Everybody Rise: A Novel

When I picked up, “Everybody Rise” I simply wanted to hate it. I heard that all the Lily Pullitzer moms were reading it and to keep an eye on their doings, I thought I’d give it an open and honest read...

In “Everybody Rise” readers can expect a tale of class, status and power seeking among New York’s socialistas. Reliably narrated in third person point of view, Clifford takes us into the life of twenty-something Evelyn Beegan who in character is not particularly special and is wildly hungry to see and be seen among the social elite living in New York City.

At times the novel reads like a catalog for Robin Leach’s, “Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous” only following a much younger social set. It’s jam packed with the names of American industrial families, galas and balls, restaurants and designers, wine and spirits, posh schools and retreats. It is so loaded that it becomes seductive for readers.

Evelyn cycles through employment, unemployment, relationships and networking. As she chases the “It Girl” Camilla Rutherford, Evelyn evolves a personal standard that is entirely unrealistic for someone as unwealthy as she is. However, Evelyn continues to fly too close to the sun only to be burned badly.

After suffering the symbiotic relationships among the social elite, readers can find respite in knowing that grand lessons are learned and bittersweet endings occur. For the Lily Pulitzer moms, here’s the take away, relationships more than seasonal prints weigh heavier in importance which is something to think about while you are combing through the racks.

First-time novelist Stephanie Clifford delivers a powerful story. The setting of upper-crust society is so vividly portrayed that, readers will feel as if they are peeping behind the curtains of a fantasy stage, with characters unlike any they have ever known. This world has its own set of standards regarding etiquette, dress, and social responsibility. Extreme wealth—and the older the money, the better—and the ‘right’ schools provide entrée into the tightly guarded world of the elite.

Thanks to her father’s newly acquired wealth from his law practice and her socially desperate mother, Evelyn Beegan went to the right school. Lacking old money and an illustrious genealogy prevent her from securing her place among the privileged pack. Armed with a good education, her only objective is to be welcomed into this snobbish set. Frankly, as a reader, it was difficult to sympathize with our protagonist. It is only as we waded deeper into Evelyn’s troubled, dirty waters that it was possible to like her. Evelyn's social swimming upstream was improbable and staying afloat was impossible. Watching her drown was fascinating.

Author Clifford knows how to play with her readers’ emotions. She takes us from feeling distanced, to outright dislike and disgust, and finally, to acceptance of Evelyn. Clifford ably handles the parents, Barbara and Dale, too. It’s no wonder that their doses of superiority and humility have not given Evelyn a sense of balance. The reader cannot help but come away with radically changed notions of who they really are.

Stephanie Clifford is a magna cum laude graduate of Harvard and an award-winning The New York Times reporter. She is being called the 21st century’s Edith Wharton and it is a well-deserved comparison. She writes eloquently of lives most us will only read about. Emotions, settings, and dialogue flow effortlessly. Clifford’s writing peels back her characters’ layers, giving us interesting personalities and a story that was disappointing—only because, regrettably, it had reached its final page.

One can hope that, EVERYBODY RISE is the first of many novels for Stephanie Clifford. Move over, Edith Wharton…

All Evelyn has ever wanted is to please her mother; all Barbara, Evelyn’s mother, has ever wanted is for Evelyn to be accepted into elite Eastern society. Barbara doesn’t care whether Evelyn is well read, but she had sure as hell better know which spoon to use, and what to wear to every occasion…and most of all, she had better know “everybody who’s anybody”. In other words, Clifford’s skewer of high society hits the mark in ways both wry and hilarious. This terribly amusing little tale goes on sale August 18—oh wait, was my rhyme a trifle tacky? Anyway, you can buy it soon, or you can order it in advance, but I was lucky and got a copy free from Net Galley and St. Martin’s Press for this humble review. Thank you to both of them.

Evelyn’s parents want different things, and it’s just her luck—she is their only child, so all their expectations fall on her shoulders. Her father, an attorney with egalitarian notions and a folksy Southern manner, is often out of town, working for the clients he represents and sticking it to the big pharmaceutical companies. So most of the time, it’s Evelyn and her mother. And her mother is relentless in her need for social stature.

