What do you think?
Rate this book
Feminista: A Novel
Sydney Zamora is fiercely independent, aggressively opinionated, and utterly self-made. She's reshaped her body (into the perfect sample-sale outfitted size 6, thank you very much), organized a life for herself as a celebrity journalist at hot magazine Cachet , and strides through the canyons of New York City like she owns them. There's just one Sydney is so strong that she plays keep-away with men. But now that she's hitting her midthirties, she wants one. Badly. For her birthday, Sydney's sister ambushes her with the services of Mitzi Berman, $40,000 a shot Manhattan matchmaker extraordinaire. Mitzi also has her eyes on Max Cooper, the scion of Harvey's department store, the chicest place to shop in America. And nothing could make either Sydney or Max Cooper run faster than Mitzi, with her rules and her Brooklyn accent—that is, if they didn't concede her a point or two.
Peopled with vivid, hilarious characters, Feminista is fast-moving fiction whose themes of independence, image and the com pli - cated relationship between the sexes in the working world recall the best of Rona Jaffe.
Peopled with vivid, hilarious characters, Feminista is fast-moving fiction whose themes of independence, image and the com pli - cated relationship between the sexes in the working world recall the best of Rona Jaffe.
367 pages, Kindle Edition
First published August 12, 2009
15 people are currently reading
279 people want to read
About the author
Erica Kennedy
17 books84 followersErica Kennedy was an African-American author, blogger, news correspondent, fashion journalist, and singer. Her 2004 novel Bling became a New York Times bestseller. In 2010, she was named to the list of 100 most influential African-Americans, as published by Ebony Magazine and known as the "Ebony Power 100".
Her father died when she was 17 years old. Her mother, Mary Mobley Johnson, was an interior designer. She was raised in Bayside, Queens, with her brother, Kirk Johnson. Kennedy attended Sarah Lawrence College and Oxford University, earning her Bachelors degree in liberal arts from Sarah Lawrence in 1992.
Following her college graduation, Kennedy started her career working as a publicist with various top fashion designers including Tommy Hilfiger and Sean Combs. She worked as a special news correspondent for the New York Daily News before writing on fashion and entertainment for Vibe, InStyle, Paper, and Elle UK. She also wrote a popular blog for the Huffington Post.
Her father died when she was 17 years old. Her mother, Mary Mobley Johnson, was an interior designer. She was raised in Bayside, Queens, with her brother, Kirk Johnson. Kennedy attended Sarah Lawrence College and Oxford University, earning her Bachelors degree in liberal arts from Sarah Lawrence in 1992.
Following her college graduation, Kennedy started her career working as a publicist with various top fashion designers including Tommy Hilfiger and Sean Combs. She worked as a special news correspondent for the New York Daily News before writing on fashion and entertainment for Vibe, InStyle, Paper, and Elle UK. She also wrote a popular blog for the Huffington Post.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 54 reviews
July 25, 2023
I kept wanting to give it a shot but like 150 pages in they introduced the trans character and no one should be talking about trans people like this.
June 17, 2017
I am so disappointed in this book and annoyed at how much I let it get under my skin. The author sounds like an incredible woman so I'm very confused as to how she could have written something so trashy and backwards.
I hate that this book has feminist in the title because it ignores the core tenant of feminism throughout most of the book. Sydney spends far more time engaging in misandry than she does in talking about the double standard women face that holds them back from being equal with men. I get that Sydney isn't supposed to be likable but she reads like a caricature of what ignorant people think feminists are and the book would have been far stronger (and enjoyable) if the main character was actually a feminist. She also completely lost me when she uses a gay slur on a guy she's seeing who she thinks gave her herpes, I mean COME ON. Not only is the term offensive AF but the author lets her make false assumptions about how herpes is spread and that's dangerous.
I was very hopeful that as a chick lit novel centered around a woman of color, it would explore racial dynamics of dating. But nope. I perked up when Sydney goes on a date with a football player because their conversation gets interesting but then the author completely ruins it for a ridiculous scenario that feels so misplaced I'm angry just thinking about it. Also completely baffles me as to why Sydney launches into an explanation of her white heritage every single time someone asks her 'what are you', a classic move we make fun of white people for. And yet she does it repeatedly instead of saying she's biracial, or half white, half Afro Cuban. Instead we have to read her litany of white ethnic heritage and it's annoying. Also she's definitely white on the cover of this book which strikes me as whitewashing. Aside from the annoying way race and class are handled in the book, the writing is cringe-worthy. The characters jump from one situation to the next and seem to pick up conversations that you don't even remember them starting to have in the first place (I'm still trying to figure out why Jeffrey hatched that weird plan with Max and why he made up a boyfriend who then was actually his boyfriend??). The plot is basically taming of the shrew but terribly reimagined so that's disappointing.
I could go on and on about why I disliked this book but overall it's trite, cliche-ridden and stunningly simplistic with major plot holes. I can't even say it was a fun trashy read because I was too caught up in the ridiculous offensiveness of it all. There was so much potential here.
I hate that this book has feminist in the title because it ignores the core tenant of feminism throughout most of the book. Sydney spends far more time engaging in misandry than she does in talking about the double standard women face that holds them back from being equal with men. I get that Sydney isn't supposed to be likable but she reads like a caricature of what ignorant people think feminists are and the book would have been far stronger (and enjoyable) if the main character was actually a feminist. She also completely lost me when she uses a gay slur on a guy she's seeing who she thinks gave her herpes, I mean COME ON. Not only is the term offensive AF but the author lets her make false assumptions about how herpes is spread and that's dangerous.
