For the love of money

I have now read 2 Candace Bushnell books and am not impressed. One Fifth was much better than Lipstick Jungle, but that's not saying much. I just can't take the shallow characters and predictable endings as serious literature. Especially when she's asking me to get "involved" in a world in which I have no desire to live. As some of my friends will tell you, I resist a great deal of pop culture. Spending time with the rich and famous is not necessarily my cup of tea. However, One Fifth does ask the reader to ponder the age old question: Is the love of money the root of all evil? In this case, as in most cases, the answer is a resounding yes. Lola is your typical spoiled brat gold digger who whores herself out for her "place" in high society. The more she does this, the unhappier she is. She then convinces herself that all she needs is to be famous and have money and the vicious cycle continues. The richer Paul Rice gets on Wall Street, the more he feels as if he can do whatever he wants to whomever he wants and get away with it. He does get away with it until finally his monetary force field breaks down leaving him without even the ability to get up every morning. Even his wife, Annalisa, whom I liked at first, ends up compromising her backbone, morals and friendships because she's afraid to lose Paul's money and therefore her place in society. Finally, Billy Litchfield, who doesn't even have money (he made the statement: "who needs money when you have rich friends?") allows his love for the rich to take his life. Is money really that important? In their search for monetary greatness, each person loses a piece of himself or herself along the way, making each less of a person than when the book began. None of the characters have true happiness while they have money, or in Billy's case, friends with money. As a small town southern lady, I haven't spent much time on Fifth Avenue or in New York for that matter. Are there really people out there who let their love for making money destroy themselves, their loved ones, and the world around them? Look around you at the oil spill or the golden parachutes of Wall Street, the economy, or Washington and unfortunately, the answer is obvious.