September 11, 2006
The not–Anna Wintour character in this much-hyped my-boss-is-famously-unpleasant roman à clef is not–Judith Regan—or, to be positive, is Vivian Grant of Grant Books, "the most hotheaded, ruthless woman" in publishing. She physically and verbally abuses her staff, is having an affair with a married New York City official (who dresses in drag) and has made a "fortune by producing tabloid-inspired blockbusters." And though up-and-coming literary fiction editor Claire Truman has heard all the gossip, she takes a job as an editor at Grant Books and quickly discovers Vivian lives up to her reputation as a foul-mouthed, über-demanding, tantrum-throwing tyrant. Claire tries to maintain some semblance of a life (she's engaged to dreamboat Randall Cox, who went from big man on campus to big man at Goldman Sachs, even though she's really in love with Luke Mayville, a sensitive writer/unrecognized genius), but vicious Vivian keeps her within spitting (and swearing) distance 27 hours a day. Clark, who worked at Regan Books, nails the dark side of the vulgar, spiteful boss archetype, and though the plot is as shopworn as the characters, those in the Page Six and Lloyd Grove set will appreciate this devilish read.
April 30, 2007
Mary Birdsong, who plays Deputy Kimball on TV’s Reno 911!, spawns a comically horrific incarnation of boss-from-Hell Vivian Grant, who steamrollers over assistants, editors, agents, authors and even corporate executives at the venerable publisher that houses her highly controversial—but amazingly lucrative—imprint. Grant utters the f-word with a frequency that would leave Tony Soprano blushing and catapults office supplies across conference rooms during her frequent tirades. Newly hired Grant Books editor Claire Truman valiantly strives to hold onto both her cool and her job, as relationships with friends and family—not to mention her planned nuptials to hunky Wall Street broker Randall Cox—lapse onto autopilot. Birdsong’s depictions of the principal male characters are a little too affected, but she maintains a pitch-perfect command of female banter. The book-business jargon may somehow seem both too familiar for industry insiders and too insular for a broader audience, and the romantic triangle wins no prizes for originality. Yet listeners in the mood for some hearty laughs at the expense of a deliciously devilish workplace villain should find themselves thoroughly entertained. Simultaneous release with the Warner hardcover (Reviews, Sept. 11).