speaking, the three main characters have no depth, no true conflict, and no real resolving storyline. Nico, the magazine Editor-in-Chief, fights her way to the top, has an affair with a younger man, and ends it but never tells her husband.
Wendy, a movie company president, married a weak man & had three kids, then throws money at him to solve all their at-home problems until he finally divorces her.
Victory, a famous fashion designer, falls in love with a billionaire and decides she too would like to have that kind of money by working hard at fashion.
YAWN!
I see this book as a ridiculous attempt to capture the experience of Sex In The City without any real drama.

[Amitha · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was very happy to find that this novel is not your typical chick-lit book (and not at all like the Sex and the City novel which I found jarring and strange). Bushnell basically tries to answer the following questions: What happens when women act like stereotypical men? Can they be respected and treated the same way in the workplace? How do high-powered careers affect a woman's relationship with her husband and family?

I am a big fan of the Lipstick Jungle TV series and was interested to see what choices were made in the creation of the series. While the same familiar characters are there (harried Wendy, cool calm Nico, and cute Victory) , they seem a lot more career-focused and more ruthless than their TV show counterparts. The struggles they have with office politics and family duties are shown in more detail and in a much less frivolous way. For example, in the novel Wendy is very overwhelmed with her responsibilities at work and struggles a lot more with achieving a perfect work-family balance than she does in the TV show. Victory, a very successful fashion designer, is older and only a little bit flighty; she shows the scars of a woman who has had to fight for her place in the world. Nico is a lot more cut-throat than in the TV show, necessarily so for her job I think.

The book is not perfect. I am not sure that Candace Bushnell achieves three distinct voices for her three main characters. Occasionally it just seemed like she had one ambitious character who was thrust into three different situations. Also, the ending felt very rushed, as though she realized that her word count was getting out of hand and decided to throw a happy ending together. But all in all, this was definitely a good read, and would probably be better received by those less interested in a fun, romantic romp and more interested in a serious-minded read.

[jennifer · Rating 1 out of 5]

As a "Sex and the City" viewer, I thought I was going to enjoy this book; however, that was not the case. I think that the book could have been much better and that a few times hit on deeper thoughts that should have been further developed- but instead were just dropped... leaving the story somewhat superficial. Now you might think- "Sex and the City" (SATC) isn't exactly deep so what did I expect? I suppose that after watching SATC for several years- you naturally develop relationships with the characters so even though they are superficial- you still care about them. I never was able to truly connect with the characters in the book and it all just seemed very cliche and almost fake. So, if you want a book that you can just disconnect and not use your mind for- I suppose this one might be what you are looking for.

[Deah · Rating 1 out of 5]

This book is horrible. Terrible writing, cliched, vapid, and over the top. The three women blend into one- halfway through I still can't remember what one of them actually does. And why anyone would want to date or marry any if them is beyond me. Don't waste your time reading this. And please don't think that being a feminist means you can be an asshole, "just like the men". That's not what it means.

[Christie · Rating 3 out of 5]

So, at first I was going to write this whole review about the book and why I SHOULDN'T have liked it. But the truth of the matter is that it was entertaining enough and it's okay for a book to be just that. I'm allowing myself to find the good in things for what they are. And sometimes you want a fluffy, no brainer. It's called ENTERTAINMENT. Something I normally make myself feel guilty over enjoying.

I truly didn't appreciate the whole, "women can and should have it all and be the best" attitude because I really don't think that's true. See? Here I go with the whole, why I shouldn't like it stuff. I'm stopping.

If you try not to read too much into anything and just look at it as mindless entertainment, it's fine.

[Joanna Doherty Salone · Rating 1 out of 5]

Wonderful writing but awful book. The characters had no redeeming value, so much so that instead of rooting for the characters I was happy to see bad things happen to them. These characters are the exact reason why some men hate feminists; there is nothing wrong with being a strong woman but these women took it to another level of belittling and disrespecting the men in their lives. These women seem to think that being a strong woman is about being as big of a jerk as you can to men, which couldn't be further from the truth. Being a jerk, makes you a jerk, plain and simple, whether you're male or female. Their shallowness and selfishness was appalling--their failure to recognize how their actions affect their entire families, their quest for power and money put above being good decent people. They are the kind of people who create awful situations in their lives and then blame everyone else when these situations go awry. They are great businesswomen but it is possible to be smart, beautiful AND have a conscience and morals.

