The Cigarette Girl

by Carol Wolper

The author of action-packed screenplays, twenty-eight-year-old Elizabeth West searches for love as she struggles to cope with her cell-phone dependency, chronic attraction to dangerous men, and the Hollywood mating game, in a hilarious debut novel. Reprint.

Genres: Fiction, Chick Lit, American, Contemporary

288 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1999

Reviews

[Leo · Rating 2 out of 5]

Some parts of it was kind of entertaining to read but most of it feelt rather meh. Wasn't really the witty and enjoyable read I had hoped for

[Ruth · Rating 2 out of 5]

Bien la teoría no tanto la práctica

[Monika · Rating 2 out of 5]

I'm sad that I'm writing this review, because I thought it was going to be good before I finished the book.

In the first half of the book, I was seriously marking every page because there was some great line of dialog or nugget of sarcastic wisdom that I loved. I was hooked to the book and thoroughly enjoyed reading the first 2/3, maybe. In the end, though, I just kept reading to get to the next point, and then it all stopped so abruptly. It was really like the author couldn't decide how she wanted it to end, so she cut off the story. Even if the way it ended was how she wanted it to all along, she didn't write it well. There are all these great thoughts throughout the entire book, and then at the end it all just stops. Like she was up against a deadline and couldn't crank out an extra couple of pages.

BOO! I was sorely disappointed. And the title never gets tied in - smoking isn't a huge part of the book, the cigarette thing, there are no actually cigarette girls - maybe I'm missing the metaphor, but I wasn't in love with it. Pity, it could have been excellent.

[Andrea "Drea" · Rating 3 out of 5]

"Tough-talking, hip, and hilarious." -- Entertainment Weekly. Yes, maybe to a degree? The quick one liners are great, and at some points I could even see certain women I know in Elizabeth. The portrayal of women’s relationships was spot on. There were so many things I really enjoyed about this book. Even the level-one crush. But in the end it just made me sad. Not because I need a sugary happy ending, but because I felt like Elizabeth in the end was in the same place she started when the story began. For a woman who had a lot of "balls," she sure didn't have any heart behind them.

[Sharon · Rating 2 out of 5]

Two and a half stars. I liked the way the author formatted parts of the novel like a screenplay and SOME of the author's observations about coupling are genuine. The story itself = UGH! The lead character crushes over, pursues and sleeps with men who are in relationships, but disapproves of men who do the same thing. It's a love story WITHOUT the love and self-esteem.

[Cay Ketley · Rating 3 out of 5]

This read was so interesting because I couldn't seem to stop reading it despite how boring it was. The characters weren't interesting at all. The only reason the main character is somewhat likeable is because she's funny. She also gives like random weird "I'm better than other women" moments, but strangely it wasn't often enough that it made her completely cringy.

It was also really bad when at the end of the book, she tries to bring herself up as a independent women who is not insecure, like she doesn't spend the entire book willingly being a side chick to two men.

There was also no real plot. And I only wanted to finish it for the ending. Which ended up feeling really rushed and so unsatisfactory.

However there were quite a few funny lines and it was a easy, quick read.

I also liked the idea that this was suppost to be the story of her finding Mr Right or Mr Maybe, and it ends up with her doing the complete opposite.

Also the way elements of script writing, and specifically the action movie she works on are incorporated into some of the writing in the second half, was creative and really fun to read.

Over all : just fine, I guess.

[Victoria Iglesias · Rating 3 out of 5]

I thought this book was entertaining, it was like reading US weekly or one of the CDAN blinds by Enty. It was a bit too Hollywood cliche for me. I also didn’t feel like I could visualize the parts of the city she was referring to- it’s almost like she really isn’t a writer from LA. Usually I can picture when an author is describing the scenery etc, but maybe I’m bias because it’s my hometown, and I felt that she kind of just glossed over it, and focused on how “cool” the characters were. The main character was cool, I liked her, but again everyone in LA is “cool.”

[Vicky · Rating 2 out of 5]

Since I recently read Erica Jong's Fear of Flying, this book came across to me as Fear of Flying Lite: another entertaining, jaunty self-exposition by a woman more obsessed with men than one hopes a "liberated" woman will be. The Hollywood scene tends to trashify any plot line, and even the narrator's own sardonic comments on it can't make this novel amount to much, but it's a fun read, if you've got nothing better.

[chanelley · Rating 3 out of 5]

okay honestly idk what was happening here. there wasn’t really. strong plot to follow BUT i did enjoy the parts where we were taken out of her POV and thrown into a script bc then i could imagine those moments like a movie scene. the ending ??? a real nightmare scenario if you ask me!

