Put The A-Z Celebrity Survival Guide in my handbag

The Inheritance

Ally Bunbury

 

 

 

 

 

Place the Big Brother house inside a Tudor mansion, add Ab Fab and shake up with Alexis Carrington’s attitude.  Do you like the sound of this diva mayhem?  Well tighten your seatbelt then prepare to meet Sofia, Blaire and Gilda.

Let the lovely, sweet Anna be your guide in Planet Celebrity where you will be rushed into orbit as soon as you accept an invitation to ‘The Inheritance’ bash.  You will spin around until the plot makes you dizzy ‘darling’.  ‘Sweetie’, grab yourself a hot date, a designer frock and a mini bar of something fizzy.  Do not, I repeat do not keep your feet firmly fixed on the ground.  Indulge yourself in this bizarre world and enjoy! If you are a celebrity addict and reality TV junkie then you will soak up this insight. You might want to invite Ab Fab’s Patsy and Edina along to confuse you even more…

I can guarantee that you will want to bellow at some of the characters. You will want to slay Sofiazilla but that’s part of the fun.  Sit back, kick off your Jimmy Choos and do your research into the A-Z of the outlandish celebrity world.  The behaviour goes from A for annoying to Z for zany. As I read the novel, I really wanted to believe that these outlandish people really exist.  Is this what happens behind the glossy images in ‘Hello!’ ? 

Gilda was my absolute favourite!  She is wild, independent and cares about her ‘monsters’ (the children) and Anna.  Gilda does guild the lily with sparkle and loves to ‘par-tee’!  I want an employer who prescribes the seventies ‘Screwdriver’ cocktail when I am having a tough time.

The contrast between celebrity gained status and the old, established titled world is represented in Sofia and Anna.  Living the high life is not the same as living in high society. However, the reader is given an insight into how families from established estates were once forced to marry into new money.  Fortunately, there is a love story to guide us through the narrative.

Ally Bunbury

Of course, you will meet the eccentric gentry and their servants. The eccentric celebrities are a powerful presence.  The battle to maintain the brand as the A class celebrity is ferocious.  Following the media gurus as they blaze a trail through the press representation is enlightening.  It makes one wonder who is using who in the Paparazzi underworld.  The celebrity ‘picks up her pashmina like a matador’ as she goes into battle to fight for the best media coverage that she can find.  Everyone seems to be ‘playing a game’ and planning moves.  ‘Hey sweetie,’ seems to be a great weapon at all times, along with the fierce glare. In the world of glitz and glamour there are some grey areas.  The pursuit of happiness is confused with the pursuit of fame on Planet Celebrity.  Lust for fame and fortune is contrasted with love and a respect for tradition.  Oh, there is snobbery of all kinds laced throughout the novel.  Both worlds seem to be inhabited by eccentricity and the philosophy is captured in the quotations below:

‘The only wire on a gentleman’s estate should be around a champagne cork.’

(Old wealth)

‘We don’t want a single scrap of sentimentality here.’

(Planet Celebrity)

This novel is pure, unadulterated escapism!  Be prepared to play along with the madness, accept that the rules of the game change and go with the flow.  You will hear the drum beat from EastEnders but you will be far from the likes of the Mitchells.  As Marilyn Monroe said, ‘…it’s better to be absolutely ridiculous than absolutely boring.’

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Please see all my reviews at My Reading and my blog at jessiecahalin.com

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