Mimi HareCritiques

In the bestselling The Second Assistant, readers fell in love with smart, witty East Coast girl Elizabeth Miller. Now that Lizzie has been promoted, can she still keep her pumps firmly on the ground in the city of stars? With a viperish subordinate after her job, the world's hottest teen starlet to keep out of trouble and a boyfriend on location with a beautiful actress, she certainly has her hands full.

The satire is sharper than ever as Naylor and Hare take another wry and hilarious look at the wheeling, dealing, schmoozing, and snubbing that make Hollywood the cutthroat capital of the world. The First Assistant is a lesson in how to survive in a town where tonight's Oscar frock is tomorrow's laughing stock.

It wasn't entirely the book's fault I didn't finish it: I made it to page 254 before I left on a trip that I could not take this hardcover along. I was pushing myself to finish but, truth be told, after a book of different characters, I no longer felt compelled to find out what happened to the characters, whether the movie would be made, etc. I think I would rather move on to my next book than return to this one.

I am lucky in that the problems with structure that led to this book's downfall showed me flaws in my own debut novel, so I could look at it with a different eye. I felt the trouble with this book was actually the abundance of "Hollywood stories": there was such a strong concentration of the bizarre "look at this different culture" stories that led nowhere, little to no connection to later plot, that when I hit the 100-page mark - the classic goalpost to decide whether to continue - there was no establishment in the story (other than setting, of course) and very little in the character. I hadn't developed any interest or sympathy yet. If I hadn't been so interested in figuring out what was wrong with the structure and curious as to "does this book ever tell a story or does it just whine about how bad Hollywood is?" I would not have continued.

Why the higher star rating? It's only meant to be a silly little beach read, so how good does it have to be? While I missed the story in the beginning, these asides were amusing. The authors can write a sentence (surprisingly not always a requirement to be published nowadays) and put together some simple humour. Part of my problem, I will admit, is that I am a slow reader so 100 pages represents a fair time investment for me, so I want return fairly quickly; I know a lot of readers (including one I live with) who wouldn't mind a little more digression before the story. When I stopped reading, there were at least 3 plot lines going, I suspected I saw the course (as one usually does in chick lit) and it was cute. There are much better chick kits, I would not go out of my way for this one. However, if you find it in the hotel's "library" or the public library, it is an easy way to pass the time.

It wasn't entirely the book's fault I didn't finish it: I made it to page 254 before I left on a trip that I could not take this hardcover along. I was pushing myself to finish but, truth be told, after a book of different characters, I no longer felt compelled to find out what happened to the characters, whether the movie would be made, etc. I think I would rather move on to my next book than return to this one.

I am lucky in that the problems with structure that led to this book's downfall showed me flaws in my own debut novel, so I could look at it with a different eye. I felt the trouble with this book was actually the abundance of "Hollywood stories": there was such a strong concentration of the bizarre "look at this different culture" stories that led nowhere, little to no connection to later plot, that when I hit the 100-page mark - the classic goalpost to decide whether to continue - there was no establishment in the story (other than setting, of course) and very little in the character. I hadn't developed any interest or sympathy yet. If I hadn't been so interested in figuring out what was wrong with the structure and curious as to "does this book ever tell a story or does it just whine about how bad Hollywood is?" I would not have continued.

Why the higher star rating? It's only meant to be a silly little beach read, so how good does it have to be? While I missed the story in the beginning, these asides were amusing. The authors can write a sentence (surprisingly not always a requirement to be published nowadays) and put together some simple humour. Part of my problem, I will admit, is that I am a slow reader so 100 pages represents a fair time investment for me, so I want return fairly quickly; I know a lot of readers (including one I live with) who wouldn't mind a little more digression before the story. When I stopped reading, there were at least 3 plot lines going, I suspected I saw the course (as one usually does in chick lit) and it was cute. There are much better chick kits, I would not go out of my way for this one. However, if you find it in the hotel's "library" or the public library, it is an easy way to pass the time.

Light, breezy and entertaining with a likable heroine. This was a fun fantasy of what it would be like to be young, pretty, and smart - and working at a high powered Hollywood agency.