Evelyn is sent to Sheffield Boarding School, which should provide some relief, but her mother obtains a copy of the student directory, and has tracked the social value of every child there. Evelyn is friends with Charlotte, a young woman of high ideals and great loyalty, but she has pigtails, a social no-no, and the wrong damn family. Evelyn is conflicted, because she is close to Charlotte, but her mother wants her to drop her. Her mother has chosen the people Evelyn should cultivate. Imagine!

Over the course of time, Evelyn manages to worm her way into the upper reaches of the social echelon, but she can’t financially afford the lifestyle she is expected to lead. And worst of all, she comes to realize, once she is rubbing elbows with the cream of society, that her mother is actually pretty embarrassing. Her mother does not have as much upper-crust social sense as she thinks she does.

She’d better avoid her.

You may think I have spoiled the surprises, but you haven’t heard the half of it. There are so many choice bits along the way, and then the ending is something else entirely. At times I felt that I was watching a train wreck I was incapable of stopping, but the thing is, I really liked watching it, and the ending, which seems obvious as it approaches, is a surprise after all.

If you’re heading for the beach this August, or just need entertainment for a good long holiday weekend with the air conditioner cranked and a nice drink ready to hand, this is a gift you should get for yourself. It’s absorbing and vastly entertaining.

I liked this book, found it highly entertaining, and was quite surprised to read so many negative reviews. Granted the characters are not particularly likable, but then that was part of the story. Evelyn, the main character, was an inherently nice, mostly "normal" young woman with a fairly low opinion of herself. In her sincere quest to do a good job in her new position as membership recruiter of a startup website, she used her prep school connections to hook up with the upper crust of New York society. While the reader has the advantage of seeing how shallow and self-absorbed most of these people really are, Evelyn sees only their shiny surface and all the things she wishes she could be part of. So yes, while the characters are snarky and smarmy, it's easy to see how someone on the outside could lose sight of that and eventually lose her grip on reality. Basically what I would call a beach read but a good one. If you're looking for something entertaining but not necessarily deep, Everybody Rise is a good choice.

Evelyn at twenty-six is still the outsider she was in prep-school. For years she worked in New York for a text book publisher, but now she has a job trying to recruit members for an exclusive social media site designed for the upper crust, People Like Us. Evelyn convinces her bosses that she can succeed by using her entrée through her upper class friends to sign up people appropriate for the site.

Although she hasn't seen her special friends, Charlotte and Preston, for some time, she connects with them to use their background for her job. Basically inviting herself to Preston's camp in the Adirondacks and his parties, she becomes entranced by the people she's trying to recruit. Finally, she comes within range of Camilla Rutherford, the queen of 2006 New York social set. Evelyn falls under her spell and in trying to fit in, she takes a page from her social climbing mother's playbook, spending more than she can afford and building a fictitious background for herself. Of course, this can't last and that's the point of the novel.

I have mixed feelings about this book. Evelyn is not an attractive character. I couldn't get interested in her even enough to care about her eventual downfall. On the other hand Camilla's character is well done and Evelyn's prep school friends are engaging.

The setting, the New York social scene in 2006 just before the recession, is interesting. The author takes us to elite parties, compounds in the Adirondacks, and summer homes in the Hamptons. However, the attention to the details of this life style becomes tedious since it takes up almost half the book.

The theme of the book, what rises must fall, has been done many times. I didn't find the plot original. Since you know what must eventually happen, it isn't an inducement to keep reading.

The writing is clear and the descriptions good, but for me it wasn't enough to carry the book.

I reviewed this book for Net Galley.

Perhaps because I have particular taste--I love any book about New York City, social climbing AND shopping--so this book pushed all of my hot buttons, and I LOVED IT! The story of Evelyn, who tries to social climb spurred by her mom's desires, then falls into a vortex of wanting more and more, was juicy and the fast-moving plot kept me on the edge of my seat.

