This book was absolutely hilarious. I've read it at least three times and each time makes me laugh. If you're looking for something with a little edge to it, this is for you! Bitter is most definitely the new black!

Opening Sentence: '…"Camille said you stole a bag from a homeless guy"...'

This is a very hard book to review, have really mixed feelings about it. The sub-title is 'Confessions of a Condescending, Egomaniacal, Self-Centered Smart ass,Or, Why You Should Never Carry A Prada Bag to the Unemployment Office' and in this sense the author hold nothing back. You want to slap her and hug her all at the same time. She would describe herself as straightforward - I think at times she verges on down right malicious, and of course you are only hearing her side of the story.

I am not sure that I like her as a person - she certainly would be exhausting to have as a friend. Jen is a selfish, unsympathetic character but son the odd occasion when she was saying the things she was saying - I have to admit that I agreed with her - just wouldn't have the guts to say them myself. Mind you this was the very odd occasion, more often my mouth dropped to the floor in horror over what she was saying and doing.

Her boyfriend (then husband) Fletch stood by her, mostly letting her get on with it - ignoring the constant tantrums, and shopping expeditions. When he put his foot down though, and he did, Jen listened. Then Jen loses her high paying job, and Fletch loses his, times got really tough. I really admired how they stuck together and supported one another.

So what did I like about this novel? Jen had to learn some hard lessons and rearrange her priorities. She learned not to blow thousands of dollars on senseless things, and learned some respect for menial jobs, and she kept on fighting the system, uncowed, even when at the bottom of despair. However the experience didn't change who she was inside, and you could see that Miss 'high and mighty' was still there lurking and the self serving princess would be back as soon as the good times return.

There were several laugh out loud moments which saved the book - the highlight of these being her wedding; held in Las Vegas, where, unfortunately a porn convention (sorry - Adult Entertainment Expo) was being held at the same time. The only time in the book where her insistence on being the centre of attention was justified.

So what didn't I like - well a lot to be honest - Jen is a very selfish cow of a woman. I am not sure what she feels gives her the right to speak her mind whenever she wants. Yes, some people in the world are rude and horrible - but what if we all gave voice to our opinions whenever we felt like it? In a sense she is an utter bully. If I worked with her - I certainly would never trust her. Those who live by the sword - die by the sword, as evidenced by her friend selling her out over a job by pointing out how Jen had stupidly written how horrible and organisation was on her blog - then went for a job there. Hello!!!!!

I won't read any more of her books. ( )

Wonderful memoir from a woman who says what we would all love to say. ( )

We all know the Divas of the Workplace -- they're usually easy to spot. Whether you work in a chain store, a restaurant or an office, Power Women permeate every cell of the place. Jen Lancaster was one of these ladies -- intense and hard-working but also intensely spoiled. Not very many years out of college, she'd already landed a six-figure job as an associate vice president at an investment research firm in Chicago, where she lived with her long-time boyfriend Fletch.

Jen is a self-proclaimed narcissist, so we can't hold any of her hubris against her -- or so we're told. She's beautiful, rich and important, a lethal combination for any numbskulls who make the mistake of crossing her . . . or just crossing in her path. Life carries along just fine for Ms. Lancaster -- filled to the brim with expensive shoes, clothing and an enviable lifestyle -- until the economy begins to tank around 2001. Now I'm not all about the corporate lingo, but anyone could see terms like "merger" and "lay-offs" were going to spell disaster for our heroine. When she finds the ax has come down, she's been efficiently chopped out of her comfortable life, possibly forever.

Bitter Is The New Black: Confessions Of A Condescending, Egomaniacal, Self-Centered Smartass, Or, Why You Should Never Carry A Prada Bag To The Unemployment Office, aside from bearing one of the longest subtitles I've ever seen, is a hilarious, often poignant look at Jen's fall from grace -- and her eventual reckoning with who she once was in order to change.

Jen is larger than life, a bit crass but always truthful, and I absolutely loved the fact that she was honest with herself and about herself. Bitter Is The New Black is really her journey out of corporate life and into a whole new life -- one as a writer. But way beyond that, it's about a serious paradigm shift -- yes, I just used the work paradigm, who's pretentious now? -- that forces her to reclassify everything in her life that's important. Suddenly the purchase of a $6,500 couch that once seemed life or death for Jen is seen as a terrible, terrible misuse of funds (thank goodness they didn't really buy it). When unemployment checks begin to run out for both she and Fletch, all the dollars dropped on those Kate Spade bags and designer clothes? A waste. When you can't pay your electricity and face constant harrassment from your landlord about getting behind on rent, living hand-to-mouth, nothing in your life can be the same.

Because things get bad for Jen and Fletch. Scary bad. Knot-in-my-stomach bad. They were never in danger of losing a roof over their head -- they always had Jen's parents in Indiana to fall back on -- but they were definitely in some hot water. And it was only through their perserverance and ability to stick together that brought them through that.

Oh, and because Jen is one wickedly hilarious writer.

Bloggers in particular will appreciate Jen's riches-to-rags-to-riches story, mostly because everything turned around after her blog Jennsylvania began to take off. Much like Julie Powell of Julie & Julia fame, we see the power of the Internet -- and the written word -- in action.

If you're looking for a funny read with a very healthy dash of comeuppances mixed into articulate but chatty prose, Jen Lancaster is your best bet. Laurie Notaro is still my reigning Queen of the Hilarious Memoir, but I'm totally willing to invite Lancaster to court. ( )

I was skeptical at first. I wanted to dislike Jen. But even at here worst moments I found her honesty refreshing. Her self-deprecating humor made me laugh and I was really rooting for her by the end. This was one of those books that you read in one sitting, because you can't bear to put it down. ( )