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The Glamorous (Double) Life of Isabel Bookbinder by Holly McQueen
By Rita Cook
First-time author Holly McQ-ueen offers a fresh voice on a more than popular fiction genre these days - "chic lit." McQueen's character, Isabel Book-binder is quite the spellbinding and hilarious young lady with some noting she is the funniest, quirkiest and most heart-catching heroine since Bridgett Jones.
In the book "The Glamorous (Double) Life of Isabel Bookbinder," McQueen introduces readers to young Isabel Bookbinder a 27-year-old woman on the brink of literary superstardom. Well, at least she thinks she is except for one minor flaw, she hasn't written a book yet. However, duly noted she doesn't exactly have time but the question is most definitely ask, "Why wouldn't an epic bodice-ripping romance set in the sexy world of competitive horse-jumping hit all the bestseller lists?"
The book is set in London and Isabel works at the Saturday Mercury Newspaper. As the story begins she has a disinterested boyfriend, a mother who loves clothes that always match and a father who never believes she does good enough.
That said, Isabel is a go-to kind of girl and with that it does not take her long to acquire some of the better attributes she needs as a woman, the perfect look (ala cashmere tracksuit and lots of mascara), a new relationship (at least promising) with a literary agent named Joe Madison and finally, a mentor. However, not just any mentor, but the amazing and glamorous author Katriona de Montford, who might be eccentric, but is still a mentor no less.
A good part of the book outlines the events that begin to happen at the Montfort mansion with the main event being someone stealing Isabel's manuscript as she is writing it, And, even though she doesn't want to think so, something is not right as the story continues to unravel. An optimistic sort, Isabel looks up and down and around at the issue, but keeps her spirits high until it is almost too late and she is forced to stop her glamorous double life from spinning out of control from all the chaos, but can she do it before it is too late.
At her day job meanwhile, Isabel too might be measuring her newspaper column inches, but that is all about to change as she puts herself smack dab in the news when she exposes a political scandal thus landing the paparazzi on her parent's doorstep. Her name becomes famous too, but not for the right reasons. Damage control needed.
Indeed, McQueen has certainly created a spellbinding little character in Isabel Bookbinder with an irresistible story and narration to go along in just the right amount. Isabel never gives up her dream to become a world-famous novelist and her sunny confidence, upbeat optimism and quirkiness gets her both into and out of the direst sticky situations, and a nice heroine is discovered as the story unravels.
Compared to Sophie Kinsella's Shopaholic books with a bit of Bridget Jones thrown in, new author McQueen has done a good job on this first time around noting she has wanted to be a writer since discovering that the nuns at her elementary school would let her skip math class if she wrote a story instead. A few detours ensued in law, magazine journalism and musical theatre before she began writing "The Glamorous (Double) Life of Isabel Bookbinder."
Indeed, good writing, an interesting character and a lot of situations keeps "The Glamorous (Double) Life of Isabel Bookbinder" rolling right along. Even with 32 chapters and an epilogue, this book is a quick read either for the beach or on an airplane, but do expect to want more even after the fun is over.