The Naughty Girl's Guide to Life by Tara Palmer-Tomkinson and Sharon Marshall
Few people will be unfamiliar with the name Tara Palmer-Tomkinson, one of the original 'IT' girls and general gal about town. And few of those people who do know her, ahem, work, will bat an eyelid when they learn that in her latest effort, a self-help book of sorts, she encourages readers to bring out their naughty sides and, well, be more like her. She's joined in this quest by the lesser known Sharon Marshall, a TV and print journalist you may know from the likes of the News of The World, and This Morning (and you may not as well - I had to wiki her to find out that much).
| The Naughty Girl's Guide to Life by Tara Palmer-Tomkinson and Sharon Marshall | |
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| Category: Home and Family | |
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Reviewer: Zoe Morris
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| Summary: From how to hitch a ride in a private jet, to what to do if you wake up in bed with your boss (plus or minus his wife), this is a dummy's guide to living life naughty style... and getting away with it. | |
| Buy? Yes | Borrow? Yes |
| Pages: 288 | Date: September 2007 |
| Publisher: Sphere | |
| ISBN: 978-1847441379 | |
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I first read bits of this book serialised in the Sunday Times Style magazine (for which, incidentally, TPT used to be a contributor). And, though I really liked the extracts, I was a little bit worried that they might be the best bits from a much longer book, like when you watch a film trailer, decide to see the full thing, and realise all the good stuff was in that taster you saw. Happily this is not the case with this book which has loads more material, and if you enjoyed the serialisation I would strongly recommend you go out and buy the real thing because it is truly Fab, capital F and everything.
The book provides humorous, often naughty and sometimes illegal advice on everything from how to exit the sea gracefully in a bikini to how to choose the perfect flatmate, blag freebies from Chanel and calculate the number of sickies you can take each year without arousing suspicion. Lovelives (for singletons and smug couples), home, work, money, style, travelling, celebrity and dieting all get a naughty makeover in this volume. In between the advice, they critic other self-help books (so you don't have to), review romantic films for different times of crisis, provide kitschy catch phrases ( The bottom line is to remember not to stress about your bottom and No need for Miss Victim. We want Miss Vixen) and offer a prayer for any occasion from flatmate issues -
Grant me the serenity to recognise that I cannot possibly live with someone who wears paisley underpants...
to the world of work -
Grant me the courage to realise the worst that can happen is a P45. And a lie-in.
And, aside from a slight over-reliance on Carmex lip balm, there's very little repetition in the book and you get almost 300 pages of new ideas, hints and tips and naughty little secrets, most of which you will never have come across before in women's glossies or the self-help aisle.
I liked the way that these two clearly rich, successful and well-known women with pretty public lives didn't mind poking fun at themselves:
Sharon got so fat... she ended up doing a TV dieting show. Tara got so thin, the paparazzi needed magnifying glasses to find her.
and the way they seamlessly supply tips for Primark veterans on a five figure salary alongside those for Prada fans on a six figure one. The tone throughout is chatty, approachable and understanding, stern only when necessary (for example, on going commando: That's not naughty. That's nasty.)
This is, without a doubt, one of the funniest, most entertaining, educational books I've ever read. It is, to paraphrase our office junior, a wicked book. A wickedly wicked book, in fact. It's even a bit naughty to read, with a slutty red and black colour scheme through the glossy pages. Recommended without a doubt. You'll never want to be well behaved again.
Thank you to the publishers, Sphere, for thinking the Bookbag is naughty enough to appreciate this one. They were right.
If you're not quite up to being naughty yourself, but like reading about those who are, then you will no doubt enjoy My Horizontal Life (obviously not actually my horizontal life) and Be Mine (again, not an invitation, but thanks for the thought).
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You can read more book reviews or buy The Naughty Girl's Guide to Life by Tara Palmer-Tomkinson and Sharon Marshall at Amazon.com.
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Sandy of Birmingham said:
Amazing read, could not put it down. Full of great tips on how to handle life while having loads of fun !!!! Go and buy it to everyone who is wondering, because this is really one of the best fun life guides ever.