Beauty

by Louise Mensch

[Leah]

Louise Mensch (nee Bagshawe) is an author I very much enjoy. I think her books are amazing, and she’s been writing for so long that she’s become a must-read for me. It’s been a while since her last novel – three years, in fact, so it was a delight to me to know she’s got a new book out in 2014, called Beauty under her new moniker Louise Mensch. I’m almost sure I read that this new novel, Beauty, would be her last for a while, and if so, that’s a massive disappointment as it was a fabulous read. I got totally sucked into the novel from the word go, and I could barely put it down for the two days it took me to read it. It was immensely readable and I was really sad to reach the end of the novel, even if it was super satisfying.

Louise is quite famous for not JUST being an author. She was an MP for Corby for ages, only giving up that post in 2012, and since she stopped being an MP she seems quite clued up on the world of fashion and beauty, so Beauty is very much rooted in the work she does now. The one thing that is blindingly clear is that Louise knows what she’s talking about when it comes to make-up. I have no clue, whatsoever. I am clueless about make-up, and I only wish Dina Kane was real so I could go to her store and get myself a make-over, under her tutelage. Dina Kane is the kind of character I’ve been waiting all my life for; she was raised with such little love from her mother, Ellen, who feels like Dina ruined her life, and after being kicked out of her home at 18, she moves to the heart of NYC and spends the next few years working herself up to becoming something more. Someone who doesn’t need to rely on men for money, and along the way she’s made some enemies, not least Edward Johnson, whose life she ruined after he ruined hers. But he’s underestimated her, because Dina Kane never stays down for long, and she’s ALWAYS hunting for revenge on anyone she perceives has wronged her.

I absolutely LOVED Dina Kane. I’m not 100% supportive of the way she wrecked the Johnson family, that was a bit icky, but apart from that I loved her soooo much. Chick Lit characters are so rarely girls who know what they want and will stop to get it, that’s normally left to the men, but Mensch has always written strong females, and Dina is her strongest yet, I feel. I loved that no matter how many times she was down – when she was sacked over the Johnson family scandal, when her mentor sued her after they made the wonderful Meadow cream together; each time she was down, she dusted herself off, and came up with another way to get whatever funds she needed to be self-sufficient. She rarely took anything lying down, and despite knowing nothing about make-up, I enjoyed reading about all the things she did with make-up, and the creams she helped make etc. I think anyone who can come from such awful beginnings and make something of themselves should be applauded, and Dina Kane, I applaud you!!

Beauty was just such a fascinating read, Mensch’s writing is captivating, and the 500 pages just flew by, and there wasn’t much I didn’t like about the novel. Joel Gaines was a great addition to the novel, the multi-millionaire who helps Dina when she’s in some of her stickier situations and I quite liked their chemistry. Beauty is probably my favourite of Mensch’s novels. It was written with such authority, and kept me hooked from beginning to end, even with some of the sad bits. It will be a crying shame if Mensch doesn’t start writing and publishing books regularly again, because not many authors write novels like she does, with heroines like she does. Dina Kane is someone you’ll remember, from the moment you meet her in the hospital ward on the day she’s born. She’s that memorable. Beauty was a fantastic, cracking read, one I recommend to all. Beauty enthusiasts will lap it up, but it’s also so good that even non-beauty enthusiasts (like me, who can barely apply eye-shadow) will also love it. It made me want to go out and open my own store of some kind… Beauty was well worth the three-year wait, I enjoyed it so much!