I read this book on a recommendation, and enjoyed it (though not as much as I had hoped to before reading). Readers familiar with The Nanny Diaries and The Devil Wears Prada will recognize the basic plot: crazy boss gradually turns down to earth employee a little insane before employee remembers she is a good person and makes a break to follow her heart. Claire Truman lands a fabulous job working for a famous publisher Vivian Grant (a thinly disguised Judith Regan) only to discover that her new boss is certifiable. Assistants rarely last a month, editors are subject to profanity-laden tirades, and books are almost a sideline at the publishing house. Add in a troubled relationship with her fiance, and you have all the makings of a bestseller.The book is well written, and I enjoyed the inside dirt on the world of publishing (though I recommend Olivia Goldsmith's The Bestseller if you want more focus on the publishing end). All in all, this was an enjoyable book club read, and worth a 3.5 star rating. ( )

Enjoyable satire on the publishing world. However, a little too fluffy and unrealistic. Despite complaining about her tyranical boss at every turn, it seemed like everything fell into the Claire's lap from her boyfriend to her job.[return][return]The prologue made me keep reading just to guess who Claire would end up with. ( )

I really have to knock it off with the chick-lit. It’s been years (I think) since I’ve read anything so vapid. It was like eating a twinkie; afterwards I felt empty and kind of sick. What possessed me I have no idea. Some masochistic intention no doubt. This was a clone of The Devil Wears Prada except set in the book publishing world instead of fashion magazines. Since it is based on Judith Regan, a woman I know of loosely, I thought it would have more insight into how that business is run, albeit by a psychopath. Alas, all I got was gossip and innuendo. I guess Bridie wasn’t up for a law suit.

This book goes where you’d expect it to go. Claire is dazzled by her ultra-rich, ultra-gorgeous, ultra-nice boyfriend at first, but as she gets to know Luke, she starts to wonder if Randall is Mr. Right after all. Of course we know he isn’t, but she’s so taken by the fancy dinners, the jewelry, the private jet and the deluxe apartment in the sky that she can’t see until literally minutes before her impending wedding that it is wrong. Randall is told and is grateful of all things.

On the career front, at first Claire is the apple of Vivian’s eye. She’s spared from the unbelievable rancor which spews from her mouth at every opportunity. One can hardly imagine that a human being has the energy for 24-hour hatred and venom, but apparently Vivian has it in spades. Eventually this wears thin and Claire quits in a dramatic scene at Luke’s coming out party. The last few months at Grant Publishing were only spent there to ensure that Luke’s book would indeed get published. Vivian threatened her with pulling it at every turn. And at his moment of triumph, Vivian used the party as a platform for getting herself more PR and belittling his work and Claire’s. That was the straw that finally broke the camel’s back.

Through all of it of course, Claire has super friends to get her through despite ignoring them for half the novel. Of course none of them could see the inappropriateness of Randall either. Some of which I couldn’t really understand. Suck. It. Up. So he’s not perfect. Who cares? Sometimes you just have to take what is best and give up the frigging princess with the castle and the knight bullshit. Love exists in more forms that just that hackneyed daytime soap.

Of course there is no real comeuppance for Vivian, just as there wasn’t for the ghastly harpy in The Devil Wears Prada and it’s the same emotional dead end. We spend so much time hating this woman and craving for her demise that when it doesn’t come and all we’re left with is some sappy romance between Claire and Luke, it is a horriblely frustrating letdown. I wanted satisfaction. I wanted her to be taken down the whole ladder, never mind several pegs. But no, I got zilch.

Please let this be the last time I succumb to chick-lit. ( )

Very similar to The Devil Wears Prada, but in the book industry instead of fashion. The author once worked for Judith Regan and one assumes that's where the boss from hell impetus came from. I actually liked this book better than Devil. Yes, it is predictable, and yes it seems like once the author got to the last chapter or two she was pooped and so decided to wrap it up quickly. However, I enjoyed the read. ( )

What would you endure to have everything you’ve ever dreamed of? In her first novel, Because She Can, Bridie Clark tackles the classic “overcoming adversity and cruel boss” trope, only she does it with tasteful flair and laugh-out-loud humor. Claire Truman’s job is in jeopardy, her latest love interest turned out to be as much of a loser as the rest, and her best friend wants to drag her to a high society function when she’d rather sit on her couch and indulge in the deliciously cliché week-long obligatory break-up mope. After playing the socialite at the opening of an art gallery, Claire’s life changes almost over night: she starts dating the very eligible bachelor Randall Cox (her college crush and previously dubbed “Pabst Blue Ribbon” by the friends) who sweeps her into the upper crust, and she takes a job with the a big name publishing house as an editor for the infamous Vivian Grant, rumored to be the most dangerous woman in publishing. After warnings from her mentor, family, friends, and colleagues, Claire weighs the potential benefits of doing her time at Grant Books and decides that career advancement in the competitive world of publishing is worth whatever Grant can throw at her. In the mean time, Claire’s romance with Randall Cox moves on fast forward toward happily ever after—or so everyone thinks.

Because She Can certainly sets itself apart among the recently repopularized “boss is evil” genre, but this novel is not about glorifying the cruelty of an employer so much as it is about the strength, intelligence, and internal resilience of a woman able to capitalize on any opportunity presented to her—no matter how overwhelming. Whatever you do, don’t let “Villainous Boss Malaise” keep you from this novel; if you do, you’ll miss the differences that make this novel stand out so successfully—in fact, you’ll miss the entire point. The heroine, Claire Truman, is not a naive greenhorn suddenly thrust into the scary world of executive business with a boss who Torquemada would applaud—she’s an smart professional who accepts a job with a rumored tyrant with open eyes, and knowingly prepares herself for exactly twelve months of exhaustion, late hours, and psychological abuse all with the knowledge that regardless of the questionable stability of her boss, her term with Grant Books will further her career in ways that a lateral move in the field never could. Vivian Grant and her eccentrically cruel behavior are catalysts for story progression, true, but Claire’s careful navigation through her balancing act between advancing in a career and thriving relationship is what makes this story and these characters so addictive. Claire dives in and learns everything she possibly can—good and bad—from Vivian Grant and her colleagues at Grant Books, while other heroines in this genre spend the length of a novel overcoming self esteem issues in regards to their career, body image, and personal worth. Clark’s heroine recognizes her own potential before she accepts the position and even squares off with her future boss over her initial contract offer (much higher than Grant actually expected to pay out). Because She Can isn’t a how-to guide on how to weather abuse for the good of your career—it’s a treatise on knowing when enough is enough, in both the career and social worlds, and acting on it.

Bridie Clark gives us a novel that is as much about deftly handling potentially explosive female working relationships as it is about translating those skills in a personal setting. Not only refreshing in its approach, Because She Can is genuinely funny and inspirational. Clark’s Characters are memorable and carefully written to project their distinct personalities, and yet are so recognizable that it becomes difficult for readers not to see their own coworkers and friends in these roles. Each character—even odious Vivian Grant—is accessible. Because She Can manages to convey an uplifting message of self confidence and risk taking without bludgeoning the audience over the head—not an easy task in today’s sound bite culture.

~Review by D.M. Papuga
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