Saturday 17 October 2015

Beauty - Louise Mensch


Blend it. Sculpt it. Shape it. Use it...
There isn't a woman on earth who doesn't have her beauty secrets. But for Dina Kane, beauty is more than just business. It's power. And it is the secret. She's dragged herself up from poverty to Park Avenue. She's rolled with the punches. And she's learned how to win.
Now someone is out to destroy her, and all she's built. They've underestimated Dina Kane. She's staying at the top - and she's happy to wait for the perfect moment to exact her revenge..

What did I think?

My god-sister posted a photo of this on Twitter and I was like one of the ladies in the store where Dina worked, rushing to get my hands on a jar of Meadow cream - I just had to read it, so I raced to the library to pick up a copy.

I absolutely raced through this book, it was so fast paced and full of life that I didn't want to put it down.  From the beginning when Dina is born and is unwanted and unloved by her parents I was hooked.  She has a very good relationship with her brother, Johnny, despite him getting all the love and opportunities from her parents.  So Dina grows up, leaves home and makes her own opportunities!

Dina has a difficult time in Manhattan as she has no college education and because of her natural beauty, people try to take advantage of her.  She works her way up from being a waitress to a coffee shop manager and it is here that she meets Edward.  Edward is with a group of friends who are taunting Dina and Edward apologises for their actions, so Dina agrees to go out on a date with him. Unfortunately for Dina, Edward is not all that he seems but even more unfortunate for Edward, Dina is not afraid to take her revenge.

This incident only makes Dina grow stronger, as she makes money by flipping property and using her knowledge of beauty products to expand quiet dingy stores into heaving places to be.  Simmering away in the background is Edward, in the style of Chuck Bass from Gossip Girl, seething at Dina's success and plotting his own revenge, with devastatingly tragic consequences.

What a brilliant book, I can't believe I haven't read any Louise Bagshawe/Louise Mensch books before but if they are all of this standard then Beauty won't be my last!  If you loved Gossip Girl, you'll love this book, although be warned that Edward is way nastier than Chuck! I was transported to Manhattan, browsed in the Green Apothecary, and queued in Times Square enjoying every moment with the fabulous Dina Kane!

My rating:




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