Altar Ego: A Novel - Softcover

Lette, Kathy

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0688177816 ISBN 13: 9780688177812

Publisher: HarperCollins, 2000

Synopsis

Thirtysomething Becky Steele, her crowd's wildest party girl, has decided to settle down with the perfect guy, until she thinks about missing out on good times and starts seeing an embarrassingly young rock star. Reprint.

About this title

Review

To those lucky enough to have read her, it will come as no surprise that Kathy Lette's new book is outrageous, savage, and quite hilarious. In such irreverent books as Foetal Attraction, Lette has redefined both the sex war and survival tactics for women in terms that are entirely her own. Her heroine this time is Becky Steele (Is it an accident that the name so resembles the spiky heroine of Thackeray's Vanity Fair?), who is wondering about how serious a breach of etiquette it is to run out on one's own wedding. Clinging to the window ledge of her parents' bathroom, she finds herself wondering whether her intended, Julian, a human rights lawyer, is suitable for a women who shouldn't really be married. Of course, Becky's problem is the same as the hero of many a male novel--has she encountered enough sexual variety? There is, for instance, the rock star toyboy Zack, a man whose libido is almost as out of control as Becky's. And before she arrives at her reluctant decision, there is an equal ratio of hard decisions and a considerable testing of bedsprings, all of which is the perfect justification for Lette's mordant wit and coruscating one-liners. --Barry Forshaw

Review

"Bad girls will love it." (The Sunday Telegraph)

"Light, witty and exceedingly naughty." (The Mirror)

"Lette, author of the international bestsellers Foetal Attraction and Mad Cows, brings her bawdy wit and uninhibited writing style to this tale of love, life, and relationships." (Booklist)

"A master of the chick lit genre, British author Kathy Lette has struck gold once again with this novel of 30-something hilarity. Aided by a vibrant reading by Shirley Barthelmie, the story of Becky Steele comes to life as she grapples with her problems. Struggles with marriage, being jilted, and affairs become a spirited aural romp. Barthelmie expertly portrays the subtle shifts in English accents in the effervescent banter between Becky and her friends. While the American accents leave something to be desired, overall this story of a conflicted modern woman is a joy to listen to. Prepare to laugh aloud as the high jinks ensue." (AudioFile Magazine)

About this edition

• Publisher: HarperCollins
• Publication date: 2000
• ISBN 10: 0688177816
• ISBN 13: 9780688177812
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 364