Usually I like reading books that are different from my life. I like reading about pretty English villages, messy Italian towns, fantasy-lands full of sword fights and magic. I like to escape, even if people say it might be not the best strategy to face here and now.
This book is too near to the everyday life to afford such a luxury. The main character is a girl called Lala (I like the name, it’s easy to remember), who starts her professional life in pretty much the usual sad way of everyone else. She has some sort of education, and that’s it. No amazing qualifications that send perspective employers to queue, no connections to get her safe and well-paid position in a stable company. Somehow (the book skips this part of her journey) she goes through a number of Chinese- and Taiwanese-owned firms, until she lands in a multinational corporation. But, of course, getting in is only half the trick. Bosses are difficult, promotion questionable. Somehow I recognize the picture only too well (but her pay is being increased every year… why does it never happen to me?).
The book rather skips the “work part”: I do not think that we are ever told what exactly does the company do. Lala’s own position is in administration division (usual for every company), her job is described in rather general terms, and I can’t help feeling that it hollows the book somewhat. Another thing that may take substance from the book is that Lala is hands down good in her job. On the other hand, we are promised a success story, and it wouldn’t feel fare to the reader if Lala were successful and unqualified.
So far I’m 1/3 through with the book (not sure if I can finish it before the year runs out). It is not the easy read because of the understandable lack of the escape factor, but pretty good, anyway. Maybe one day I would even be able to use some of the tips dispersed through the book to move my career in the right direction XDD