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One Fifth Avenue
One Fifth Avenue, the Art Deco beauty towering over Manhattan's hippest neighbourhood, is a one-of-a-kind address, the sort of building you have to earn your way into - one way or another.
For the women in Candace Bushnell's stellar new novel, One Fifth Avenue is at the heart of the lives they've carefully established, or hope to establish. There is Schiffer Diamond, a forty-something actress busily proving that women of style are truly ageless. There is spoiled, self-assured Lola, who is determined to launch herself into society and the arms of the right man by clawing a way into the building. Annalisa is the wife of a hedge fund manager and reluctant socialite, while bitter Mindy is married to an under-published writer and has been the family breadwinner for too long. And then there is Enid, the glamorous grande dame and gossip columnist, who has lived at One Fifth Avenue for decades, and sees everything there is to see from her penthouse view . . .
For the women in Candace Bushnell's stellar new novel, One Fifth Avenue is at the heart of the lives they've carefully established, or hope to establish. There is Schiffer Diamond, a forty-something actress busily proving that women of style are truly ageless. There is spoiled, self-assured Lola, who is determined to launch herself into society and the arms of the right man by clawing a way into the building. Annalisa is the wife of a hedge fund manager and reluctant socialite, while bitter Mindy is married to an under-published writer and has been the family breadwinner for too long. And then there is Enid, the glamorous grande dame and gossip columnist, who has lived at One Fifth Avenue for decades, and sees everything there is to see from her penthouse view . . .
475 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 1, 2008
794 people are currently reading
11741 people want to read
About the author
Candace Bushnell
47 books3,375 followersCandace Bushnell is the critically acclaimed, international best-selling author of Killing Monica, Sex and the City, Summer and the City, The Carrie Diaries, One Fifth Avenue, Lipstick Jungle, Trading Up, and Four Blondes. Sex and the City, published in 1996, was the basis for the HBO hit series and two subsequent blockbuster movies. Lipstick Jungle became a popular television series on NBC, as did The Carrie Diaries on the CW.
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Displaying 1 - 29 of 1,716 reviews
October 10, 2008
Don't do it. Don't spring the cash for the hardcover of Sex and the City creator Candace Bushnell's latest, One Fifth Avenue. Instead, eat an entire bag of Twizzler's, spend some money you don't have at a high end department store, look up on Facebook the shady college boyfriend that made you cry, research the current value of your home or 401K and then read all about how the big hedge fund managers are faring during the economic crisis. You'll feel about the same stomach pain if you waste your time reading this book.
It's supposed to be a feminine Tom Wolfe commentary or modern Edith Wharton-style farce, and the Lily Bart that works her way into ruin is the old New York of the Sex and the City glory days. But if I want the stuff of Wolfe or Wharton, um, I'll read the real deal. When the stress of air travel prompts me to pick up some chicky fiction, I'd really just like a good story. This doesn't have it. Unless you think NYC co-op building politics are titillating, but in this era of good people trying to make their mortgage payments, I personally can't get into it.
What is OK: The book does show how the fancy free fun of the former Sex and the City life can spin out of control into scaryville. Spending the rent money on Manolos a la Carrie Bradshaw is no longer fun but truly dangerous. Single women engaging in casual relationships in the coat closet at Bowery (or now, B Bar) are no longer strong feminist renegades but vapid climbers using their Brazilian waxes and Blackberries as tools to ensnare rich and successful dudes. And those elusive rich dudes? Bumbling idiots, emasculate and mean as snakes.
The married women in the story are the worst. The young wife of a hedge fund manager is completely spineless, willing to give up career and original thought and be treated badly in exchange for jewelry she doesn't like. The biggest villain? The harpy wife and mom that starts a blog and is so pathetic she lives on a middle class income, miserably gnashing her teeth at not having millions in the bank or wearing clothes with a comma in the price tag. Ah ha! NOW you know why I did not like this book.
This is definitely not a fun homage to shopping and shtuping. It's more like a horror movie with bad editing. There are even typos printed [shudder.:] Don't do it.
Cost: $25.95 of wasted precious cash at the Fox News airport store, $15.57 at Amazon
It's supposed to be a feminine Tom Wolfe commentary or modern Edith Wharton-style farce, and the Lily Bart that works her way into ruin is the old New York of the Sex and the City glory days. But if I want the stuff of Wolfe or Wharton, um, I'll read the real deal. When the stress of air travel prompts me to pick up some chicky fiction, I'd really just like a good story. This doesn't have it. Unless you think NYC co-op building politics are titillating, but in this era of good people trying to make their mortgage payments, I personally can't get into it.
What is OK: The book does show how the fancy free fun of the former Sex and the City life can spin out of control into scaryville. Spending the rent money on Manolos a la Carrie Bradshaw is no longer fun but truly dangerous. Single women engaging in casual relationships in the coat closet at Bowery (or now, B Bar) are no longer strong feminist renegades but vapid climbers using their Brazilian waxes and Blackberries as tools to ensnare rich and successful dudes. And those elusive rich dudes? Bumbling idiots, emasculate and mean as snakes.
The married women in the story are the worst. The young wife of a hedge fund manager is completely spineless, willing to give up career and original thought and be treated badly in exchange for jewelry she doesn't like. The biggest villain? The harpy wife and mom that starts a blog and is so pathetic she lives on a middle class income, miserably gnashing her teeth at not having millions in the bank or wearing clothes with a comma in the price tag. Ah ha! NOW you know why I did not like this book.
