Priceless by Nicole Richie
A shamelessly self-indulgent read, Priceless by Nicole Richie is an easy, accessible, fun and fast-paced adventure, and would suit fans of other modern romance novelists such as Danielle Steel or Jackie Collins.
Charlotte is a spoiled brat socialite, a size zero blonde goddess whose lifestyle puts that of her creator, the former party-girl turned businesswoman, writer, designer and (and I have to say it because its printed on the dust jacket) mother, to shame.
In the creation of Charlotte, Richie seems to have let go of her ‘It Girl’ status, which she disparages in the selfish behaviour of her protagonist, whose “perfect” life falls apart when her banker father is jailed for mass fraud and she becomes a public hate figure.
Charlotte is a sympathetic character, and her slight two-dimensional nature is effectively padded out by a X-Factor worthy back-story; her model mother died when she was seven, and she was brought up by her nanny, “Miss” Mollie.
It is to Mollie’s home and family Charlotte runs to, in New Orleans, when she begins to receive threatening phone calls from an Evil Stalker.
In New Orleans, Charlotte makes new friends and reawakens old passions when she re-discovers a love of jazz music, looked down upon by her snobbish Yale friends.
Her Evil Stalker is not far behind her, though, and she must confront both her father’s crimes and her previous stuck-up ways before she can start her life anew.
New Orleans and New York are both described with affection by a writer who clearly knows her location, and the effects of Hurricane Katrina are both touchingly and sensitively explored.
Although Charlotte’s rather predictable change from Central Park Brat to French Quarter Jazz Queen is slightly conventional, this does not make it any less heartfelt.
With plenty of label-dropping fashion moments and a touch of sex and mystery, this book is perfect for emerging readers in the teen market, and would make an excellent Christmas pressie for any teenage celeb-obsessives.
Priceless was published in paperback by Harper Collins earlier this month. You can get it from Amazon for £12.34.
Jess Haigh
Pingback: Tweets that mention Priceless by Nicole Richie | For Books' Sake -- Topsy.com