I’ve been working my way through the list of books I think I should have read in high school, but didn’t…However, I needed a break. Wuthering Heights pushed me over the edge of the Classics and so I dived into what my sister-in-law 
lovingly calls chick-lit. I picked up One Fifth Avenue by Candace Bushnell, who wrote: Sex and the City, Trading Up and Lipstick Jungle. I’ve read a few of Bushnell’s books and while I often find them to be a bit over the top in the sex-capades of the main characters, they always prove to be quick reads. The ideal choice for a summer/beach read. One Fifth Avenue came out originally in 2008 but I was waiting for it to come out on paperback (and on sale! Can you say $7 on Amazon?) Perks of the book: it was quick to get through, it name drops like nobodies business and it provides an inner look into New York’s high society. It’s like a train wreck and you can’t stop watching as the characters spiral into further immorality and at times, just plain odd behavior (it involves the Cross of Bloody Mary?!?!). The book follows 5 women who all live in One Fifth Avenue (a wealthy brownstone in New York) and are all in very different walks of life. An actress, a new socialite, the woman who wants it all but has had to settle for less, a twenty-something willing to do anything to make it in New York and an aging gossip columnist. The story begins with the death of the oldest resident of One Fifth Avenue, Mrs. Houghton. I must say, I enjoyed this more than any of Bushnell’s books, or at least until the ending. The ending felt like Candace Bushnell realized the book was nearing 600 pages and no actual resolution had occurred. The result? Everything miraculously fell into place in the last 10 pages, an ending that felt forced and not in line with the rest of the book.
So what do I suggest? Read it and take it as it is: a fun, summer read. Definitely something you will read and then forget. A classic chick-lit if I’ve ever seen one.