[Love Fool · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lipstick Jungle weaves the stories of Nico O'Neilly, Wendy Healy, and Victory Ford, numbers 8, 12, and 17 on The New York Post's list of "New York's 50 Most Powerful Women."

Love reading books about women in power. Sure, some parts annoyed me but it's a nice refreshment to see women with money, power, and choices. Plus, it was also a nice refreshment to read about older women, women in their late 30s who can do it all and have it all. This was like Sex and the City, but smarter.

[Inita · Rating 4 out of 5]

Man patika. Izbaudīju autores uzdoto jautājumu jau "Sekss un lielpilsēta" grāmatās un sērijās - vai sieviete var būt ietekmīga, laimīga un atrast mīlestību? Atbilde, protams, ir jā, lai arī šeit visām trim draudzenēm ir jāpieņem dažādi lēmumi un jāizbauda arī savs rūgtums, pirms tikt pie laimes.
Katrā ziņā izklaidējos un izbaudīju grāmatu.

[Huw Rhys · Rating 2 out of 5]

On one level, this is a bland enough book that would pass by the reader as soon as the book was put down. It tells us about three ruthless female executives in New York who "do lunch" together whilst in pursuit of the "American Dream". This apparently involved backstabbing, sniffing out more money, more backstabbing and generally acting completely immorally whilst looking for even more money again. One of the more poignant moments - and there are one or two - is when one of the characters questions what you actually do with all this money you can't spend. But the question is frivolously rhetorical - no attempt is made to answer it. I can't remember which character asks it because despite the author's best attempts to persuade us otherwise, I really can't distinguish between the three main protagonists of the novel. Even their assorted, constantly changing "other halves" generally merge into the same bland, faceless goo to be honest.

On another level though, the fact that a book like this can be written, obviously read quite widely, and can be repeated again and again by simply changing the names of the characters, the title of the book, the TV series or the film really should be quite disturbing. If our world is in a mess - and many would say in the second decade of the 21st century that it has been in better shape - then it's the fact that somehow our society allows people like this to run roughshod through it, answerable to no one except the mighty dollar (or Euro, or Pound or Yen etc.) which is at the root of many of our travails.

"The Great American Dream"? More like the dreadful worldwide nightmare.

[Jason · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was pleasantly surprised by how much I liked this one. Well written, not full of male bashing, and fascinating characters. Would love a sequel to this to see where the three protagonists are in 5 years time.

[Jennifer · Rating 3 out of 5]

Lipstick Jungle had a good message and a decent story. The problem was that is was always obscured by some problem. Everything felt scattered, from an all over the place time line to almost interchangeable, and therefore easily confusable, main characters.

Lipstick Jungle follows three strong, professional women who found that they could be vulnerable, but only among their female friends. The story showcased the idea that highly successful women have the same problems as average women, only on a somewhat larger scale. While managing work, family, and romantic relationships, the women predictably learn that friendship is the most important thing.

I found it difficult to always be able to decipher which woman we were focusing on at each point in time, especially when the main women interacted with minor characters usually related to another story line. This was compounded by the fact that each of the three women were basically the same. They had different careers and families, but they all had the same basic voice.

The timeline was equally hard to follow. Often we would be shown the outcome of an event and then immediately be told about the things that lead up to that outcome as if the character was thinking back on it. As the book was written in third person, that these mini-flashbacks left me wondering not only which character was which, but also where in the story we actually were. There was a lot of going back and re-reading with this book.

The problems mentioned above ultimately make this book average. Lipstick Jungle is chick lit with a clear female empowerment message. Being a strong women isn't as easy as everyone assumes. The story is entertaining, but what should be a fun indulgence becomes harder than it should be. I would only recommend this to Candace Bushnell fans and huge chick lit fans.