I was very hopeful that as a chick lit novel centered around a woman of color, it would explore racial dynamics of dating. But nope. I perked up when Sydney goes on a date with a football player because their conversation gets interesting but then the author completely ruins it for a ridiculous scenario that feels so misplaced I'm angry just thinking about it. Also completely baffles me as to why Sydney launches into an explanation of her white heritage every single time someone asks her 'what are you', a classic move we make fun of white people for. And yet she does it repeatedly instead of saying she's biracial, or half white, half Afro Cuban. Instead we have to read her litany of white ethnic heritage and it's annoying. Also she's definitely white on the cover of this book which strikes me as whitewashing. Aside from the annoying way race and class are handled in the book, the writing is cringe-worthy. The characters jump from one situation to the next and seem to pick up conversations that you don't even remember them starting to have in the first place (I'm still trying to figure out why Jeffrey hatched that weird plan with Max and why he made up a boyfriend who then was actually his boyfriend??). The plot is basically taming of the shrew but terribly reimagined so that's disappointing.
I could go on and on about why I disliked this book but overall it's trite, cliche-ridden and stunningly simplistic with major plot holes. I can't even say it was a fun trashy read because I was too caught up in the ridiculous offensiveness of it all. There was so much potential here.
March 17, 2016
Good book. Her book, Bling, was also very good. Unfortunately Ms. Kennedy died a few years ago so we can no longer be entertained/enlightened by her unsung talent.
April 25, 2010
This novel basically follows Sydney Zamora on her quest to find a husband in New York City. That’s it…basically. All right, all right. Sydney represents (arguably) today’s American citizen: her father was an Afro-Cuban lawyer and her mother’s a socialite of Irish descent. She’s a celebrity writer for one of New York’s top women’s magazines and has the wardrobe to rival Carrie Bradshaw’s, although Sydney bought most of hers on sale.
She might very well represent today’s American woman: focused on her weight – she was fat until she met a nutritionist who coached her down to a size six – slightly neurotic yet loveable, opinionated to the point of judgmental and trapped in the same old clichéd dilemma of motherhood vs. career. Oh, and she loves her designer clothes.
Well, let me change that: she may very well represent Hollywood’s version of today’s American woman.
I wasn’t quite sure whether or not I liked Feminista, so I made a short “likes/dislikes” list to try to nudge my opinion one way or the other.
Liked
It held my interest to the very end despite it’s being a romance novel
I love how Kennedy deconstructs the old-fashioned Harlequin genre. Sydney is believable, especially in a 21st-century context where the world is much broader than intra-racial love, “pure” lineage, obsolete gender roles, unconditional acceptance of motherhood as a woman’s ultimate goal or using a hotshot career in exchange for it.
I also loved getting a peek (even a fictional one) inside the personalities, if not the lives, of New York’s elite social circles. The same goes for getting on the inside track of writing for a high-circulation magazine.
I love that Erica Kennedy is a black female author who has broken into a mainstream genre. I know she’ll inspire plenty of aspiring writers.
Didn’t like
Sydney.
She was too judgmental. I was deeply disappointed that judgment here is equated with feminism. Sydney’s attack on her psychiatrist or her deeply seeded hatred for another character’s high-society lifestyle, for example, have nothing to do with supporting the choices other women make.
There is no progression in the motherhood vs. career debate. Where’s the character that’s balancing both and all the while grumbling? Where’s the stay-at-home mom who has a fulfilling life defined outside of her children? What about a stay-at-home dad who’s still sexy?
Can chick lit really call itself feminist?
She might very well represent today’s American woman: focused on her weight – she was fat until she met a nutritionist who coached her down to a size six – slightly neurotic yet loveable, opinionated to the point of judgmental and trapped in the same old clichéd dilemma of motherhood vs. career. Oh, and she loves her designer clothes.
Well, let me change that: she may very well represent Hollywood’s version of today’s American woman.
I wasn’t quite sure whether or not I liked Feminista, so I made a short “likes/dislikes” list to try to nudge my opinion one way or the other.
Liked
It held my interest to the very end despite it’s being a romance novel
I love how Kennedy deconstructs the old-fashioned Harlequin genre. Sydney is believable, especially in a 21st-century context where the world is much broader than intra-racial love, “pure” lineage, obsolete gender roles, unconditional acceptance of motherhood as a woman’s ultimate goal or using a hotshot career in exchange for it.
I also loved getting a peek (even a fictional one) inside the personalities, if not the lives, of New York’s elite social circles. The same goes for getting on the inside track of writing for a high-circulation magazine.
I love that Erica Kennedy is a black female author who has broken into a mainstream genre. I know she’ll inspire plenty of aspiring writers.
Didn’t like
Sydney.
She was too judgmental. I was deeply disappointed that judgment here is equated with feminism. Sydney’s attack on her psychiatrist or her deeply seeded hatred for another character’s high-society lifestyle, for example, have nothing to do with supporting the choices other women make.
There is no progression in the motherhood vs. career debate. Where’s the character that’s balancing both and all the while grumbling? Where’s the stay-at-home mom who has a fulfilling life defined outside of her children? What about a stay-at-home dad who’s still sexy?
Can chick lit really call itself feminist?
July 19, 2016
Low key hate myself for reading this, but it was a solid chick lit relatable book from a cheap library book sale that I sped through in five days. Unclear whether it's totally self aware or totally not...
