I think I found this when I was searching around for current fiction about New York City -- I had gone through everything Cheryl Mendelson wrote (e.g. Morningside Heights) and needed more. This was disappointing, but still strangely compelling. Boncompagni is an awkward writer (her characters rarely "say" anything; rather, they "chuckle" or "exclaim" or even "tsk"), and she tends to tell rather than show. Plus this is one of those chick-lit genres -- what's it called, name-brand fiction? -- where you not only know the color and cut of every item the heroine is wearing, but the designer and sometimes the price as well. (Is it a novel, or a catalog?) That said, this tale of a Manhattan socialite struggling to get back on the "A-list" is pure escapism, and the author knows how to keep us turning the pages. I really wanted the heroine to opt out of the whole who-can-be-a-size-zero game, "Sweet Potato Queen" style, but no -- she pretends, in the end, she's not playing by the rules, but that's because she's already won the prize. She may have ditched the Porsche, but she gets to keep the diamond solitaire earrings. Sigh. ( )

Lily is a fish out of water in New York society, with a witch of a mother-in-law, a distant husband, and an infant son. I've read many stories with this same kind of premise, and while this was not groundbreaking by any means, it was well written and the story moved quickly.

I did get tired of Lily not standing up for herself; she seemed so weak much of the time. But she does eventually grow a spine, and the book has a satisfying ending.

An enjoyable first novel. I'll be looking for this author's next work. ( )

Lily Bartholomew lived the sweet life. She was the ultimate “It” girl that everyone wanted to be seen with. That was about thirty pounds and a million diaper changes ago. Now Lily is married; recently gave birth to a healthy, happy boy named Will and can no longer fit into a size 2. Lily and her husband, Robert loves each other very much except for the other woman in the picture. This woman knows Robert inside and out, she’s rich and powerful as well as a force to be reckoned with and she’s causing havoc on Lily and Robert’s marriage. So just who is this woman? She is none other then Robert’s mother…Josephine. She is considered to be one of the creams of the crop women in New York’s high society.

Lily is ready to be back on top again. But it will be a long, windy and frustrating road ahead. Apparently though there are certain rules you need to be aware of if you are going to be an “It” girl in high society. They consist of being able to wear a size 2, owning all of the top designers clothing (but heaven forbid you have to pay full price for them), your worth is only as good as how many photographers want to take your picture and never ever call the beach “The Hamptons”.

The first thing I have to say about Gilding Lily is …….Fantastic, Bravo, Magnificent! I have not had so much fun and enjoyment from reading a book in a long time. Books like Gilding Lily only come around every once in a while and when they do they are a pleasure. You would think someone like Lily, who has lots of money, would be spoiled and annoying but she was neither. In fact she was very warm-hearted and caring, which made me fall in love with her as a character. Gilding Lily is a quick read. Author, Tatiana Boncompagni is dressed to impress with her first book Gilding Lily. I look forward to many more books from this great author. ( )

Lily Bartholomew has the dream life that most girls (not women, girls!) dream about. She met & married one of the most eligible bachelors in New York. She married into the Bartholomew family. With their trust funds & vacation homes, she is sure that her life will be nothing but "happy ever after".

But then reality sets in. She gets pregnant on their honeymoon. Her husband quits his job in her third trimester & her mother in law would rather see her dead than say anything positive to her or about her.

Flash forward a bit. The baby is five months old. She has not lost an ounce of the baby weight. Her husband STILL doesn't have a job. The debt is piling up fast. And when he decides to trade their sensible SUV in for a $97,000 Porsche. Lily is at her wits end. Will she ever lose the weight? Will things ever go back to the way they were before the baby? Will her Mother in Law ever treat her like a human being? Will they EVER pay off the debt they have accumulated?

Lily decides it is time to go back to work. Instead of writing about Hedge Funds she finds herself writing about the social elite that she so desperately wants to be a part of. And that is when the story really starts to get good.

