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High Heels kommen vor dem Fall
Mode, Make-up, Männerfrust Emily ist Fashion-Stylistin bei einer der angesagtesten Londoner Modezeitschriften. Sie bekommt dreißig Prozent Rabatt bei Prada, wohnt in einem Traumloft und hat einen tollen Freund. Und eine unverbindliche Affäre mit dem australischen Fotografen Miles, den sie immer nur auf internationalen Modeschauen sieht. Miles hat nichts mit dem Rest ihres Lebens zu tun. Oder doch? „Alle shoppingsüchtigen Frauen werden dieses Buch lieben!“
416 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2004
19 people are currently reading
442 people want to read
About the author
Maggie Alderson
35 books297 followersMaggie Alderson is a British-Australian author (that’s how I’m supposed to write it, but I’m not very good at talking about myself in the third person, so I’m going to can it).
I was born in London, brought up in rural Staffordshire, and educated at the University of St Andrews - and then at the University of Life, Sydney campus.
I spent many years covering the fashion shows in Paris, Milan, London etc which is the best people watching ever (I had to remind myself to look at the models…).
An obsessed bookworm since childhood, all I wanted to do from the age of six was write books. I also hoovered up every magazine and newspaper I could lay my hands on and by the time I was a teenager was determined to edit a magazine and be a newspaper columnist.
I have edited five magazines (including British ELLE) and my Style Notes column ran in the Good Weekend colour supplement for twelve years, as well as being syndicated to The Times.
My first novel Pants on Fire was published in 2000 and was a bestseller in the UK and Australia. I’ve written eight more novels since, which have been translated into many languages.
I’ve also published four collections of my columns and a children’s book called Evangeline, the Wish Keeper’s Helper, which was shortlisted for the Prime Minister’s Award in Australia.
My latest novel is called The Scent of You and is the story of perfume blogger Polly, facing up to a crisis in her marriage – and her sense of who she is - told through a filter of her obsession with perfumes (and also featuring very well dressed, seriously damaged, red-hot men, which are my speciality).
The book was inspired by attending perfume events in London and realising just how many fascinating people there are in that world (and a fair few brilliant nutters).
You can read my heroine's blog fragrantcloud.net
I was born in London, brought up in rural Staffordshire, and educated at the University of St Andrews - and then at the University of Life, Sydney campus.
I spent many years covering the fashion shows in Paris, Milan, London etc which is the best people watching ever (I had to remind myself to look at the models…).
An obsessed bookworm since childhood, all I wanted to do from the age of six was write books. I also hoovered up every magazine and newspaper I could lay my hands on and by the time I was a teenager was determined to edit a magazine and be a newspaper columnist.
I have edited five magazines (including British ELLE) and my Style Notes column ran in the Good Weekend colour supplement for twelve years, as well as being syndicated to The Times.
My first novel Pants on Fire was published in 2000 and was a bestseller in the UK and Australia. I’ve written eight more novels since, which have been translated into many languages.
I’ve also published four collections of my columns and a children’s book called Evangeline, the Wish Keeper’s Helper, which was shortlisted for the Prime Minister’s Award in Australia.
My latest novel is called The Scent of You and is the story of perfume blogger Polly, facing up to a crisis in her marriage – and her sense of who she is - told through a filter of her obsession with perfumes (and also featuring very well dressed, seriously damaged, red-hot men, which are my speciality).
The book was inspired by attending perfume events in London and realising just how many fascinating people there are in that world (and a fair few brilliant nutters).
You can read my heroine's blog fragrantcloud.net
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 62 reviews
November 28, 2023
Excellent read, brilliant beach book. Very Devil wears Prada. Enjoyed every page of it.
Five stars.
Five stars.