January 28, 2010
i really didn't get this book (another from the library, thank god, not that i have ever been known to drop money on chick lit). i think it was supposed to kind of be a parody, of both chick lit & chic lit, but it's hard to tell, because it concluded like every other book of the genre. i was drawn in by the fact that "feminist" was in the title, & i was definitely intrigued by the fact that main protagonist, sydney, is a woman of color. there is a real death of women of color protagonists in chick lit. i was hoping for something kind of subversive in terms of gender, race, & class, & i think that's what the author was going for, but...it fell flat for me in a pretty big way. i have a conflicted relationship with chick lit to begin with--i think a lot of books are marketed as chick lit because they are by female authors & feature women as main characters, & these women are doing things like dating & trying to balance personal lives & professional lives. remember how curtis sittenfeld's publishers tried to market her as chick lit for a while? yeah. but, i mean...this was really just a romance novel. it was weird.
sydney is a well-paid journalist for the biggest celebrity magazine in new york city, "cachet". she works maybe twenty hours a week because, as it turns out, she was only offered a contract because "cachet" was about to be exposed as having pretty much no women of color writers. sydney can pretty much do anything she wants at work & not worry about losing her job, because she's just a token at the magazine. she is aware of this, & she's taking advantage of it, but sometimes she feels guilty.
she also has a rough time choosing boyfriends. mostly she dates down-market struggling artist types, only for a few weeks or months at a time, & then she gets bored & dumps them. but she's 33 now & she has decided it's time to settle down & find a husband/baby daddy. she asks her sister to introduce her to some eligible bachelors, so her sister hires mitzi berman, professional matchmaker. mitzi specializes in helping high-powered wealthy men find wives. she agrees to set sydney up with some men, but sydney is supposed to follow mitzi's rules, which include things like, don't wear pants on a date, make sure to wear make-up, act interested in what the man has to say, etc. she's kind of like a walking copy of "cosmo" magazine, but i think the author wants us to think that there are hidden nuggets of feminist wisdom buried in what mitzi has to say. mitzi is pretty insightful about pointing out the mistakes sydney makes that scare men away. sydney has a tendency to "emasculate" men because she has such a chip on her shoulder about being a high-powered independent woman. she tells her first date not to objectify her after he says she looks nice. apparently, according to mitzi, this was a HUGE mistake. seemed fair enough to me. i probably would have said the same thing, & yet, i have an awesome boyfriend who doesn't seem to feel emasculated--probably because he hasn't tied his entire self-worth up in the concept of being "a Man".
there was pretty much no narrative tension in this book at all, because right after we are introduced to sydney, we are introduced to max, the son of harvey cooper, who owns one of the biggest, poshest luxury department stores in new york. max is a classic rich kid--prep school, blowing his first trust fund check on a bentley, loafing off & traveling around the world & having sex with models to whom he gives luxury handbags. he's back in new york taking care of business at the store while his more capable & business-minded sister is out on maternity leave. the reader knows, as soon as max is introduced, that he & sydney are going to end up together. the 350 pages in between are just filler, throwing sitcom-esque barriers up between them.
when sydney & max first meet, sydney mistakenly assumes that max is the store's doorman-in-training. you'd think she'd catch on after he manages to secure her a 70% discount on anything she wants in the store, but...whatever. she is attracted to him, but she's trying to be serious about her love life & won't let herself settle for a mere doorman. but at the same time, she rails against rich people like lulu merriwether, an ex-girlfriend of max's (sydney doesn't know that), socialite/author of a series of chic lit roman a clefs ghostwritten by max's assistant. sydney actually hates lulu because lulu got sydney fired from a job waitressing at an upscale restaurant, but sydney won't admit that. sydney is a real piece of work--it seems like she thinks that everything good that happens in her life is due to her own tenacity & feminist-lite perseverence (ie, "anything a man can do, i can do too!"), & anything bad that happens is someone else's fault. it gets really old, really fast.
max is attracted to sydney too (why?), & lets her believe he is a doorman. he is worried that if he admits that he's a spoiled rich boy, she'll hate him. he becomes secret friends with sydney's parody of a gay confidante, jeffrey, & jeffrey encourages max to continue to the charade, get sydney to fall for him, & then break the truth to her. all seems to be going well & the two finally sleep together, & the next day, sydney calls max in a rage because she thinks he gave her herpes.
this is the point where the book lost me. first of all, you don't kiss an asymptomatic herpes carrier & sprout a cold sore six hours later. so sydney is a dumbass for that. second of all, she calls max & pretty much just screams at him, calling him names, & telling him he's a liar when he tries to tell her that he doesn't have herpes. she goes so far as to call him a "faggot". my mental record player scratched the record at that point. sydney supposedly has a whole bevy of gay male friends she turns to when her female friends run off to get married & have babies (at which point, sydney cuts them out of her life--is this girl a treasure or what?). but when she's pissed at a dude, she calls him a faggot? & that's supposed to be in any way acceptable, amusing, or cute? is the reader SUPPOSED to hate sydney & hope she gets set on fire? if i was max, i would have ditched her then & there, but he sticks with it & tries to win her back. does. not. compute.
some more ridiculous shit happens, including sydney getting fired & joining a commune (huh?), sydney getting set up on a date with max's father & giving him some tips on re-designing the store (at which point, i knew she was going to end up working for the store in some capacity), sydney thinking she's in love with a professional football player because he dwarfs her physically & makes her feel "girlish" (puke), etc, but of course, sydney & max end up together. sydney becomes the creative director the department store, mitzi the matchmaker marries max's father, sydney & max decide to put off having kids for a bit, & everyone lives happily ever after.
what the fuck? rebecca walker gave this book a glowing review. i don't understand. supposedly sydney is a "feminist," but i think they must mean it in only the most selfish, shallow, individualistic possible way. max's infatuation with sydney reminded me a lot of edward's obsession with bella in the "twilight" books--even though bella is wrong for him in pretty much every way (he wants to eat her, for crying out loud), he seems something in her that makes him betray all his instincts & continue to love her. it's the oldest story in the book, & the most trite. i'd like to see a story where a woman is strong & independent, feels an attraction toward a man, doesn't give an eff what he does or doesn't do for work, he is attracted to her & admires her independence, he is not hung up on his masculinity, & they have a healthy relationship where no one throws around anti-gay slurs when they think they have contracted herpes.
