"The Knockoff" Is A Knockout!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

                                     When Plum Sykes came along with "Bergdorf Blondes," the fashion and literary worlds were captivated.  Not to slight Plum, in the least, but with "The Knockoff," her twin sister, Lucy, and collaborator Jo Piazza, eclipse both worlds.  This brilliant amalgamation of "The Devil Wears Prada," "The Social Network," and, yes, "All About Eve," does on print what "A Chorus Line" did on stage--uses a particular work milieu to universalize Life experience.

                                       Which is to say that while the book stands as a magnificent bitch fest, it  is more!  The multigenerational workplace of today just is not working.  And it is not just the fashion industry which is subject to this, it is everyone, and everywhere.  Once upon a time, when my generation was young, we respected our workplace elders.  They worked hard, like our parents, to get where they were, and that took a certain amount of wisdom and knowledge that we felt we could learn from--and did.  But today, now that we are the workplace elders, such respect does not hold water, because the Millennials, and their elders who are trying desperately to keep up with them, both think they own the world!  And the rest of us are expendable, and should be consigned to the slag heap!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

                                           The adversaries here are Imogen Tate, a savvy fashion editor, who has been at it for years.  The bitch nemesis is Eve Morton, a former assistant, who left that job to go to Harvard Business School, which she says at every other turn, because she wants everyone to know it, and, boy, she thinks she can run the world!!!!!!!!!!  Imogen knows instantly what she is up against, but she doesn't realize how truly evil Eve is--though I did--until she discovers Eve has crossed the line.

                                            And this is where, if you want to avoid spoilers, you should stop reading!  See? I always let my girls know.

                                             It is one thing to sabotage someone at work.  It is another to cross that line. But because the Eves of this world have no respect for privacy, they do.  There is a subplot where Imogen's ten-year-old daughter, Anabel, a sweet, innocent girl, is being horribly cyber bullied by someone called Candy Cool.  I knew instantly it was Eve, because I understand how these sick things work.  I know one, myself!!!!!!!!!!!   When Imogen discovers this, there is a Final Confrontation, where Eve gets called everything she is by Imogen, only to say, "I did it to upset you.  I didn't do it to hurt Anabel."  How could she not realize that it wouldn't?  Because she is a workplace sociopath.  And so Eve slinks out of NYC, landing in the only fit place for workplace sociopaths--Silicon Valley.

                                             Even with a back story, Eve Morton is unsympathetic.  In the 1950 film, Eve Harrington was the daughter of Wisconsin farmers named Gertrude Slojinski, Eve Morton was little Evie Morton from Kunesh, Wisconsin.  Her mother died while she was young, so there was no feminine, or humane, influence, so Eve was raised by her father, an unsuccessful high school football coach, who never rose up the ranks because he has the same attitude as his daughter.  Like father, like daughter.  He makes it clear, all through the girl's life, that he wanted a boy, referring to her as "just the girl."  Eve works her butt off to please him, succeeding only when she gets into Harvard Business School.

                                             Giving Eve a context for her behavior is good and satisfying literary construction, but it does not help in eliciting any sympathy for her.  Personally, I wanted to see Imogen punch the rotten bitch in the face, knock her through one  of those floor length office windows, having her splayed all over the streets of Manhattan, the town she thought she would conquer.  But that's me.  The smarter authors take the higher, and more truthful, road.

                                              Of course, this book would make an interesting movie, but casting is crucial.  I can see any number of actresses--MERYL, Helen Mirren--as Imogen, but who could play Eve?  If she were younger, definitely Jennifer Jason Leigh, but who do we have around, like that, today??? Eve is the most hateful bitch I have come across in many a book, but as an acting part, she is a coveted role.

                                                 I learned two things from this book.  First, according to Donna Karan, a  pony tail is like a quick face lift.  And there's an interesting allusion, attributed to someone--Oscar Wilde???--that says, in effect, the ones trying to take you down do so because they see you above them.

                                                 Not very comforting for those this is happening to.  But it sort of reinforces what I have always said about these types.  Just be subtle, settle back, and let Time do the work.  It always does!

                                                   Meanwhile, enjoy the best, and most insightful bitch fest this side of  Lauren Weisberger.  It bridges both Proust and Prada!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!