Making the A-List

by Tyne O'Connell

Notting Hill Art World party queen, Saskia, has turning 30 pencilled into her diary for three weeks time - although she's still hoping to cancel if she gets a better offer... 'Crucial reading' Cosmopolitan

Saskia make's lists. Lists of men she'll never sleep with again, foods she'll never eat again, career goals and good habits she plans to cultivate. Most pressing on her agenda is her list of things she wants to achieve by age thirty, such as:
- being taken seriously as a curator at the exclusive Mayfair gallery where she works
- Turning down at least one marriage proposal
- Being interviewed by Vogue about her place in the Art World
- Having a place in the art world

An hilarious bitchy romp at the heart of the trendy London art scene. Based on real life this book is entirely fictional.

'Bridget Jones on speed' Guardian
'Lightening-fast comic twists' Elle
'Brings to mind Kathy Lette and Jilly Cooper' Mail on Sunday

Genres: Chick Lit

352 pages, ebook

First published January 1, 1999

About the author

Tyne O’Connell is a bestselling British author. Her 13 novels have been published to great acclaim by Headline UK, Bloomsbury USA & other international publishing houses.
http://edition.cnn.com/style/article/...
"An eccentric is not trying to define themselves, they're born seeking a different way," explains Tyne O'Connell, and if anyone should know, it's her. The Mayfair-based author and socialite seems to have been torn straight from the pages of an Evelyn Waugh novel; with her cut-glass accent, perma-fixed tiara and layers of pearls.
Despite recently being diagnosed with a brain tumor, O'Connell has continued to embrace the extraordinary.”
In 2015 HRH as patron of the historic Eccentrics Club awarded her the title of “Most Eccentric British Thinker” based on her research into the 17th C when Eccentricity became the quintessential aspects of the British character. Her extraordinary life has been featured in TV documentaries & feature-spreads in Vogue UK, Elle & most UK broadsheets. Cassandra Jardine in The Daily Telegraph UK wrote: “The Impossibly glamorous Tyne O’Connell’s real life is every bit as extraordinary as her fiction” ELLE UK.
Critics have described O’Connell as, “Enid Blyton of our time” comparing her bestselling boarding-school series, Pulling Princes to “an up to date Mallory Towers”. The first four books in the series are set in a fictionalised Eton College &St Mary’s Ascot near Windsor Castle and based on her three children’s experiences at boarding school & Oxford as well as her own extraordinary life in Mayfair.

Born into an Irish Catholic family, daughter of a retired spy, her favourite chore as a child was collecting eggs from the hens for sixpence writing & reading. She was told by teachers & family she would be an author from age eight. Her first bestselling book was Sex, Lies & Litigation, pub1996 Headline to rave reviews.
Shes spent all her life in Mayfair where she brought up two husbands & three children. The area is at the heart of her ancestry & many of her books. She writes about all things Mayfair for mayfaireccentrics.com, & elsewhere. Visit her at www.tyneoconnell.com & follow her on Instagram @tyneoconnell

O'Connell was educated by elderly Flemish Sacre-Coeur nuns (born in the 1870-80's) with the expectation that she would marry a diploma or Catholic aristocrat - perfectly equipping her for a world that hadn't existed since the 1930’s. It was an unusual Victorian style upbringing & by 17, she was accomplished in Le Cordon Blue, Croquet, Semaphore, Literature, Latin, Needlepoint, Flower Arrangement, Diamond Valuation, Deportment, Millinery & Embassy Dinner Seating. After school she returned

http://www.tyneoconnell.com
http://www.mayfaireccentrics.com
http://www.dandizette.com

Reviews

[Baba · Rating 2 out of 5]

A romantic-comedy tale of angst, love and a woman that loves making lists - Saskia, who's turning 30, and works in the London art world In addition there's a neat (distracting?) crime sub-plot! Nice concept, but ultimately for a me a Two Star, 5 out of 12 read.

2010 read

[Book Chat · Rating 5 out of 5]

Funny and a great insight into the trendy London art world. Bridget Jones in fifth gear.

[Loucy · Rating 3 out of 5]

J'avais lu ce livre il y a très longtemps et en gardais peu de souvenirs. Il y a quelques scènes fort amusantes et l'héroïne est plutôt sympathique malgré son côté trop loufoque et un peu immature.

[87lectures · Rating 1 out of 5]

Pas terrible.
Dans la lignée des "Bridget Jones" mais la finesse et le talent en moins.
Un livre de comédie romantique typique de la fin des années 90, qui s'oublie aussitôt lu.
J'en ai ras-le-bol des romans qui diabolisent la trentaine, comme si c'était un âge de péremption. Ce ressort narratif est vraiment d'un autre âge...

[Chet · Rating 1 out of 5]

J'ai lu une centaine de pages et je m'ennuie toujours. J'arrête là. Ça manque de rebondissements, c'est trop plat.

[Clarisse Tessa · Rating 1 out of 5]

Héroïne principale et autres personnages immatures, traduction douteuse, plot twist qui n'en est pas un car dénouement attendu, récit dépassé, roman qui a très mal vieilli

[Preet · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book has been on my to be read list for a very long time. I finally got around to reading it, and while it started off great, I was more than a little confused at what happened towards the end of the book, since it took such an abrupt turn. And to be honest, this book is tricky because it can fall in between a 2-4 star rating, for that same reason.

The book is set in the art world and while I thought it was going to be a quick, easy to guess read, it didn't live up to my assumptions completely. But overall, this is another great book by Tyne O'Connell that's hard to find. If you're thinking if getting this book, I'd suggest the kindle version for only $2.99.

[Marina Martindale · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed the wit and the humor in this first-person narrative. Saskia Williams is trying to come to terms with her life in "the new immorality." On the eve of her thirtieth birthday, she's stuck in a dead-end job and she keeps getting involved with the wrong men. Her means of coping? Making lists, but as her lists fall into the wrong hands more trouble comes her way. Through it all, Saskia manages to keep her sense of humor and I laughed along with her as she described her angst in her various lists.

[Book Chat · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wonderful insight into the London art world from Mayfair to Shoreditch & Notting Hill to Clerckenwell. Saskia Williams makes a lot of lists. Most pressingly - all the things she wants to achieve by age thirty. But she is about to hit the big three 0 and hasn't really achieved all she wanted to have. But when one of the richest - and most attractive - men in the world walks into her gallery and buys a whole show, all that looks set to change...

[Alice Wilson · Rating 5 out of 5]

I liked this book a lot. Tyne O'Connell is a very funny writer. I first read her Pulling Princes books and loved those when I was at school. I only recently realised she also writes chick lit.

This one is set in the art world in London and gives a really good insight into that world, from private art shows to studios and some great parties. SOme of the characters are a little bit larger than life but then I guess that is where some of the comedy comes from.

A good fun read.

[Ann · Rating 3 out of 5]

Making the A-List was an easy read.

Saskia is turning 30 and trying to find her place in life. She works in a London art studio. Tries to find a man. And making a lot of lists. She is unsure about herself, constantly telling white lies.

[Courtney Lofgren · Rating 3 out of 5]

A little silly, but somewhat entertaining.

[Kristin · Rating 4 out of 5]

The sister book to Bridget Jones, such a comical and delightful read!

[Milusa · Rating 1 out of 5]

I got to page 80 but then I just couldn't take it anymore...