Book review – Lizzy Harrison Loses Control by Pippa Wright
20 Mar
‘Have you ever noticed that the modern romantic heroine can be, not to put too fine a point on it, a bit useless?’
Lizzy Harrison has everything under control
Lizzy Harrison isn’t a romantic heroine. Not even close. She doesn’t have a cat, owns no more shoes than the average person, and is in no way hopelessly scatty and disorganised. In fact her life is in perfect order, and that’s just how she likes it. Okay, so she hasn’t met the right man yet, but she really doesn’t have the time what with her busy job in PR and her packed schedule of improving activities. Her diary is planned months in advance and she’s determined that nothing spontaneous will force its way into her life.
…hasn’t she?
But when her best friend Lulu questions her need for control, Lizzy starts to wonder if she needs to let go a little. So when she’s thrown into the arms of her boss’s number one client, notorious comedian (and love-rat) Randy Jones, she reluctantly relaxes her hold on routine. Lizzy Harrison is about to find out that losing control could win her more than she had ever imagined.
Lizzy Harrison Loses Control sets its stall out immediately with the quote above from on the back cover. Thirty-three year old Lizzy is billed as the antithesis to the modern romantic heroine. As we meet Lizzy, travelling from her home in Peckham to her office in London to arrive earlier than needed for work, she is a picture of organisation and efficiency. We learn that not only is Lizzy a super efficient PA for a celebrity PR firm, covering for her struggling boss when needed, but that her personal life is as organised and planned as her work day. Lizzy is quite content to carry on in her safely organised world until a drunken heart to heart with best friend Lulu one evening results in her agreeing that she needs to let go and lose control.
The book is narrated by Lizzy in the first person but it is Lizzy’s asides to the reader that made me smile and give the narrative an extra kick. Imagine a character in your favourite film, turning to the camera and stating her thoughts on where the plot is going. That’s what Lizzy does throughout the book – it’s nicely done and Pippa Wright’s writing comes across as fresh and different. The book is also very funny and I found myself chuckling as I read.
The perfect opportunity for Lizzie to step out of her comfort zone arises when her boss Camilla hatches a plan to save her top client, comedian Randy Jones from self destruction by providing him with a sensible new girlfriend. Lizzy fits the bill perfectly and as part of her bid to lighten up agrees to accept the assignment and so the fun begins. The sub-plot involving Camilla and her business partner Jemima’s fight for control over their PR agency provides some excellent twists to the story and I really enjoyed the inside view of celebrity PR work and it came across as frighteningly realistic.
Despite creating a leading lady who demonstrates razor sharp self awareness most of the time, many of the other characters in the book are classic chick lit personas; love-Rat Randy; man-eater Lulu; loyal, devoted but overlooked Dan and Lizzy’s hippie earth mother mum. The twist is that Wright makes these characters seem fresh whilst sticking to what is actually a tried and tested formula and makes for very enjoyable reading.
Lizzy’s criticism of modern romance novels, their plots and leading ladies is a brave move by Pippa Wright, dissecting the very genre that her books belong to. And although the tongue in cheek commentary rings true, ‘Lizzie Harrison Loses Control’ is still firmly a chick lit novel with a classic romantic ending. An assured debut and very enjoyable read from Pippa Wright and I look forward to reading more from her.
4/5
I’d like to thank the publisher for sending me a copy of this to review (via www.libripopulus.co.uk)
A version of this review also appears at: www.libripopulus.co.uk
Good review, this is one that I would love to read.
Jules
I would love to read this book, as the woman who it is about has to same name as me