Last week I posted a list of mini-reviews to finish out 2011 — books I read but never formally wrote about for one reason or another. One of the books I missed was Priceless by Nicole Richie, which I read as part of a series of literary dares with a dear friend in Madison.
When I was doing some blog maintenance last week, I came across an un-posted “review” that I wrote soon after finishing Priceless (Yes, I did actually read the book!). Rather than let more than 1,100 words of bitter sarcasm go to waste, I turned the review into a post over at Book Riot that went up yesterday where I talked about the Not So Great Expectations Book Club and my thoughts on reading Richie.
Here’s a brief preview, a couple of disconnected paragraphs, which I hope will entice you to click on the link and read my rant in full:
It’s hard for me to express just how low my expectations for Priceless were. I don’t like celebrities or gossip or fashion or reading about beautiful people. I just find it… annoying. And I wasn’t expecting Richie to be a Great Writer or anything. I mean, all you have to do is look at the book cover to know how this book is being sold: the name of the author is about twice as big as the title of the book. This is a book By Nicole Richie… and that’s about the best thing going for it.
…
After Charlotte leaves New York to head to New Orleans, she’s immediately taken in by the woman who cared for her when she was a child. Charlotte worries that she’s only leaving New York with $5,000… how could she possibly survive on that, even when she’s crashing on a couch for FREE? When she goes out to “find a job,” she stumbles into a vintage clothing store and is immediately befriended by one of the most popular girls in New Orleans, the daughter of a rich family in the city. That night, they get dressed up and head to a club. But, it’s different! This time they’re decked out in sweet vintage clothes instead of current designer duds. See, Charlotte is CHANGING! For the better!
I have to admit, sometimes it’s fun to be bitchy and sarcastic about a book, especially when being bitchy isn’t going to hurt this book in any serious way.
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Sarcastic/snarky reviews are often the ones people enjoy best, I find! When a book deserves a thrashing it really can be fun to watch bloggers unleash! I congratulate you on your fortitude reading this one… One year as a gag gift I got a friend Richie’s other book, The Truth About Diamonds, but only because I found it for dirt cheap at a used bookstore. I also paired it with Jennifer Love Hewitt’s “The Day I Shot Cupid” self-help book… 😉
That is the best gag gift! So much love, I’m sure.
I’m going over to read this on Book Riot. I am kind of horrified/fascinated by the celebrity fiction writing thing. I get the celebrity memoir; we are obviously fascinated by celebrity lives and all you have to do is turn on the TV to know that. But fiction? I can’t understand why we wouldn’t rather read all the wonderful books, written by people who care about writing and books. But, it does somehow satisfy a kind of voyeurism as well.
I really, really don’t get the trend. Just because you are a celebrity, doesn’t mean you are good at everything or should spend time writing a book. That said, the voyeurism is part of it. It’s impossible to read this book and not wonder about Nicole Richie.
Oh look here another “I’m too cool cuz I hate celebs (especially those pesky reality starlets) wahh they get all the attention and yet I for some reason I find myself giving them more attention” oh goodie. Boy if you couldn’t be even more generic and cliched as a celebrity then let me know otherwise lol. Why even bother in the first place, especially with a book that came out in 2010 not in 2011, but of course one has to stop tyring to impress her high calibre’ know it all type of friends/readers/stans/ by dumping on easy targets in order to see that this is just wasting bandwith. Hell what makes you more better than the next celebrity yourself, can you answer that? SMH
Don’t like it? Don’t read this blog. But thanks for taking the time to comment.
Please tell me you know the commenter above. ‘Cause I’m sitting here thinking WTF??
Umm, I don’t think I do. Whatever 🙂
I’m with Jill…. and hehehehe to the review
Oh gee, I guess if one didn’t read this book already, it’s simply too late now!
I loved this! It is fun to be bitchy and snarky about a review, especially when there’s no chance the author will leave a nasty comment or send you a sad email!
Yes, very true. It’s not like Nicole Richie cares what I think or that anyone who reads this blog is going to be put off from reading the book just because I thought it was absurd.
I praise you for even picking this up, and even more for finishing it. For me, it would be right up there with a book written by Paris Hilton or one of the Kardashians. A few hours of my life I could never get back! I will have to check out the Not So Great Expectations book club, that sounds hilarious!
Oh goodness, I don’t know if I have it in me to read anything written by the Kardashians.
Wait – this isn’t memoir? She wrote a fiction story? Nice. Will you be reading Tyra Banks novel next?
Yep, fiction. But you really can’t tell that from the cover (or the model on the cover, which looks JUST like her). I think Raych read Modelland… I will leave that one to her 🙂
Oh, I love me some book snark — and your review did not disappoint! I love the idea of a Not So Great Expectations Book Club and feel like my sister and I could have a rollickin’ good time with something like that. There’s something perversely pleasurable about reading a truly horrible novel, you know? (Maybe that’s just my evil side peeking out from hiding.)
Yes, there definitely is. And it’s fun to think about why exactly you hated it, since I think a big part of me hating this one is because it’s about the kind of people I just find so damn annoying. I wouldn’t be opposed to reading other horrible books, they just need to be short 🙂