Evelyn becomes less and less likeable throughout the book, which might be off-putting to some, but as she begins to spin fully out of control, I regained my sympathy for her.
This book reminded me of so many other books (but in a good way):
Prep by Curtis Sittenfeld or the movie "Metropolitan" - an outsider trying to fit into preppy culture
Diary of a Shopaholic - the way Evelyn justifies her spending (and even stuffs credit card bills in a drawer without opening)
The Custom of the Country - as if it were told from Undine Spragg's POV
I feel that just about everyone can relate to many aspects of this story--trying to live up to your parents' expectations, not feeling like you fit in, and the endless desire for "more" that can sweep us away. Highly recommend!

Check out the full review at Kritters Ramblings

Evelyn grew up just on the outskirts of everything, she went to the fancy prep school, but wasn't in the in crowd. She lived in New York City, but just one block away from where you were "supposed" to live, so when she gets the chance to be IN she may go overboard and go ALL IN!

Evelyn was a great character to follow into this world. I thought her perspective was fun, not unique, but at least fun! I thought the main plot of her working for an exclusive Facebook or MySpace was a great way to get her to reunite with her prep school alums and give her a reason to return to that world. When a book doesn't have a ton of action, the plot and characters must be enough and this one had enough for a summer afternoon of reading.

I was very interested in listening to this book based on it's description as a 21st century edition of an Edith Wharton novel and was very happy to receive a free copy via the goodreads first reads program. Although I think the story was very well written and the narrator did a good job of differentiating between the characters, there were some characters that I actively disliked to the point of wanting them to experience payback for their bad behavior. Although in the end, the main character learns her lesson and goes a long way towards redeeming her character, the story just left me wanting to see a little more justice done. I highly recommend listening to this audio book to any fans of "The Rich are Different" and similar novels about the pitfalls of associating with old money families. Stories about people on the outside of a popular group trying to get in just make me a tad uncomfortable and wanting to see the "privileged by accidents of birth" get their comeuppance.

There is something about the inner workings of New York society that always makes for a great novel and Ms. Clifford hit the mark with this plot as well. Meet Evelyn a 20-something who is eager to get into the inner circle of society ever since going to an elite private high school, she's always wanted to be part of the crowd. Now her job as membership director for People Like Us can be her in to this world she's always been on the outskirts of joining.

Except Evelyn will never belong no matter how hard she tries and how hard her mother wants her to. They don't have the old family money and the connections that would buoy her to the inner circle.

Everybody Rise is about wanting to be something you aren't and falling so hard that you have no where to go but up. It's about figuring out who your real friends are embracing them. Money doesn't make the person but it sure can change people.

Stephanie Clifford's debut was well written, albeit a little slow. I struggled to connect with Evelyn but continued to read her story because I knew there HAD to be a fallout with all of her social climbing. And boy...there was. For someone so smart, she sure didn't think about the outcome. Yikes! Despite my difficulty connecting with Evelyn, the writing here was strong. I'd read another by this author because I fully believe we can only improve as we keep on writing. I enjoyed this modern retelling despite it's slow beginning. I grew up reading/watching Gossip Girl and felt this was the mid 20's version. Clifford has a handle on new money vs old money and the circle of friends, the way women work, and the way they cut each other down. I enjoyed reading about Evelyn's fall and her eventual transition into realizing she doesn't need money to make her life work. She just needs HER.

The pre-release press about Clifford's debut, Everybody Rise, gushed over its razor sharp, Edith Wharton-esque look at social climbing. I'm a big fan of Wharton, and always appreciate any author who garners such a comparison. Unfortunately, much like other ballyhooed Wharton read-a-likes (such as Claire McMillan's Gilded Age), Everybody Rise misses the mark.

The writing is smooth and often lyrical, but it's wasted on superficial characters. Evelyn Beegan, our protagonist, veers between vacuity and naivety, and her rise up the social ladder comes across as sheer dumb luck rather than a clear-eyed campaign.

Also, I found it completely unbelievable that someone raised by a social climbing mother and who attended a (fictional?) prep school would be so utterly insecure and clueless about the inner workings of the upper crust. At times, Evelyn's awkwardness, particularly at at beginning, was a way for Clifford to allow her to act as stand-in for us hoi polloi readers (can't be too polished or she'll be "unlikable"). Yet, at key moments, Evelyn just so happened to be terrific at doing what the rich do.

