Review: The Twins Of Tribeca
There is nothing like a breathtakingly good book that simply will not let you put it down, regardless of what time you have to get up the next morning. Even better is when it is a debut novel. I found The Twins of Tribeca by Rachel Pine to be such a novel. It was so good, so gossipy, so dishy, and so well-written that I simply had no choice but to finish the book in one read.
Bored with her job at CNN, Karen Jacobs (our main heroine) jumps at the chance to work in the publicity department for Glorious Productions. Despite having heard terrible rumors about the working conditions there, she manages to get hired on as a junior publicist – assistant to the infamous Allegra Orecchi.
Karen realizes pretty quickly that she may be in over her head. The elusive Allegra is rarely around, and when she is, she isn’t the most pleasant person to deal with. Dagney, Allegra’s other assistant, seems OK at first, but soon starts acting like she is jealous of Karen and is about to have a nervous breakdown. Then there is the whole backstabbing issue: it seems all the top people in the department hate each other and will stop at nothing to tear one another down. Karen realizes that she is in the middle of it all – which is not a good place to be.
While in the midst of juggling her 12-hour work days, Karen has to try not to get too cozy with a Page Six editor who could send all of her hard work tumbling down around her.
This book was an enormously interesting read. Filled with studio moguls, harried assistants, glitz, glamour, and backstabbing, I couldn’t have asked for a better novel. It was a well-written, highly engaging story with a great main heroine and plenty of other intriguing characters. The book’s setting goes from the Tribeca area in Manhattan to the red carpet and movie premieres in Hollywood- all without losing pace. There are also a lot of interesting details about the ins and outs of movie studios, publicity, and much more.
There is very little about Karen’s personal life thrown into the story, as it is mostly centered around her job. But the author does a great job of tying everything up neatly at the end – with no lagging parts or stalling chapters, as other books of this nature have had. Best of all, the novel stays realistic throughout it all, regardless of the sometimes implausible situations.
Overall I highly, highly recommend this awesome debut to anyone who likes a great novel – chick lit or otherwise! Fans of “The Devil Wears Prada” will adore this book and also find a special treat within the pages.
5 Stars
Reviewed by Rian Montgomery
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