I have to admit that books like this are a guilty pleasure, but who can resist a fun, light read?

This is a Hollywood version of [The Devil Wears Prada]. A fun, enjoyable, fast read. Great escape book.

At first, I thought the authors had committed the cardinal sin of trying to replay the same story in a different setting (or thinking that Bridget Jones: The Edge of Reason was a good sequel). But once you accept that Lizzie suddenly leaves for an exotic location without telling her boyfriend, this book turns out pretty well. Suffer through the first third of the book and, if you liked the first book, you'll like the second one.

I was starting to get annoyed with the main character about midway through the book. I'm glad I stuck it out though, because she did slightly redeem herself.

I did not like this book. I tried reading it twice and didn't get very far. It didn't seem to flow in the light easy to read manner of most other chick-lit. I don't think you should have to work to get into a chick-lit book - their supposed to be like candy...you can't stop consuming it. Not so in this case.

Definitely one for by-the-pool or while lounging-under-the-summer-sun kind of light reading.

In the tradition of "The Devil Wears Prada" the now painful truth is re-asserted: that working for the rich/powerful/glamorous can be torturous & definitely not what it's all cut out to be.

Elizabeth Miller gives up an idealistic job as a Washington senator's aide to join the Agency, a super-powerful Hollywood outfit that represents stars, producers and directors. The young L.A. newcomer may not be as clearheaded and full of self-knowledge as she's intended to be but predictably she gets her head over the whole LA thing in no time. The insider peeks at Tinseltown are more engrossing than the plot, but a hot script and backroom Agency dealings keep the pages turning.

Book Details:

Title The Second Assistant: A Tale from the Bottom of the Hollywood Ladder
Author Clare Naylor & Mimi Hare
Reviewed By Purplycookie

Quite liked this book, different to the 'normal' chick lit in that it wasn't (all) about girl meets boy. Liked the Hollywood setting as well. Ending made me laugh, good way to end a book--no worries of dragging it out.

I did not find this sequel as enjoyable as "The Second Assistant". The title character seemed a bit under-developed.½

I hated everything about this audiobook including the reading.

Silly, crazy, fun fluff. Starlets and 1955 Mercedes-Benz Gullwings, housekeepers and the cover of People, movie sets and temper tantrums in Thailand, and, of course, beautiful people, sex, drugs, money, and ambition.

Completely unreadable. I tried again and again, but the words just swam before my eyes.½

I had so much fun reading this book because 1) I've survived a boss from hell, and 2) I recently worked on a project that required me to chase down celebrities, which meant I spent days on the phone talking to agents' assistants and their assistants. Is THAT what what going on in the background when I called? ;)

Very entertaining

Books about bright young women learning the ropes of glamorous careers under corrosively evil bosses are catnip to a generation of readers, so this West Coast version of The Devil Wears Prada fills a niche, with brio. Elizabeth Miller gives up an idealistic job as a Washington senator's aide to join the Agency, a super-powerful Hollywood outfit that represents stars, producers and directors. The young L.A. newcomer may not be as clearheaded and full of self-knowledge as she's intended to be (she does jump topless into the agency head's pool with a lecherous producer), but she's a paragon of virtue compared to her boss, Scott Wagner, who is loutish, sex-obsessed, terminally addicted to any abusable substance, lazy and overbearing. Despite her misgivings and scads of unjustified abuse, Elizabeth throws herself into Xeroxing and party planning ("Dancers from Crazy Girls on La Brea. Though only small-nippled girls") and is rewarded by brushes with a parade of A-list personalities (Cameron, Jennifer, George, Harvey). The insider peeks at Tinseltown are more engrossing than the plot, but a hot script and backroom Agency dealings keep the pages turning. Contrivances aboundâ€"Elizabeth keeps meeting key figures at just the right momentâ€"and the jokes often fall flat. The book undoes itself by offering as chapter headings some of the great dialogue from old movies ("What's the going price on integrity this week?"), and there's simply no comparison between what those old scriptwriters and these joint authors offer up. Still, this is a fast, fun, trashy read.