& don't even get me started on the way sydney's stripper neighbor is portrayed. the woman makes enough money to live next door to someone making $100,000 in magazine publishing, but she's a stripped, so she's obviously trash, right? & don't even get me started on the big reveal when sydney freaks out & says a rich kid like max killed her father. a 33-year-old woman still working out her daddy issues? what an awesome character. except for not.
sydney is a well-paid journalist for the biggest celebrity magazine in new york city, "cachet". she works maybe twenty hours a week because, as it turns out, she was only offered a contract because "cachet" was about to be exposed as having pretty much no women of color writers. sydney can pretty much do anything she wants at work & not worry about losing her job, because she's just a token at the magazine. she is aware of this, & she's taking advantage of it, but sometimes she feels guilty.
she also has a rough time choosing boyfriends. mostly she dates down-market struggling artist types, only for a few weeks or months at a time, & then she gets bored & dumps them. but she's 33 now & she has decided it's time to settle down & find a husband/baby daddy. she asks her sister to introduce her to some eligible bachelors, so her sister hires mitzi berman, professional matchmaker. mitzi specializes in helping high-powered wealthy men find wives. she agrees to set sydney up with some men, but sydney is supposed to follow mitzi's rules, which include things like, don't wear pants on a date, make sure to wear make-up, act interested in what the man has to say, etc. she's kind of like a walking copy of "cosmo" magazine, but i think the author wants us to think that there are hidden nuggets of feminist wisdom buried in what mitzi has to say. mitzi is pretty insightful about pointing out the mistakes sydney makes that scare men away. sydney has a tendency to "emasculate" men because she has such a chip on her shoulder about being a high-powered independent woman. she tells her first date not to objectify her after he says she looks nice. apparently, according to mitzi, this was a HUGE mistake. seemed fair enough to me. i probably would have said the same thing, & yet, i have an awesome boyfriend who doesn't seem to feel emasculated--probably because he hasn't tied his entire self-worth up in the concept of being "a Man".
there was pretty much no narrative tension in this book at all, because right after we are introduced to sydney, we are introduced to max, the son of harvey cooper, who owns one of the biggest, poshest luxury department stores in new york. max is a classic rich kid--prep school, blowing his first trust fund check on a bentley, loafing off & traveling around the world & having sex with models to whom he gives luxury handbags. he's back in new york taking care of business at the store while his more capable & business-minded sister is out on maternity leave. the reader knows, as soon as max is introduced, that he & sydney are going to end up together. the 350 pages in between are just filler, throwing sitcom-esque barriers up between them.
when sydney & max first meet, sydney mistakenly assumes that max is the store's doorman-in-training. you'd think she'd catch on after he manages to secure her a 70% discount on anything she wants in the store, but...whatever. she is attracted to him, but she's trying to be serious about her love life & won't let herself settle for a mere doorman. but at the same time, she rails against rich people like lulu merriwether, an ex-girlfriend of max's (sydney doesn't know that), socialite/author of a series of chic lit roman a clefs ghostwritten by max's assistant. sydney actually hates lulu because lulu got sydney fired from a job waitressing at an upscale restaurant, but sydney won't admit that. sydney is a real piece of work--it seems like she thinks that everything good that happens in her life is due to her own tenacity & feminist-lite perseverence (ie, "anything a man can do, i can do too!"), & anything bad that happens is someone else's fault. it gets really old, really fast.
max is attracted to sydney too (why?), & lets her believe he is a doorman. he is worried that if he admits that he's a spoiled rich boy, she'll hate him. he becomes secret friends with sydney's parody of a gay confidante, jeffrey, & jeffrey encourages max to continue to the charade, get sydney to fall for him, & then break the truth to her. all seems to be going well & the two finally sleep together, & the next day, sydney calls max in a rage because she thinks he gave her herpes.
this is the point where the book lost me. first of all, you don't kiss an asymptomatic herpes carrier & sprout a cold sore six hours later. so sydney is a dumbass for that. second of all, she calls max & pretty much just screams at him, calling him names, & telling him he's a liar when he tries to tell her that he doesn't have herpes. she goes so far as to call him a "faggot". my mental record player scratched the record at that point. sydney supposedly has a whole bevy of gay male friends she turns to when her female friends run off to get married & have babies (at which point, sydney cuts them out of her life--is this girl a treasure or what?). but when she's pissed at a dude, she calls him a faggot? & that's supposed to be in any way acceptable, amusing, or cute? is the reader SUPPOSED to hate sydney & hope she gets set on fire? if i was max, i would have ditched her then & there, but he sticks with it & tries to win her back. does. not. compute.
some more ridiculous shit happens, including sydney getting fired & joining a commune (huh?), sydney getting set up on a date with max's father & giving him some tips on re-designing the store (at which point, i knew she was going to end up working for the store in some capacity), sydney thinking she's in love with a professional football player because he dwarfs her physically & makes her feel "girlish" (puke), etc, but of course, sydney & max end up together. sydney becomes the creative director the department store, mitzi the matchmaker marries max's father, sydney & max decide to put off having kids for a bit, & everyone lives happily ever after.
what the fuck? rebecca walker gave this book a glowing review. i don't understand. supposedly sydney is a "feminist," but i think they must mean it in only the most selfish, shallow, individualistic possible way. max's infatuation with sydney reminded me a lot of edward's obsession with bella in the "twilight" books--even though bella is wrong for him in pretty much every way (he wants to eat her, for crying out loud), he seems something in her that makes him betray all his instincts & continue to love her. it's the oldest story in the book, & the most trite. i'd like to see a story where a woman is strong & independent, feels an attraction toward a man, doesn't give an eff what he does or doesn't do for work, he is attracted to her & admires her independence, he is not hung up on his masculinity, & they have a healthy relationship where no one throws around anti-gay slurs when they think they have contracted herpes.