April 16, 2009
Emily Pointer is a thirty-something fashion editor at a fashion magazine. She is happily married, has a gorgeous apartment in the upper middle class area of London, has the best clothes and seems to have everything going for her all-round. She goes away to the various fashion weeks in which she has a passionate affair with a photographer. At first I was very angry with her at the start of the affair, as it seemed as though she had everything going for her, so why mess it up? But as the plot progresses, you realise that this more than just a book about fashion, pedicures and living the good life. The main theme is more about the superficiality of a life vs the substance of it. Things appear to be good and life rich, but is there substance to what you have. As the story progresses, her deep-set issues that have always been brushed off surface and she is forced to deal with them. The book is filled with rich and textured characters, no two being the same. From her lesbian guardian to her pious best friend the people in her life are diverse and add a gorgeous array of colour to the book. She has put forward the story in a very humouristic manner that keeps you turning pages.
What I enjoyed most about this book, is how the author has been very visually descriptive about fashion. In every scene each character is given a detailed description of what they are wearing and brands mentioned where necessary. If you are a girly girl you will definitely enjoy this book.
What I enjoyed most about this book, is how the author has been very visually descriptive about fashion. In every scene each character is given a detailed description of what they are wearing and brands mentioned where necessary. If you are a girly girl you will definitely enjoy this book.
January 12, 2021
Бла, бла, бла... Справочник на модни и козметични брандове, на места опити за остроумия, неуспешни, други опити за психологически разсъждения, още по- несполучливи. Всичко случващо се е наблъскано в последните 30 страници( ако изобщо нещо се случва).
December 23, 2013
If you get through the first 90% of this book you will be disappointingly rewarded by a predictable, dull final 10%. If you follow the ethos that 'life's to short to read bad books' then skip this one. Wish I had.
January 19, 2021
I recognised the name Maggie Alderson, pretty sure it was the woman who wrote the fashion column for a few years in one of the Sunday newspaper magazines. How the heck I knew her when I have less than no interest in fashion, I don't know. Maybe I just liked her writing style.
I'd also come across her name through romance writers contacts and articles, especially in relation to the full-on chick lit subgenre.
So when pushed to fill a quota of second-hand books to get a freebie (yes, my retail mind works in mysterious ways) I saw the name and grabbed the book. That's how I tend to roll – buy the brand (be it author, or genre, or sometimes both) not the cover or the blurb.
Once I got my swag of books home I winced at Handbags and Gladrags. What had I been thinking in my go-for-the-sale-item frenzy? I've been burned by Bookends and Love and Punishment and sworn off hardcore vacuous chick lit.
The book was duly relegated to the bottom of the bookcase ... Until three days ago when I found myself in bed with a fever. I groggily perused my books and screwed my nose up at most of the offerings, both unread (The Road, Solar, If on a winters night a traveller) and old favourites (Pride and Prejudice, The Monkey's Mask, The Time Traveller's Wife).
My eyes alighted on Handbags and Gladrags and my fevered brain saw possibilities: fat, but not too fat – could be read in a day of bed; no Einsteinic brain-drain likely, no having to concentrate on a plethora of complex characters or intricate plot permutations; oh, and look! Bit print! Done.
I did, however, become apprehensive in the first chapter by the weight of brand references. Every character was defined by the brands they wore on their backs or over their shoulders. Which meant that most of the characters remained undefined for me because I wouldn't know the difference between a Prada and a Dior handbag if they were loaded with bricks and used to beat me over the head.
But I soldiered on because, quite frankly, I didn't have the energy to get up and find another book. My son was being a darling bringing me cups of tea and glasses of water, but if I'd asked him to bring me a book it would have been a Clive Cussler or Matthew Reilly, and I just wasn't up to that.
I found the similarity to The Devil Wears Prada movie striking. Is there a sub-subgenre of hardcore chick lit? One that centres around the fashion industry itself? Or maybe it was just a coincidence. I imagine the Devil Wears Prada book would be similar to Handbags and Gladrags, but haven't read it.
I did enjoy the movie, though. I wonder if that's perhaps because they could just show all of the fashion branding and couture visually as the story was unfolding, rather than having to take time out to name drop, as necessary when reading a book?