This is definitely not a fun homage to shopping and shtuping. It's more like a horror movie with bad editing. There are even typos printed [shudder.:] Don't do it.
Cost: $25.95 of wasted precious cash at the Fox News airport store, $15.57 at Amazon
November 7, 2013
I don't care what you think. I liked it!
January 18, 2009
There's a couple of things you need to remember when you start to read this book:
1. There are lots of characters, seemingly only linked by a very thin thread. Don't worry, you will start to remember who they are and who they love and hate after 50 pages or so.
2. It's a fairy tale, so please don't be too disappointed about how it all turns out.
3. Best read in large chunks (eg. holiday reading) rather than 20 minutes a day on a train- you'll forget who's doing who and who hates who.
In One Fifth Avenue, the characters aren't all best buddies like Sex in the City. This is more about people only linked because they live or know someone in the apartment building, One Fifth (Avenue). Once again, the author does a great character study of a number of imaginatively named people (Thayer Core, anyone?).
This is a nice holiday/aeroplane read. There are a couple of references to Sex and the City (the show, not the book) and what a big success the movie was. Not required in my book- and considering the remark about the movie was more than likely made *before* the movie was widely distributed, it's a little disturbing. A couple of typos too- in one paragraph the name of the character is suddenly the same as another (dead) character.
Don't pay full price, but don't expect Lipstick Jungle either (though I think it's better than that).
1. There are lots of characters, seemingly only linked by a very thin thread. Don't worry, you will start to remember who they are and who they love and hate after 50 pages or so.
2. It's a fairy tale, so please don't be too disappointed about how it all turns out.
3. Best read in large chunks (eg. holiday reading) rather than 20 minutes a day on a train- you'll forget who's doing who and who hates who.
In One Fifth Avenue, the characters aren't all best buddies like Sex in the City. This is more about people only linked because they live or know someone in the apartment building, One Fifth (Avenue). Once again, the author does a great character study of a number of imaginatively named people (Thayer Core, anyone?).
This is a nice holiday/aeroplane read. There are a couple of references to Sex and the City (the show, not the book) and what a big success the movie was. Not required in my book- and considering the remark about the movie was more than likely made *before* the movie was widely distributed, it's a little disturbing. A couple of typos too- in one paragraph the name of the character is suddenly the same as another (dead) character.
Don't pay full price, but don't expect Lipstick Jungle either (though I think it's better than that).
December 11, 2008
This book made me grateful that I do not lead a life like the one it portrayed. I feel like the upper class lifestyle that Bushnell describes is too superficial and artificial for me to really appreciate it. I am baffled that there are people that actually live their lives in such a supercilious manner towards others just because they have more money. I am also baffled that people can actually spend that much money on objects and luxuries. I am not sure which character I despised more - Lola or Paul Rice. Lola was not only the most self-centered, spoiled and self-righteous person I've ever heard of, but she never changed for the better. Paul, on the other hand, became so consumed by money and power, that he turned into a cruel ruthless individual. As some consolation for their remorseless behavior, I think they both got what they deserved in the end. My favorite character was Annalisa Rice because she had the most compassion for others. The book provided some entertainment, but I never felt satisfied or happy when putting the book down; instead, I felt sad for the human race and discouraged by how obsessed and materialistic we have become.
July 19, 2023
I really didn't enjoy this book at the beginning. So many characters and it was difficult to remember who was who and who was doing what but 100 pages in it started to make sense and then I couldn't put it down.
Excellent summertime reading.
Five stars.
Excellent summertime reading.
Five stars.
April 28, 2021
The one book that I like by Candace Bushnell isn't even about her most iconic character. One Fifth Avenue is about a landmark building in New York city. When I read the blurb, I wasn't expecting much because a landmark novel isn't enticing and it is definitely something I don't normally read but I decided to give it a go.
It has a lot of characters and I believe the main character of this is the landmark building only. When a resident of the building dies, her place is up for grabs by paying money of course. Then starts the debate about who would get the place.
It had some laugh out loud moments but what really struck with me was how realistic some of the things were. I have seen this happen in real life when people were fighting over who gets the place where a person had died. May be that's why this book amused me. It is not for everyone but I quite enjoyed it.
3.5 stars
It has a lot of characters and I believe the main character of this is the landmark building only. When a resident of the building dies, her place is up for grabs by paying money of course. Then starts the debate about who would get the place.
It had some laugh out loud moments but what really struck with me was how realistic some of the things were. I have seen this happen in real life when people were fighting over who gets the place where a person had died. May be that's why this book amused me. It is not for everyone but I quite enjoyed it.
3.5 stars
June 28, 2018
2.5... I wanted to read something light and hopefully funny in between a serious read but this was overly long and not at all funny. I've never read Sex & the City or watched any of the shows or movies and reading this I don't care to read any of Bushnell's writing. Her characters were all snotty and uninteresting to me and I think my IQ level went down a few hundred points... (I used to be a genius.. LOL- total joke!!) The whole book was about middle-aged New Yorkers worried about $$$ and more $$$ and having desperate sex the whole time... Maybe Chicklit isn't my genre...?
January 5, 2009
In an Art Deco building in one of Manhattan’s oldest and most hip neighborhoods, a conclave of fictional Manhattanites reside; they are a mix of old and new money, a power-hungry and socially eager group that will do almost anything to maintain their residences – and hence, their social positions – in this piece of real estate that represents so much more to each of them. Thus begins the tale of One Fifth Avenue.