& don't even get me started on the way sydney's stripper neighbor is portrayed. the woman makes enough money to live next door to someone making $100,000 in magazine publishing, but she's a stripped, so she's obviously trash, right? & don't even get me started on the big reveal when sydney freaks out & says a rich kid like max killed her father. a 33-year-old woman still working out her daddy issues? what an awesome character. except for not.
April 18, 2021
Ugh, this book gets two stars because I did actually finish it, but I’m really not sure why I persisted to the very end. It wasn’t just that the protagonist was unlikeable (and she was!) but it didn’t even make sense.
The best part about the book was that it was free via the library so all I wasted was time.
The best part about the book was that it was free via the library so all I wasted was time.
May 20, 2018
Gave this the requisite 100 pages but the two main characters are so Un-likeable that I don’t care what happens to them. I bet they fall in love, though! Just guessing. ;)
September 29, 2009
Sydney Zamora is an independent, no nonsense type of woman. She sees committment and marriage as traps that women fall into. There's no way that a woman can have it all - career and marriage. Something has to give. She believes that once you're married, you lose your identity as a woman. She goes through life trying to avoid this trap by dating highly inappropriate men. Like every heroine, she eventually meets her match in Max who shows her that you can have possibly have it all.
I absolutely LOVED this book! I read it in two days!! I didn't want it to end. I re-read the last chapter twice because I was sad that the book was over.
I absolutely LOVED this book! I read it in two days!! I didn't want it to end. I re-read the last chapter twice because I was sad that the book was over.
June 5, 2016
This book is charming and thought provoking, and though Sydney is kind of awful most of the time, she feels very real and relatable. She comes off not as a one-dimensional shrieking shrew, but as a fully realized human with many facets, and I fell in love with her a little bit.
February 12, 2018
Sometimes you just need a mindless read. I call them beach reads, but this time I guess it was a snow day read. Nothing spectacular, been done before. Enjoyable enough, if a bit long. The references to Donald Trump are now humorous. Not my favorite, but a bit of fun.
November 29, 2020
I didn’t actually read the whole thing. Couldn’t do it. The characters were such shallow morons, I couldn’t do it. Bitch Lit indeed!
April 3, 2015
Sydney would never be a real success in her mother’s eyes as long as her ring finger was bare, but that was Vera’s hang-up, not hers. Marriage was not an accomplishment. When were women (most of whom felt that way, whether they’d cop to it or not) going to get that through their heads? Crossing the finish line in a marathon. Becoming a cardiothoracic surgeon. Winning an Oscar. Those were accomplishments. Getting married was just a (hopefully) happy fact of life.
Ditto for having kids. There was no achievement in doing what any menstruating teenager could do. The achievement was in being a good parent, and just because every parent wanted to think he or she was didn’t make it true.
FEMINISTA is smart fun. Erica Kennedy [Bling] turned out a feverish bitch lit novel with an astounding eye for the often ridiculousness aspects of social-climbing, societal expectations and prosperity. The central figure 33-year-old Sydney Zamora defies most friendly “chick lit” classifications. Sydney is outspoken, hard-working and independent and rocks the combat boots. She’s also a bit pissed off at everything. She literally says whatever is on her mind with little editing. Yes, it can get her into trouble. She despises trust fund kids that only party and those that have no intention to ever do any charity work. She doesn’t blindly follow popular trends. This lovely, sassy biracial Manhattan celebrity journalist earns a fantastic salary for glossy magazine Cachet and works very few hours per week. But while Sydney has an enviable life on paper and seemingly at first glance, is she truly happy?
Sydney’s progressive lesbian sister—a suburban mother and half of a power couple—gives her a birthday present that horrifies Sydney: the services of exclusive matchmaker Mitzi Berman. But is the joke on Sydney when she becomes one of Mitzi’s most difficult and nearly “unmatchable” clients? Sydney has typically dated [short-term] rocker/slacker-types. Haven’t we all? There’s something about a guy up on stage with a guitar. In the midst of all this is Max Cooper, the heir to a hugely popular department store [Sure, he wanted to do something with his life, but that something would be his passion, not his profession.] Max [who happens to play bass in a band] meets Sydney and she thinks he’s a doorman. Though attracted to Max she thinks it’s time to get more serious with her personal life. While Sydney has reached professional success, her personal life is not where she expected it to be.
Why do women have to sacrifice one for the other? Why can’t women have both great careers and great personal lives? Is it possible? Will powerful female executives with families ever NOT be asked how they manage to “balance” it all? Will single women over 30 ever stop being asked if they have plans to “settle down?” Will society stop looking at single women over 35 as anomalies, circus freak shows, as something is wrong with these women? In FEMINISTA, Kennedy manages to delve into such multi-faceted issues with adept style, wit and an innate knowledge of what motivates and infuriates today’s women.
Ditto for having kids. There was no achievement in doing what any menstruating teenager could do. The achievement was in being a good parent, and just because every parent wanted to think he or she was didn’t make it true.
FEMINISTA is smart fun. Erica Kennedy [Bling] turned out a feverish bitch lit novel with an astounding eye for the often ridiculousness aspects of social-climbing, societal expectations and prosperity. The central figure 33-year-old Sydney Zamora defies most friendly “chick lit” classifications. Sydney is outspoken, hard-working and independent and rocks the combat boots. She’s also a bit pissed off at everything. She literally says whatever is on her mind with little editing. Yes, it can get her into trouble. She despises trust fund kids that only party and those that have no intention to ever do any charity work. She doesn’t blindly follow popular trends. This lovely, sassy biracial Manhattan celebrity journalist earns a fantastic salary for glossy magazine Cachet and works very few hours per week. But while Sydney has an enviable life on paper and seemingly at first glance, is she truly happy?
