Rating: 
Summary: "Maneater" spits it out
Review: Gigi Levangie Grazer's "Maneater" is the evil sister of "Sex and the City." It tries hard to turn into some sort of glitzy Hollywood morality tale wrapped in the story of a former "It" girl. But it's too strained, limp and irritating to be more than self-conscious urban chic-lit.Clarissa Alpert is twenty-eight (real age: thirty-one) and needs a husband. Since she has no skills, no independent income, and her dad may stop sending her money, she needs a rich husband before she hits her "marry by" date. She's slept with every rich'n'powerful guy in Hollywood, but the man she needs is rich producer Aaron Mason. She dates him. They get married very quickly. She uses a turkey baster on their wedding night to make sure that she gets pregnant. But the next morning he reveals that his incredibly wealthy parents have disowned him, and they're going to live at a struggling-actor apartment complex. Clarissa, being quite spoiled, is appalled. But she struggles to maintain her life in the dingy apartment... until she learns that Aaron has some weird secrets of his own. Hollywood is one of those places that just asks to be spoofed. And Grazer does a passable job. Her satire is over-the-top, but cute enough to be vaguely amusing. Not everybody there is like Clarissa and her cohorts, but there are enough that a book like "Maneater" is inevitable. So... whatever. Such satire is amusing in itself. What "Maneater" lacks is good writing. It drags on a lot longer than it should, and too little gets accomplished. Once Clarissa marries Aaron, the only semi-surprising development is that she actually lives in the dingy apartment. Name-dropping, sex-related talk and plenty of whining fill in the gaps between plot developments. (Of which there aren't many) Clarissa is a not-so-good character from the start. She's selfish, spoiled, vain, artificial and described as being sociopathic. So by the time she has a sudden change of heart, you may not care. You may want a Clarissa voodoo doll instead. Supporting characters are caricatures -- shallow pals, hunky ex-boyfriend, annoying quirky parents, and an equally annoying husband. "Maneater" is an overlong piece of froth. Like Clarissa's mother, it's too thin and weird to be much more than a failed satire.
Rating: 
Summary: Couldn't Put it Down
Review: Having lived in West LA for 6 years, including 4 years at USC, this book sounded a lot like many of the females I knew and loved in college and after. What a fun read. I read this book in a day because I just couldn't put it down. Clarissa is a total B**** and that is exactly why people love her. She says what others only think. Her outrageous lies, offset by Glazer by parentheses, bring all out belly laughts. The ending was a little "neat," but it was fitting that her true love ended up being a master manipulator just like herself. One of the reviewers asked, "What LA is this?" and I can answer that: it is the LA of Studio City, West Hollywood and South Beverly Hills. The wanna-be's who are so close but not quite good enough. The LA of social climbers and gold diggers. The girls who live north of Santa Monica Boulevard but are on the wrong side of Doheny. Or they live in the right area but in the guest quarters. If only....
I can't believe I didn't know this writer before now!
If you liked "Trading Up," "Shopaholic Takes Manhattan," or "Sex and the City (the novel)" you will love this book.
Rating:
Summary: Very Odd Book...
Review: I knew from page one that I wasn't going to finish reading this book but I forced myself to get to page 55 before deciding to stop for good. The main character, Clarissa, is an odd duck and certainly lacking values, class and common sense. When I read a book, I want to be able to relate to the main character in some way...I cannot relate to the "glam" lifestyle this girl leads of sleeping around, spending loads of money, and acting like spoiled brat with her little clan of friends. Another problem I had with the book was the crude language. I curse with the best of them at times, but I don't need to read things like "Clarissa's mom was taking a dump in Clarissa's own bathroom" (page 8). That's not something I want to read in a book I'm reading for fun. Come on, Ms. Grazer. Surely you can produce something that I will want to read all the way though and not have to force myself to get through 55 pages of torture. I'm only giving this one two stars because it seems unfair to give only one when I didn't read the whole thing....
I think it's quite obvious I do not recommend this title! Find something better to spend your precious reading time on instead!
Rating: 
Summary: Good Chic Lit
Review: I read this book in no time. A fun, smart chic lit story and I could picture the characters and their fun escapades and goings-on. Don't miss it for a fun ride!
Rating:
Summary: Happy as a Piglet!
