_Bergdorf Blondes_ bugged me, but not nearly as badly, and I actually rather like _The Debutante Divorcee_ - I walked away feeling that while the character was ingenue verging on idiot, the *author* had enough of a brain in her head to make some fairly cutting observations. I also got the feeling it was heavily inspired by "Clueless," which makes me wonder how much of this Jane Austen has to answer for.

Candace Bushnell sort of has the Bret Easton Ellis problem for me - no matter how clever the writing, I'd like to be able to feel some empathy for the characters, and the only feeling her characters ever inspire in me is the sharp desire to kick them down some stairs. It's a pity, because she does write NY well ....