Every so often a book crosses your path long after it has been published that you wish you would have read when it first came out. That is 100% true for Candace Bushnell’s One Fifth Avenue, the Art Deco beauty towering over one of Manhattan’s oldest and most historically hip neighborhoods, is a one-of-a-kind address, the sort of building you have to earn your way into–one way or another.
The women in Candace Bushnell’s novel, One Fifth Avenue, this edifice is essential to the lives they’ve carefully established–or hope to establish. From the hedge fund king’s wife to the aging gossip columnist to the free-spirited actress (a recent refugee from L.A.), each person’s game plan for a rich life comes together under the soaring roof of this landmark building.
Acutely observed and mercilessly witty, One Fifth Avenue is a modern-day story of old and new money. The story begins when a Queen of Society dies, a vicious scramble for her penthouse apartment ensues, and it’s attorney Annalisa and her hedge-funder husband, Paul Rice, who land the palatial pad, roiling the building’s rivalries. There’s Billy Litchfield, an art dealer who slobbers over the wealthy; strivers Mindy and James Gooch, and their tech-savvy 13-year-old Sam, the most hilariously bitter (and strangely successful) family in the building; gossip columnist Enid Merle and her screenwriter nephew, Philip Oakland, who struggle to uphold traditions and their souls; actress Schiffer Diamond, who lands a hit TV series, and her old love; and Lola Fabrikant, a cunning Atlanta gold digger whose greatest ambition is to become Carrie Bradshaw.
It’s just fun! you don’t know who to cheer for. If you are looking for a good winter warm up this may be just the gem for you.
If this were to be cast as tv show the cast should be:
Billy Litchfield: Jeremy Notham
Lola Fabrikant: Skyler Day or Chloe Bridges
Schiffer Diamond: Charisma Carpenter
Philip Oakland:Michael Alberti
Mindy Gooch Alyssa Milano
James Gooch Seth Green
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