I know that, to this point, I seem to be dissing the novel. But let me tell you, I ended up really enjoying it. It was perfect fodder for a day in bed, and I liked the characters (especially Miles the all-Aussie photographer, yum!!), and the growth of the main characters, expected though it was.
I'd also come across her name through romance writers contacts and articles, especially in relation to the full-on chick lit subgenre.
So when pushed to fill a quota of second-hand books to get a freebie (yes, my retail mind works in mysterious ways) I saw the name and grabbed the book. That's how I tend to roll – buy the brand (be it author, or genre, or sometimes both) not the cover or the blurb.
Once I got my swag of books home I winced at Handbags and Gladrags. What had I been thinking in my go-for-the-sale-item frenzy? I've been burned by Bookends and Love and Punishment and sworn off hardcore vacuous chick lit.
The book was duly relegated to the bottom of the bookcase ... Until three days ago when I found myself in bed with a fever. I groggily perused my books and screwed my nose up at most of the offerings, both unread (The Road, Solar, If on a winters night a traveller) and old favourites (Pride and Prejudice, The Monkey's Mask, The Time Traveller's Wife).
My eyes alighted on Handbags and Gladrags and my fevered brain saw possibilities: fat, but not too fat – could be read in a day of bed; no Einsteinic brain-drain likely, no having to concentrate on a plethora of complex characters or intricate plot permutations; oh, and look! Bit print! Done.
I did, however, become apprehensive in the first chapter by the weight of brand references. Every character was defined by the brands they wore on their backs or over their shoulders. Which meant that most of the characters remained undefined for me because I wouldn't know the difference between a Prada and a Dior handbag if they were loaded with bricks and used to beat me over the head.
But I soldiered on because, quite frankly, I didn't have the energy to get up and find another book. My son was being a darling bringing me cups of tea and glasses of water, but if I'd asked him to bring me a book it would have been a Clive Cussler or Matthew Reilly, and I just wasn't up to that.
I found the similarity to The Devil Wears Prada movie striking. Is there a sub-subgenre of hardcore chick lit? One that centres around the fashion industry itself? Or maybe it was just a coincidence. I imagine the Devil Wears Prada book would be similar to Handbags and Gladrags, but haven't read it.
I did enjoy the movie, though. I wonder if that's perhaps because they could just show all of the fashion branding and couture visually as the story was unfolding, rather than having to take time out to name drop, as necessary when reading a book?
I know that, to this point, I seem to be dissing the novel. But let me tell you, I ended up really enjoying it. It was perfect fodder for a day in bed, and I liked the characters (especially Miles the all-Aussie photographer, yum!!), and the growth of the main characters, expected though it was.
November 13, 2020
На гърба на книгата пише, че това е история, „за любовта, се**а, приятелството, написана с много стил“, но това е далеч от истината.
Няма да изненада, ако кажа, че книгата и изключително повърхностна, както и заглавието подсказва и несимпатичния протагонист е най-голямата причина защо. В тази история нямаше нито любов, нито стил.
Още в началото на историята, Емили изневерява на съпруга си, без нито капка срам. Разбира се, по-късно е обяснено защо бракът ѝ е толкова токсичен, но тази част е разкрита твърде назад в книгата и читателят няма шанс да си обясни действията на героинята, нито да застане на нейна страна. Вместо това, би бил възмутен от поведението ѝ. Като че, ли това не е достатъчно, но елементът с прелюбодеянието би трябвало да е най-съществената част, но той се появява твърде рядко в книгата, което води до цели страници и глави, пълни с ненужни детайли, обикновено споменавайки магазини и марки. История почти няма.
Резултатът- крайно безинтересна книга с несимпатични персонажи.
Няма да изненада, ако кажа, че книгата и изключително повърхностна, както и заглавието подсказва и несимпатичния протагонист е най-голямата причина защо. В тази история нямаше нито любов, нито стил.