Sydney’s progressive lesbian sister—a suburban mother and half of a power couple—gives her a birthday present that horrifies Sydney: the services of exclusive matchmaker Mitzi Berman. But is the joke on Sydney when she becomes one of Mitzi’s most difficult and nearly “unmatchable” clients? Sydney has typically dated [short-term] rocker/slacker-types. Haven’t we all? There’s something about a guy up on stage with a guitar. In the midst of all this is Max Cooper, the heir to a hugely popular department store [Sure, he wanted to do something with his life, but that something would be his passion, not his profession.] Max [who happens to play bass in a band] meets Sydney and she thinks he’s a doorman. Though attracted to Max she thinks it’s time to get more serious with her personal life. While Sydney has reached professional success, her personal life is not where she expected it to be.
Why do women have to sacrifice one for the other? Why can’t women have both great careers and great personal lives? Is it possible? Will powerful female executives with families ever NOT be asked how they manage to “balance” it all? Will single women over 30 ever stop being asked if they have plans to “settle down?” Will society stop looking at single women over 35 as anomalies, circus freak shows, as something is wrong with these women? In FEMINISTA, Kennedy manages to delve into such multi-faceted issues with adept style, wit and an innate knowledge of what motivates and infuriates today’s women.
August 21, 2014
The only reason I gave this book two stars was because it kept me hooked- I never wanted to put it down. For some reason, which I can't put my finger on, I found myself enjoying this book. Again, I have no idea why or how I enjoyed this book.
To start off, this book was just poorly written in my eyes. There were grammatical errors and a lot of times it just didn't make sense. It was definitely just a pass the time kind of book.
Sydney is a "feminist" fashionista who can't keep a man to save her life, literally. As a hot-shot journalist for a celebrity magazine, she holds all the cards as a high end New Yorker. Sydney believes she doesn't need a man to make her happy, yet throughout the book that's all she seeks. This fast paced and intriguing book ends with a happily ever after.
What really irritated me about his book was how Sydney complained about not having a husband, yet at every opportunity she turned it down. I'm not sure if this was a unique character trait that was intended, but it was annoying as all hell. The whole plot of this book was for Sydney to find a man, but that didn't happen until the very last chapter. Speaking of Sydney: I have never met such an annoying main character. She was never consistent with her thoughts and actions, and she was always making herself the victim in every situation. She would preach how women didn't need men and how she needs a real man, yet every man who came into her life was discarded when they acted like a "
I thought there was no character development at all. One minute she was denying the love interest and the next she was in her arms. The whole book was confusion for me because I could never tell what she really wanted. There was no consistency in the book, at all.
The last thing that I did NOT like about this book was the "feminist" aspect. Sydney constantly said she was a feminist, but I believe the author did not know the real definition of feminism before writing this book. The whole book just talked about the social myth of feminism- that women hate men and how women can't wear makeup or be dependent on a man while being a feminist. The time I was reading I was outraged at her thinking. It was the common misconception about feminism. The character never stated about being equal- it was always about being better and degrading men.
I gave this book 2 stars for the sole purpose of not being able to put it down. It has curb appeal and it is interesting. It's funny and loving, but it has it's issues. The characters were so unrealistic it was ridiculous, but they were funny I will give them that.
To start off, this book was just poorly written in my eyes. There were grammatical errors and a lot of times it just didn't make sense. It was definitely just a pass the time kind of book.
Sydney is a "feminist" fashionista who can't keep a man to save her life, literally. As a hot-shot journalist for a celebrity magazine, she holds all the cards as a high end New Yorker. Sydney believes she doesn't need a man to make her happy, yet throughout the book that's all she seeks. This fast paced and intriguing book ends with a happily ever after.
What really irritated me about his book was how Sydney complained about not having a husband, yet at every opportunity she turned it down. I'm not sure if this was a unique character trait that was intended, but it was annoying as all hell. The whole plot of this book was for Sydney to find a man, but that didn't happen until the very last chapter. Speaking of Sydney: I have never met such an annoying main character. She was never consistent with her thoughts and actions, and she was always making herself the victim in every situation. She would preach how women didn't need men and how she needs a real man, yet every man who came into her life was discarded when they acted like a "
I thought there was no character development at all. One minute she was denying the love interest and the next she was in her arms. The whole book was confusion for me because I could never tell what she really wanted. There was no consistency in the book, at all.
The last thing that I did NOT like about this book was the "feminist" aspect. Sydney constantly said she was a feminist, but I believe the author did not know the real definition of feminism before writing this book. The whole book just talked about the social myth of feminism- that women hate men and how women can't wear makeup or be dependent on a man while being a feminist. The time I was reading I was outraged at her thinking. It was the common misconception about feminism. The character never stated about being equal- it was always about being better and degrading men.
I gave this book 2 stars for the sole purpose of not being able to put it down. It has curb appeal and it is interesting. It's funny and loving, but it has it's issues. The characters were so unrealistic it was ridiculous, but they were funny I will give them that.
December 24, 2009
Syndney Zamora is one helluva woman—hell being the operative word. She’s a sharp-tongued, take no prisoners, self-made single woman in the city with a Helen Reddy perception of the world--I am woman, hear me roar! And honey, boy can Sydney roar! Unfortunately, her roars usually scare off most men—and some women—who deign to attempt to penetrate her tough exterior.
After breaking up with her most recent loser and exasperated with the whole dating scene, she decides ask her sister for assistance in finding a husband. Her sister, smart woman that she is, knows a bad hook-up would be disastrous to their sisterly bond and decides to hire a middlewoman—Mitzi Berman, matchmaker for the rich and famous. Sydney meets her match in the no-holds barred Mitzi who forces Sydney into some very painful (but necessary) introspection and major dating mishaps. Meanwhile, Sydney meets Max, a rich boy Sydney mistakes for a doorman at a swanky department store. Through a series of serendipitous run-ins Max and Sydney manage to strike up a tenuous friendship, but will her intimidating exterior scare Max away? Or can he accept Sydney for the hard ass she is and love her in spite of it?
