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Die Rache der Frauen
Karen Kahn ist der Star der Seventh Avenue, dem Zentrum der amerikanischen Haute Couture in New York. Die berühmte Modeschöpferin mit dem eigenen Label und der eigenen Firma ist auf dem Zenith ihres Erfolges angelangt - nur eigene Kinder kann sie nicht bekommen. Um ein Kind adoptieren zu können, setzt sie sogar ihr Modeimperium aufs Spiel- und verliert mit einem Schlag alles: ihren Ehemann, ihre Firma und alle ihre Illusionen. aber Karen gibt nicht auf.
443 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1994
60 people are currently reading
294 people want to read
About the author
Olivia Goldsmith
48 books155 followersOlivia Goldsmith (January 1, 1949 - January 15, 2004) was an American author, best known for her first novel The First Wives Club (1992), which was adapted into the movie The First Wives Club (1996).
She was born Randy Goldfield in Dumont, New Jersey, but changed her name to Justine Goldfield and later to Justine Rendal. She took up writing following a divorce in which she said her husband got almost everything (including her Jaguar and the country house). A graduate of New York University, she was a partner at the management consultants Booz & Company in New York prior to becoming a writer.
Many of her books can be described as revenge fantasies; a constant theme is the mistreatment of women by the men they love, but with the women coming out the winners in the end.
Controversially, in late 1996 Goldsmith said, in response to an Entertainment Weekly reporter's question, that her favorite event of 1996 was when Bob Dole fell off a stage during a campaign function.
She also wrote several books for children, which were published under the name "Justine Rendal."
Goldsmith died as a result of complications from the administration of anaesthesia before cosmetic surgery. Her final two books were published posthumously.
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia, amended.
She was born Randy Goldfield in Dumont, New Jersey, but changed her name to Justine Goldfield and later to Justine Rendal. She took up writing following a divorce in which she said her husband got almost everything (including her Jaguar and the country house). A graduate of New York University, she was a partner at the management consultants Booz & Company in New York prior to becoming a writer.
Many of her books can be described as revenge fantasies; a constant theme is the mistreatment of women by the men they love, but with the women coming out the winners in the end.
Controversially, in late 1996 Goldsmith said, in response to an Entertainment Weekly reporter's question, that her favorite event of 1996 was when Bob Dole fell off a stage during a campaign function.
She also wrote several books for children, which were published under the name "Justine Rendal."
Goldsmith died as a result of complications from the administration of anaesthesia before cosmetic surgery. Her final two books were published posthumously.
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia, amended.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 30 reviews
August 26, 2014
FASHIONABLY LATE was first published in 1994. It wasn’t one of Olivia Goldsmith’s most successful books—I bet those were THE FIRST WIVES CLUB, THE BESTSELLER, and MARRYING MOM—but since she was a superstar novelist, all her novels sold well. Deservedly so, in my opinion.
It’s the story of Karen Kahn, a New York fashion designer at the peak of her career. But her personal life is lacking. Though married to a man she adores, she discovers she cannot bear a child. And she desperately wants one. Nor does she have much closeness with her mother, a pretty chilly character. Karen believes that’s because she’s adopted. She goes in search of her bio mom, well aware that could bring a whole new round of heartache. Which it does, though not the way I expected.
I enjoyed the book. Goldsmith did something you don’t see much nowadays in contemporary women’s fiction. She deeply researched an area—usually an industry—so that the reader feels plunged into that milieu. I’m dating myself because that was a staple of women’s fiction in the nineties. It’s something I do in my own writing, largely because learning about one field or another is really fun for me. I enjoyed when work—even hyped-up, dramatized work—played a substantive role in women’s fiction.
Another thing I admire about Goldsmith’s writing is the consistency of her characters. They have distinctive personalities, and they’re the same people on page twelve and on page two hundred. I’m surprised how rare that is. I know how easy it can be for writers to twist a character to make them serve a plot point. Goldsmith didn’t fall into that trap.
But there were a few things I wasn’t crazy about in FASHIONABLY LATE. So often Goldsmith made her male characters total louses. That is true of almost every heterosexual man in this book. Don’t get me wrong: some of her female characters are despicable, too. But that anti-male bias bothers me. I think part of it is that Goldsmith found her literary sweet spot in writing evil males. I note the review from Kirkus: “Goldsmith established her fertile turf in THE FIRST WIVES CLUB and hasn’t let up since; here she presents another witty, venomous tale of female resourcefulness in the face of breathtaking male duplicity.”
One last thing that surprised me in FASHIONABLY LATE: there’s absolutely no romance. I kept waiting for one to develop, but it never did. Did I miss it? Yes. A bit. But the book stands on its own as a good read nonetheless.
It’s the story of Karen Kahn, a New York fashion designer at the peak of her career. But her personal life is lacking. Though married to a man she adores, she discovers she cannot bear a child. And she desperately wants one. Nor does she have much closeness with her mother, a pretty chilly character. Karen believes that’s because she’s adopted. She goes in search of her bio mom, well aware that could bring a whole new round of heartache. Which it does, though not the way I expected.
