I was curious to see how Kriegman was going
to bring Audrey into modern times, and into YA. This book has an interesting “flavor”
to it.
Title: ‘Being Audrey Hepburn’
Author: Mitchell Kriegman
Pages: 366
Publisher: St. Martins Griffin
Available: NOW at your local library or
bookstore
Source: Netgalley
Lisbeth
comes from a broken home in the land of tube tops, heavy eyeliner, frosted
lip-gloss, juiceheads, hoop earrings and “the shore.” She has a circle of
friends who have dedicated their teenage lives to relieve the world of all its
alcohol one drink at a time.
Obsessed with everything Audrey Hepburn, Lisbeth is transformed when she secretly tries on Audrey’s iconic Givenchy. She becomes who she wants to be by pretending to be somebody she’s not and living among the young and privileged Manhattan elite. Soon she’s faced with choices that she would never imagine making – between who she’s become and who she once was.
In the tradition of The Nanny Diaries and The Devil Wears Prada, this is a coming of age story that all begins with that little black dress…
Obsessed with everything Audrey Hepburn, Lisbeth is transformed when she secretly tries on Audrey’s iconic Givenchy. She becomes who she wants to be by pretending to be somebody she’s not and living among the young and privileged Manhattan elite. Soon she’s faced with choices that she would never imagine making – between who she’s become and who she once was.
In the tradition of The Nanny Diaries and The Devil Wears Prada, this is a coming of age story that all begins with that little black dress…
My Thoughts:
First, let me say that the Goodreads
description is interesting because this is not how I would describe this book,
at all. That first paragraph especially just doesn’t seem to fit. This
description would not sell me to want to read this book.
Do you know what would? Having the idea of a dress transforming the life of a girl. A girl who wants nothing out of life but to not end up like her mom. Or her sister. Or her brother. This is a girl who sees possibility in all things Audrey Hepburn.
This is also a girl with connections.
Lisbeth’s best friend works at The Met, and she just happens to have access to
a Givenchy dress worn by Audrey Hepburn in ‘Breakfast at Tiffanys.’
This friend, Jess, allows Lisbeth to try on
the dress. I mean, how can she not? Lisbeth is completely obsessed with all
things Hepburn, and Jess is her best friend. But when Jess is in danger of
being discovered by her boss, she shoos Lisbeth into a party being held at the
museum, and this thrusts Lisbeth into a life she could only have dreamed.
And while I could argue it is the dress
that changes her life, it really isn’t. It is a chance encounter in a bathroom
with a pop star who has had too much to drink and is sick in the bathroom.
Lisbeth shows her kindness, and this pop star is what thrusts Lisbeth into the “high
life.” The little black dress just allowed Lisbeth to “look” the part.
But there are family secrets being kept, and
Lisbeth cannot sustain her lifestyle much longer. She is neglecting family,
friends, and her own life to live it up with a crowd not meant to have her.
The question is: will her secret be found
out?
What drives this book is not the story
itself but Lisbeth. She is what kept me reading, even in parts where I was
disconnecting. This is a girl who is searching for her own independence, but
she is struggling because her mom wants one life for her and she wants a
different one—not sure what life she wants yet, but that’s normal. Lisbeth
seeks solace in her closet, and this is where her love for Audrey Hepburn is
truly revealed. She relishes her closet time, with her laptop and her Hepburn
film collection.
Lisbeth shines the most as a character when
she is with her own kind. I did not buy her time with the socialites; it made
her seem fake and uncaring. But when she is on the page with her best friend
Jess, even with her family, she is more relatable and feels more real.
As for the plot, I found it an interesting
idea. There were a couple of plot twists that I thought were interesting, and I
really enjoyed the idea of a little black dress transforming someone’s life,
but maybe in a different way.
I found the pacing of the novel to be a bit
slow, and then it would pick up, and then slow down again. The final pay off
was worth hanging in there.
Do I recommend this book?
I
do, but with reservation to those who are looking for a book to hook them. This
is not that novel. This novel is more geared towards established readers. I don’t
see traditional non-readers staying hooked in the plot, but they may connect
with Lisbeth as a character.
What’s the best realistic
fiction novel you’ve read lately?
Happy Reading!
- The Hodgenator
Thanks for the honest review and for pointing out the fact that the blurb doesn't do a great job of defining the book. Your description certainly did a lot more to hook me than the book's own summary!
ReplyDeleteIf I had read the Goodreads description, I probably would not pick up this book. Whoever wrote it needs to go back and edit it because I didn't feel it really matched the book at all.
ReplyDeleteThanks for stopping by.
Happy Reading!