Because She Can

By: Bridie Clark

Narrated by: Mary Birdsong

Length: 5 hrs and 58 mins

Publisher's summary

A witty and revealing roman a clef about a woman who finally gets her dream job in book publishing only to realize she's working for the industry tyrant, in trade for the first time.

In a New York minute, Claire Truman lands both a plum position at a top publishing house and the man she's wanted for 10 years...then reality intervenes. Her new boss is Vivian Grant, a notoriously ruthless tyrant known for her tirades, traumatized assistants, and tabloid-inspired best sellers. Soon Claire's job is stealing more and more of her time and her relationship with her fiance begins to feel the strain. It doesn't help that she's working late nights with a brilliant - and handsome - first-time author.

As Vivian's outrageous demands continue to escalate, Claire wonders if she likes where the fast track is taking her - and worries about what she might turn into...

©2007 Bridie Clark. All Rights Reserved (P)2007 Hachette Audio

Critic reviews

"Clark...nails the dark side of the vulgar, spiteful boss archetype....[T]hose in the Page Six and Lloyd Grove set will appreciate this devilish read." (Publishers Weekly)

"Vivian's vitriolic tantrums are laugh-out-loud funny." (Booklist)

If you loved

Let's say, vivian Grant makes Miranda Priestly seem like Mother Teresa. At least Miranda was unaware that she was a nut case. Vivian thrives on making others' lives miserable! I couldnt turn it off. I listened on my morning commute then sat in the parking lot at work.

not too bad

I love chic lit, but some is better than others. I liked, not loved this one. It was worth buying.

Lovely

An absolutely adorable story that kept me hooked throughout the 21 chapters with a calm soothing voice that you can just listen for hours .

The other man

This book did have a similar feel to The Devil Wears Prada except that it was a bit less over the top in its characterization. ( A bit less.)
What made it a wonderful choice, was the work of the narrator, which was exceptionally strong. She has good writing and a strong heroine to work with.
The only reason I gave it three stars, instead of four, was the very sad relationship between the heroine and her (soon to be ex) fiance. This is a very present and complicated story line, which takes up far more of the book than the 'true love' she finds at the end. I found their attempt to love each other, even though they didn't love each other unbearably sad. Particularly hard to feel good about their break up since the fiance is lost and sad rather than dislikeable.
If pure romance is not an issue for you, you might very well enjoy the book despite that.

Beware of Profanity!!

Would you try another book from Bridie Clark and/or Mary Birdsong?

No, due to the excessive profanity.

What was the most interesting aspect of this story? The least interesting?

The most interesting aspect was the main character's heart.
The least interesting was the vulgar boss.

How could the performance have been better?

Eliminate profanity and expound more on the relationship of the ones who feel in love.

What character would you cut from Because She Can?

The vulgar boss

Any additional comments?

This could have been a good book, but it was ruined by the excessive profanity.

Not so special

Not exactly what I expected. The content's similar to the Devil Wears Prada, the maniac boss part, but literally it's not so humorous. I find it rather dissapointing.