[Samantha · Rating 3 out of 5]

I gave this book 4 stars for several reasons. The book is worthy of 5 stars as far as the storyline is concerned, but the way it is written makes it live up to only 4. Lipstick Jungle was a bit hard to follow due to the fact that per chapter, Bushnell jumps from character to charter. Just as you're finally getting into one character, she cuts that one off until the next chapter and picks up where she left off with another character. This was a bit difficult to follow because I found myself confused and questioning, "Wait, who is Victory again, what does she do?" This lasted all the way through the book. Each character is complex and well created, but when you've got 3 to follow, this becomes a confusing mess when you haven't read anything about said character for 20 pages and now you're facinated with the current character and what's happening in their life. Apart from that, I hate chapters that are 25 pages long.
On the plus side of things, Bushnell is talented and knows how to write about the powerful, successful women in the New York district. I would have liked more details about the city, but she gives enough to allow your mind to invision the scenes... just enough, though, not a drop more. I'm a very detail oriented reader/writer, so when someone say "it was a busy day in New York..." and nothing more, I'd like to know HOW it was busy... was there a concert of taxi horns sounding off in unreheased intervals?, were the New Yorkers plowing into each other in their hustle to get to their destinations?, etc.
The book is worthy of reading, but you'll find yourself exhaugsted from the jump just trying to keep the characters from molding into one another.

[Brittany · Rating 4 out of 5]

How I Came To Read This Book: I spotted it at Superstore and snagged it.

The Plot: Instead of four single sirens in NYC, Bushnell writes about three power players who are learning the 'glass ceiling' of yesteryear still has an impact on their lives. Victory is a fashion designer plagued by financial woes - that could be easily solved by compromising her own values. Wendy is trying to balance her intense work pressure with her intense home pressure care of her stay-at-home husband. Nico is stuck in two games (love and work respectively) where she is trying to kill without being killed.

The Good & The Bad: This was definitely Bushnell's best book to date that I've read. The characters were a helluva lot more likable and well-defined, the world of NYC wasn't *just* a cycle of disposable relationship stories (although love is a factor here), and the plot overall was just a lot more dynamic. Things happened! Characters grew! Although this may sound like basic novel accomplishments, they are big ones for Bushnell. I'm not sure the book transfers over to a series so far - I have a hunch the show is more about clothes/men a la SATC, but the book was a good job on Bushnell's part.

The Bottom Line: Bushnell's Best.

Anything Memorable?: Nope.

50-Book Challenge?: Book #7 in 2007

[Lain · Rating 4 out of 5]

If Miranda, Carrie and the gang were high-powered businesswomen, this would be their story. It's the same old "Sex and the City" tale: Can women find happiness, friendship and success in the Big Apple?

Bushnell is a smooth, entertaining writer. A perfect beach read.

[Molly · Rating 1 out of 5]

It's hard to understand why soulless, ignorant, vapid, shallow golddiggers are of interest.

[MisskTarsis · Rating 3 out of 5]

Es un libro que te muestras distintas facetas de la vida de tres mujeres exitosas de Manhattan. Nico, Wendy y Victory tienen lo que muchas mujeres desean, independencia, libertad y dinero en sus cuentas bancarias, pueden dedicarse a aquello que aman y estar en la lista de las 50 mujeres más poderosas de la ciudad, pero, es todo tan fácil? No, no lo es. Porque aparte de mujeres exitosas, son madres, son esposas. Y no es fácil encontrar un equilibrio entre tu vida personal y tu vida laboral cuando se está siempre tan ocupada.

Cada una en sus respectivas vidas tuvo mucho que reflexionar, aprender y afrontar. No todo es perfecto y el dinero, tristemente no lo es todo. Me gusta otro detalle del libro, aunque es feminista, no muestra sólo las ventajas de que la mujer alcance los mismos puestos y responsabilidades de un hombre, sino las cargas y sacrificios que ello conlleva. Los problemas detrás de las puertas.

Porque así como ser mujer no es fácil, ser hombre tampoco lo es.

[Hadessephy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not great but much better than Sex and the City.

[Laura Snyder · Rating 1 out of 5]

1.5 Stars. Overplayed theme with un-relatable characters. It’s hard to want to root for any of them. Storylines were cheapened by being written off with convenient scenarios as opposed to digger deeper into personal details that would make them more likable. Also, the author tries to do math around the characters salaries and expenditures and some of it straight up makes no sense (Wendy’s husband blowing at least 500k on his projects through the book, a 12 sq ft bedroom)? Wild. 1.5 because there are two quotes about New York and success that I liked.

