Lipstick Jungle: A Novel
(Libby/OverDrive eBook, Kindle)

Bushnell rose to fame with her witty expose of the New York social scene, Sex and the City (1996), but since then, she's been writing fiction. Her third novel since Sex thrusts readers into a world that might seem familiar to fans of either Bushnell's first book or the hit TV show it inspired. Victory Ford, Wendy Healy, and Nico O'Neilly are three movers and shakers in Manhattan who still find time to lunch at the hottest restaurants, not unlike the four ladies of Sex and the City. Victory is a world-famous fashion designer whose spring collection failed to impress at New York's all-important fashion week. As the president of Parador Pictures, Wendy is gearing up for the film she hopes will finally snag her the coveted Best Picture Oscar. Nico, editor in chief of Bonfire magazine, is working her way up the corporate ladder. The ladies' love lives are just as interesting as their careers. Victory is being courted by an eccentric billionaire; Wendy's handsome, lazy husband has just demanded a divorce; and married Nico finds herself drawn into a fling with a handsome, younger male model. Readers who want to immerse themselves in the trendy world of New York's high society will find themselves at home in this scintillating novel. --Kristine Huntley Copyright 2005 Booklist

Though Bushnell's fourth book opens in familiar Sex and the City territory-a fashion show in Bryant Park where attendees sport Jimmy Choo and Baume & Mercier-the novel quickly takes off for deeper waters. For once, men-how to get them, how to keep them-aren't Bushnell's central focus, and her three main characters, all women in their early 40s, are surely her richest to date. Two of the three are married with children; all are at the top of their field. Wendy, a movie executive at the Miramax-like Parador, struggles to finish a potentially Oscar-winning flick while placating her unemployed hubby at home. Nico, editor-in-chief at Bonfire magazine, juggles the Machiavellian politics of her corporate parent-company with the needs of her na?f boy-toy lover and her savvy Columbia professor husband. And while fashion designer Victory Ford may date a Mr. Big-like character, she takes the relationship lightly. Most of her energies are directed to saving her business, which has fallen on hard times since she launched a new, more innovative line. Bushnell herself won't face the same problem. There's plenty of the old razzle-dazzle to satisfy her fans. Her characters lunch at Michael's, go on dates to the Whitney Biennial and shop for ponies at the Palm Beach Polo Club. There's a make-out session in a bar bathroom, panty ripping on a kitchen countertop and many frank descriptions of urban sexual mores. But Bushnell's emphasis on female friendship and career ambition may also win her a legion of new readers. Her characters want "the sweet, creamy sensation of power," and it's Bushnell's account of how they got it, and how they keep it, that will really keep readers turning pages. Expect a splashy debut, followed by a long run of sales. Agent, Heather Schroder. (Sept.) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved

Bushnell's (Sex and the City; Four Blondes) new novel will not disappoint her many fans. Three best friends are all named to the list of "New York's 50 Most Powerful Women." Victory Ford is a thriving fashion designer who built her company from the ground up. To reach the next level of success, she must discover what she desires most in her career and her life. Wendy Healy may be the president of a major movie studio, but she cannot manage her personal life (three children and a childish, whiny husband who depends on her for income). Although Nico O'Neilly is the toast of the publishing world as the editor credited with single-handedly reviving an ailing magazine, she has her sights on the top CEO position. Her once-successful husband now manages her career and breeds dogs in his spare time. Stereotypical gender roles are decidedly switched here: three successful, powerful friends take on the once solely masculine role of provider and leader while learning, uneasily at first, to balance their identities as women. Although the novel has its share of awkward plot machinations, Bushnell is skilled enough to create likable yet strong characters who ultimately draw in the reader. Recommended for all public libraries. [See Prepub Alert, LJ 5/15/05.]-Andrea Y. Griffith, Loma Linda Univ. Lib., CA (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

Bushnell has traded in the 30-something singles of Sex and the City (1996) for a claque of desperately scheming 40-something powerhouses. The three muskateeresses this go-'round are Victoria Ford, independent fashion designer; Wendy Healy, powerful president of Parador Pictures; and Nico O'Neilly, glamorous editor-in-chief of Bonfire magazine. A cool reception by stores and critics to Victoria's spring collection has put her company in financial jeopardy, a challenge she can handle more competently than the romantic advances by crass billionaire Lyne Bennet, whose hidden charms remain mostly hidden. Wendy, who runs her Hollywood studio from New York for unexplained reasons, is a mother of three whose marriage to sexy Shane, whom she has long supported as a boy-toy-turned-stay-at-home-dad, falls apart the day her latest picture is nominated for six Oscars. Nico is jockeying to take over her parent company while also juggling an adulterous affair with a male model who offers more sizzle than her decent but dull political scientist husband, Seymour. Wendy, Nico and Victoria are supposed to represent a new generation of strong, capable well-rounded women able to have personal and professional success, and there are certainly plenty of references to the brand-name perks and pleasures of their position, but these women are selfish, self-centered and not at all likeable. And their success seems way beyond their actual abilities. At least Victoria is single. Wendy and Nico are so obliviously neglectful of their spoiled-brat children that empathy for them is hard to produce. These women also share a deep streak of unhappiness that Bushnell's too-easy happy ending does not erase. If this is having it all, who wants it? Copyright ©Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.