Още в началото на историята, Емили изневерява на съпруга си, без нито капка срам. Разбира се, по-късно е обяснено защо бракът ѝ е толкова токсичен, но тази част е разкрита твърде назад в книгата и читателят няма шанс да си обясни действията на героинята, нито да застане на нейна страна. Вместо това, би бил възмутен от поведението ѝ. Като че, ли това не е достатъчно, но елементът с прелюбодеянието би трябвало да е най-съществената част, но той се появява твърде рядко в книгата, което води до цели страници и глави, пълни с ненужни детайли, обикновено споменавайки магазини и марки. История почти няма.
Резултатът- крайно безинтересна книга с несимпатични персонажи.
August 16, 2023
Starts so vulgar that I decided to leave it after literally the first page. Anyways, I was on the beach so decided to give it another shot. This book is soulless failed attempt at "Devil wears Prada" meets "Emily in Paris". It is exceptionally bad, the story goes nowhere, there are people that are just mentioned even tho they look like a big part of the story. It's so profound that I had to skip pages and pages to see the end which is even more stupid than the book itself. This book is for no one.
May 4, 2019
This reminded me a little of The Devil Wears Prada. Emily was quite shallow throughout the book, only really interested in shopping and what other people were wearing but the reason why became apparent at the end. I’m glad it was all neatly tied up at the end, in fact her life, on the surface, was a bit of a mess.
June 17, 2019
I've always liked Maggie Alderson's 'Good Weekend' articles- she's authentic and interesting. At first, I thought her novel was a bit formulaic and tick-the-box in terms of the chiclit checklist, but I soon became engrossed in the characters and plot-line, the twists and turns, and the emotional pull of the characters' lives, especially that of main character, Emily Pointer.
February 1, 2023
voor wat dit thema mij op het oppervlak te bieden heeft niet eens heel slecht. zo kwamen de handtasreferenties en obsessie over ethetische imagos niet helemaal aan, maar bleek op het einde er toch meer diepgang in de hoofdpersoon te zitten. en wie leest er nou niet graag over verhoudingen met knappe Australiërs.
August 11, 2018
This book seemed to have a lot of "don't waste your time" type reviews. Glad I did, I quite enjoyed it. About the fashion world, light hearted & funny. Not the greatest book but worth reading I thought.
November 18, 2020
I was waiting for things to go wrong the whole novel and found the story quite predictable and a bit too much into the fashion details. But even though I thought I'd figured out all the details, I still enjoyed it. Would've liked to see how her magazine launch went though!
April 1, 2020
Loved every minute!
May 6, 2020
As a fashion stylist myself I loved this book. It was so accurate on so many things. And I lived in Milan, so it just reminded me of so many things. The research for this book is on point. Loved it!
November 21, 2020
Light but sweet
June 17, 2021
Cute casual read
January 17, 2023
Not my type of book. I finished reading it and passed it on. 😀
February 13, 2023
Moda, revije i skupi detalji.
August 31, 2016
The novel opens with an email from Emily’s lover in their secret code planning a rendezvous. It’s not until a few chapters later that we find out Emily is in fact married. And from there on the entire novel became extremely predictable. I don’t think there were any events from that point onwards that even slightly surprised me.
I like Alderson’s writing but there is such a thing as too much. Too much name dropping and too many referrals to designer clothing and other designer items. There’s a part about one third of the way into the novel where Emily is unpacking her suitcase and inventorying her handbag. That was nearly the point where I just couldn’t take any more designer references. Everything from the four pairs of Prada shoes she was hiding from her husband to the Chanel cover she had on her purse pack of tissues was mentioned. The novel would have been half the size if you removed all the shopping and pointless fashion shows that were written about. I understand that as a high fashion magazine stylist you needed some of it but most of it didn’t add anything to the story.
Emily felt rather spineless as a characters. She would blame everyone else for her problems and took no responsibility for her actions and decisions. So when others made decisions for her and she followed them it was always someone else’s fault when said decision didn’t work for her. I found her extremely shallow and to be one of those people who thought the world of themselves. She was also EXTREMELY hypocritical regarding a lot of things. I felt very little/no character growth for her and that disappointed me slightly. Everything that happened to her was a result of someone else pulling the strings and Emily just following along trying not to rock the boat – with the exception of her little affair with her tanned Australian surfer photographer.