[P · Rating 2 out of 5]

meh

[Cathy · Rating 4 out of 5]

A nice bit of light reading. It's real and fun!

[Kerri Davis · Rating 1 out of 5]

Terrible, vapid and bland. The narrator claims to be a feminist but spends the entire book bashing other women.

[Linda · Rating 3 out of 5]

Perfect light book to read for fun. Nothing deep or thought provoking. At times it was too predictable and I think the author could have done a better job with the ending.

[Jaime F · Rating 3 out of 5]

Quick light read. Didn't like the ending at all, felt like the author didn't want to make a decision on how to end the book.

[Addy · Rating 2 out of 5]

Quick fast read about sex and Hollywood from an action movie screenwriter. Nothing too fascinating here, and ended kinda abruptly for me. Meh.

[Avery Passons · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book was alright. It definitely felt very 90’s/00’s in the tone of writing and heteronormative humor.

[Kat · Rating 2 out of 5]

I really did enjoy this book, Elizabeth was such a witty and smart character but towards the end I felt like she started losing that stability in her identity and all for a man who couldn't commit to her? I hate how she settled for that, it felt incredibly unlike her and rushed.

The only redeeming quality was the humour, this book was so funny I'd shut it just to laugh out loud!


Thanks for Reading <3

Love always,


Kat

[Katie · Rating 1 out of 5]

This book, despite not being my sort of thing, started out quite well. The dialogue was reasonably witty and, although there's no substance to this book at all, it was light and frothy and quite entertaining. Unfortunately it soon went flat as the sharp one-liners gave way to hormone-laden hand-wringing about finding the right man. Not only the ending but a good three quarters of the book were completely dissatisfying.

I objected to the style of writing, which, aside from the aforementioned witty one-liners, was rather dull. Carol Wolper has an incredibly annoying trick of saying “And then I thought this: (insert vapid thought here)” rather than letting the reader experience what the character is thinking. It’s a first person narrative; it’s already obvious that what I’m reading is what the character is thinking, thank you, I don’t need to be told. I also thought that the sections written as screenplay added nothing to the book. They were infrequent enough that they didn’t create a coherent thread running through the book, and their use seemed random rather than a deliberate device to highlight the most important events. When they did come along, they just seemed like a lazy way of writing the same thing, rather than the clever glimpse into the mind of the scriptwriting narrator that they were undoubtedly intended to be.

[Siv30 · Rating 2 out of 5]

ספריית מעריב,230 עמ´


היתה תקופה, במיוחד אחרי ההצלחה המסחררת של בריג´ט, בה כל ספר שני שיכלת לקחת לידיים, היה על רווקה, בשנות השלושים המוקדמות, שלהי שנות ה-20, המחפשת חתן ועל תסכוליה והצלחותיה במסע למצוא את מאצ´ו פיצ´ו (אם אתם מבינים את כוונתי).


ברוך השם (או לא) התופעה הזו התפוגגה וחלפה לה, יחד עם הצלחתו המפוקפקת של בריג´יט 2.


לא פעם תהיתי, מה יש להן אותן הסופרות, שחפצות להציג אותנו הנשים, הקרייריסטיות (או לא), נואשות להחזיק ברצועה של...גבר ? שמתם לב שהסיפרות הזו מאפיינת ביחוד את הנשים? לא תמצאו גבר שכותב על תשוקתו הבלתי נשלטת להכנס למלכודת הנישואין ועל התופעה ההורמונלית הקשה שתוקפת אותו סביבות גיל ה- 30 לשעבד עצמו לבית וילדים.


הספר נערת הסיגריה, מתאים לז´אנר הזה. אליזבת ווסט, היא אישה בגיל הנכון (28) בעיר הנכונה (הוליווד) המחפשת את מיסטר אולי מתאים לי (לא מהחנות). אבל לא רק היא חולה בקדחת חפש את ה"בעל" אלא רוב הנשים שבסביבתה נדבקו בקדחת.


כתסריטאית של סרטי פעולה, הספר מאכלס דיאלוגים רבים בין דמויות ואף מוכן לבימוי והפיכה לסרט מצליח בהוליווד.


יש בו את כל המרכיבים הנכונים: נשים , גברים, סקס, עבודה, הומור, סקס, דיאלוגים, מתח, סקס, סקס, סקס, חתונה.


למרות שיש בספר את כל המרכיבים הנכונים שמאפיינים ספרים אחרים מהז´אנר, יש בו עוד משהו, דיאלוגים משעשים ושנונים שמוציאים את הקורא מהשיגרה של ציידות החתונות.