I actually cried when I read this book. I felt so horrible for Lily so many times through out the story, that I just had to cry for her. Especially when dealing with her horrible, evil, wicked Mother in Law. And even worse when her husband took her Mother In Law's word over hers.

Somewhere in this tale of the New York High Society is the story of rocky relationships. The story of a woman fighting to be accepted by so many people. Her husband, her mother in law, & her "friends". It is a different kind of "coming of age" stories, but it is a story that you will find engaging & touching.

Gilding Lily is the story of Lily Grace, a reporter, who is engaged to lawyer Robert Barthlomew. Lily and Robert get married, Lily becoming pregnant on their honeymoon. Lily has her baby boy, Will, and he brings her much joy. Things are going well, then Robert quits his job and everything starts to fall apart...
This is the story of how Lily finds her way through being a first-time mom, a new marriage, and finding her own place in the world. She struggles with her mother-in-law, Josephine, and tries to restart her career as a reporter. Her marriage to Robert is falling apart mainly because her husband is a spoiled mama's boy who doesn't have a backbone. Why she stays with him is beyond me.
I found this book an enjoyable, easy read. The story was good and the characters were interesting. I did get frustrated with Lily and with how much crap she put up with from her husband and her mother-in-law. She struck me as being very weak and I wanted to knock some sense into her more than once. I look forward to more from this first-time author… ( )

Let me say right now that I've had this book finished for about two weeks now, and have had to force myself to write the review. It's not that the book is bad; it's just that it did nothing for me. That said, let me move on to the actual review.

Gilding Lily is the story of Lily, a woman from upper-middle class roots who is catapulted into the luxe (and back-stabbing) world of the New York elite when she marries a man of that class. Somewhere around the birth of her son, she loses her sense of self and self-worth, forgetting what it is to be a strong, independent woman instead of one of the sheep clamoring for attention and photos in all the trendy magazines.

I had to fight to pick Gilding Lily up each time I put it down. When I had the book in my hand, I didn't necessarily want to put it down - that is, I didn't have to fight to read it - but honestly, if I hadn't had an obligation to read & review it (I received the book as an ARC - Advanced Reader's Copy - with the understanding it was in exchange for a review of the book), I would have put it down after the first 50-100 pages and never picked it back up.

Gilding Lily is (mostly) well-written. There were a few instances where at the end of a chapter the author hinted at something which was going to happen, and I expected that hint to be expanded upon in the next chapter only to be disappointed, finding that the chapter in question had moved on to an entirely different scene or issue in Lily's life.

So, in all, I'm giving the book 2.5 stars. I personally did not enjoy the book, but that was because of the subject matter rather than the quality of the book. I'm sure someone else, who is more into "chick lit" and the lives of the rich, shallow, and famous would enjoy it immensely. ( )

I absolutely adored this book. When I got my first look at the cover, I was a little unsure (yes, I am one of THOSE people – I have been known to occasionally base my first impression of a book by its cover). However, in this case, I am glad that I took the time to read the first few sentences of the chapter, because as soon as I did, I was hooked.

Gilding Lily, by first time author, Tatiana Boncompagni has all of the elements needed to make it a compulsive read. The storyline is set in the world of the ridiculously rich – and is populated by its own particular brand of characters, which you will (mostly) love to hate. There are also deliciously written scenes of over-indulgence, sweet romantic moments and lots of gossip and cattiness!!!

Our main character Lily, who was not born into a world of privilege, but does aspire to it, marries the love of her life and vows to become ‘one of them’ – except that she never quite succeeds. Indeed, saddled with a mother in law who despises her, a husband who lives on his trust fund and has never quite understood that he needs to let go of the apron strings, a brand new baby (not to mention the baby fat and the baby vomit) as well as a bunch of socialites who laugh at her behind her back, Lily feels lost and lonely and hatches a plan to “re-invent” herself and to prove, once and for all, that she is worthy of this high-society life. Just as Lily is finally starting to feel appreciated and accepted, she will come face to face with Emily who will do absolutely anything to get into the same world Lily is now happily living in. I found the character of Emily to be a great addition to the storyline. She is the trigger that will help Lily take a good look at herself and her priorities – she acts as a mirror for Lily and will be a big part of Lily’s growing up (finally!) process and will help her discover what is truly important for her.

