12 Apr 2012

BOND GIRL.

My first review for the publishers HARPERCOLLINS, I'm so honoured to be reviewing this debut novel from Erin Duffy who, graduating with a B.A. in English, went on to spend time working in the financial industry on Wall Street. 


BOND GIRL by ERIN DUFFY.


While her friends were dreaming about becoming doctors and lawyers, Alex Garrett set her mind on conquering the high-powered world of Wall Street. But life in bond sales isn't quite what she'd expected .......


Will she kick off the Jimmy Choos and run for higher ground, or stick it out with some of the most hilarious and loyal guys she's ever met?
......... Outer back cover.


FIRST SENTENCE (Prologue): I am too old for this.


MEMORABLE MOMENT (Page 179): "Ninety-three thousand dollars." He snapped his fingers. "Gone. Just like that. ........"


MY THOUGHTS: Hmm, 'The Devil Wears Prada meets Wall Street in Bond Girl'?


Oh dear, I didn't enjoy the film and I certainly don't know anything about the finance industry, was I going to regret reading and reviewing this book?


Phew! Happily not. A enjoyable enough read, what I'd class as a good holiday/waiting room read, I quickly found myself engrossed in the world of Alex 'Girlie' Garrett the new girl at Cromwell Pierce, one of Wall Street's main brokerage firms.


Original and humorous (the practical jokes they play on each other have to be read to be believed) though somehow depressing at the same time - as I said I don't pretend to know anything about the financial industry, but this came across as all too believable, sadly so at times.

I say sadly as the men in it hardly came across as paragons of virtue but then again I kind of guess their behaviour may well be typical of what is a largely high-pressure, male dominated industry.


As for Alex, young, eager to please and somewhat naive, as one of only a handful of women mentioned, I found it interesting to see how the author compared her with the older, bitter and very cynical Kate/Cruella thus leading to the question was Kate always like this OR had the industry slowly hardened her? 

Well written and quite topical, though there is some financial jargon, the author doesn't delve too deeply into the workings of the industry but instead concentrates on Alex's relationships within the company.

Probably not a book you are going to like if you want a frank insight into the workings of the financial industry, but a good read if you just want something light. I loved the extras at the back of this particular edition which happened to be an uncorrected Proof Copy (the author's 'A Girl's Essential Guide to Surviving the City' was tremendous fun), the only element I could well have done without, being Alex's relationship with Will which, if I'm being honest, was a tad predictable.

DISCLAIMER: Read and reviewed on behalf of the publishers HarperCollins, I was merely asked for my honest opinion, no financial compensation was asked for nor given.


NB The publication date for Bond Girl is the 5th of July 2012, however you are able to pre-book it on Amazon now.




14 comments:

serendipity_viv said...

Glad to see a publisher has finally discovered you. Sounds like a good book.

Kelly said...

Yes, congratulations on stepping in the world of reviewing for a publisher!

I'm not sure if this is a book I would enjoy, but I certainly enjoyed your review of it.

Bookingly Yours said...

wow HarperCollins!

anyway thanks for the honest review, sounds like something i would enjoy reading but with the financial jargon, i think I might be lost reading it.

Karen said...

Bond Girl sounds like a fun read. I can't say I enjoyed The Devil Wears Prada movie either but I do tend to like these types of stories when reading.
Thanks for letting me know about the book Petty!

Gina said...

Great review! I remember seeing word of this one online....reminded me of a reverse SHOPAHOLIC story. Wasn't sure about the Financial District aspect of it for myself, but it sounds like it pulled it off well. Thanks for sharing!

Haddock said...

For a minute I thought we are talking about the James Bond girl :-)

The Bookworm said...

Congrats on reviewing for HarperCollins :)

This book sounds enjoyable, I like the premise. I enjoyed both the film and the book, Devil Wears Prada so I think I may like this one too. I'll have to keep an eye out.

Melissa (Books and Things) said...

Predictable is fine by me as long as it still is entertaining. Sounds like you enjoyed it and I think I would too. Great review!

Golden Eagle said...

Congratulations on reviewing for HarperCollins! :)

I'm intrigued by the fact it's based on bonds; not many "lighter" books use finance as their base.

Melissa (My World...in words and pages) said...

Hey, nice review. Sorry you didn't much get into the financial stuff, I wouldn't either, but very good review. :) Thank you!

Tomz said...

Hi petty witter,

Congrats for writing a review for Harper Collins about this book. Must be good read. So this is about financial things, I guess..

Betty Manousos said...

yaay! how exciting! congrats on reviewing for harpercollins!

i'm not sure if this is a book i'd enjoy, but i totally enjoyed your great review!

xx

Jenners said...

Glad to hear you liked it. I've been considering this ever since reading an interview with the author. If nothing else, it convinced me never to pursue a career in finance.

anilkurup59 said...

Think of all those reviews you gave for free.
Congrats !