As the pages turned, and Evelyn's desperate measures to ride the coattails of Camilla Rutherford (the queen bee) grew more embarrassing, the story grew more and more unbelievable. Some of the key characters often moved in and out of the story solely to keep it going--particularly Evelyn's longtime high society bffs Charlotte and Preston. And speaking of those two bffs, I couldn't understand why they weren't good enough to propel Evelyn into the best circles, nor why they watched her make horrible decisions, yet blamed her for dropping them in favor of Camilla.

By the time of Evelyn's inevitable fall, the unbelievable elements got worse. I don't know Clifford's background, but the depths to which the disgraced Beegans sunk read like someone with little concept of how people with less than $70,000/ year live (and then it made me wonder why the heck didn't Evelyn go to college??? For all her mother's prodding and Evelyn's thirst for the upper crust life, you would have thought she'd rush to Yale or Harvard, right?).

All in all, this was a page-turner, even if none of it added up, nor was it as clever as the press proclaimed it to be, or even offered any new insights about class in America. If you're in for a beach read, this is it. For those seeking meatier novels of high society, Edith Wharton still holds up 70+ years after her death.

This is a fun story, sometimes agonizing, and extremely well-paced. The protagonist, Evelyn is on the edges of upper-crust society but not precisely in it. Rather, she was thrust into it as a child by her ambitious mother, though she didn’t have the means to truly fit in. Accordingly, and perhaps unsurprisingly, she apparently finds some familial solace in the fringes of high society as an adult because she nearly replicates her adolescent experiences in the form of a deliberate career choice, working with the moneyed class as a kind of social networker/influencer. The enticements of a wealthy lifestyle are irresistible, but can Evelyn keep her emotions and self-identity in check as she navigates the increasingly treacherous world that (she thinks) she longs to be part of? A highly recommended, rollicking read that is at once humorous, literate, and humane.

A cautionary tale about a social climber who sacrifices everything to be part of the old money set.

Evelyn has been pushed by her mother to discard her identity and fit into the world her mother wishes she could've been part of. Even though the descriptions of the people and behaviors are intriguing and at times, amusing, as a reader I had to wonder what the fascination was for Evelyn. She shows some self awareness in the beginning, but it disappears as she makes choices that lead to the inevitable conclusion.

When Evelyn is finally honest about the denizens of the class she's tried so hard to become part of, it's funny, satisfying and a bit sad. An entertaining story, but I felt Evelyn became much more interesting after she came to terms with her life. Received a review copy.

I've been hearing about this book - it was picked as 'best of the summer' by some people on websites I visited. I'm not sure why it's been touted so favorably. It seems to be one of those books that tries (too hard?) to be smart and trendy. Possibly younger women will find this entertaining.

The book is well written but the characters are all rather unlikeable. It was hard to care what happened to any of them.

A light read that doesn't require much brain power to read it - take it to the beach.

Actually a very serious contribution to the literary fiction of the 21st century, those who know about the financial meltdown of 2008 will have a good inkling of which characters waltz away and which might get taken down after the conclusion of the book. Although this book is described as a "summer read" or a "beach book" in places, I think it's the best literary debut I have read since "White Teeth" by Zadie Smith. This novel is not merely derivative of Edith Wharton or Louis Auchincloss, it takes their themes and characters and placed them in the 21st century.

Evelyn Beegan, the heroine, is much like Lily Bart from the superb "House of Mirth" and her trajectory is similar---like Lily, she has some very real credentials and also, like Lily, she has to compete with some seedy and greedy characters and some of their ruthlessness contaminates her. It's easy to say that so many of Lily Bart's problems might have been solved by the woman's movement or by laws that purportedly help women, but that just does not work. Lily's and Evelyn's problems are intensified by their gender, but they remain so similar that it seems as if the clock has hardly moved in the century that divides them.

