"Sex and the City" author Candace Bushnell's follow-up to her (IMO less worthy) "Four Blondes" centers on tarty Janey Wilcox's continuing attempts to climb the societal ladder by using relationships to vault her into the coveted circles of New York's elite and an advantageous marriage.

Most readers will probably either love or hate this book. Janey has only persistence as a redeeming quality and is completely self-absorbed. Initially, I was so irritated by her character I could hardly enjoy Bushnell's writing for itself. However, as the months passed I found myself still thinking about it.

Reading it once again, I belatedly recognized the biting satire I originally assumed was meant to be taken at face value. Bushnell takes some of the worst female vices and uses her stories to ridicule them. Like Margaret Atwood (love!) or Borat (hate!), I realized that this can be appreciated more as art and less as chick literature.

Do not read this book if you don't enjoy such an approach. If you're unsure, go to the library and test-drive it first. This book is not funny, uplifting, or light reading. The style is choppy and you may want to read "Four Blondes" first for some background plot. BUT if you like books that are quirky, provocative, and artsy, this is definitely for you.