Bergdorf Blondes

By Plum Sykes

The no. 1 Sunday Times bestselling satire of New York high society from the wickedly funny pen of Plum Sykes, an addictive cocktail of parties, fashion and romance

'Perfectly pitched – playful, funny, satirical and sweet. I laughed out loud many times' Anna Wintour, Vogue

'Sykes has a distinctive, wily and well-deployed comic voice … Into the blender go Bridget Jones, Anita Loos, Sex and the City and Clueless; out comes a diabolically amusing concoction' New York Times

'A masterpiece: never has intelligence been so wickedly dark, on-point and outright funny ... I'm full of awe and admiration' Alain de Botton on Party Girls Die in Pearls

Meet moi, 'a champagne bubble of a girl about town working at being a princess by day and by night on the prowl for that elusive, must-have accessory every girl simply demands: an impossibly rich fiancé'.

It shouldn't be too tricky. After all, her BFF is Julie Bergdorf, department store heiress, queen of Park Avenue and owner of hair universally acknowledged as the Perfect Shade of Blonde.

Life is a whirl of ball gowns and blow-dries (which inevitably take waaay too long, because hairdressers always need to talk through their addictions).

But, strictly entre nous, it can actually be très draining to mix parties, peach bellinis and private jets ('PJs' to those fluent in globetrotting) while maintaining a standout collection of Chloé jeans and a job.

How does she manage it?

Plum Sykes lifts the lid on Manhattan's elite in this devilishly witty, deliciously addictive tale of the search for love – and the ultimate Manolos.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing
• Release date: May 3, 2018
• ISBN: 9781408894361

Plum Sykes

Plum Sykes was born in London and educated at Oxford. She is the author of the novels Bergdorf Blondes, The Debutante Divorcée, and Party Girls Die in Pearls. She is a contributing editor at World of Interiors and American Vogue. She lives in the English countryside with her daughters.

Reviews for Bergdorf Blondes

[trwhittier-1 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

I've met more Bergdorf Blondes in my life than I care to remember. Being pretty much par for the course on the Island of Manhattan, they're everywhere - clogging up Fifth Avenue in their chauffeur-driven luxury cars, buying out Bendel's, Bergdorf's, and Barney's, and wearing purebred pooches on their arms as though the poor little pets were handbags. Needless to say, we are not friends. The Bergdorf Blonde bunch and I do not "get" each other at all; we're like peanut butter and potpourri. Still, I can't help but feel for them. Theirs is a strange, scary world, where nothing is more important than money. Not love, not friendship, not happiness. If you're feeling the need for a light, fluffy read that will make you grateful for the fact that you're NOT a Bergdorf Blonde, give this novel a try. P.S: I'd recommend reading it for free, from the library.

[msnikki · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Really good chick lit..okay the story tied up to neatly in the end, and we saw that final hook-up coming from a mile...but I loved the warped thinking of Plum's intelligent, fashion crazed protagonist. The nonsense this girl justified, will have you in tears.If you love fashion, and adore Vogue for being Vogue, you'll be familiar with Plum Sykes writing, and hopefully you'll get the joke, and enjoy the fashion.

[nwreader_1 · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

These women never became real enough, funny enough for me to suspend disbelief. I picked it up after reading about real "Bergdorf blondes" in the NYT, but didn't get the insight into their lives I'd anticipated.

[jaylabelle · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Put your Manolo stilettos on and get ready to saunter through the champagne and caviar world of the Park Avenue Princesses... And there's a love story hiding in there somewhere too!

[wittyreaderli · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

This is Chick Lit probably at its best. Meet Moi (no name) who is at the height of fashion. She is looking for a PH (Potential Husband) who is the perfect accessory. Her best friend is Julie Bergdorf, who is an over the top heiress. I enjoyed this extremely light book which was a very quick read. Was it the best book of the year? Hardly! But it was an entertaining, very light romp, which is something we all need.

[fbtoast · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

I'm as fond of chicklit as the next person, but this just evaporated from my mind. If romantic fiction doesn't make you fall in love with the hero and yearn like Celia Johnson yearns in Brief Encounter, then what is the point of it?

[moonriver_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Re-read. I think I liked it more the first time, but it was still enjoyable. It's so fluffy and a really fast read. Totally superficial but in a very good way!

[jebbie74 · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

Superficial is the name of the game. I like a chic lit book that makes you fall in love with the characters. This one made me want to hunt them down and threaten things at gunpoint. Imagine having all that money and time on your hands and doing absolutely nothing useful with it. Shame.

[labibliophille · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

This book is fluffy and fun, and a good summer read.

[amccomas12 · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

A decent book to read when you are not in the mood to think. The book was funny at times but I often found myself getting frustrated with the characters. The ending was the predicted happily ever after with a slight twist. I would recommend this book after ready a particularly dense book or if you are looking a trashy beach novel.