First, we meet some of the elder residents – those who have the respect of the others. We meet Louise Houghton, who has been in the building for more than thirty years – and is nearly 100 years old – who occupies the penthouse apartment that hovers like three tiers on a wedding cake, above all the others. Then we see Enid Merle, whose apartment on the thirteenth floor is the best (after the penthouse, of course) and is next to her nephew Philip Oakland, a writer. She, too, is elderly.
Louise and Enid are the historians for the place, and know “where all the bodies are buried”.
Schiffer Diamond, an actress, has primarily lived in LA for the past several years, but after obtaining a part in a TV series, she returns to her small unit at One Fifth Avenue.
Billy Litchfield resides on lower Fifth Avenue and has little money. However, he acts as a kind of concierge to the very rich, and thus has entrée into the soirees and special events attended by the very rich. He is in and out of One Fifth Avenue, mixing with the residents as if he belongs.
On the very bottom floor, Mindy and James Gooch reside, with their 13-year-old computer-whiz of a son. Theirs is a cramped unit with a series of box-like rooms – they were formerly luggage space – but Mindy Gooch is the head of the board for the cooperative apartment building. She wields some power in enforcing the rules and keeping out the unsavory potential residents.
But the residents shun her and exclude her from the social events.
When Louise Houghton dies unexpectedly – strangely put, since she is so old, but everyone expected her to live forever – her prime penthouse apartment is “up for grabs”.
Enter Paul and Annalisa Rich, the new rich – he is a hedge fund billionaire and she, a former attorney – and more drama begins.
When the Rices buy the penthouse for 20 million, they are welcomed – at first. Then a series of events, coupled with Paul Rice’s arrogant and paranoid behavior, lead to a warring of various factions, until in the end, everyone wants Paul out. He, on the other hand, with his
money, greed and power, hopes to eliminate the others.
Mixed with various romances and the sexually-charged liaisons of the characters, we have a dramatic tale of power and lust gone mad.
What will happen to ultimately tip the balance of power and who will end up reigning? What sabotage will finally lead to tragedy, and who will end up paying the highest price?
These characters, richly drawn and compelling, remind us of Bushnell’s other works – "Sex and the City" and "Lipstick Jungle" – and their antics kept me turning the pages eagerly until the final act.
First, we meet some of the elder residents – those who have the respect of the others. We meet Louise Houghton, who has been in the building for more than thirty years – and is nearly 100 years old – who occupies the penthouse apartment that hovers like three tiers on a wedding cake, above all the others. Then we see Enid Merle, whose apartment on the thirteenth floor is the best (after the penthouse, of course) and is next to her nephew Philip Oakland, a writer. She, too, is elderly.
Louise and Enid are the historians for the place, and know “where all the bodies are buried”.
Schiffer Diamond, an actress, has primarily lived in LA for the past several years, but after obtaining a part in a TV series, she returns to her small unit at One Fifth Avenue.
Billy Litchfield resides on lower Fifth Avenue and has little money. However, he acts as a kind of concierge to the very rich, and thus has entrée into the soirees and special events attended by the very rich. He is in and out of One Fifth Avenue, mixing with the residents as if he belongs.
On the very bottom floor, Mindy and James Gooch reside, with their 13-year-old computer-whiz of a son. Theirs is a cramped unit with a series of box-like rooms – they were formerly luggage space – but Mindy Gooch is the head of the board for the cooperative apartment building. She wields some power in enforcing the rules and keeping out the unsavory potential residents.
But the residents shun her and exclude her from the social events.
When Louise Houghton dies unexpectedly – strangely put, since she is so old, but everyone expected her to live forever – her prime penthouse apartment is “up for grabs”.
Enter Paul and Annalisa Rich, the new rich – he is a hedge fund billionaire and she, a former attorney – and more drama begins.
When the Rices buy the penthouse for 20 million, they are welcomed – at first. Then a series of events, coupled with Paul Rice’s arrogant and paranoid behavior, lead to a warring of various factions, until in the end, everyone wants Paul out. He, on the other hand, with his
money, greed and power, hopes to eliminate the others.
Mixed with various romances and the sexually-charged liaisons of the characters, we have a dramatic tale of power and lust gone mad.
What will happen to ultimately tip the balance of power and who will end up reigning? What sabotage will finally lead to tragedy, and who will end up paying the highest price?
These characters, richly drawn and compelling, remind us of Bushnell’s other works – "Sex and the City" and "Lipstick Jungle" – and their antics kept me turning the pages eagerly until the final act.
December 29, 2009
One Fifth Avenue takes us on a tour of the New York City, socially elite crowd of one of the most prestigious buildings in which to live. The reader follows many of the residents of One Fifth, though difficult to track at first, through their triumphs and "misfortunes," as they go about their daily, wealthy lives.
As you can tell from the rating, I was not a fan of this book. My intention was to read this as a sort of brain-candy, guilty pleasure read between heavier novels. Unfortunately, it did not quite read like a brain candy novel. Instead, we are tormented by the trials and tribulations that face these "poor" souls - wealth, status, he-said-she-said, my-life-sucks-because-I-don't-want-to-work-and-can't-find-a-wealthy-husband... You get the idea. I mean, who can't sympathize with a snobby 22-year-old girl, whose never had to work a day in her life, who absolutely MUST have the $6,000/month apartment and who becomes tormented because the man she's using for money won't marry her? And don't forget her parents, who went broke trying to pay her rent and asked her to leave the city - this was all just a clever ruse to show her they don't love her anymore. Outrageous.
My genuine hope is that this was intended to be a satire. If so, it would be much more enjoyable to read. It would take some tweaking to better convey the satire, but I think it is a much more plausible story than attempting to take these characters seriously.
