Thin, Rich, Pretty

Thin, Rich, Pretty
By Beth Harbison
St. Martin’s Press, 2010. 342 pgs. Fiction

Twenty years ago, Holly, Nicola, and Lexi met at summer camp for one long month filled with inedible food and cliché art projects. Today, each girl finds herself still plagued by the insecurities and self-doubt that, that summer, had only begun to take root. Lexi, the spoiled rich girl, is about to learn the realities of life as a disinherited heiress. Nicola has enjoyed a small degree of success as an actress but is now faced with mounting pressure to alter her appearance to conform with the world’s definition of beauty. And Holly has been given an ultimatum from her boyfriend to lose a few of her extra pounds or lose the possibility of their engagement. These three women will once again find their lives intersecting as they learn what strength they have within themselves.

This was not really the light and entertaining piece of chick-lit I had been expecting. Though it was, at times, amusing, the story never really took off and the characters failed to gain any degree of depth. The author’s obvious agenda to demonstrate how self worth and true beauty come from within, is a bit heavy handed and gives the book a didactic feel.

CZ