[lisamaria_c · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

This is chicklit with a Capital "C" no question. Froth of no redeeming value or character development and definitely not to be taken seriously. Chicklit is a genre I've been sampling by reading from a recommendation list and finding by and large I don't like. This one though, which happened to be on the list, was actually listed by a friend as one of three chicklit books that didn't "suck" and was "fun." I wasn't sure I'd find it fun in the first few dozen pages.This is set in a New York City I've never known--and I'm a native. One where "all anyone...ever says is everything's fabulous" and "everyone...takes calls from their beauty experts at social occasions" and waxes the inside of their noses and where "PJ is the quick NY way" of saying private jet. Who knew that a crosstown bus to the East Side could take me into a land more foreign than any overseas? One in which I doubt I have the right passport, but that's OK, because I have Plum Sykes, described as a "contributing editor of Vogue where she writes on fashion, society, and Hollywood" to take me into the exotic country of Park Avenue Princesses and Bergdorf Blondes. The blonde not being the unnamed first person narrator but her best friend Julie Bergdorf, an heiress who makes me think more of Paris Hilton than Grace Kelly. Indeed, our heroine is actually a brunette and someone who seems rather ditzy for a supposedly Princeton University graduate and who breezily tells of her adventures with men she dates who turn into brutes as soon as they are engaged, are secretly married, or always-soon-to-be divorced Lotharios. There are even some nice guys--but even if their manner is informal or their shirts frayed they all turn out to be heirs underneath. Ah, East Siders. Their ways are not our ways....However, I admit it--I was widely smiling by page 30 when the topic turned to "Brazilians" (note, not referring to natives of a certain Latin American country) and the book induced in me hysterical laughter (as in hard-to-stop tears-from-my-eyes kind) over a certain book club scene. Any book that can make me smile so often and even laugh out loud I have to give (fairly) high marks. Just don't expect literature, OK?

[woodsathome · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Quirky and fun, Bergdorf Blondes, is a perfect easy beach read for anyone whose ever imagined how Paris Hilton/Tinsley Mortimer et al really live. Funny

[busymombookclub · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

perfect beach read

[divinemissw · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Cute, funny and shameless in its treatment of New York socialites and "It Girls" of this era. The characters are hilarious especially when they are trying to be serious. Loved it! I recommend it to any woman who wants a good laugh and is above the age of influence and is mature enough to not take this type of book seriously.

[stubbyfingers_1 · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

Wow, this was really bad. A terribly obvious plot with no likable characters and no growth whatsoever. A painful read!

[whybehave2002 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Reminds me a little of the Shopaholic series.
Fun, light read with a happy ending. Every once in a while we need a happy ending. :)

[sambadoll · Rating: 1 out of 5 stars]

Worse book I've ever read in my life. So much so, it's name is ingrained to judge those that loved this book, that they will not be friends of mine. It panders to every stereotype of women that I find offensive. Gag.

[angelalam-300700 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Best laugh out loud chick lit since Sophie Kinsella's Shopaholic series.

[vhartpowers · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

How good can it be if I can't remember the main character's name?
This is a good beach read, fluff and stuff about Park Avenue Princessess and their oh so stressed out lives. (I'm being sarcastic)

[callmejacx · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

This is without a doubt this is a high powered chick lit. In my eyes it seems so farfetched but maybe for the rich and the elite it isn’t far off to being normal. This book was written well and with a lot of imagination. I couldn’t help but laugh the situations the girls get themselves into. This is not normally the kind of book I read but it was a nice change. I did enjoy the story but at the same time I couldn’t wait to finish the book. I found it a little repetitious, It would have done well if the book wasn’t as long.

[jeffersonsambrosia · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I am sorry it took me so many years after publication for me to find this book. The Bergdorf Blondes is a really wonderful romp through socialite New York. The book follows the point of view of Moi, with her friends Julie Bergdorf (the queen bee of society), Lara and Jolene and may others. At some parts you want to laugh and ask yourself can anyone really be this shallow. They abbreviate everything including the word PH for potential husband. But, at the end of the day you really just do have to laugh about it.Moi takes us not only into the world of the fashion obsessed “Princesses of Park Avenue” but through a series of her own very poor relationship mistakes. There is Zach, the moody depressing photographer who treats her like crap, who she almost marries. Eduardo the married, with children prince from some where or another, Patrick the married man with the psycho wife. And of course the very “regrettable” Charlie Dulain, who is Julie’s boy friend, or so she thought. You will get a few curve balls you didn’t see coming in this fun little run around the world, from New York to Rio and back again. I recommend reading this one if you want something easy, and something to lighten your mood.

