Showing posts with label babble. Show all posts
Showing posts with label babble. Show all posts

Monday, October 26, 2009

Book Review: Queen Of Babble In The Big City by Meg Cabot


Queen Of Babble In The Big City - Meg Cabot

Synopsis:
Connoisseur of vintage fashion, Lizzie Nichols, is chasing her dream job of becoming a Wedding Gown Restoration Expert in the expensive city of New York.
Living with her boyfriend Luke in his mother’s Fifth Avenue apartment, and with a real Renoir painting hanging over the bed, Lizzie’s dream is off to a good start- except that finding a job in her chosen field is a lot harder than it looks.
The only wedding dress-orientated job she can find is non-paying, and she puts in long hours to prove herself proficient, hoping to learn the tricks of the trade from old Monsieur Henri.
Luckily Chaz, her best friend’s boyfriend, is also able to land her a job in his father’s law firm as a receptionist, which helps to pay the bills.
But then everything starts to change.
Jill Higgins, who works with the seals at Central Park Zoo, and is about to marry the most eligible bachelor in New York society, finds herself in wedding strife.
With her future mother-in-law causing her problems, and an atrocious heirloom wedding dress to wear, Jill secretly enlists Lizzie to save the day and make her wedding into one that she can forever treasure, after a little prompting of course.
Now Lizzie has to try and transform one very ugly duckling of a dress into one that a princess would feel honoured to wear, as well as keep secret the biggest gossip scoop of the century.

What I gained from reading this book:
This book teaches that sometimes people view others in the way that they want to see them, whether the perception is accurate or not. Lizzie believes that Luke is the man for her and refuses to change her mind, even when faced with obvious clues that indicate otherwise. Similarly, she judges other characters on how she thinks they are, reality be damned! By reading this book, people can draw comparisons between Lizzie and themselves and try to stop perceiving people in ways that are not realistic.

Positives:
This novel is extremely entertaining and fun to read. Lizzie’s babblings are humorous and I think they are genuine reflections of how some women really do think. This is especially the case when Lizzie’s thoughts become sidetracked at the sight of a cute dress that she sees on display at a shop. Sometimes when authors try this technique it can make readers frustrated with the character’s erratic thoughts, but luckily Cabot is able to make Lizzie into a likeable person who readers can relate to.

Negatives:
Lizzie’s adoration of her boyfriend, while understandable, can be a little trying at times. Yes, we know he is studying to be a doctor and save all the sick children, and yes he is gorgeous and French and a prince… Luckily for readers, Lizzie gets her mind on track before those particular babblings can get too annoying.

Rating: 8 out of 10

Genre: Romance/ Comedy

Recommended for: Fans of the original Queen Of Babble book.




Australians can buy the book by clicking the picture below:

Queen of Babble in the Big City

Saturday, October 17, 2009

Book Review: Queen Of Babble by Meg Cabot


Queen Of Babble - Meg Cabot

Synopsis:
When Lizzie Nichols’ long-distance boyfriend Andrew invites her to stay with him and his family in England, she jumps at the chance to travel overseas and visit him. But their three-month-long relationship is not as loved-up and romantic as she remembers it to be, and before long, Lizzie finds herself regretting her trip to London.
Things become especially worse when she discovers that Andrew is accepting welfare money from the government while also working at a restaurant, and despite her good intentions, Andrew gets into big trouble with the authorities when she innocently lets slip that he is not as destitute as he lets on. Finding that she cannot deal with a boyfriend who is cheating the government, and alone in an unfamiliar country, Lizzie fears she might have to return home to her family sooner than expected.
But then she remembers that her best friend Shari is in a sixteenth-century chateau in southern France, catering a wedding with her boyfriend Chaz, and decides to travel across the country alone- with only basic school French- to find her.
Once at Chateau Mirac, Lizzie finds herself in love with the old-fashioned elegance of the place, and smitten with Luke de Villiers, the handsome son of the chateau’s owner. It’s not long, however, before Lizzie’s big mouth strikes again, and she finds herself struggling to make amends for her latest leaked secret.
With a wedding dress to save, a handsome man to woo, an ex-boyfriend to deter and an angry best friend, Lizzie has a lot to deal with.
The question is, can she beat the odds and save the day? Or will this wedding be one to remember for all the wrong reasons?

What I gained from reading this book:
Lizzie has a very strong sense of what she considers to be right and wrong in the world, and she’s not afraid to take a stand against what she believes to be unfair.
Readers first get an inkling of her do-good nature after she discovers that her boyfriend Andrew is cheating his government’s welfare system. Although she inadvertently lets slip that he’s not genuine, she doesn’t stick around to continue her relationship with him. She also disagrees with the ideas of Luke’s girlfriend Dominique, to turn Chateau Mirac into a plastic surgery recovery centre, believing it would destroy the ambience of the place, and she encourages Luke to follow his dreams of becoming a doctor, despite his hesitations.
Just from observing Lizzie’s beliefs, readers can learn that not everything has to succumb to commercialism, and that missed opportunities are always the ones that you’ll regret in the future.

Positives:
Cabot’s novel brings forth a funny portrayal of how a small group of Americans view things in an unfamiliar country. It’s humorous following Lizzie’s attempts to find Diet Coke (a.k.a. those terrible chemicals) in London and France, and it’s just as entertaining to read about her shock when she discovers that Europeans really do have a more relaxed attitude regarding nudity when sunbathing.

Negatives:
Lizzie’s naivety is truly unbelievable at times. Although it is obvious to everyone that Andrew is a conniving and selfish guy who is only looking for easy money, Lizzie still builds him up in her mind to be something that he is not, and is then horrified when he reveals his true colours to her. This can be slightly annoying for readers, however it does add to her character’s small-town American innocence.

Rating: 8 out of 10

Genre: Romance/ Comedy

Recommended for: People who can sympathise with Lizzie’s inability to keep a secret.




Australians can buy this book by clicking the picture below:

Queen of Babble