I enjoyed the book. Goldsmith did something you don’t see much nowadays in contemporary women’s fiction. She deeply researched an area—usually an industry—so that the reader feels plunged into that milieu. I’m dating myself because that was a staple of women’s fiction in the nineties. It’s something I do in my own writing, largely because learning about one field or another is really fun for me. I enjoyed when work—even hyped-up, dramatized work—played a substantive role in women’s fiction.
Another thing I admire about Goldsmith’s writing is the consistency of her characters. They have distinctive personalities, and they’re the same people on page twelve and on page two hundred. I’m surprised how rare that is. I know how easy it can be for writers to twist a character to make them serve a plot point. Goldsmith didn’t fall into that trap.
But there were a few things I wasn’t crazy about in FASHIONABLY LATE. So often Goldsmith made her male characters total louses. That is true of almost every heterosexual man in this book. Don’t get me wrong: some of her female characters are despicable, too. But that anti-male bias bothers me. I think part of it is that Goldsmith found her literary sweet spot in writing evil males. I note the review from Kirkus: “Goldsmith established her fertile turf in THE FIRST WIVES CLUB and hasn’t let up since; here she presents another witty, venomous tale of female resourcefulness in the face of breathtaking male duplicity.”
One last thing that surprised me in FASHIONABLY LATE: there’s absolutely no romance. I kept waiting for one to develop, but it never did. Did I miss it? Yes. A bit. But the book stands on its own as a good read nonetheless.
September 30, 2017
It was OK. I tore through the last 100 or so pages because I was eager to start another book; but it certainly wasn't because it was riveting.
It did offer a very interesting glimpse into hte fashion world, though the story was OK (storylines included trying to find birth mom, trying to adopt baby, selling company - with tangents about selfish family members and unfaithful husbands), and the writing was fine. Nothing spectacular.
It did offer a very interesting glimpse into hte fashion world, though the story was OK (storylines included trying to find birth mom, trying to adopt baby, selling company - with tangents about selfish family members and unfaithful husbands), and the writing was fine. Nothing spectacular.
March 11, 2017
Excellent! A very, very detailed written book. I wonder if all her books are in detailed as this? The storyline was super insightful to the fashion world. I kept in wondering who the main character really was...And, the story turns at the end - it went a bit too fast as many books do at the end. Quick to end, like the writer was too tired to continue on.
December 4, 2020
I don't know that this is the best Olivia Goldsmith book, but it's definitely my favorite. It's the one I'm most likely to pull down from the shelf when I need a comfort re-read, and I enjoyed it this time, too. That said, it hasn't aged much better than the others, and I find myself more impatient now with the main character and her level of denial about the betrayals going on around her.
July 24, 2017
Entertaining, light read
September 13, 2017
Nice light read.
January 19, 2019
This one took awhile for me to get through but it held me enough to keep reading...alittle predictable and alittle soap operaish...but not horrible
July 3, 2019
I did like it-a story reflecting the fact that sometimes good friends are better than family.
January 24, 2022
Good book to read for nostalgic reasons old school but like how the author writes.
May 21, 2013
I enjoyed this book but probably not as much as The First Wives Club. I think having a few main characters in a book really brings another element to the story. Also i think it can be a harder challenge for the author to write a book with only one main character. If you don't really like them or you cannot relate to them then there isn't really anyone else to root for and you may not be interested in continuing the book. I didn't not like the main character but i didn't love her either. I suppose I found that I couldn't really relate to her in any way.
Also to be honest it was actually quite a sad book. Not so much in the sense of something like a book set in the war but the underlying tone of the story was quite depressing. I did find the same with The First Wives Club, just not as much. I'm not sure if its the author's style or just these two books.
The story is of a woman who seems to have it all; she's rich, at the top of her game and her husband is wonderful, but the one thing she wants is a baby. And it may be too late for her to conceive.
Funnily enough even though the blurb says that's what it's about, the book seems like it isn't just about her trying to conceive or adopt a baby, that it's just an aspect of her story. They've been very clever about it because it actually is the underlying plot in the whole story. All of her actions are based on that one thing even if it isn't obvious to the reader.
The book was an interesting read, I'm not sure I would read it again. I would probably recommend this book to mature age women as they may be able to relate to the main character better than I was able to. Overall not a bad book, I think just a bit limited to its audience.
www.readingforthemasses.wordpress.com
Also to be honest it was actually quite a sad book. Not so much in the sense of something like a book set in the war but the underlying tone of the story was quite depressing. I did find the same with The First Wives Club, just not as much. I'm not sure if its the author's style or just these two books.
The story is of a woman who seems to have it all; she's rich, at the top of her game and her husband is wonderful, but the one thing she wants is a baby. And it may be too late for her to conceive.