While some of the characters are not as fully fleshed out as you might wish, the author does well to give us a limited point of view.
This novel fits solidly in the tradition of the 19th century novel. Like Trollope's "The Way We Live Now" or "Little Dorrit" by Dickens, the main players here are capital -- both financial and of breeding, family name, the right schools and the right accoutrements. And by all means, throw in "The Great Gatsby". The scene set in a bar where patrons are devoted to musicals and reference Sondheim with ease is marvelous. References to the musicals "Company" and "Sweeney Todd" remind us of how this story is an old one which becomes evergreen with new interpretations that are strong.

I think that this is a novel that will be mistaken for a light one, or even dismissed as chick lit. Such readers are missing the blossoming of a new voice in the long literary conversation about money and its effects on people.

Part satire, part cautionary tale, part comedy, Stephanie Clifford's debut novel gives readers a glimpse of how the other half lives while crafting a keen warning to those who try to climb the social ladder. It's pre-crash 2006, and Evelyn Beegan is 26 and in a new job with a social networking site called "People Like Us." In her quest to boost membership among the NYC elite, she reconnects with her old prep school pals and tries to reinvent herself as an old money socialite. What begins as work quickly spirals into a personal quest to "be someone" and to appear in society pages. She becomes a student of "old money" in an attempt to fit in at deb balls, posh Adirondack camps, and Southampton parties. While she carelessly crafts this image, her lawyer father is being investigated by a grand jury. Evelyn must make her mark before her father becomes front page news and her facade crumbles.

Honestly, I didn't expect to like this book as much as I did. Evelyn's brash decisions made me cringe in places and kept me on the edge of my seat. Readers know that with her rise must come a fall, and this anticipation kept me reading well into the night. I couldn't help but place this story into a larger context- into the absurdities of American social customs, the desire to create royalty where there isn't any, and a reminder that the American dream is a fragile and elusive idea. Truly, this novel was more thought-provoking than I expected it to be.

Just finished this book. Actually, I read seventy percent, skimmed twenty, and read the last ten to get the ending. That should tell you a lot about this book. I think the premise was slightly interesting, but the plot just felt kind of light. During the first seventy percent, I kept waiting for the story to develop but it never really did. It was also filled with mostly unlikeable characters, and felt oddly dark at times. Just my opinion. I do think Ms Clifford has a few witty pages thrown in there to hold you, and the story seemed promising, but not enough to get me to read the whole thing. That said, she's a published author with a lot of positive reviews on the store, so the book appealed to a lot of people. Better luck with the next one.

I basically enjoyed this keeping up with the Jones's story, but did not always find myself rooting for the main character. She became what she beheld at home with her superficial, social climbing, money obsessed parents, then came to NYC to continue their shallowness by ingratiating herself in with genuinely wealthy peers by lying and pretending to be one of them. She gets herself in social and financial trouble. Even though she is the problem, as usual the rich people are seen as nasty and mean. Yes, she is eventually humbled, but somehow it's not enough.

Being a fan of Stephen Sondheim's work, especially "Company", I immediately got the connection of the title of "Everybody Rise" to Mr. Sondheim's song, "The Ladies Who Lunch".

The book takes place from 2006 up until right before disaster hits in 2008. Evelyn is a daughter of a new money lawyer and a social climbing mother. Right from the first chapter, you see Evelyn's mother pushing her to be better and get into the in-crowd of New York society. Working for People Like Us (A fake Facebook for rich people), Evelyn pushes her way into the group of elite New York. Things escalate as Evelyn tries to fit in with people like Camilla Rutherford, who is considered the top tier in the New York socialite world. But things start to fall apart when Evelyn reaches too high.

I really don't know how I feel about "Everybody Rise". I had a harder time getting into the book at the beginning and that made it hard to want to pick it up. As the storyline picked up, it was easier to read. But then I also don't know how I feel about Evelyn. She's relatively likable in the beginning but turns slightly heinous in the middle and it's hard to like her after that. At one point she became so unlikable that I couldn't wait for her to get the comeuppance she deserved. She will do anything to stay on the top and almost become better than Camilla. At one point, I thought she should be put in the mental hospital because she is so far gone.

The ending of the book is something you would expect but was satisfactory. I didn't hate the book at all. It's just as great as I was hoping it would be.

