Leeds Book Club: The LainiBop Challenge - Book 13 - Glitz

READ!	TO GO!
13	117

The LainiBop Challenge

GLITZ

LOUISE BAGSHAWE

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* * * * * SPOILERS * * * * *

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Glitz
is the story of 4 cousins, Juno and her sister Athena, and their
cousins, Venus and her sister Diana.  Very different girls, who had
very different childhoods, they all now have one very important thing
in common, they are rich, extremely rich, and famous because of their
wealth.  This fabulous lifestyle they lead is provided by their uncle
Clem, a reclusive business man who lives on an island in the middle
of nowhere. Their only duty in order to receive this money is to
visit Clem for 2 weeks of the year, at Christmas, no exceptions, and
no guests allowed, even Juno's husband must spend the time alone,
while she vacations on the tropical island. 




Everything
changes however when Clem invites them unexpectedly to visit mid
year, and announces that he is getting married to a much younger
woman and he is giving them a year to get themselves sorted before he
cuts off their trust funds.  Naturally the girls are not happy about
this, and must put aside their bickering to get rid of this
interloper and try to save their extravagant lifestyles.




The
fact that all the girls have such different personalities and traits
meant that the reader has more of a chance to relate to at least one
of these girls.  Venus is a wannabe actress, she wants to be famous
and star in top Hollywood movies, and thinks that her wealth and
considerable fame will help her get there. Her sister Diana scorns
the idea of "working" even as an actress and intends to
spend her life being the IT girl on the social scene. Juno is married
and very much a social climber, she's all about the grand and elegant
parties and increasing her VIP contacts.  Her sister Athena on the
other hand is sort of considered the black sheep of the quartet.  She
comes across as very plain, she doesn't take as much care of her
appearance as the rest of them and definitely doesn't care about
clothes and designer labels.  Her ambition is to become a research
fellow in Oxford university, but her dreams are shattered when the
position is awarded to a male candidate who received much lower marks
than she did.




Since
these girls were 16 they have never known anything else but money.
Clem has made sure that wealth comes before everything else by
letting them know they must sacrifice Christmas with their family to
ensure his continued approval.  The news that they will lose
everything comes as a huge shock to them and understandably they have
no idea how to handle the situation, they have never had to work or
worry about money in any way.  This means that characters who are
snobby and selfish, end up arousing a lot of sympathy for their
"plight".  Even though we should scorn their lack of common
sense and brattiness, we understand why they are the way they are and
also that this is a very obvious ploy by Clem to make them completely
dependent on him.




Clem is
a very manipulative and scheming man. You get the impression early on
that this marriage is almost a test for his nieces, an assessment in
their loyalty, and an examination in how far they will go to ensure
they stay rich.  




The
plot of the book is very enticing, it moves along at a nice pace and
really manages to insert the reader into this fabulous world of
parties and celebrities.  One obvious way it does this is to describe
every outfit the girls put on for every party or interview or meeting
they attend.  Frequently the girls' outfits are compared to one
another. Juno comments on the appearances as they fly out to see
Clem: 
"Venus
dressed sexy...Today she was wearing a Pucci halter-necked dress in
patterned silk, teetering Manolos in flesh coloured leather - strappy
sandals that laced halfway up her toned calves....Over it all, a
crisp tailored coat by Joseph, snow white, picked out her tanned
blondeness....Chanel sunglasses balanced on top of her head." 
"Diana...was
slightly less obvious. Prada handbag, to match her carry-on...Versace
dress and jacket in tailored cream cotton with a daisy detail...Her
shoes were chestnut, too, Christian Louboutin with the sassy red
soles." 
"She
herself...wore a sheashell-pink dress and coat by Robinson Valentine,
sedate YSL pumps in black leather, and carried a neat little Kate
Spade handbag, black with jet and pink crystal detailing...with a
large pair of Dior sunglasses perched on her forehead." 
"But
Athena! Mousy-brown hair, untouched by stylists...Low budget
clothing.  Ray-Bans, for heaven's sake.  A necklace of crystals.  At
least she appeared to be wearing some decent Jimmy Choo flats, and
her handbag was Gucci.  But Juno's baby sister was a tousled, tumbled
mess."

Frankly
all that goes straight over my head, but I'm sure it's very
impressive! I just wish that we didn't have to have a full fashion
show every time the girls meet for a cup of coffee.




All in
all, it was an enjoyable book.  Not the most conversation-inspiring
book I've ever read, but a nice quick read!