Feminista was a very entertaining read. Although the story got off to a slow start due to some heavy narrative, I’m glad I stuck it out. Sydney proves to be such a compelling and provocative character that you can’t help but keep reading to find out if she ever gets it together. The author cleverly peels back layer after hardened layer to reveal that there is more to Sydney than meets the eye. For all of her tough talk, Sydney wants what most women want—to settle down with her Prince Charming and make babies…she just wants to do that without losing her identity or her independence. I’d definitely recommend this to readers who like more edgy women’s fiction.
After breaking up with her most recent loser and exasperated with the whole dating scene, she decides ask her sister for assistance in finding a husband. Her sister, smart woman that she is, knows a bad hook-up would be disastrous to their sisterly bond and decides to hire a middlewoman—Mitzi Berman, matchmaker for the rich and famous. Sydney meets her match in the no-holds barred Mitzi who forces Sydney into some very painful (but necessary) introspection and major dating mishaps. Meanwhile, Sydney meets Max, a rich boy Sydney mistakes for a doorman at a swanky department store. Through a series of serendipitous run-ins Max and Sydney manage to strike up a tenuous friendship, but will her intimidating exterior scare Max away? Or can he accept Sydney for the hard ass she is and love her in spite of it?
Feminista was a very entertaining read. Although the story got off to a slow start due to some heavy narrative, I’m glad I stuck it out. Sydney proves to be such a compelling and provocative character that you can’t help but keep reading to find out if she ever gets it together. The author cleverly peels back layer after hardened layer to reveal that there is more to Sydney than meets the eye. For all of her tough talk, Sydney wants what most women want—to settle down with her Prince Charming and make babies…she just wants to do that without losing her identity or her independence. I’d definitely recommend this to readers who like more edgy women’s fiction.
November 12, 2009
Though I don't normally pick up these types of books where the characters are making more money then I am and complaining about how their living when their buying Marc Jacobs and Vesache, I can honestly say this was an okay book.
Sydney Zamora, was sharped tongued, afro-cuban new yorker, has been having problems when it comes to her love life. So after realizing that she's sick of dating guys who don't plan the resturant bills and only give her 'somewhat' satifsying sex, she asked her younger sister Liz (who is a lesbian) to set her up with a guy. Liz, being the bleeding heart she was decided to call a professional match-mather thats been making headlines and marriages happen. The match-making bit of the story is interesting but then after a while it lacks a little. Sydney's complaining gets tiring to the point of where you want her to really never speak again. Things seem to be going well when she meets a guy named Max who she seems to click with but doesn't really know everything about him. And so its progresses.
The story progresses slowly with intimate details of the characters. Lots of witty jokes, and really dirty ones. I laughed a few times but toward the end it seemed really awakward to me sometimes. I didn't like the fact that the book read so slowly that I was beginning to think it was a five-hundred pages book instead of a 350+ book. Sydney was very much a FEMINISTA. For anyone who thinks this book is interesting at least read the first few chapters to decide for yourself, I can't really say that I hated. It was just an okay.
Sydney Zamora, was sharped tongued, afro-cuban new yorker, has been having problems when it comes to her love life. So after realizing that she's sick of dating guys who don't plan the resturant bills and only give her 'somewhat' satifsying sex, she asked her younger sister Liz (who is a lesbian) to set her up with a guy. Liz, being the bleeding heart she was decided to call a professional match-mather thats been making headlines and marriages happen. The match-making bit of the story is interesting but then after a while it lacks a little. Sydney's complaining gets tiring to the point of where you want her to really never speak again. Things seem to be going well when she meets a guy named Max who she seems to click with but doesn't really know everything about him. And so its progresses.
The story progresses slowly with intimate details of the characters. Lots of witty jokes, and really dirty ones. I laughed a few times but toward the end it seemed really awakward to me sometimes. I didn't like the fact that the book read so slowly that I was beginning to think it was a five-hundred pages book instead of a 350+ book. Sydney was very much a FEMINISTA. For anyone who thinks this book is interesting at least read the first few chapters to decide for yourself, I can't really say that I hated. It was just an okay.
March 2, 2010
This book had its ups...and many, many downs. It's much longer than it should be and I have to be honest and say that had it not been for the book being a bookclub pick, I would not have finished it. I actually ended up being the only one in the entire club that was able to finish. lol I must admit though, had my bookclub associates read a little bit longer, they would have enjoyed it enough to push through. The first and 2nd parts included too much detail and not enough action (Sydney's best friend Jeffrey James, was a great character addition though). The 3rd part, however, was hilarious and extremely fast paced. I loved it. The author spoke of this book starting out as a screenplay, which kind of explains why there was so much description and detail in the beginning. I liked where she was going with this book, but if she could cut it down by 100 pages, I might add a star to my rating.
August 30, 2010
I picked this book up because someone (a stranger) told me it was hilarious! Always a sucker for a comedy, I decided to give it a try. Was it hilarious? Not really. There were one or two parts that made me chuckle, but that's about it. The story revolves around the same old Cinderella-waiting-for-Prince-Charming theme, but with a supposedly "feminist" bend, and set in Manhattan. I didn't see the feminist thing at all, but that's just me. A woman didn't like to wear stilettos and that was supposed to be "feminist". But she was still a slave to fashion and the gym. She was afraid of commitment as well. In the end, all things turn out as it should... Cinderella and RICH Prince Charming live happily ever after. Yawn.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
May 8, 2011
Sydney is an multi-culti celebrity journalist who decides that her biological clock is ticking and she needs to do something about it. With the help of a matchmaker to the rich and bourgeois, Sydney embarks on a journey to find Mr. Right. Sydney finds out, however, that not only is she a tough match, but her preconceived notions and biases are about to be challenged.
