The stories of three powerful working women in their early 40s are woven together in Candace Bushnell’s latest novel, Lipstick Jungle. Executives, wives, girlfriends, mistresses, mothers and best friends, these ladies are the essence of talented hard-working women at the top of the fields. The novel tells the story of each character-a movie producer, a fashion designer and a magazine editor-as they encounter manners of the heart, issues with motherhood, discrimination in the workforce and of course, their own conscience. This novel draws the reader in and entices with more, especially because the chapters skip from the voice of one character to another while still revolving around the same storyline. This structure allows the readers to get into minds and thoughts of the characters, adding an almost movie-like dynamic to the novel.
Similar to Bushnell’s worldly famous Sex and the City, these ladies find strength within themselves and within each other throughout the course of their turmoil, sending a strong message to all women: It is possible to be successful, married and a mother. Leave it to Bushnell to continue to write interesting, thought-provoking novels about women without allowing her characters to be too wrapped in sex and men.
Joanna Davila can be contacted at j.davila1@umiami.edu.