You Look Nice Today

by Stanley Bing

Robert Harbert, better known as Harb, is Executive Vice President in Charge of Total Quality. CaroleAnne Winter is the assistant who runs his life. But even Harb can't ignore that CaroleAnne's behavior is increasingly peculiar. At the same time, the vagaries of corporate power shift, and suddenly, both Harb and his Total Quality mandate are vulnerable. It's at this moment that CaroleAnne levels a stunning charge: that she has been the target of an organized campaign of sexual harassment from her first days at the company. The investigation she demands will reach to the highest levels of the corporation-and at its center, she insists, must be the greatest offender of all: Harb.

Genres: Fiction

304 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2003

About the author

Gil Schwartz, known by his pen name Stanley Bing, was an American business humorist and novelist. He wrote a column for Fortune magazine for more than twenty years after a decade at Esquire magazine. He was the author of thirteen books, including What Would Machiavelli Do? and The Curriculum, a satirical textbook for a business school that also offers lessons on the web. Schwartz was senior executive vice president of corporate communications and Chief Communications Officer for CBS.

Reviews

[Bonnie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Who would think an innocent comment like, "You look nice today" could cause so much trouble? This book makes a really big problem out of it when Harb, Robert Harbert, a top executive for Total Quality hires a new personal assisstant named CarolAnne. She is brought in as a temp, but executes an extremely important job with aplomb. She is hired on and begins her control over Harb. The story is told through the eyes of Fred Tell, Harb's next in command. CaolAnne completes her tasks so efficiently that everone is amazed, but notice she has one particular personal problem--her husband beats her. She comes to the office often with black eyes and bruises. Harb feels sorry for her, but goes overboard in giving her his old car, gives her bonuses, sometimes out of his own pocket, and gets her out of her situation into a nice apartment. Soon, everyone notices bizzare beh;avior exhibited by CarolAnne. She goes into an emoty office and chants and prays. She has a run-in with the top man and becomes paranoid that people are talking about her. This culminates into a sexual law suit against Harb and the remaining story relates the ensuing trial.

[ari ✩₊˚.⋆ · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book was not what I expected and overall probably disappointing. I went back and forth on how I felt about it while reading it and now thats it’s over I continue to be unsure. I liked the perspective it was told from. I think the story has an interesting take that puts you into the perspective and world of this business. In a sharp contrast of unreliable narrators this one prides itself on being reliable to fault in a way that was often very fun and something I also liked about the book “The Other Typist” by Suzanne Rindell. The difference however is the main character in Suzanne’s story is unlikeable and supposed to be. I think we are supposed to like Mr. Fred Tell in this book and find him accurate in his assessment of his reliability. This is ridiculous to me for many reasons within the context of the book(his insistence on describing people’s apperance in strange ways, his mixture of indifference and over-investment in his job, and his overall behavior exhibited a very unlikeable sort of fellow), but even more troublesome in the context of our current reality. While I would love to buy this story and enjoy for what it is, art exists in reality and that is the lens with which I must view it. Therefore I find the implication that women are perpetrators in sexual assault cases in a large corporate office setting incredibly cruel. I expected a twist if some sort, a truth to come out, something to save the idea that this novel wasn’t just a beat down of poor CarolAnne’s sanity but was woefully misconstrued in my own thoughts. Obviously that is not the only interpretation of this story. She was sick, not cruel. Harb paid the price in the end. But neither of those facts make the story more satisfying for me. I liked Harb’s kindness towards CarolAnne after the trial, really emphasizing that this was an illness and not malice, but his choice to leave his wife when he loves her so baffles me to anger. The ending of the book decides CarolAnne to be in the wrong and Harb to be in the right and yet Harb is cruely punished by his own ego and CarolAnne freed by her lack of reality. Is that the lesson to partake here? That it doesn’t matter if you’re a nice guy these evil women will ruin your life anyway and run off scot-free no matter what? Or is it just that lawsuits are mess and horrible and ruin everyone involved? I’m not sure. I guess there are many lessons you can take from it as you can with all art. I think I just wish I knew what the authors intentions are.

[Phil · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you work in a big company, this will be interesting.

[Stephanie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'll go ahead and make a sweeping generalization here: there are two kinds of lawyers. There are litigious lawyers and non-litigious ones. I myself am a litigator, and am entirely a non-litigious person. The more I practice law, the more desperately I never want to ever ever ever be personally involved in a lawsuit.

You Look Nice Today: A Novel, by Stanley Bing, does a nice job of reinforcing my beliefs. Nobody wins in the lawsuit that takes up a full half of the book, least of all the prevailing party.

[Nicole Busby · Rating 4 out of 5]

Stanley Bing is a contibutor to Fortune magazine and always writes the last page about how ridiculous life and people can be. This one is about a, and I don't like to use this term, "crazy" admin from Hell who sues the company she works for because she thinks there is a conspiracy about her. Totally humourous about a woman who's not quite all there.

[John · Rating 4 out of 5]

Overall, I enjoyed it. As someone who teaches Business and Law, I'm always looking for books that my students can get something from. Bing does a good job capturing some of the absurdity that happens in large firms (and in court cases) with this story that sets up a hostile work environment lawsuit in the first half and takes the reader through the trial in the second.

[RunRachelRun · Rating 2 out of 5]

So, "Stanley Bing" is the "columnist" who writes those snarky articles at the very end of Fortune mag I think. This is just like his column only longer. Still enjoyable but boy, is "Stanley" a cutting sort of guy.

[Jen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Bing continues to capture and define the hilarity and drama found in corporate America.

[Sherry Lynn · Rating 1 out of 5]

terrible. Only read the first 10 pages. COuldn't take it anymore.

[Jane · Rating 4 out of 5]

I found the premise and the partial court-transcript format interesting ... both due in part, I am sure, to my work background. In fiction as in life, there are some crazy characters out there.

[John · Rating 3 out of 5]

Gets progressively better, but doesn't ever quite reach the heights I thought it was capable of. Still, uncomfortably fun and clever at times.

[Alicia · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sexual harassment trial story. Very funny and entertaining.

[Lacey · Rating 3 out of 5]

Took a while to get into this one but once I did, I started to feel for the characters. The story is a bit incredulous but I enjoyed it.

[Hannah · Rating 2 out of 5]

I quit reading this book about 70 pages into it. It wasn't one of those want to pick up and continue to read type books...It seemed to drone on and on with really no point.

[McArthur Library · Rating 5 out of 5]

Workplace intrigue and a tale of sexual harrassment fraud concocted by a gorgeous Vamp. Will the wicked woman win the law suit lottery or will she be exposed for the conniving creature she is?

[Carla · Rating 1 out of 5]

Not recommended. The story just doesn't engage, just a bit creepy.

[Stefanie Jones · Rating 4 out of 5]

""