Hard

by Emma Gold

In Easy , Emma Gold's straight-talking heroine put a randy new spin on the sex life of the single British girl. Now she returns with the adventures of a new woman-about-London. From office politics (fending off the boss's advances; dating the co-worker's son) to bedroom diplomacy (no sleepovers past 3 a.m.; hetero lovemaking must be muffled so as not to offend gay roommate), the only sure bet is that when all the right balls are in the air (so to speak), all the wrong things will become . . . Hard . The Job I really quite like my job -- as jobs go. We get lots of people dropping in, and no one stays long enough to really irritate me. The bitching potential of different people coming into the office every day is phenomenal . . . The Boss In my opinion, Wayne has a tiny ( ahem ). All the signs are the flashy sports car with vanity plates, the failed marriage, the thin, short fingers, the small, shell-like ears, and the constant flirting. Does Wayne sound awful? Because the thing is, apart from the above, he really is a wonderful boss . . . The Man He walks me back to my flat. I have already decided it would be extremely unwise to invite him in, especially as I know my flatmate, Simon, is around and he is so unbearably horny at the moment that I am worried the mad glint in his eyes will send Luca running. But I'm horny as well, so I invite him in . . . And so begin the hilarious over-the-top (and under-the-covers) exploits of a woman on the verge of a breakdown, a break-up, and, quite possibly, a breakthrough. She's about to prove that in the world of London's singles, only the sassy survive -- but just because life is hard, it doesn't mean your heart has to be.

Genres: Chick Lit, Romance, Fiction

304 pages, Paperback

First published May 2, 2002

Reviews

[Barbara Elsborg · Rating 3 out of 5]

What an unusual book. I got caught up in the story and then suddenly, there was a switch of pace that completely threw me. It picked up again but it felt as though the author had a lot of backstory she wanted to give us, knew better than to do it at the start, but thought she could slip it in later and we'd go with the flow. I really liked the detail of her life as a solicitor - I have a daughter in that profession so it rang a lot of bells. But I'm not convinced it would have been of such interest to the average reader.
However - some fantastic lines in this, very clever observation of human life, and I enjoyed reading it. I'd definitely read another by this author.

[N.S. · Rating 4 out of 5]

An incredibly fast read told from the point of view of a funny, flawed, smart, sarcastic, no bullshit female protagonist who I suspect is awfully similar to her creator. I also guess this book is in the vein of Bridget Jones' Diary, but I haven't read that.
The old question "If you could have dinner with anyone in the world who would it be?" for me just got a new contender: Emma Gold. A conversationg with her couldn't possibly be anything but thoroughly engaging.

[Miss Monica · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is definately a real woman's voice and deals with a modern day adult relationship. Which is the best part of the story, though I just wish some of the story had been left out or edited better. In the middle I got really bored hearing all about Emma's extensive past job history as a solicitor and really hated how the book just dragged on from there. I was happy how everything came together right in the end but just wish it had been faster paced and less whiney.

[Peta · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not a bad read while on holidays.

[Olena · Rating 2 out of 5]

Reminded me The Shopoholic books of Sophie Kinsella, similar simple and predictable plot. Sweet easy reading between other books, can be accompanied by a glass of wine, totally relaxing

[Devon Smith · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved it. picked it up at a free book store and after wading through all the background we got to the good stuff!!! amazing ending. written by a woman for sure

[Melissa (Always Behind) · Rating 2 out of 5]

Emma has had over a hundred different jobs in her thirty-two years. She originally trained to be a lawyer, but after holding three mind-numbing solicitor positions, decided to forego the legal profession. Now working as a controller for a temp agency, Emma finally looks forward to going to work each day. She enjoys her colleague Tina. Emma never tires of hearing about Tina's sexual exploits as well as how she dotes on her two grown sons.

An opportunity arises for Emma to meet Tina's younger son Luca. The two hit it off and immediately start spending a great deal of time together. But as her personal life heats up, things at work become chilly. Emma's sleazy boss Wayne escalates his annoying innuendoes to sexual harassment. When Emma decides to write him a memo asking him to stop, things reach a critical point. Will Emma and Luca's relationship work out, and will Emma keep the job she has grown to love?

This novel takes an interesting look at a flaky British woman, who seeks fulfillment in her career and a chance at love. Emma is funny and has a wacky set of friends, especially her gay roommate Simon. But I found it difficult to have any sympathy for her character. She has no ambition, no drive to improve her life. It's appalling that at age thirty-two Emma desires little more than to party, sleep in, and talk with her friends. I can understand not liking the career she chose and trained for, as that does happen. Yet no job pleases her. She lies to her bosses, wastes time, and is one of the laziest characters I have ever encountered.

Emma and Luca's relationship is fun and adds levity to the story. Focusing more on the love angle would have made this book an enjoyable chick lit offering. Unfortunately, most of the focus is on Emma's job woes, which get tedious after a while. But for all of its shortcomings, Hard moves along at a quick pace and has the requisite happy ending. And those outside the U.K. can enjoy descriptions of all things British and a glimpse into another way of life.

[The TBR Pile *Book review site* · Rating 3 out of 5]

FULL REVIEW: http://thetbrpile.weebly.com/1/post/2...

After some thought, I’m going with three stars. This was a read with some real flare and some real downturns. I think a few years from now after the author has honed her craft she’ll be an author to really look out for. I wouldn’t buy it full price but if you find Hard on sale, I suggest giving it a try.

[Stephanie · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was pretty good but, I did not think that it was as good as Emma's book Easy. When I read Easy it had me laughing out loud. This story although still funny had a much more serious message.

[Brooke · Rating 2 out of 5]

Meh...