GLAMOUR

Three gorgeous young women mix romance and retail.

Sally Lassiter, Jane Morgan and Helen Yanna are outsiders at their posh Beverly Hills private school. The girls represent three vastly different cultures. Sally is a filthy-rich Texan with cover-girl looks. Jane is the bookish, aloof daughter of a British diplomat. Helen’s parents are Jordanian immigrants; her Muslim faith and sheltered upbringing make her an easy target for bullying. This unlikely trio pools its assets to fend off snarky remarks and boorish behavior from competing cliques. The girls manage to smoothly navigate puberty until financial ruin forces Sally and Jane to drop out of school. Helen also misses graduation, but not for lack of money. Her parents trick her into a traditional arranged marriage and pack her off to Jordan. Separated by distance and culture, the girls must make their successes individually. Sally trades on her looks and style and works her way up from shopgirl to successful designer. Jane uses her wit and intellect to climb the corporate ladder at a large retailer. Helen, now called Haya, learns the hand-woven carpet business from her husband. In their 20s, the ladies reunite in California. Their friendship still stands, and they decide to open a luxury shopping emporium in Los Angeles called Glamour, with each woman contributing her unique talents and skills. While the store experiences monumental success, big money and hot romances ultimately lead the partners in different directions. The author obviously has Candace Bushnell in her sights, but the Sex and the City recipe isn’t easily replicated. Bagshawe’s characters are flimsy and forgettable, their story progresses in sputters and spurts, and the author overseasons her narrative stew with too many random ingredients.

Mishmash of sex, fashion and boardroom drama that fails to sizzle.