[Raquel · Rating 2 out of 5]

Sei que este livro passou para uma série de televisão e que não durou muitas temporadas, mas gostei mais de ler o livro do que a série.
Fala sobre uma amizade entre três mulheres, e na sua luta diária para vence num mundo que é de homens, fantástica leitura posso vos garantir ;)

http://aviciadadoslivros.blogspot.pt/...

[Lydia · Rating 4 out of 5]

Nico, Wendy, and Victory-oh my goodness ladies. Other reviewers said they couldn't believe the superficial bs or that any of this could possibly happen *sigh* happens more often than you think! They say running a business and being a sniper use the same tactics and strategy; if you don't believe it stay out of business.

[Danielle · Rating 1 out of 5]

Candace Bushnell's writing leaves so much to be desired. I've tried and tried, and it's just not worth the effort anymore. How they managed to turn one of her sad books into a multi-million dollar franchise is beyond me.

[Angelic Zaizai · Rating 3 out of 5]

Suka deh novel ini..

apalagi sekarang ada serial tivinya.. seru banget..

bongkar2 lagi ah nyari bukunya..

[Patrick Hackett · Rating 4 out of 5]

Because what self-respecting 27-year-old doesn't devour this book in like 72 hours. (Can't believe I'm admitting this on Goodreads...)

[MAPS - Booktube · Rating 3 out of 5]

Re-lecture d’il y a environ 10 ans 😅
L’écriture se lit très bien, malgré la traduction.
On découvre un groupe de femmes très fortes, qui réussissent au niveau professionnel, mais qui ont des réalités différentes au niveau personnel.

Le début jusqu’au milieu du livre est très fort et intéressant .

Le développement des histoires et les enjeux féminins sont intéressants et bien exploités. On se rend compte que peu importe la réalité de la femme,
ce n’est jamais assez et jamais correct : elle a 42 ans et pas d’enfant, elle a des enfants, son mari la trompe, etc.

Au niveau des personnages, malheureusement je dois avouer qu’au début on met l’accent sur leurs différences quant à leur vie et à leur travail, mais elles finissent par avoir une personnalité similaire et aucun trait distinct.

A partir de la 2e moitié, on suit davantage Nico et Wendy et je les trouvais très peu intéressante . D’ailleurs je ne comprends pas du tout l’histoire de Wendy. Je préférais suivre Victory. Le livre aurait pu être de sa perspective tout le long et je crois que ça aurait pu être davantage intéressant.

Plus ça avance et ça devient la jungle, L’anarchie, les jeux de pouvoir et les magouilles et ça c’est pas pentoute ma tasse de thé.

Ca finit définitivement moins fort que ça a commencé.

[Jenny Lyn Senter · Rating 4 out of 5]

I found this book very interesting. I found myself pausing several times to absorb the subtle messages peppered throughout this book. I don't live in NYC, I am not a woman with power, but I've experienced enough to relate to the issues in this book. Trying to juggle motherhood (must we always feel guilty for not being enough?), men being threatened by women, crazy head trips that we put ourselves through, the need to pour your all into your career, and the difference between men and women and retirement. Not true for all but enough to be a bit of a lightbulb moment. I thoroughly enjoyed this book. And even though this book was copywritten in 2005, it sure hit a nerve as I read it during the overturning of ROE vs Wade.
Lipstick Jungle

[Jessica Jones · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars.

I found it quite hard to get into this book. It didn't really grab me and pull me in.
It flicks between each character and just as I was enjoying the goings on with one, it would change to another and I'd lose interest.
I would have liked to have read more about wendy and selden and how there romance developed. Also victory and Lyne. However I didn't really enjoy Nico's story as much.

[Johanna Juntunen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Oli hyvä kirja eikä ollut ainakaan tylsä. Riitti menoa ja meininkiä jokaisella perheellä. Ja niin kuin tapana on niin BC-kirjat lähtee kiertään joten tää kirja jää odottamaan seuraavaa lukijaa :)