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must
read
It's a jungle out there!
After Sex and the City, Lipstick Jungle is another book by
Candace Bushnell that has been made into a TV show. And like SATC,
it explores the lives of fashionable and successful women in the
city of New York.
By Saba
Imtiaz
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Candace Bushnell is most widely known for penning the novel Sex and
the City (SATC) - which went on to become a bestseller, was turned
into an acclaimed television series with Sarah Jessica Parker and
a critically panned film. But as the author milks the success of SATC
dry, another one of her books has come to the forefront with a television
series being made on it. Candace Bushnell's novel Lipstick Jungle
has been turned into a series starring Brooke Shields, Kim Raver and
Lindsay Price. |
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But - first things first
- the novel: Lipstick Jungle is a very different story from SATC.
Based on the lives of three high flyers in New York City, the book
spins a tale of a true 'lipstick jungle' - replete with the fact
that they all work in interlinked worlds: Wendy Healy heads a film
studio, Nico O Neilly is editor for one of the most prominent magazines
in NYC, and Victory Ford is a fashion designer. A story primarily
of relationships: the book shows how the older (and wiser, in more
ways than one) Wendy and Nico take Victory under their wing and
guide her through life and society as she struggles to keep her
footing in the uber competitive world of fashion. However, as the
women work their way up the career ladder they are met with different
dilemmas: Nico, for example, is having an affair with an underwear
model and Victory can't get her billionaire boyfriend to fit the
mould of partner that she wants, simply because - he's a billionaire
who is set in his ways! Lipstick Jungle is, at the end of the day,
the epitome of chick-lit, but what sets it apart in one way is the
very strong bond shown between the characters. The fact that, despite
having different career ambitions and perspectives on life, love
and family, they are always there for each other is what stands
out most in this book. And add to that Candace's well-known formula
of glamour and designer names - and you have a book that mirrors
reality for female high flyers.
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And
since Candace Bushnell's SATC was such a hit - Lipstick Jungle has
also been turned into a television series. Obviously, turning a book
into a show is not the easiest of tasks, but the makers of Lipstick
Jungle have done a decent job at retaining the essence of the novel.
And obviously, the problems of the characters, both at work and home
take a new turn altogether as it is obviously far more dramatized
for television.
However, the Lipstick Jungle TV show portrays the characters in far
softer tones than in the novel: for example, in the book Nico (Kim
Raver) is a cut throat, career driven editor, she is extremely compassionate
on the show and shows more shades of grey than Victory (Lindsay Price)
or Wendy (Brooke Shields). Initially, I had assumed Brooke Shields
would be the biggest draw to watch the show but she isn't. The limelight
is entirely, and deservedly on Nico; and her affair with a photographer,
which she juggles with her staid and practically dead marriage without
batting an eyelid, and much to the dismay of her friends. |
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While
the show is being dogged with bad ratings and is currently on
hiatus, it does have the potential to pick up pace - given how
much interest the first season of the show received. One of
the issues is that the story often becomes clichéd in
a soap-worthy saga way: much like The Bold and the Beautiful.
If one looks at the shows that have become incredibly popular
in recent times; it is over-the-top fantasy like Heroes or down
to earth comedy such as How I Met Your Mother or Scrubs.
However, Candace Bushnell's ability to paint strong female characters
that are quirky, edgy and in a jetset mould is something that
has taken her a long way. Whether it is SATC's Carrie or Lipstick
Jungle's Wendy, Candace portrays the trials and tribulations
of women in a highly engaging way. And that has trickled down
to other authors. Shades of it can be seen in Lauren Weisberger's
(author of The Devil Wears Prada and Everyone Worth Knowing)
writing as well.
However,
Candace's refusal to acknowledge that the 'bonds of sisterhood'
can be broken is what has made her books irrelevant in this
day and age, where it is truly, each one for herself. And while
the televised show has not capitalized on the bonds that the
characters have and more on their individual
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Candace's book is still a must-read to get an insight into
these fascinating characters,
fascinating not for who they are but
what they represent: power in a lipstick (and high heeled!) jungle.
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