Funnily enough even though the blurb says that's what it's about, the book seems like it isn't just about her trying to conceive or adopt a baby, that it's just an aspect of her story. They've been very clever about it because it actually is the underlying plot in the whole story. All of her actions are based on that one thing even if it isn't obvious to the reader.
The book was an interesting read, I'm not sure I would read it again. I would probably recommend this book to mature age women as they may be able to relate to the main character better than I was able to. Overall not a bad book, I think just a bit limited to its audience.
www.readingforthemasses.wordpress.com
December 29, 2015
Classic Olivia Goldsmith -- feminist theme, quirky characters, puns abounding.
I think Karen Kahn is Goldsmith's ultimate Mary Sue -- a woman who is not classically beautiful but nonetheless desired by every man because she's SO TALENTED. She's also admired by every woman because she's SO TALENTED. (Exceptions being really bad people, of course, but they're just threatened -- go figure -- because she's just SO TALENTED.) She is also good-hearted and of the people, and the fact that she spends money like a drunken sailor doesn't take away from her strong moral compass. She is totally committed to elevating the sartorial standards of the common folk and paying good wages to employees, even though she never really seems to grapple with how to manage both of those sometimes competing aims.
But whatever. It's a fun read, with a happy ending.
I think Karen Kahn is Goldsmith's ultimate Mary Sue -- a woman who is not classically beautiful but nonetheless desired by every man because she's SO TALENTED. She's also admired by every woman because she's SO TALENTED. (Exceptions being really bad people, of course, but they're just threatened -- go figure -- because she's just SO TALENTED.) She is also good-hearted and of the people, and the fact that she spends money like a drunken sailor doesn't take away from her strong moral compass. She is totally committed to elevating the sartorial standards of the common folk and paying good wages to employees, even though she never really seems to grapple with how to manage both of those sometimes competing aims.
But whatever. It's a fun read, with a happy ending.
September 21, 2015
Took me forever to get thru it. I'm adopted so I found the premise interesting but the story just seemed to drag and drag and drag. Since it was written in the 90's it was a tad dated for me. I think there was mention of Brad Pitt and Jennifer Aniston being married. There were also some typos that you're used to seeing in Kindle books but not in a regular paperback. Not the best book by Olivia Goldsmith.
November 27, 2016
Utterly beautiful
I've read everything by Olivia Goldsmith and this is up there as one of my favourites. Read it. Read all her books and relish them. She was a woman who created stories that are always worth going back to, and if you're like me you'll be picking up one or other of them whenever you need a story that helps you escape the ups and downs of life.
I've read everything by Olivia Goldsmith and this is up there as one of my favourites. Read it. Read all her books and relish them. She was a woman who created stories that are always worth going back to, and if you're like me you'll be picking up one or other of them whenever you need a story that helps you escape the ups and downs of life.
June 26, 2018
re-read. a fashion book that's more about who owns controlling stock and some blather about how you can make clothes in sweatshops in the marianas and claim they're made in the US than about clothes and models. oh well.
August 30, 2007
Loved reading about the fashion stuff, and understood the "need" for a baby.
May 28, 2008
I really liked this book. The fashion stuff was fun and interesting. Lots of history! Plus, I appreciated how the author attempted to make the public aware of where those 19.99 blouses come from.
April 1, 2011
Aug-94
September 11, 2016
Borrowed from Mom. Love and betrayal in the world of high fashion.
April 21, 2012
Not my favorite book by OS. Her general sense of the ridiculous and humor were not there. Fans of Fern Michaels will probably like it.
April 27, 2012
Fun with fashion, and revenge as always. Defina Pompey is my hero.
June 23, 2012
Trying to finish it. Very slow in the beginning. I love First Wives Club and Flavor of the Month so I will try.
April 6, 2017
A gentle read, enjoying it
Read
August 18, 2013Read 5/00
October 30, 2013
I liked that she addressed the issue of sweatshops, the longing for a baby seemed real. A light read with a bit more depth.
June 8, 2015
Great novel that enlightens the reader on trappings of the fashion industry. A worthwhile read; tragic to lose such a talented writer like Goldsmith.
January 17, 2025
I read this book years ago when it was first published, and I remember it being an entertaining story about a fashion designer and her attempt to have it all.
June 29, 2016
Trying to eliminate it - too much name-dropping.
Read
August 23, 2008isbn,original
April 13, 2017
Het verhaal van een vrouw die een succesvol bedrijf runt, gelukkig getrouwd denkt te zijn en eigenlijk nog maar 1 wens heeft: een kind krijgen. Langzamerhand lijkt alles waar ze voor heeft gewerkt uit haar handen te glippen en lijkt ze letterlijk alles kwijt te zijn. Maar dan blijkt ze echte vrienden te hebben en een onverslaanbare wil om terug te slaan. Vermakelijk boek, hoewel het misschien iets te lang is. Maar wel weer leuk om opnieuw te lezen na zo'n 20 jaar.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 30 reviews