Bushnell rose to fame with her witty expose of the New York social scene, Sex and the City (1996), but since then, she's been writing fiction. Her third novel since Sex thrusts readers into a world that might seem familiar to fans of either Bushnell's first book or the hit TV show it inspired. Victory Ford, Wendy Healy, and Nico O'Neilly are three movers and shakers in Manhattan who still find time to lunch at the hottest restaurants, not unlike the four ladies of Sex and the City. Victory is a world-famous fashion designer whose spring collection failed to impress at New York's all-important fashion week. As the president of Parador Pictures, Wendy is gearing up for the film she hopes will finally snag her the coveted Best Picture Oscar. Nico, editor in chief of Bonfire magazine, is working her way up the corporate ladder. The ladies' love lives are just as interesting as their careers. Victory is being courted by an eccentric billionaire; Wendy's handsome, lazy husband has just demanded a divorce; and married Nico finds herself drawn into a fling with a handsome, younger male model. Readers who want to immerse themselves in the trendy world of New York's high society will find themselves at home in this scintillating novel. ((Reviewed June 1 & 15, 2005)) Copyright 2005 Booklist Reviews.

The "philosopher queen of the social scene" (New York Times) delivers another racy tale, this time about three women in fashion, film, and magazines who expect to have it all. Copyright 2005 Reed Business Information.

Bushnell's (Sex and the City; Four Blondes) new novel will not disappoint her many fans. Three best friends are all named to the list of "New York's 50 Most Powerful Women." Victory Ford is a thriving fashion designer who built her company from the ground up. To reach the next level of success, she must discover what she desires most in her career and her life. Wendy Healy may be the president of a major movie studio, but she cannot manage her personal life (three children and a childish, whiny husband who depends on her for income). Although Nico O'Neilly is the toast of the publishing world as the editor credited with single-handedly reviving an ailing magazine, she has her sights on the top CEO position. Her once-successful husband now manages her career and breeds dogs in his spare time. Stereotypical gender roles are decidedly switched here: three successful, powerful friends take on the once solely masculine role of provider and leader while learning, uneasily at first, to balance their identities as women. Although the novel has its share of awkward plot machinations, Bushnell is skilled enough to create likable yet strong characters who ultimately draw in the reader. Recommended for all public libraries. [See Prepub Alert, LJ 5/15/05.]-Andrea Y. Griffith, Loma Linda Univ. Lib., CA Copyright 2005 Reed Business Information.

Though Bushnell's fourth book opens in familiar Sex and the City territory-a fashion show in Bryant Park where attendees sport Jimmy Choo and Baume & Mercier-the novel quickly takes off for deeper waters. For once, men-how to get them, how to keep them-aren't Bushnell's central focus, and her three main characters, all women in their early 40s, are surely her richest to date. Two of the three are married with children; all are at the top of their field. Wendy, a movie executive at the Miramax-like Parador, struggles to finish a potentially Oscar-winning flick while placating her unemployed hubby at home. Nico, editor-in-chief at Bonfire magazine, juggles the Machiavellian politics of her corporate parent-company with the needs of her na‹f boy-toy lover and her savvy Columbia professor husband. And while fashion designer Victory Ford may date a Mr. Big-like character, she takes the relationship lightly. Most of her energies are directed to saving her business, which has fallen on hard times since she launched a new, more innovative line. Bushnell herself won't face the same problem. There's plenty of the old razzle-dazzle to satisfy her fans. Her characters lunch at Michael's, go on dates to the Whitney Biennial and shop for ponies at the Palm Beach Polo Club. There's a make-out session in a bar bathroom, panty ripping on a kitchen countertop and many frank descriptions of urban sexual mores. But Bushnell's emphasis on female friendship and career ambition may also win her a legion of new readers. Her characters want "the sweet, creamy sensation of power," and it's Bushnell's account of how they got it, and how they keep it, that will really keep readers turning pages. Expect a splashy debut, followed by a long run of sales. Agent, Heather Schroder. (Sept.) Copyright 2005 Reed Business Information.