As you can tell from the rating, I was not a fan of this book. My intention was to read this as a sort of brain-candy, guilty pleasure read between heavier novels. Unfortunately, it did not quite read like a brain candy novel. Instead, we are tormented by the trials and tribulations that face these "poor" souls - wealth, status, he-said-she-said, my-life-sucks-because-I-don't-want-to-work-and-can't-find-a-wealthy-husband... You get the idea. I mean, who can't sympathize with a snobby 22-year-old girl, whose never had to work a day in her life, who absolutely MUST have the $6,000/month apartment and who becomes tormented because the man she's using for money won't marry her? And don't forget her parents, who went broke trying to pay her rent and asked her to leave the city - this was all just a clever ruse to show her they don't love her anymore. Outrageous.
My genuine hope is that this was intended to be a satire. If so, it would be much more enjoyable to read. It would take some tweaking to better convey the satire, but I think it is a much more plausible story than attempting to take these characters seriously.
January 30, 2009
I prefer not to make New Year’s Resolutions. However, there is one that I intend to make and keep. I will never read a "chick lit" book again. For years, the vapidity of this genre has enthralled millions of women and kept the printing presses running at publishers’ establishments. I frankly refuse to even glance through something of this standard ever.
I read One Fifth Avenue on a whim. A college friend suggested it to me after I admitted that I had never watched Sex and the City. “It’s Candace Bushnell, you’ll love it!” she exclaimed.
Gosh was she wrong. And my ire was indomitable once I read this passage between the Pulitzer Prize-winning author Philip and his lover-to-be Lola:
"Every girl wants to get married now. And they want to do it while they’re young."
"I thought they wanted to have careers and take over the world by thirty."
"That was older Gen Y," Lola said. "All the girls I know want to get married have kids right away."
Supposedly, girls my age want to marry young so that they don’t end up unhappy like their mothers. Could there be a more uninformed conclusion?
Bushnell's work is meritless. I struggled to keep my eyes open. Boring. Boring. Boring. Even mass-produced paperback editions of Stephen King hold more excitement than the pages of One Fifth Avenue. Not to mention that there is a completely unrealistic portrayal of New York City. All too often chick lit writers fail to capture the city’s ethnic and racial diversity. This appears to be the case here.
Where is the pathos? All I could note was the pettiness and the general banality of the characters. The novel supposedly covers the tension between old and new money in modern age New York. However, Bushnell does not even deserve comparison to the likes of Wharton and Fitzgerald who successfully covered such material in The Age of Innocence and The Great Gatsby, respectively.
When its rich proprietor of One Fifth Avenue dies, the life of each resident is simultaneously impacted. Never doubt that the super rich have grave problems. Indeed, pathetic Mindy Gooch lives in the smallest apartment of the building. And her husband James has his sights set on the elusive, young Lola. The couple epitomizes the middle-aged unhappiness that the other characters exude.
In keeping with the tradition of escapist literature, nothing entirely terrible happens to any of the characters. The romantic subplot involving an aging actress and her former flame Philip is favorably resolved.
One of Bushnell’s characters laments the demise of good literature. Ironic, considering Bushnell began the trend and served in a capacity to perpetuate it. Next stop for this book: my trashcan.
Review by Anita Sonawane
I read One Fifth Avenue on a whim. A college friend suggested it to me after I admitted that I had never watched Sex and the City. “It’s Candace Bushnell, you’ll love it!” she exclaimed.
Gosh was she wrong. And my ire was indomitable once I read this passage between the Pulitzer Prize-winning author Philip and his lover-to-be Lola:
"Every girl wants to get married now. And they want to do it while they’re young."
"I thought they wanted to have careers and take over the world by thirty."
"That was older Gen Y," Lola said. "All the girls I know want to get married have kids right away."
Supposedly, girls my age want to marry young so that they don’t end up unhappy like their mothers. Could there be a more uninformed conclusion?
Bushnell's work is meritless. I struggled to keep my eyes open. Boring. Boring. Boring. Even mass-produced paperback editions of Stephen King hold more excitement than the pages of One Fifth Avenue. Not to mention that there is a completely unrealistic portrayal of New York City. All too often chick lit writers fail to capture the city’s ethnic and racial diversity. This appears to be the case here.
Where is the pathos? All I could note was the pettiness and the general banality of the characters. The novel supposedly covers the tension between old and new money in modern age New York. However, Bushnell does not even deserve comparison to the likes of Wharton and Fitzgerald who successfully covered such material in The Age of Innocence and The Great Gatsby, respectively.
When its rich proprietor of One Fifth Avenue dies, the life of each resident is simultaneously impacted. Never doubt that the super rich have grave problems. Indeed, pathetic Mindy Gooch lives in the smallest apartment of the building. And her husband James has his sights set on the elusive, young Lola. The couple epitomizes the middle-aged unhappiness that the other characters exude.
In keeping with the tradition of escapist literature, nothing entirely terrible happens to any of the characters. The romantic subplot involving an aging actress and her former flame Philip is favorably resolved.
One of Bushnell’s characters laments the demise of good literature. Ironic, considering Bushnell began the trend and served in a capacity to perpetuate it. Next stop for this book: my trashcan.
Review by Anita Sonawane
November 9, 2011
I tend to like Bushnell's YA works more than her chick lit type of books. I absolutely loved both books in the Carrie Diaries, but this book along with Sex and the City are books I couldn't get into.