All this seems rather negative. I actually enjoyed the book – more for the supporting characters of Paul and Nelly than anything else. The exotic locations and the glamorous life that Emily lead appealed to me and I enjoyed that part of the novel.
I like Alderson’s writing but there is such a thing as too much. Too much name dropping and too many referrals to designer clothing and other designer items. There’s a part about one third of the way into the novel where Emily is unpacking her suitcase and inventorying her handbag. That was nearly the point where I just couldn’t take any more designer references. Everything from the four pairs of Prada shoes she was hiding from her husband to the Chanel cover she had on her purse pack of tissues was mentioned. The novel would have been half the size if you removed all the shopping and pointless fashion shows that were written about. I understand that as a high fashion magazine stylist you needed some of it but most of it didn’t add anything to the story.
Emily felt rather spineless as a characters. She would blame everyone else for her problems and took no responsibility for her actions and decisions. So when others made decisions for her and she followed them it was always someone else’s fault when said decision didn’t work for her. I found her extremely shallow and to be one of those people who thought the world of themselves. She was also EXTREMELY hypocritical regarding a lot of things. I felt very little/no character growth for her and that disappointed me slightly. Everything that happened to her was a result of someone else pulling the strings and Emily just following along trying not to rock the boat – with the exception of her little affair with her tanned Australian surfer photographer.
All this seems rather negative. I actually enjoyed the book – more for the supporting characters of Paul and Nelly than anything else. The exotic locations and the glamorous life that Emily lead appealed to me and I enjoyed that part of the novel.
September 16, 2011
Fashion, fashion, fashion..and a bit of romance between 2 people from the world of fashion. Well, that's what this book is all about. Emily is a stylist working for a fashion magazine, and she is married to this weird guy Oliver who's into cosmetics business. They are married for a while and seem happy until Miles comes into the picture (and yes, he is also in the fashion business, working like a photographer). Is it a fling or is there something more they should hope for.
I have to admit, I am not that much into fashion, and maybe that's what it bothered me the most about this book. There were so many characters, names of designers, stylists, photographers...even secretaries from the Fashion Magazines, neither of them really important..Ok, just few of them very important for the story. But then again..the author of this book DID work as a fashion magazine editor. So it's kind of logical that there was more fashion than romance in this book (at least I got that impression anyways).
As for the characters, well seems to me that Maggie could have done it better. I really couldn't get much into Emily or any of the many characters in the book. They were so plain..nothing to differ them from any other chick-lit character. I have really hard time both in loving them or hating them, though I must admit that I really sympathized with Emily because of the fact that she lost her dad when she was 10, and her mother was sent to an Asylum. So, I thought..yes, this is a great turning point in the book, nice way to see the emotional and fragile side of Emily. But then..everything is back to fashion talks!
I was seriously thinking of giving this book 2 stars, but I loved the end.
I have to admit, I am not that much into fashion, and maybe that's what it bothered me the most about this book. There were so many characters, names of designers, stylists, photographers...even secretaries from the Fashion Magazines, neither of them really important..Ok, just few of them very important for the story. But then again..the author of this book DID work as a fashion magazine editor. So it's kind of logical that there was more fashion than romance in this book (at least I got that impression anyways).
As for the characters, well seems to me that Maggie could have done it better. I really couldn't get much into Emily or any of the many characters in the book. They were so plain..nothing to differ them from any other chick-lit character. I have really hard time both in loving them or hating them, though I must admit that I really sympathized with Emily because of the fact that she lost her dad when she was 10, and her mother was sent to an Asylum. So, I thought..yes, this is a great turning point in the book, nice way to see the emotional and fragile side of Emily. But then..everything is back to fashion talks!
I was seriously thinking of giving this book 2 stars, but I loved the end.
