Maneater

Money-loving socialite Clarissa Alpert has had sex with nearly ever man (single or not, straight or not) in the greater Los Angeles area. Now, at age 31 (but pretending to be age 28), Clarissa has decided to settle down with the latest and greatest new producer in town, Aaron Mason. Just as soon as she actually meets him…

I recall hearing a lot of buzz about this book when it first came out a few years back, and I read a couple of reviews that pegged the book as an intellectual, satiric form of chick lit. Well, I do have to say it was not nearly as predictable as so many other chick lit books, and I did chuckle here and there over a particularly witty remark. And then there were passages like this one:

“She drank it, and almost laid a show more brick right in the middle of foreplay. Oral foreplay. … what Clarissa learned from the entertainment attorney: Never drink Dieter’s Tea before sex. Never. … Her mother was addicted to the hideous brown, bark-tasting liquid; she drank it three times a day. Once Clarissa had convinced her mother to stop drinking the foul tea; her bowels got so badly backed up, Clarissa had to rush her to the hospital so a dashing Indian intern could stick a long, dark finger up her mother’s tiny, crepey butt. Clarissa subverted her own rules (don’t date anything that can’t get you into the VIP section of a premiere or table seven at Mr. Chow) and had three dates with the intern until realizing, on the traditional third-date screw, his dick had the circumference of a number two pencil. She was hoping he’d be a ‘Grower, not a Shower,’ to no avail. The shock was so great that Clarissa retired, staying home every night for a month, with only Oreos, Red Bull and vodka, and her Bunny Ears vibrator to keep her company” (pp. 10-11).

Yeah. So there’s that, and a whole lot of similarly crass passages throughout, although the writing style did seem to get ever so slightly less crass as the book progressed. However, as the book progressed, the writing style became less satiric (if that’s really what we want to call the first half) and more farcical. Probably my biggest issue, however, is that the protagonist is a shallow, juvenile, selfish, self-absorbed, deceitful, manipulative human being throughout the first half of the book. After some hardships are thrown her way, she gains only the smallest modicum of decency. With all the actual problems there are in the world, I couldn’t care all that much for a person whose issues arose from her own conniving ways. On the plus side, the book is light and fast and in that respect, was a welcome change from the more depressing books I’ve been reading lately. Still, it’s not really enough for me to recommend this book. show less

I absolutely adored this book with its herione who gets the tables turned on her. While she is shallow, it only makes what follows even more funny. It is the story of what happens when you let your wants and expectations go and just let yourself fall in love. I love that it ends up happy even though for a while, you don't see how it possibly can. It is a quick read and completely enjoyable.

The main character was too superficial and just plain unlikeable, while I could not relate to any part of the plot. She is a rich snob who never had to live in the real world, when she learns she is being cut off from the family money. She comes up with a plot to marry a rich man but there are more twists and turns in store for her. There were a few redeeming bits here and there which is why it didn't get just one star, but overwhelmingly it wasn't great.

I picked this along with The Starter Wife to see how the book compared to the USA miniseries. Sadly, I did not think either book was worthwhile. The main character in Maneater was annoying and superficial. The main character was planning a wedding between her and her love interest well before they had a first date - what couldn't be more intriguing? I did not think the book executed this well. I had expected more battle between the sexes and the wedding to occur far later in the book. It occurred halfway through the book, and the rest of it just got weirder and unbelievable.

I was a little disappointed in this book. The first Grazer book I read was Rescue Me, which took a serious stand on social issues and had a very coherent plot line. Maneater, on the other hand, is very much fluff. Worse than that (for me) the plot line was shaky.