June 1, 2019
Rated 3.5 stars
July 4, 2009
Okay yes. This selection is definitely worth judging. But when one is abroad and at a train station trying to purchase a book, the options are few and far between. Let it be known that it was between this and other selections that were WAY more unsavory. (As a rule, I do not read books that contain the word "keeper" in the title. Nor do I read anything that could be put into screen form and then set to Coldplay knockoff soundtracks that are supposed to make me cry. Ick.)
This is my first foray into the genre known as chick-lit, and if noting else, I've probably started at the top. Candace Bushnell has built an empire around a subgenre of Manhattan-oriented, Hamptoned-out, financey, bitchy characters, many of whom have been turned into prime time shows. Given that I was expected obscene amounts of crap, I'm happy to say that I was pleasantly surprised. Whereas I could have received Sex And the City rewritten, I got something far more tragic.
One of the interesting things about One Fifth Avenue (the elite Manhattan apartment when artists, writers, finance people (heaven forbid!) and whoseewhatsit measure their wealth and status and bicker in a way that is all too stereotypical) is how pervasively unhappy everyone is. Even the chipper, up-on-top old money that is perfectly content seems to be sad and old and lonely and dying. Happiness, when attained, is stretched thin and meaningless.
I am confused, I will admit, about the point. The writing is snappy and as delicious and guilty as a gossip column, but does Bushnell endorse her characters? Is this meant to be a window to show how vapid an entire subset can be? My impression is that this entire book probably shouldn't be taken too seriously. Anything that turns everyone into such a caricature (one hopes) can't be real.
All in all, I left this book with the same feeling I get when Fergie's "The Labels of Love" lurks its way onto my ipod on shuffle. I'm caught between doing a little dance and wanting to vomit.
Knock knock.
Who's there?
Orange.
Orange who?
Orange you glad your snobbery is based on intelligence and education rather than wealth and possessions?
This is my first foray into the genre known as chick-lit, and if noting else, I've probably started at the top. Candace Bushnell has built an empire around a subgenre of Manhattan-oriented, Hamptoned-out, financey, bitchy characters, many of whom have been turned into prime time shows. Given that I was expected obscene amounts of crap, I'm happy to say that I was pleasantly surprised. Whereas I could have received Sex And the City rewritten, I got something far more tragic.
One of the interesting things about One Fifth Avenue (the elite Manhattan apartment when artists, writers, finance people (heaven forbid!) and whoseewhatsit measure their wealth and status and bicker in a way that is all too stereotypical) is how pervasively unhappy everyone is. Even the chipper, up-on-top old money that is perfectly content seems to be sad and old and lonely and dying. Happiness, when attained, is stretched thin and meaningless.
I am confused, I will admit, about the point. The writing is snappy and as delicious and guilty as a gossip column, but does Bushnell endorse her characters? Is this meant to be a window to show how vapid an entire subset can be? My impression is that this entire book probably shouldn't be taken too seriously. Anything that turns everyone into such a caricature (one hopes) can't be real.
All in all, I left this book with the same feeling I get when Fergie's "The Labels of Love" lurks its way onto my ipod on shuffle. I'm caught between doing a little dance and wanting to vomit.
Knock knock.
Who's there?
Orange.
Orange who?
Orange you glad your snobbery is based on intelligence and education rather than wealth and possessions?
August 28, 2014
One Fifth Avenue, the Art Deco beauty towering over one of Manhattan's oldest and most historically hip neighborhoods, is a one-of-a-kind address, the sort of building you have to earn your way into--one way or another. For the women in Candace Bushnell's new novel, One Fifth Avenue, this edifice is essential to the lives they've carefully established--or hope to establish. From the hedge fund king's wife to the aging gossip columnist to the free-spirited actress (a recent refugee from L.A.), each person's game plan for a rich life comes together under the soaring roof of this landmark building.
I know I have been harsh when it comes to Candace Bushnell's books, I either LOVE them or HATE them. This one I loved. I thought it was funny and slightly true about NYC.
There are a lot of characters in this book and normally my head would hurt too much with remembering each story but Candace does a really good job with explaining and getting you hooked with each tale.
This book is smart and lets you in the lives of the rich and famous, a realistic tale of their lives. I sometimes think she makes NYC sound like a scary place and the people that live in this great city sound evil in her other books but not with this one. This time she got it right.
I know I have been harsh when it comes to Candace Bushnell's books, I either LOVE them or HATE them. This one I loved. I thought it was funny and slightly true about NYC.
There are a lot of characters in this book and normally my head would hurt too much with remembering each story but Candace does a really good job with explaining and getting you hooked with each tale.
This book is smart and lets you in the lives of the rich and famous, a realistic tale of their lives. I sometimes think she makes NYC sound like a scary place and the people that live in this great city sound evil in her other books but not with this one. This time she got it right.
May 6, 2009
When I was a wee one, I used to write stories, and people in these stories had really unlikely names. My mom still has a tendency to say "That sounds like one of your made-up names!" However, I was eight. What is Candace Bushnell's excuse? The names in this book (in all her books) -- "Thayer Core"? "Lola Fabrikant"? -- I take as stabbingly irritating synecdoches for her overall style, which is hackneyed, hollow, and underimaginative under the guise of being sharply observant and classily cynical. Obviously, she stopped caring about plausibility and originality about 75 Sex and the City royalty checks ago... Or else she's eight.
Does this review explain why I finished the book? It does not. Evidently I too have been taken in by whatever godless Manhattan bewitchment caused someone at the New York Times Book Review to call Bushnell "the philosopher queen of the social scene." Every time I saw this blurb on the back, I almost threw the book. But ultimately, I didn't. Sigh.