What makes this book so interesting, to me, is that none of the characters (with the possible exception of baby Will) are particularly likeable and this includes Lily. The author has chosen to create Lily with a very interesting mixture of good and bad which I found absolutely riveting. You can feel Lily’s inner-struggle, on one hand despising the world she is in, but at the same time, desperately craving to be part of it. At times, she can be almost as catty and horrible as her circle of “Restylane-plumped, laser-resurfaced friends” while simultaneously, proving herself to be a wonderful mother, friend and loving wife. Lily is definitely a dichotomy and I kept reading avidly to find out exactly where Lily would land. This character was truly well constructed and fleshed out and set the tone for the entire storyline.

I also thoroughly enjoyed the relationship between Lily and her husband, Robert. At times, I was not sure which of the two I wanted to smack more – and I found myself shouting at both of them to grow up, but this just added to my pleasure in reading this book.

The writing style flows gracefully and there is not one word out of place. Absolutely charming, authentic and extremely difficult to put them….un petit péché mignon!!! ( )

Sometimes getting what you dream about can become a nightmare. At least that is Lily’s experience in this engaging, fun, and fast-paced novel. Gilding Lily tells the story of a young woman from a middle class background who marries into an established, wealthy family in New York City. Her romance with Robert Bartholomew, which brought her swiftly into society as one of New York’s “It girls,” rivals any Disney Princess story. Only for Lily, her wedding day didn’t signal a victory over a vicious step-mother or blood thirsty dragon. It was only then that her nemesis came out into the full light of day - Josephine Bartholomew, her mother-in-law.

Lily’s time in limelight in New York’s social scene ended as quickly as it began. She became pregnant before the ink was dry on her marriage license. Along with baby came Robert’s career crisis. By the time Will is a few months old, Lily hadn’t lost a pound of her baby weight, is having trouble making ends meet on the income from her husband’s trust, and is lonely and miserable. Robert, without the prospect of a job in sight, spends his days networking with his mother or playing squash at the club. At night he’s often out escorting Josephine to social events. Finally, after a particularly heated argument about the two Ms (money and mother-in-law), Lily decides to go back to work. Her talented writing, her connections, and her knack for getting stories other reporters could only dream of provide Lily with an opportunity to return to New York’s socialite scene. Soon she has to decide if getting the story, becoming a socialite in her own right, and, perhaps, earning her mother-in-law’s respect is worth the risk of losing the man she loves.

From the first chapter where we meet Lily tripping on the hem of couture dress on her way to gala, I was drawn in to the book. I got so involved in the characters that by the end I could hardly put the book down. In fact, if it were not for this book I might never have discovered that I have an unusual talent for reading a paperback while curling my hair and drinking the morning’s first Diet Coke. This novel revolves around New York’s elite, but the highly competitive animosity that often exists between women is universal. When push comes to shove, women are often our own worst enemies. So, where there is a group of women you will usually find a catty woman like Di or a Morgan who is trying to undermine everyone else to insure her position. When your disapproving mother-in-law is the queen bee of that social set, eventually all hell will break lose. As much fun as it is to watch the fur fly, you’ll be hoping along with Lily that having a happy family with Robert really isn’t too good to be true.

Boncompagni’s writing, which is smooth and easy to read, is what really made this book for me. So often when reading chick lit I get the impression that the author thinks nothing about the readers beyond the dollar signs. When reading Gilding Lily, you can sense the pride that Boncompagni has in her work. If this first novel is any indication of what is to come, hers will be a career to follow. ( )