Workhorse

I cannot begin to tell you how much I enjoyed this book. It’s quite long (around 550 pages, I think?) but I read it in a single weekend, as I couldn’t put it down. Our protagonist, Clo, starts out very relatable. At the (thinly-veiled Vogue) magazine she works at, she is a “workhorse.” One of the girls who isn’t a wealthy, beautiful, well-connected society girl. Those girls are the showhorses. Clo will never be a showhorse but she can work her way to the top. The book transpires over several years as Clo works her way up at the magazine. We meet her office bestie Davis Lawrence (the privileged daughter of the famous actress Barbara Lawrence). We meet Davis’s bestie Harry, who Clo recognizes qualities within herself (a ruthless ambition to make it in this glitteringly cutthroat media world). The book is very dark at times. Clo makes terrible decisions. I found myself wanting to yell, “NO! Don’t do it!!!!” But I also liked her, and related to her in a lot of ways. The book is unputdownable. If you worked in media/beauty/fashion during the time it is set (the early 2000’s), you’ll gobble this up. But even if you didn’t, I think you’ll really enjoy it. Definitely one of my favorites of the year so far.