Review: I was browsing the 1 week rental self at the library when a shiny pink book jacket caught my eye. I am so glad I cut off the woman in front of me and grabbed Maneater right before SHE got it. Clarissa is DEFINETLY one of a kind! I thouroughly enjoyed this book and its characters, and as previously said, I read it all in one sitting. My husband kept asking me if I was laughing or choking as I read this book. The details, thoughts, and actions that guide Ms. Alpert and her friends throughout this book are truly unbelieveable, yet undeniable. Who doesn't know women like this? Even he had to laugh at some of the scenes. It's off the hook!
Rating:
Summary: An awesome summer read! Buy extras for all your girlfriends
Review: Just when you thought you couldn't read one more bridget jones-shopaholic-devil wearing prada kind of female protagonist novel, along comes something TRULY SPECIAL AND UNIQUE. Darkly delicious, this novel will transport you, show you a window into characters and a world that are fascinating, compelling and oddly relatable. The main character is unlike any you have ever encountered before. You will have to read it all in one sitting because you won't be able to put it down. I hope they make a movie out of it - I will rush to go see it. It will be as good as the terrific "To Die For" or the really entertaining "Election". This book will entertain you no end, and also make you think about yourself and your friends around you. There are some very cleverly woven subtle insights into love and marriage as well. The meaning of true love. What we receive in return for giving love and being vulnerable. All of which is like the cherry on top of this very delicious ice cream sundae. I loved this author's first book and this one is even better.
Rating: 
Summary: Fun satire of a Beverly Hills socialite (3 1/2 stars)...
Review: Maneater is a fun, satirical novel about a Beverly Hills socialite looking for Mr. Right -- or rather, looking for Mr. Rich. Clarissa has everything a jetsetter and party sweetheart should have: an enviable designer wardrobe, a trendy apartment and friends she can talk to and criticize behind their backs. But Clarissa is now thirty (though she tells everyone she's twenty-eight) and must find her future husband pronto. Aaron Mason is the ideal dream boat. He's the hottest producer in town and a confirmed bachelor. Clarissa thinks she has him right where she wants him, but then her ex-boyfriend resurfaces and complicates things... I thought this novel was very funny. I even ignored the fact that the author is a well-connected Hollywood screenwriter. Well... she seems to know a lot about the L.A. scene and satirizes it in a low-brow, clever way. Clarissa and her equally superficial friends irritated me at times, but then again the aforementioned characters aren't supposed to be enchanting. I couldn't help but think of the story and its female characters as a parodied imitation of Sex and the City. This is an entertaining, darkly funny chick-lit novel and I recommend it as a no-fuss summer read.
Rating:
Summary: Just a bit too trendy¿
Review: Thirty-something (she's perennially 28) Clarissa Alpert has no job, no mate, but fabulous shoes and friends! However, Clarissa decides it's getting time for her to catch herself a man to settle down with and sets her sights on Aaron Mason, the latest, hottest new producer in town. With the help of her four friends (one who seems like a Paris Hilton copy(...)) Clarissa starts to plan the wedding of her dreams, before the couple even has a first date! Clarissa gets what Clarissa wants, so landing Aaron shouldn't be a problem...should it? Clarissa does get a bit on the nerves occasionally, and sometimes all the trendy nods in the book makes it feel like it will be quickly dated. However, it was mostly a fun read, since Clarissa is quite the unpredictable character!
Rating:
Summary: Good in a cheesy way
Review: This is a good read for traveling and a long weekend. It is very cliched, which makes it funny in some parts but the Southern stereotypes were very annoying and old and very untrue, obviously the author has never been to Atlanta.
Rating:
Summary: You will sink quickly into this book!
Review: What a great find at the bookstore for all chick lit lovers. This novel is based around our heroine (of sorts), Clarissa. She's a 31 (although she swears she's 28) year old woman who's still living off of her wealthy father while searching for the man she will force to marry her. Although the reader will begin the book thinking Clarissa is a shallow L.A. has been, she will win you over in the end with her internal transformation and witty banter. The author's writing flows well and is sometimes suprising, which is true to the nature of the never dull Clarissa. I would recommend this book highly as a quick summer read. I say quick read, because you'll have trouble putting Maneater down once you've read past page 2!
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