The Art of Social War

by Jodi Wing

New York career woman Stacey Knight marries James Makepeace just as she learns he's been offered the once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to run a major Hollywood studio. There's one catch: they must relocate to Los Angeles. Will Stacey be lost in translation, or will her hard-earned New Yawk survival skills prove yet again, as Ol' Blue Eyes so often said, if you can make it there, you can make it anywhere?

The unwitting newlyweds land in a Technicolor high-stakes Social War, pursued by ruthless power brokers in the film demimonde. What's a girl to do when the promise of a glittering blockbuster future descends rapidly into film noir despair? At once seduced and repelled by the rigid caste system and predatory aspect of Hollywood life, Stacey navigates a sea of confusing social obstacles and extremely bad behavior. Empowered by 2,500-year-old military strategist Sun Tzu's The Art of War, Stacey takes control of the War Game and learns that they must adapt to survive and attack if they are to thrive.

Genres: Chick Lit, Fiction

307 pages, Paperback

First published November 1, 2008

Reviews

[Jamie Christensen · Rating 1 out of 5]

I could rant on and on about how bad this book was but I'll try to contain myself. The story is about a New York business woman that ran Mayor Guiliani's campaigns until his term was over. Then married the head of an LA movie studio and had to relocate. From the beginning she plays a cheap, victimized woman who just can't handle the fake LA society. Between her always being shocked and complaining about money when she had plenty to burn, to her personality of not being able to handle back stabbing women this whole thing was a farce. Seriously, what woman who works in politics for Guiliani wouldn't be able to handle (or would care) about a bunch of housewives. The crowning blow was when she bought her new car and chose a Mustang. Seriously, what woman in her right mind would choose that as their only car when she could have had a Maserati or Porsche? (Sorry, if you own a Mustang, I do like them, I'm just saying...) Don't bother unless you have time to burn in a car like I did (I listened to the audio version).

[CJ Clemens · Rating 1 out of 5]

Unfortunately, this is one of the few books I just couldn’t finish - super light, super boring.

It’s my fault though. I should have read this book a few years ago when I found it in a neighborhood little library.

It also seems my taste in books has evolved past this type of pointless drama so back to the little library it goes!

[Stephanie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Some parts were deliciously trashy. Others, like the Sun Tzu elements, detracted from the book.

[Sharla (Reader in a Dangerous Time) · Rating 2 out of 5]

I could see this being interesting in 2008 but in 2020 it's just outdated and boring. 🤷🏻‍♀️

[Lauren Ledbetter · Rating 2 out of 5]

One word: PETTY

[Elizabeth · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a winner! Stacey and James are trying to break into the Hollywood social scene as newlyweds. Stacey was well established in New York City but for James' sake (he has just become the head of a new Hollywood studio) she agrees to move to Hollywood and give it a trial run. They quickly find out that there is a "party of three" from the new studio that are out to sabotage them. The three are at the wedding and start all sorts of havoc and that is only the beginning. The ringleader is Simon who is an ardent follower of Sun Tzu's, THE ART OF WAR. The author deftly peppers this book with quotes from that book and shows how one needs to be on the defense or offense, depending! Every time you think that Simon can sink lower, he does. What is really great about the characters of Stacey and James is that they don't enjoy having to participate in "the war" and they do bring some scruples to bear on the situation. There are many twists and turns in the book and questions about who do you trust after all? I found the intertwining with the actual "ART OF WAR" very intriguing. The book culminates with a great ending which also could be a platform for a follow-up. We will see!

[Jenna · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was okay; definitely fluff reading. I agree with someone else's review: the book did not deliver what the cover promised. The beginning is slow; I would say towards the middle it started getting interesting and I was more excited about reading it. After the climax, though, it got really boring again. The big plot in the book (Stacey's scheme to bring down a Hollywood bigwig) was extremely vague and had very little detail. A lot of build-up with a bunch of nothing. The climax comes after that, which I thought was really odd, but maybe worth it, depending how you feel about the book. The writing definitely lacked polish and was a bit over-the-top sometimes, but it is this author's first novel so...perhaps we can forgive her(?). Bottom line: it was okay, I'm glad I read it, but I'm not sure I'd read it again.

[Amanda · Rating 3 out of 5]

There is a fine line between developing a plot and dragging a story out. Unfortunately, I felt the latter occurred with this book. I understand this is supposed to be your typical chick lit read, and that is fine; so why did it feel like Jodi Wing was trying to force it to be something akin to an epic novel by simply adding superfluous chapters? I felt this story could have been wrapped up long before it actually was.

[Kathleen · Rating 2 out of 5]

I had to force myself to finish this book, the author introduced too many characters and didn't spend any time really defining many of them, making the book confusing and hard to follow. I also thought there was entirely too much emphasis on Sun Tzu and she also doesnt know when to stop. The idea behind the story was good, but it was executed poorly.

[Lisa · Rating 1 out of 5]

I couldn't finish this. It was all LA bashing and how great New York is. As a person who has lived in LA for almost 20 years and California for over 30 I was very offended and felt the author had a very narrow perspective on places to live.

[Jessica · Rating 3 out of 5]

good plot, well done. funny. fun incorporation of The Art of War.

[Terrie · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was better than I expected given the reviews. Chick lit of course, but the plot was well-developed and executed. Entertaining.

[Erin · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really, really liked this book. It was clever and ironic and appealing....the characters were well developed and you just wanted to kill some of them. ;) What a great book!

[Chrissy · Rating 2 out of 5]

Took a while to get going, but after that I did enjoy it (for pure fluff). Why can't chick lit be as engaging as their covers?

[Julie · Rating 2 out of 5]

This is typical chick lit.

[Janet · Rating 4 out of 5]

New York public relations star moves to Hollywood and finds a whole new set of standards for success.

[Robyn · Rating 1 out of 5]

Boring!!!!!!

[Meaghan · Rating 5 out of 5]

i love how jodi wing mixed quotes from the art of war into a social drama. this was a fun, engrossing tale of life in upper crust los angeles.

[Ashley Nunez]

worst book ever!!! stay away!!!

[Dogsandbooks]

Donated to DPL august 2015

[Mpladner · Rating 3 out of 5]

Light and fun good for summer

[Meg · Rating 1 out of 5]

Awful. couldn't force myself to finish it. Ugh.

[Lindsey · Rating 2 out of 5]

Meh...