Does this review explain why I finished the book? It does not. Evidently I too have been taken in by whatever godless Manhattan bewitchment caused someone at the New York Times Book Review to call Bushnell "the philosopher queen of the social scene." Every time I saw this blurb on the back, I almost threw the book. But ultimately, I didn't. Sigh.
November 6, 2020
2.5 out of 5
Although, I really liked Candace Bushnell's writing, the content of One Fifth Avenue, her chick lit novel, wasn't that great.
First off, there's not much of a story, just a year or so in the lives of a bunch of rich and mostly unlikable people. In fact, there are so many characters that at first it's hard to keep track of who is who and, frankly, to care about any of them.
However, Candace Bushnell did a great job portraying the emptiness and ugliness of one's life when the main focus is money, status, power, and fame. The lack of life purpose, materialism, thirst for social approval, anxiety, depression, pill popping, the absence of genuine human connection, and all the other wonders of a modern Western lifestyle are on display in One Fifth Avenue.
Unfortunately, if I had to pick one adjective to describe this novel, it would be depressing. And it's really hard to enjoy a book when you don't like anyone in it and reading it makes you feel depressed.
Although, I really liked Candace Bushnell's writing, the content of One Fifth Avenue, her chick lit novel, wasn't that great.
First off, there's not much of a story, just a year or so in the lives of a bunch of rich and mostly unlikable people. In fact, there are so many characters that at first it's hard to keep track of who is who and, frankly, to care about any of them.
However, Candace Bushnell did a great job portraying the emptiness and ugliness of one's life when the main focus is money, status, power, and fame. The lack of life purpose, materialism, thirst for social approval, anxiety, depression, pill popping, the absence of genuine human connection, and all the other wonders of a modern Western lifestyle are on display in One Fifth Avenue.
Unfortunately, if I had to pick one adjective to describe this novel, it would be depressing. And it's really hard to enjoy a book when you don't like anyone in it and reading it makes you feel depressed.
October 14, 2008
I must say I really liked Lipstick Jungle, but this was not another group of women trying to have it all in the big city.
The book starts off pretty slow because there are so many characters to keep track of, and I was trying to pin one down as the main character. And there really isn't one. Lola was interesting--she brings a lot of conflict to the story, but it's definitely not about her. I think this is a good story about greed and what people will do to get ahead.
The book starts off pretty slow because there are so many characters to keep track of, and I was trying to pin one down as the main character. And there really isn't one. Lola was interesting--she brings a lot of conflict to the story, but it's definitely not about her. I think this is a good story about greed and what people will do to get ahead.
August 21, 2009
I really had high hopes for this chick-lit novel. I mean, it was being compared to the best of Edith Wharton on the inside flap! Clearly I should not be as naive as to believe everything that is written for a book promotion. I am especially glad I did not pay for this book; while I'm willing to shell out for certain guilty pleasure novels (Sweet Valley series, I'm lookin' at you!) One Fifth Avenue isn't even worth the paper on which it's printed.
The politics surrounding housing co-ops are interesting, so this had the potential to be more compelling. I've never been in a building like that, but I've lived in places where the development board is super strict and can be bribed and swayed into making certain decisions. The characters however, are not realistic at all. There isn't a single male character with whom I could sympathize. I often consider myself a bit of a male-hater, but even I can't go this far; the males are either conniving, greedy, and snobbish, or emasculated, or so focused on their sexual urges they seem less like Homo sapiens and more like gorillas. Most of the women aren't much better, as they are either vapid, idiotic, greedy, and social-climbing, or spineless liars. By far, the most hateable character in the novel is Lola Fabrikant, a 22 year old obsessed with bedding wealthy men so that she doesn't need to work a single day in her life. She connives to stay on top, but because she is so idiotic, she can't even gain my sympathies as a bitchy, over-the-top villain with biting retorts. She just seems dumb and shallow, the type of person I'd like to slap silly if I ever met. She also never learns or grows as a person; I kept looking for character development and personal growth, but she essentially stays the same from the first pages to the last.
Bushnell's description of wealth also seems a far cry from reality. In what world are the Gooches, with nearly a million in savings, considered middle class? Middle class is lower six-figures in income and below, and that's pushing it. Mindy Gooch is not only a shrill harpy, but a bad mother, letting her son get away with cutting another resident's (Paul Rice) Internet cables and causing him to lose millions. Even though Paul Rice is supposed to be a child-hating villain, I felt it was an injustice to allow the kid to get away with vandalism and what could have been disasterous if Rice had been working with national security issues. Philip doesn't deserve Schiffer--he's so focused on sex and appearing with a younger woman that it makes him lose his spine and never let Lola go. Why exactly would Schiffer want someone who cannot make decisions for himself? His aunt Enid took care of Lola--he couldn't even do that for himself. And because of the lack of characterization, I'm not sure why Philip didn't want to marry Schiffer from the get-go. She seems to be the only female character that cooks not only for herself but for her lover as well and seems to be reasonably intelligent. I don't buy Philip's excuse that she was too flighty; if anything, this could describe Philip himself. The lack of intelligent narrative voice (something Wharton did extremely well) means the reader cannot grasp these complexities.