מומלץ כספר לניקוי ראש.

[Stephanie Ziegler · Rating 4 out of 5]

I picked up this book because the description on the dust cover sounded just like me and my friends who have now entered into “the zone”. Elizabeth tells it like it is. She’s open and honest and does not hold anything back. Reading the book felt like I was talking to my best friend.

I liked this book because every girl wants to change her Mr. Maybe to her Mr. Forever (even though deep down we know we cannot change men). We all have crushes we fantasize about. We all feel like we have to follow the stereotypical life of falling in love, getting married and having a family. What Elizabeth discovers is that happiness in life does not have to be love, marriage, kids. There are so many other ways to be happy, you just have to choose the path that makes you the happiest.

If you don’t believe me, check it out for yourself!

Until next time, take life one page at a time!

[Jane · Rating 2 out of 5]

I read a solid 90 pages of this book, and then I couldn't take it anymore. I thought the main character would be sassy and fun, like the lead in a solid film noir, but with a dirtier mouth as she's a writer for action flicks in L.A. Instead it was just a grittier, more foul language version of a standard chic flick, lots of insecure flailing about with different men and not a whole lot of character development, or much of a character to begin with. I couldn't identify and found her whiny, so I skipped to the middle chapters, then the end, and was glad I did. Neither the writing nor the main character improved much over the course of the book.

[Kirty Vedula · Rating 1 out of 5]

Chic-lit is definitely not my genre. But I wanted to give it a try as the book started off with a rather witty first-person narrative - throwing references to LA and Hollywood. The pace was catchy, yet the content was extremely dull. Occasionally, excerpts of screenplay were included with the intention of going into the mind of a script-writer. They ended up seeming random and repetitive than a device to highlight key events. Good authors create scenes that tell the story and allow readers to infer/interpret from them. They do not tell, they show. The readers need not be spoon-fed. This is just lazy writing!

[Monica Alexander · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book will always have a special place on my bookshelves because it was my first foray into Chick-Lit when I read it back in 2000. It completely delivered, and I got hooked on the genre. I still love the gritty feel of life in L.A. portrayed in this book, and I enjoyed that the main character thought like a guy and didn't apologize for it. She wasn't your typical romantic heroine, and I think that made her more relatable because everything wasn't wrapped up in a big bow, just like in real life.

[Eleanore · Rating 4 out of 5]

I loved this one, and I'm fully aware that many of the reasons why, especially as I reached the end of it, are completely personal and highly subjective. But I loved it all the same, and feel privileged to know the wonderful lady who wrote it. Reading it, I felt so much of her come through it, which made me smile. But I also recognized some of myself in it, surprisingly so, and that was a delight. Carol does write Hollywood very, very well, even from the outsider perspective of humble little bookseller me.

[Kat A · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great novel. Fresh (even though it was written in 1998!) and fun, with a non traditional heroine. My type of chick lit, without a doubt. Loved the insider knowledge of what Hollywood is all about, and loved that Elizabeth was looking for Mr. Maybe instead of the picket fence deal. It reminded me a little of The Personal Assistant that I read a year or so back, but with much spunkier characters. Great light read, highly recommend it!

[Grace · Rating 4 out of 5]

Total chick book and somewhat relate-able for those of us in "the zone" (women between the ages of twenty-eight and thirty-five, trying to resolve the marriage/baby issues). Can't say its entirely empowering to women, but it does attempt to challenge societal expectations. Fun also because the story is based in LA and highlights local characters and hotspots.

[Caitlyn Gambino · Rating 2 out of 5]

I got this book on a whim at a used book store for 1 pound in Greenwich England because I needed something to read on the plane ride home and had run out of books I had brought with me. I finished it on the plane, so I will give it credit for being a page-turner, but no real substance to the plot. Served it's purpose.

[Abby · Rating 2 out of 5]

I usually read chick lit expecting fluff and/ or tearjerkers. Some I really enjoy, but this one just left me flat. It's fluff, but none of the characters were all that appealing to me, so I wasn't particularly interested.

[Hilary · Rating 2 out of 5]

The story was ok... I am not exactly sure where the title came from, it was not really tied into the book. Also, the cover picture was very strange and also did not seem to have anything to do with the book.

[Amy · Rating 2 out of 5]

For the love of god, how does the title and cover art connect to this “book”? I didn’t expect the one time it was mentioned that the main character smoked would be the titular event. I never read a book where the main character was so unlikeable when it wasn’t intended.