Envy - by Coleen Nolan

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ENVY: Chic-Lit, Urban Fantasy, Fiction. 

AUTHOR: Ms. Coleen Nolan (48), is UK's popular TV presenter and a panelist on ITV's Loose Women. She is also known as a runner up in the Celebrity Big Brother 2010 and was also an active singer in her Band - The Nolans. She also writes an Agony Aunt column in Daily Mirror and is infamous for her outrageously flirty behaviour. 

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BEST SELLER(S): Upfront & Personal (Autobiography, 2009), Mum to Mum - Happy Memories and Honest Advices from a Real Mum (2010) and Envy (2010).

SUMMARY: 

In the glamorous world of television, 

no one is quite who they seem...

Television favourite, Karen King has enough on her plate. She's already torn between her cheating husband and the sexy much younger man she's just met. But life's about to get a lot more complicated for the presenter of the late night hit show Girl Talk. 

EXCERPT: 

Best Friends Make the Deadliest Enemies.

'Hello! And welcome to Girl Talk!' Julia purred. 'Settle back for your nightly dose of the best news from the best of friends.' She paused and shot a dazzling smile at the others as the director cut to a close-up of Lesley, ever the professional, smiling back despite her pounding head.

Karen King gazed at the women on the either side of her and braced herself for another hour of fake friendship played out in front of millions.

MSM Speaks: You can happily strangle me once you recover from the pink haze I am throwing at you! ^_^ 

Ahem! So yes, prior to Envy I had no idea who Coleen Nolan was and when I did try to dig something, I found out she was no less than a mixture of our lovely actors (certain Ms. Queen-erawat and Ms. Rakhibandhan). Excuse the jibe. I was asked to pick this one up to see the character of Karen King, who also is the protagonist of the book. 

The book deals with the usual, dirt below the carpet reality of the television (fashion/film/modelling - just replace) industry. Karen King dapples with her weight issues, a flighty husband whom she divorces and also with the success that she seems to be gaining suddenly. There are also her co-presenters on Girl Talk and real life "friends" - Julia Hill, Lesley Gold, Faye Cole and Cheryl West. 

Julia Hill being the oldest (Oops. The most experienced) and a yesteryear A-Lister Celebrity in her younger days is always bossy. She deals with ill-effects of Botox and heavy handedness,making herself many unnamed enemies. Lesley Gold is always drunk, trying to outdo her feeling of loneliness and lack of love. Faye and Cheryl have a thing going on, where Faye lacks the guts to come out of the closet - being married to a local superhero Army Guy. Cheryl is her own person and I really appreciated the portrayal of her character in the book.

The book deals with all these women's stories running in parallel and interconnecting at various points.  Karen's character is portrayed with realistic grey shades, but the writer, in order to make her look like the hero, has made her behaviour a bit unrealistic - too naive and sweet, for someone who is in the TV industry. Secrets of all the women are revealed in the due course of the book and unsavoury vengeances take place between the so-called friends. It does get pathetic at some places, however the twists towards the end made me sit on the edge of my chair. It also shows that no matter where you stand in the fight, if you stand up for yourself, eventually you will come clean - as a winner. 

Plus point for that one. If you have some time to spare for a light, bitchy read. Pick this one up. 

My rating: 2/5 (FL can Laugh at me, as always. Please someone gift me good books!) 

Envy by Coleen Nolan @Pan Books (2010)

ISBN 9780330516983

Price: INR 248/- (flipkart)

Pages: 336