The whole deal with the Bloody Mary cross was introduced, but was a poor plot device. I kept wondering if the cross would lead to something significant because it was mentioned several times early on, but then the book shifted focus onto Philip's and, to a lesser degree, Paul Gooch's sex lives. When the importance was finally revealed, it wasn't that significant and I figured out the twist. With so many characters, it was hard to figure out why seemingly unimportant characters that didn't get much paragraph space (Paul Rice, Billy Litchfield, Sandy and Sandy's dancer wife, and Flossie) were supposed to inspire the reader's sympathy. Many of those background characters had the glimmers of personality and conscience, but they, plus Enid and Schiffer as well, were given the shaft. Thus, there was almost no character that became redeemed at all. It makes me wonder what the point of the novel was.
The politics surrounding housing co-ops are interesting, so this had the potential to be more compelling. I've never been in a building like that, but I've lived in places where the development board is super strict and can be bribed and swayed into making certain decisions. The characters however, are not realistic at all. There isn't a single male character with whom I could sympathize. I often consider myself a bit of a male-hater, but even I can't go this far; the males are either conniving, greedy, and snobbish, or emasculated, or so focused on their sexual urges they seem less like Homo sapiens and more like gorillas. Most of the women aren't much better, as they are either vapid, idiotic, greedy, and social-climbing, or spineless liars. By far, the most hateable character in the novel is Lola Fabrikant, a 22 year old obsessed with bedding wealthy men so that she doesn't need to work a single day in her life. She connives to stay on top, but because she is so idiotic, she can't even gain my sympathies as a bitchy, over-the-top villain with biting retorts. She just seems dumb and shallow, the type of person I'd like to slap silly if I ever met. She also never learns or grows as a person; I kept looking for character development and personal growth, but she essentially stays the same from the first pages to the last.
Bushnell's description of wealth also seems a far cry from reality. In what world are the Gooches, with nearly a million in savings, considered middle class? Middle class is lower six-figures in income and below, and that's pushing it. Mindy Gooch is not only a shrill harpy, but a bad mother, letting her son get away with cutting another resident's (Paul Rice) Internet cables and causing him to lose millions. Even though Paul Rice is supposed to be a child-hating villain, I felt it was an injustice to allow the kid to get away with vandalism and what could have been disasterous if Rice had been working with national security issues. Philip doesn't deserve Schiffer--he's so focused on sex and appearing with a younger woman that it makes him lose his spine and never let Lola go. Why exactly would Schiffer want someone who cannot make decisions for himself? His aunt Enid took care of Lola--he couldn't even do that for himself. And because of the lack of characterization, I'm not sure why Philip didn't want to marry Schiffer from the get-go. She seems to be the only female character that cooks not only for herself but for her lover as well and seems to be reasonably intelligent. I don't buy Philip's excuse that she was too flighty; if anything, this could describe Philip himself. The lack of intelligent narrative voice (something Wharton did extremely well) means the reader cannot grasp these complexities.
The whole deal with the Bloody Mary cross was introduced, but was a poor plot device. I kept wondering if the cross would lead to something significant because it was mentioned several times early on, but then the book shifted focus onto Philip's and, to a lesser degree, Paul Gooch's sex lives. When the importance was finally revealed, it wasn't that significant and I figured out the twist. With so many characters, it was hard to figure out why seemingly unimportant characters that didn't get much paragraph space (Paul Rice, Billy Litchfield, Sandy and Sandy's dancer wife, and Flossie) were supposed to inspire the reader's sympathy. Many of those background characters had the glimmers of personality and conscience, but they, plus Enid and Schiffer as well, were given the shaft. Thus, there was almost no character that became redeemed at all. It makes me wonder what the point of the novel was.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
September 27, 2013
had no intention of reading this book. Although a fan of the HBO show "Sex in the City", I was not sure I would want to read that book.
I cannot remember when I purchased this book or why. But when I ran out of things to read, I grabbed this off of the shelf. And I got a nice surprise.
This is not the normal kind of book I would read. Even the description did not entice me. I had a problem in the beginning keeping all of the inhabitants and want to be inhabitants of One Fifth Avenue straight. Once I was able to distinguish them and their personal traits, I started really enjoying the book.
One Fifth Avenue is THE place to live. And this book centers on some of the more important people that inhabit the building.
It is really a social commentary about real estate, the rich, how people will do almost anything to keep people from knowing what is wrong with their marraiges and lives. Candice really did her research because she talks about real estate (and at times jewelery, clothes, etc) like she would shoes in Sex In The City.
But it is also about the people that do not have the money to live at One Fifth Avenue and the lengths they will go to to live there.
There is enormous pressure on the families that the book focuses on to maintain their image and keep making sure they do not have someone plotting behind their back to sell their place at One Fifth Avenue to someone with more money.
There are problems with job, marraiges, children, infidelity, life and death - this book has it all.
You find yourself rooting for some characters, while hoping the others will get what is coming to them.
I was not sure that the author was going to be able to wrap up all the loose ends as I got closer to the end of the book, but she did wonderfully.
I am not rich, and I probably never will be. And if this book is any indication of what having money can do to you, you can keep your money and your property.
I did enjoy this book and it is what I like to call a good summer read. I may check out more from Candace Bushnell.
I cannot remember when I purchased this book or why. But when I ran out of things to read, I grabbed this off of the shelf. And I got a nice surprise.
This is not the normal kind of book I would read. Even the description did not entice me. I had a problem in the beginning keeping all of the inhabitants and want to be inhabitants of One Fifth Avenue straight. Once I was able to distinguish them and their personal traits, I started really enjoying the book.
One Fifth Avenue is THE place to live. And this book centers on some of the more important people that inhabit the building.