[tinkerbellapixie · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

This was actually the audio CD and it was wonderful. Thank heavens for Sonya Walger; her superb narration takes a fun and light hearted book and makes it even more enjoyable. She applies distinctive American and British accents to a group of self-absorbed heiresses whose days are filled with such pressing matters as designer clothing sales, skin treatments, and touch-ups of their blonde hair. Walger moves seamlessly into the French and Italian accents used by the equally shallow men they encounter. Unlike many narrators who give no heed to authors' directions, Walger convincingly cries, moans, and sobs right along with the characters, never mind that they're emoting over the lack of such essentials as private jets and crater-sized engagement rings. J.J.B. © AudioFile 2004, Portland, Maine--

[sslibrary · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

The story follows moi and her fellow Park Avenue Princesses through their daily trials and tribulations. They look for potential husbands (PHs), fly on private jets (PJs), and make sure to be seen in all the right places. It’s an interesting look at how the other half lives. The story moved along and was a fairly quick read.

[babydraco · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

The narrator (not the character quoted above) has an realization that all of the things she has will not make her happy if she's miserable, and I say, "you should try try life without them, it's worse." The fact is, it is not their money that makes these girls dimwitted, selfish and easily manipulated. It's their personalities. The book is also one of those annoying NYC centric ones, where the characters are so clueless about anywhere else it’s a bit frightening. The narrator, who is a complete idiot, is the smart, well read, one who has lived in other places (although her observations about the difference between American high society and English high society are pretty funny). She keeps making these generalized statements about “New York” girls, when she means “Filthy Rich Upper East Side Princesses”. The narrator of the book, and most of the other characters continually use the “____on____” formula to explain where things are located (“that little café on Bleeker” for example). And it is totally confusing to anyone not from NYC. But I realized, it’s not a NYC thing, it’s an urban thing. Everyone who comes from a really large city does it (and lots of people from smaller cities). Suburban and rural types tend to use landmarks (“it’s across from the big glowing fiberglass chicken” or “you know, the one in the plaza near the library”) and really, really rural people use mile markers and highway numbers. But mostly, people from very small towns tend to not ask each other where things are located, because either you know, or you must be from out of town.It is satire. Sort of. Sometimes that was very clear, and sometimes I wasn't sure it wasn't taking itself seriously.

[whitreidtan · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

I don't exactly get the whole celebutante thing. I don't watch the reality tv shows about their lives and families. I don't click through on the internet to read about anything they are doing. I don't wish them ill but I truly don't see why anyone cares about their lives. Sure, they live what looks to be an impossibly different life from the rest of us but I can't imagine it's really all that fascinating in truth. And I certainly wouldn't want to live it. But a light and frothy book about a fictional young Bergdorf blonde and the life she leads among the celebutantes and glitterati of New York like in the re-released Bergdorf Blondes by Plum Sykes, well, that I can stomach, especially when it's presented as the funny and light weight entertainment that this fluffy chick lit is. Our unnamed, brunette narrator, who calls herself Moi and has been described in a society column as a champagne bubble of a girl, is a fashion magazine writer but her nominal job doesn't often interfere with the privileged life of luxury she is leading. She's best friends with the original Bergdorf blonde, Julie Bergdorf, and inhabits a world of high class parties, drivers, private jets, wealth, and competitive shopping. When she and Julie notice how being engaged brings a new glow, unachievable through make-up and Botox, to their friends' faces, they set out to snag their own fiancés. But the course of true love never does run smooth and it's no different for Moi. She makes terrible choices in men, all the while fending off her mother's insistence that she meet the "little Earl" who owns the manor home in Moi's small British hometown. Meanwhile she gets engaged to an emotional wacko and proceeds to date married man after married man. Much to her chagrin, each time she gets herself into a relationship pickle, Charlie, one of Julie's more charming boyfriends, comes to Moi's rescue. The life that these pampered princesses lead is an unbelievable one although I suspect that Sykes has, in fact, captured the Park Avenue Princesses fairly true to life. Even with Moi, who is not of the same class as her friends wealth-wise, there is little focus on actual, real workaday jobs. Moi has a job, of course, but she can blithely skip work to go to Europe on a whim with a handsome man with seemingly no repercussions and the rest of her twenty-something friends can afford to "work" as fashion muses. Moi is supposed to be an Ivy League graduate but she is shockingly dumb if that's the case, as is spectacularly evident in the Advil incident. The novel comes across as alternately satirical and straight so that the reader is never quite certain if Sykes is poking fun at this over the top lifestyle or not. Many of the characters are vacuous but still somehow come off as somehow not entirely unendearing. And because it is a ten year old re-issue, the pop culture references are decidedly dated, placing it firmly in its time. The end is completely predictable but as it's the way the reader wants the book to end, even if it is a tad unearned, that's okay. If you are looking for a guilty pleasure or are already a fan of celebutante "it" girls, this is the read for you.

[joiescire · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Another fun girly book. Although not my favorite, I did enjoy the fashion references in this one.