March 'Book Club' Column
Written by: Jody

Book Column is Portrait Magazine's latest monthly column. Each month Jody will bring you the low down on the latest and greatest teen books! !

‘Wish Upon a Star’ by Olivia Goldsmith

The name of the author Olivia Goldsmith may sound familiar to some of you. Her most well-known novel ‘The First Wives Club’, which came out in 1992, sold millions of copies and most people know the movie based on the book, starring Goldie Hawn, Diane Keaton and Bette Midler. The book ‘Wish Upon a Star’ was published after Goldsmith’s death and is a must-read, especially for the ones who have a soft spot for romance and fairytales.

The story is all about Claire Bilsop, an average American girl from Staten Island, New York, who travels into Manhattan every day where she works as a secretary at a law firm. Claire is single, but she has a secret, seemingly unrealistic, crush on one of the law partners at the firm, Michael Wainwright. He has so many different women in his life and Claire is convinced that nothing will ever happen between them. However, the day comes when Claire’s dull life will get turn around all of a sudden. Michael offers her the chance to go to London with him, all expenses paid. Claire is far from adventurous, but she decides to take a risk for a change… A risk that will turn out to be a life changing step.

One of the great things about this book is the way the author tells the story. It is easy to follow and the descriptions help you to really get into the main character of the book, Claire. Also the other personalities come across as people you could meet on the street on a normal day. The way Goldsmith writes about London and the places Claire goes makes you feel as if you yourself are a part of her adventure.

This book can be described as a chick-lit, short for chick literature. Books for, by and about women, most of the time. Books that aren’t really real literature, but surely also aren’t just simple, easy to write pocket-books. Examples are the Bridget Jones books by Helen Fielding and Sophie Kinsella’s Shopaholic series. The main characters in the books have to handle all kinds of typical everyday problems, to which most girls can relate. This genre has been pretty popular for some time and is also certainly promising for the future!

Check out ‘Wish Upon a Star’, but most importantly, keep on reading!