It is really a social commentary about real estate, the rich, how people will do almost anything to keep people from knowing what is wrong with their marraiges and lives. Candice really did her research because she talks about real estate (and at times jewelery, clothes, etc) like she would shoes in Sex In The City.
But it is also about the people that do not have the money to live at One Fifth Avenue and the lengths they will go to to live there.
There is enormous pressure on the families that the book focuses on to maintain their image and keep making sure they do not have someone plotting behind their back to sell their place at One Fifth Avenue to someone with more money.
There are problems with job, marraiges, children, infidelity, life and death - this book has it all.
You find yourself rooting for some characters, while hoping the others will get what is coming to them.
I was not sure that the author was going to be able to wrap up all the loose ends as I got closer to the end of the book, but she did wonderfully.
I am not rich, and I probably never will be. And if this book is any indication of what having money can do to you, you can keep your money and your property.
I did enjoy this book and it is what I like to call a good summer read. I may check out more from Candace Bushnell.
September 29, 2014
I simply loved this book. Read it over a week vacation and so worth it. The book has an excellent plot, which is basically totally random, but it follows the lives of some tenants in a building on one of the most prestigious avenues in New York. it jumps from person to person by chapter, which keeps the book quite interesting and you want to read the next chapter just to find out what happens. But all of the chapters/characters are just as intriguing, and of course, the characters all run into other eventually, and the stories are intertwined. A disappointing aspect of this book is that the final two chapters never concludes what happens to the two main characters in depth, only through mention by other characters. Perhaps this is for the best, as the book would turn into a love-y romance novel if further invested in the characters that are first introduced in the beginning of the book. This book is real, about what happens to real-type people, and not just a story of the rich and glamorous with a happy fairy tale ending (although I must admit, many of the characters ARE rich and famous). Overall a great book that I have just yesterday picked up a book by the same author and can't wait to dive in. A- rating for the few slow partss and sex parts. Although the book does not go too much into detail in the sex parts, I would just rather it would keep more to the imagination, though not that much at all. I would be semi-embarrassed to recommend it to my Mom, is all.
September 13, 2015
I'm a huge fan of Sex and The City and love the four main characters. That is one of the reasons why I pick up this book and read it, hoping for the same feeling that I get from Sex and the City, Bushnell's most popular work, and I kinda miss Carrie, Samantha, Charlotte and Miranda. But this book is far from SATC, there's lots of characters, but none I really like. In fact, i hate most of the characters. I found them annoying, superficial, and some of them are mean. I particularly despise Lola Fabrikant, aarrgghhh she's selfish, irritating, self destructive, ungrateful and superficial to the max! I am having trouble to get the main point of the story, and it feels like a collection of stories that are loosely connected. However, I still gave this book 2 stars, since it's still interesting to know about the inner lives of the rich, famous and the not-so famous.
March 20, 2014
I didn't think this was a bad book at all. Yes, there are lots of characters and their goings-on can be hard to keep track of, especially if you don't read this book in a short span of time. A lot of the characters don't live in the the reality that most of us do. But that's why this is a work of fiction, and if you take it as such, it won't bug you so much! Also, it's a statement on the ridiculousness of the richest of the rich; and I think Bushnell is trying to make a point about the pursuit of money being pointless by writing a book that is, essentially pointless, about characters pursuing money. She makes some good statements about the state of the world. It's surely not a great work of literature, but I enjoyed it.
July 3, 2014
I liked the writing but the characters were depressing & obnoxious. A hard combo to take for over 400 pages. Plus, I was hoping this would compare to my beloved Apartment 3B!
August 9, 2012
Best quote: "Jerry Bockman was a gross man. He had crude features and bad skin and orange hair, and looked like he should be hiding under a bridge demanding tolls from unsuspecting passerby."
November 18, 2024
I hated this book. It just super duper was not for me. I was not interested at all in the boring lives of rich, white, straight people whose main hobby is whining about not being rich enough. This book dared to have five "acts" even though there was no plot. Also there were THREE references to Sex and the City and its success...in this book written by the author of Sex and the City. Plus a gratuitous mention of another famous Bushnell. Embarrassing. I'm also pretty sure this woman hates other women. This was the third time in 10 years I tried reading this book, because I got a signed copy when I worked at B&N in college, and I'm glad I can take it off my DNF list just so it stops haunting me, but good lord was it not worth my time. I normally feel too guilty to leave one star reviews (because, like, how many books have I written, you know?) but I'm not worried about this review of a 2008 novel affecting Bushnell's career or ego, both of which are clearly doing fine.
October 31, 2021
I had read this book ways ways back hell that far back that I hadn't started using Goodreads. I decided to unhaul the book as I am not going to read it again so let's mark it owned and then unhauled. Like it happens I can't remember when I read the book let alone the story but now that I think about it was about the building and on and on.
May 14, 2025
3.5*
My favourite part of this book was the characters; the reason being that they were -very- flawed, and people are complex and oftentimes have ugly layers. This definitely wasn’t a plot-driven book but I really enjoyed reading about life in New York. Candace Bushnell always does it so well. I think the book could have been 100-200 pages shorter though, it was a bit hard to pick up at times.
My favourite part of this book was the characters; the reason being that they were -very- flawed, and people are complex and oftentimes have ugly layers. This definitely wasn’t a plot-driven book but I really enjoyed reading about life in New York. Candace Bushnell always does it so well. I think the book could have been 100-200 pages shorter though, it was a bit hard to pick up at times.
June 23, 2019
entertaining book. I read it years ago, I don't have so I must have given it away to a friend or a student, but I remember it was fun to read.
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