Feminista is a witty, dramatic account of a single gal in the city on the hunt for success, love, and the perfect Marc Jacobs bag. While I thought the text was a little verbose when Sydney went on her mental tirades, I enjoyed the characters and storyline, and the inner monologues help to establish Sydney's state of mind and background. With a tad less of this, this book could have garnered 5 stars.
Feminista is a witty, dramatic account of a single gal in the city on the hunt for success, love, and the perfect Marc Jacobs bag. While I thought the text was a little verbose when Sydney went on her mental tirades, I enjoyed the characters and storyline, and the inner monologues help to establish Sydney's state of mind and background. With a tad less of this, this book could have garnered 5 stars.
September 21, 2012
I like Erica Kennedy. I loved Bling. I am saddened that we won't get be graced with anymore of her writing. With her passing earlier this year the literary world lost a talent. I liked this novel a lot. Liked the cultural references (pop and otherwise)and the fact that it was based in NY. It was funny, and I could truly relate to some parts. But, I am wondering how I liked it so much when I couldn't stand one of the main characters. Sydney was annoying, aggressive, and abrasive. How can you sympathize with the vulnerability when she was also self sabotaging? She was also rude and obnoxious. Then to have her find what was written to be such a nice guy in Max. I don't know. But I guess that's the beauty of reading. Anything can happen.
May 29, 2015
Don't be scared by "Feminist" in the title!
I found this an incredibly fun read. The protagonist shares a lot of my cynical views about "chic lit," which made her easy to relate to despite her convenient views on feminism and sometimes spoiled-brat attitude.
Sydney Zamora is a well-rounded, fun character. She isn't easy to like, but it's easy to see why Max does. He's not perfect, either, but their imperfections line up just the way they should in these types of books. The ending seemed a little too pat, but, if the idea was to parody other popular chick lit books, it was perfect.
Also, the reference to one of my favorite websites toward the end made me grin like an idiot.
I found this an incredibly fun read. The protagonist shares a lot of my cynical views about "chic lit," which made her easy to relate to despite her convenient views on feminism and sometimes spoiled-brat attitude.
Sydney Zamora is a well-rounded, fun character. She isn't easy to like, but it's easy to see why Max does. He's not perfect, either, but their imperfections line up just the way they should in these types of books. The ending seemed a little too pat, but, if the idea was to parody other popular chick lit books, it was perfect.
Also, the reference to one of my favorite websites toward the end made me grin like an idiot.
December 29, 2011
Can I just say that I thought Sydney was absolutely hilarious? She was so crazy. I loved her, because she was so self-involved that she didn't realize all of the things wrong with her (and there were plenty). I love these type of flawed protagonists. Sydney really isn't someone you would pick out as a good person per say, but she doesn't realize because she's keeping it real.
It's the story itself that makes this a two star review. It goes on too long, there's too much going on, and towards the end it just gets a little bit too much and a little too implausible.
It's the story itself that makes this a two star review. It goes on too long, there's too much going on, and towards the end it just gets a little bit too much and a little too implausible.
May 31, 2014
I was trying to decided between 2 and 3 stars - I only went with three because I did like the characters. This book starts slooooooow, picks up in the middle (which was great for my recent flight) and then grinds to a slow predictable halt at the end. I've read better chick lot but I truly did enjoy all characters - the stubborn single girl who subconsciously destroys every relationship she ever attempts, the rich guy masquerading as a commoner, the gay BFF and the witty matchmaker that blends the story all together.
It's not bad but it's not that great either.
It's not bad but it's not that great either.
November 10, 2009
Reading this book was exhausting. I needed more dialogue and less of the petty details. I understand that this is "chic lit", but really there were passages where I thought "just get to the point already." This is the second chick lit book I've read in the past 6 months where I hated the main character. Sydney had a Mt. Everest-sized chip on her shoulder and it never went away. Honestly, Max was too good for her.
June 24, 2016
Reminds me a bit of a modern, somewhat funnier F. Scott Fitzgerald. Sydney, a woman with a serious shopping fetish, has a killer job but her biological clock is ticking. Can she overcome her feminist self and become subservient enough to land a wealthy and otherwise horrible husband? Most of the rest of the characters are celebrity trash or the idle rich with a few exceptions and are fairly shallow folk.
May 10, 2011
I LOVED this book! What an amazing read with a "you don't know what is next" plot flow! It will make an AMAZING movie! I love the all the characters. I love how it was in tune with real situations that have played out in the media. Sydney (main character) was infuriating and lovable at the same time....
April 14, 2013
Man, oh man...Erica Kennedy is someone I adore, but when I tell you this book was a damn challenge. It was filled with hilarious characters, but the over-detailing of minor things, and the slow development of the plot just made things even more difficult. Luckily, I still have 'Bling' as one of my favorite works before Erica Kennedy passed away, as this book just didn't cut it.
June 25, 2013
It's better than anything Candace Bushnell has ever written, though I don't know if that's a good thing or a bad thing. I think that there were some scenes in the book that were unnecessary, and that could be because Kennedy was trying to tie in the plot to The Taming of the Shrew too much. But all in all, it was an enjoyable read. Just longer than it needed to be.
October 23, 2009
It's not you, it's me.
This book has a strong female character, a predictable ending but a not-so-predictable in between, and I still went 'meh.'
I think you might be the last chick lit book I read...for awhile.
This book has a strong female character, a predictable ending but a not-so-predictable in between, and I still went 'meh.'
I think you might be the last chick lit book I read...for awhile.
Read
July 29, 2011VEry funny book. I had a good time reading about Sidney and her crazy attitude. I really felt bad for her with the Jerome situatiuon- and the end product with Candi!!! Oh and the interview with teh Raven was heart breaking, lol!! A ver fun read.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 54 reviews