December 23, 2007
I decided to pick at random some books from the local library seeing that I read mostly the same type of books - lately. I hoped that I would discover something new that I liked, perhaps.
This book is very badly structured and has no story line whatsoever - it is just an interminable tale of consumerism and bad behaviour. It had some sort of ending where the author rushed into tying things up, perhaps realising that she had reached her word limit set by the publisher and now she could finish it .. Or more likely, she got bored with the story and rushed to finish it - and the publisher bought it, ha ha!!
This book is very badly structured and has no story line whatsoever - it is just an interminable tale of consumerism and bad behaviour. It had some sort of ending where the author rushed into tying things up, perhaps realising that she had reached her word limit set by the publisher and now she could finish it .. Or more likely, she got bored with the story and rushed to finish it - and the publisher bought it, ha ha!!
November 6, 2020
Авторката насажда "европейските ценности" като купуването на маркови дрешки, пътуването за модни ревюта, манекенки, фотографи, партита, нощен живот, гейовете, разбира се като най-добрите приятели, изневярата като нещо нормално и абсолютно безсмисления живот, който водят такива модни натури. Беше лек роман, но през цялото време ме караше да въртя очи от начина на живот на героинята. Единственото положително нещо е, че се запознах с начините на правене на модни ревюта и шумотевицата покрай тях, както и с работата на модните издатели. Попътувах и в самата книга из Милано, Париж, Лондон, Ню Йорк и Австралия. Запознах се с някои кафенета и маркови магазини.
November 17, 2010
Even though I know how this book ends I find comfort in re-reading it occasionally. The main character and her friends all work in fashion and, as expected, much of the book is dedicated to trivial issues and frivolous detals. However, I can always relate with the main character's obsession to details and the loneliness she feels when she gets too wrapped up in the shallow aspects of her life. If you do not like chick lit then do not bother to pick up this book but if you do pack this book the next time you head to the beach.
November 24, 2008
I guess I was looking for something different in this novel. I picked it up thinking it would be a humorous novel, and while there were funny moments, the overall tone of the book was much more serious. Also, I didn't feel like much of anything was resolved at the end of the story (except for the demise of Emily's marriage), and I don't like ambiguity. Even though I was immediately turned off with the adultery, I found myself excusing it the more I read.
April 23, 2014
Sometimes you want something light, easy and fun to read. This book is so vapid and its main character so vacuous that it doesn't even offer mindless entertainment. It is horribly predictable and while I love fashion, the constant fashion name dropping was just a constant annoyance. Perhaps the author should have put more effort into writing an interesting story with real character and plot development than explaining in detail what each person was wearing...
August 19, 2008
I loved this book! If you are looking for substance or something meaningful, this is not the book. But if you are looking to get lost in a book revolved around fashion, you will love it! The author is a former editor for British Elle, and goes into great detail about fashion shows, labels, and fashion in general. Enjoy!
September 2, 2008
This was a light, completely frivolous read. There was absolutely no plot and the character development was quite lacking. It was, however, a fun look at the world of fashion magazines. I enjoyed the detailed descriptions of clothing and shoes. There was an attempt in the last 50 pages or so to become a deep analysis of relationships, but it failed miserably.
August 4, 2011
This book was a good read and very similar to the concept of The Devil Wears Prada. ALthough it does take a long time to get to the crux of the problem in the book and there are also a lot of description about people who go to 'Sunday Salon' which could have been reduced. Take it for what it is, some form of escapism as you don't have to think very hard to keep up with the story.
September 6, 2014
This was a light, completely frivolous read. There was absolutely no plot and the character development was quite lacking. It was dragged way to much and was reiterating in the middle. However the last few chapters were interesting. I would not say I hated the entire book. I liked some parts and disliked few.
August 6, 2011
Fast paced. All the high fashion stuff was beyond me - Emily was way too entranced in world i know nothing about for me to actually like her, her friend Frannie was more my style. I couldn't have predicted what happened to make Emily turn around and look in the mirror, but where she goes afterwards is assumed. Mildlyl entertaining.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 62 reviews