Jane Truman has spent years languishing away at a publishing house, waiting to be promoted to Editor and stretching her small salary as far as it will go. Fresh from a breakup, she’s in the midst of eating her weight in pizza, when her best friend drags her to an art gallery opening and her life takes flight.
At the gallery Jane sees Randall Cox, the man she spent her entire college career lusting after. She can hardly believe her luck when he marches over, strikes up a conversation and asks her to dinner. The next morning, a top editor at a rival publishing house calls her, at Randall’s suggestion, with a job offer that includes a promotion.
She’s finally getting everything she’s ever wanted. But remember,be careful what you wish for…for Vivian Grant, her new boss, is even worse than the industry gossip led her to believe. From her middle of the night phone calls, her impossible demands, the ridiculous hours, and her insulting and vicious verbal attacks, Vivian piles on the work…and the abuse. But as work demands more and more of her time and her soul, will Randall Cox remain her Prince Charming?
Mary Birdsong is the perfect narrator for this comic romp around the New York publishing scene. When boss-from-hell Vivian Grant begins to have speech patterns reminiscent of Claire Truman's future mother-in-law, listeners are all but doubled over with laughter. Claire, the young protagonist, is unsure of herself, sounding peppy and innocent one minute, nervous and chiding herself the next. Musical interludes add their own comic twist. There's good material for Birdsong to work with. Clark meshes literary history (entitling chapters after classics: The Bell Jar and The Sound and the Fury) with memorable sound bites from a high-tech lifestyle. The full book might be overkill, but this abridged version can't help but delight anyone who's ever fantasized about working in New York or brushed up against social climbers. R.R. Winner of AudioFile Earphones Award (c) AudioFile 2007, Portland, Maine