As Atribulações de Uma Jovem Executiva

by Helen Dunne

Trixie Trader deve este nome, pelo qual se tornou conhecida no mundo da City londrina, aos bons velhos tempos de ascensão fulgurante no mundo dos negócios. Entretanto, o seu «fraco» pelas marcas caras, o champanhe, os almoços prolongados e as noitadas literalmente embriagantes, na companhia cúmplice da sua melhor amiga, Julie, e aquecidas por paixonetas sem consequências, estão a conduzi-la à ruína. Agora, a sua baixíssima produtividade não passa despercebida ao gerente do banco onde trabalha. Trixie recebe um ultimato: em apenas seis semanas ela terá de conseguir fazer um negócio realmente chorudo! A alternativa passa pela porta da saída. Escrito com espírito e ironia, malicioso e inspirado, este divertido romance permite-lhe deitar uma espreitadela ao bulício da City de Londres e passar momentos de revigorante e puro prazer.

Genres: Chick Lit, Fiction

241 pages

First published January 1, 2001

Reviews

[Jayne Charles · Rating 2 out of 5]

This isn’t really my type of thing: I only read it because my 11-year old daughter bought it at a second hand shop which had mistakenly shelved it in the kids’ section. I decided to vet it first.

It was interesting to hear about city traders with their much publicised bonuses. It will not surprise anyone that not a lot of work gets done in amongst the shopping and the boozing, but it doesn’t look as though Trixie or her chums are about to accept blame for global financial meltdown any time soon.

Trixie herself is sort of Bridget Jones with a high powered job. Kate Reddy without the kids. The book started out by irritating me with its faux feminism -“She beats the city boys at their own game” shouts the cover whereas she actually spends an inordinate amount of time fretting over clothes and men. And her attitudes to fat people...or poor people...or ugly people...well, they’re uncharitable to say the least.

It wasn’t all negative though. The way Trixie got herself into toe-curlingly embarrassing fixes and then had to pick herself up and carry on was well done. And despite myself I found I wanted her to succeed. If nothing else I have more idea about the way things worked in the city, pre-recession. And with jokes about condoms, hard drugs and prostitutes amongst its pages, I can say with certainty that there is no way my 11 year-old is reading this.

[Stef Rozitis · Rating 1 out of 5]

I'm surprised someone wanted to publish this. The cover makes it sound like this is goin to be a liberal feminist story in the world of high finance but it's even worse than that. Trixie actually does not "beat the boys at their own game" she is stupid, gullible, shallow, judgemental, lazy and whiny. She sees her job as a place to drink too much expensive booze and afford expensive clothing while doing nothing.

Her boss finally gives her an ultimatum to do some work or be fired. One wonders why it has taken him so long and why he is giving her a chance but ok. She fat-shames, transphobes and kink-shames her way through the rest of the book with some classist swipes and toxic comments even toward her own friends. Her redeeming feature is that she is lusciously beautiful...according to herself.

Then she finds out that the guy of her dreams has never had his head turned by a pretty face because he can only fall in love with a woman of character. So then I was expecting that to be the plot twist since he has been listening to her bitchiness and laziness for the whole book but no apparently he is a very poor judge of character. The boyfriend, the best friend and the colleague she likes to bully team up to save her arse and she is somehow the hero of the hour. She also does something unforgiveable to a family member that I think is supposed to be cute or funny or something.

There were occasional bursts of almost-wit and much of the slurs on various minorities were written in a way that indicates that the author might have thought she was writing a comedy. Oh dear.

[Maria Carvalho · Rating 3 out of 5]

A história acaba por ser curiosa. Apesar de não ter um enredo por aí além, achei-o diferente dos enredos comuns. Do início ao fim, tive sempre a sensação de que é mais adequado ao formato cinema do que à literatura.
Gostei. Faz-nos refletir sobre a volatilidade da carreia, o trabalho em equipa, a importância das pessoas no nosso dia-a-dia e na nossa vida.

[Lauraloves · Rating 3 out of 5]

I’ve had this book on my shelf since 2010 when i went through a massive chick lit phase. Nowadays im not too keen on this genre but i will still read it occasionally.



This book is about Trixie who works in the city as something to do with banking. She likes to spend her money more than work and she doesnt really put all that much effort into her work since splitting up with her ex, Sam, who also works in banking. Trixie is given an ultimatium, either bring some money into the bank or loose her job. Trixie then tries to bring money in and along the way encounters dinner parties, trips to new york, a new love interest and an old love interest.



I couldnt really warm to the character of Trixie, i found her very hard and the fact that she was only out to look out for number one and wasnt really bothered on who she hurt on the way as long as she was ok. I did also figure out who lily was and i felt that this was quite a mean thing to do.



This book is quite a short read, a little over 200 pages and would be ok for reading on a beach or something like that but i dont think it would be one that i would read again.

[Agi · Rating 2 out of 5]

Actually: 1,5 stars. It was not sooooo bad that I can say "I didn't like it", but "was okay" is not okay, too.
I have read this book a few years ago when I was much younger and I can remember that then I liked this book. It is easily written, there are some witty points and the dialogues are sometimes even funny. But now, when I am much, much older, I can see how empty this book is. The main character, Tracy, is so antipatical, money and her status is all what she can think about, she is judging people by their clothes and where do they come from, she is arrogant, not nice and not at all funny. And she is ashamed of her own mother! Helooooo!!! Earth to Tracy! I could not live with such an empty person, a person without a soul, a person who is thinking only about herself. This book was actually only about Tracy, her big, big ego, her "ME and I" standing in the middle. No, thank you.
And she doesn't deserve all the good things that happens to her, especially her friends and family. How do they cope with her?
No, absolute no - go.

[Miryam HaMagdalit · Rating 3 out of 5]

Trixie is streets ahead of Bridget Jones. She's far more self-possessed, confident and sharp - this woman has girl power! Trixie works hard and plays hard and it is refreshing to read a story about a woman who is truly independent. The best part however, is the end. I won't spoil it for you, but it has a very clever twist that is totally unexpected at the outset. All in all a gripping read which combines fun, humour and a genuine insight into the way the City really works.

[James · Rating 4 out of 5]

A novel based on Dunne's newspaper column from the business section of the Telegraph (I think, can't remember correctly). Mixes the business aspect well with the girl-with-a-secret plot. It is not silly, it's a nice read and distraction.

[CLM · Rating 4 out of 5]

I quite enjoyed this English chicklit which Betsy recommended.

[Anna · Rating 2 out of 5]

Vaguely interesting, as I used to be a banker, plot a bit predictable though.

[✘✘ Sarah ✘✘ (former Nefarious Breeder of Murderous Crustaceans) · Rating 1 out of 5]

Definitely not my type of book...