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One Fifth Avenue--International Edition

By Candace Bushnell

(46)

| Others | 9781401341060

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6 Reviews

3 people find this helpful

I would like to sum up "One Fifth Avenue" as follows: A Jackie Collins romp with flair.
The story centers around five tenants of the prestigious landmark residential building at No. 1, Fifth Avenue, New York. Only the rich and famous like movie star (Schiffer Diamond), writer/playwright (Phi ... (continue)

I would like to sum up "One Fifth Avenue" as follows: A Jackie Collins romp with flair.
The story centers around five tenants of the prestigious landmark residential building at No. 1, Fifth Avenue, New York. Only the rich and famous like movie star (Schiffer Diamond), writer/playwright (Philip Oakland), columnist (Enid Merle), hedge-fund power couple (Paul and Annalisa Rice) and corporate director with a popular blog (Mindy Gooch) reside there. They provide ample opportunities for the author, Candace Bushnell, to dish out her trademark gossips, satire and of course, sex scenes.
This is quite a funny and enjoyable book. Occasionally, Bushnell shares her take on life, work, midlife crisis and even technology which demonstrates her keen insight and observation. For example, I love this banter between James Gooch, a novelist, and his publisher about the elderly not catching up with technology:
"... we know everything now. We've seen it all before. We know there's nothing new ... The only thing that changes is the technology."
"Except we can't understand the technology."
"Bullshit ... It's still a bunch of buttons. It's only a matter of knowing which ones to press."
"Like the panic button that blows up the world."
Bushnell is at times hilarious.
However, I really can't stand her depictions of women anymore. Women in her novels are so stereotyped. There are only two types of women in her world: young, beautiful but brainless bimbos who serve as playmates or sex slaves of rich men; or middle-aged, headstrong, successful but unhappy women in a depressing family/love life. If I read one more novel packed with one-dimensional characters like these, I am going to shoot myself.
Finally, there is a chronic overdose of sexual fantasies in her work. The description of sex in this novel is gratuitous, if not obnoxious. If Bushnell had cut down the sex scenes by half, this book would have been a page-turner and it would have saved us (and her) a lot of time.

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Tracy W said on Apr 8, 2009 about the Mass Market Paperback edition | Add your feedback

An interesting story good for casual reading. Also a sharp depict of sex politics and the power struggle in the high society.

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Shirley Liao said on Aug 26, 2010 | Add your feedback

This one is particularly good at describing the dark side of humanity. Just it's a bit long.

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Mavishahaha said on Aug 1, 2010 about the Hardcover edition | Add your feedback

A Fun Read

Not all books are meant to move you or inspire you. But what this book does is make you laugh, and lets you escape to another place.
I really found this book to be fun and enjoyable. A fast paced read. And for me, as I live in New York, I found the characters to be honest. I could relate to the ... (continue)

Not all books are meant to move you or inspire you. But what this book does is make you laugh, and lets you escape to another place.
I really found this book to be fun and enjoyable. A fast paced read. And for me, as I live in New York, I found the characters to be honest. I could relate to them. And honestly, I know people just like them.
Pick up this novel when you are looking for something quick and easy to read. Pretty good read for the summer!

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Chbates21982 said on Apr 3, 2010 about the Hardcover edition | Add your feedback

One Fifth Avenue

Surprisingly, One Fifth Avenue is my first Bushnell book and I found I like the story. This book had interesting characters and a typical NY socialite themed storyline. Hidden within the storyline was a mystery of a well know missing antiquity The Cross of Bloody Mary which added an element of myste ... (continue)

Surprisingly, One Fifth Avenue is my first Bushnell book and I found I like the story. This book had interesting characters and a typical NY socialite themed storyline. Hidden within the storyline was a mystery of a well know missing antiquity The Cross of Bloody Mary which added an element of mystery solving to the novel, and sort of brought some the characters’ faith together. It's a bit hard to fallow all the characters in the beginning of the book. But I managed to keep reading and found I enjoy this thrilling New York lifestyle novel a lot.
One Fifth is the building — the chicest, the hottest, the one with the best pedigree. The residents of a historic Manhattan building are thrown for a loop when an elderly socialite dies, leaving her spectacular apartment up for grabs. So when Louise Houghton passes away a few weeks shy of her 100th birthday, her Greenwich Village neighbors are anxious to have a say in who ends up living in her coveted 7,000 square-foot space. The players include octogenarian gossip columnist Enid Merle, her successful screenwriter nephew Philip Oakland, and the embittered middle-aged head of the co-op board, Mindy Gooch. Long resentful of the fact that her family inhabits One Fifth's "worst" apartment, Mindy pushes through a quickie sale of Louise's place seemingly just to thwart Enid. The new residents, Paul and Annalisa Rice, certainly seem suitable. Annalisa is a down-to-earth beauty who gave up her law practice to accompany her math-genius husband to New York, where he is developing some super-secret financial software. Paul, unlike his wife, is cold and entitled, and as his fortunes grow, a sinister, paranoid side of him emerges that alienates everyone in the building, including Annalisa. But is Paul just a creep, or something worse? Philip's love life, meanwhile, takes a complicated turn when movie star ex-girlfriend Schiffer Diamond moves back after years of living in Los Angeles. The two share a deep connection, but reconciliation seems iffy when Philip starts sleeping with his 22-year-old "researcher" Lola Fabrikant. A pampered schemer who sets her sights on marriage-and Philip's apartment-Lola hedges her bets by dallying with snarkycelebrity blogger Thayer Core, who in turn uses her for information. Mindy's hen-pecked novelist husband James also develops a crush on the lissome Lola, who begins paying attention to him when his new book becomes a surprise success. With a breezy pace that brings to mind a Gilded Age comedy of manners, the novel might not have anything new to say about New York society, but there are enough twists to keep it fun.

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Snow White said on Mar 15, 2010 | Add your feedback

Disappointed.
Too many characters. I can't focus on anyone of them. No interaction between characters. The storyline is messy. Nothing attracts me to keep on reading the book. I stop reading it after finishing 80 pages and can't make myself continue.

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Purple Rain said on Sep 2, 2009 about the Mass Market Paperback edition | Add your feedback