Highly recommend this cautionary tale of a young woman striving to climb the social ladder. Beautifully written and carefully plotted, it completely captures the social mileau Evelyn involves herself with, right down to the perfect purchases. There were many directly on point elements in this novel. While not everyone is likeable (of course not!), some, like Charlotte are people I'd like to know. Two highly enthusiastic thumbs up.

The August release date of this book is perfect timing. Everybody Rise is the story of Evelyn Beegan who was raised on the cusp of upper class society. When she lands a job as a recruiter for an exclusive social networking site called People Like Us, she finds herself submerged in a world that she was always on the outside looking in. Everybody Rise is a great summer vacation read. It is written with ease, and the main characters are likable.

Original review at www.125pages.com

*I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

3 Stars

My main issue with Everybody Rise is that I really disliked all of the characters. The main character Evelyn is a spoiled girl, raised to almost worship the upper crust. Her mom is pushy and is the one who taught her to lie to fit in, her father is a loudmouth who is never wrong. Her “friends” are just universally horrible people to whom having family money is the only important thing in life. The writing was very solid with fluid description and a very real world, unfortunately this helped draw out the characters un-likeability. I almost gave this a review in the 2 star range, but the writing elevated it to a three. I would be interested to see if the author releases another book with more likeable people, or if she continues on her current path. This reminded me of The Love Affairs of Nathaniel P. in that both featured main and supporting characters in their 20’s, in New York, who thought very highly of themselves and who were just yucky. I am disappointed as the writing itself was very good, but I want a character to root for, not a character to root to fail.

I thought this book was very good. Sometimes the life of the rich and famous isn't that enticing. This book shows how Evelyn, the lead character, lost friends, family, and her dignity, in order to be in with the "in crowd". Once she was one of the elite, and was eventually found out by her "new friends" that she wasn't who she said she was, she realised who her true friends were.

Excellent read! It was a little slow in the beginning. Once I had created an image of everyone and read further, it was very enjoyable! One thing, I loved the ending until it stopped! What happens to Ev and Pres? Is there a follow up? I would like to read more!

I loved every single minute of reading this book. Everybody Rise was a faced paced, entertaining book that is set in a world that I know nothing about but find facinating. It was a fun deviation from the books I usually read and is a perfect addition to your beach/pool bag this summer!

An semi-interesting, well written but predictable tale of a not at all likeable woman who is the picture of a social climbing superficial bore. Perhaps, had the main character been even remotely likable or exhibited even one admirable characteristic, I might have rated this slightly higher. If you are looking for a light beach read requiring no thought before, during or after reading, this will fit the bill.

Evelyn Beegan is the twenty-six-year-old protagonist of "Everybody Rise" by Stephanie Clifford, a novel about how one young woman manages to infiltrate the very upper echelons of New York society, only to suffer a downfall and realize that Honesty is the Best Policy and that you shouldn't try to be someone you're not because - wait for it - it's not worth sacrificing your self-respect. The daughter of a self-made lawyer who considers himself an advocate for the less fortunate and a social-climbing mother who has embroidered her own past in order to better fit in with their moneyed community, Evelyn has just gotten a job at a start-up called "People Like Us," a social networking website that caters to the upper crust. (The book is set in 2006, so no one has really seen the explosion of social media popularity yet.) Being the grizzled age she is, Evelyn constantly gets pressured by mom to find a nice man to marry, and that combined with pressure to succeed in her job begins to wear on her. To complicate matters, her father is soon under investigation for alleged crimes and may be poised to take the fall for his firm. So for awhile, Evelyn had my sympathy, even if I didn't consider her the most likeable of heroines.

However, things look brighter for Evelyn (but go downhill for the reader) when she is befriended by the glamorous Camilla Rutherford and begins to employ a slew of dubious measures in order to convince Camilla and her set that she is one of them. Let's just say she lies, cheats and steals, and does everything except invent a boyfriend called George Glass or Tim Sims. This is not one of those chick lit books in which the heroine winds up learning her craft from her boss, but one in which she considers herself too good for her company almost from the very first and lets them know it. I do not exaggerate when I say that the main character makes Veruca Salt look like a nice, well-behaved, considerate girl. This is basically why I didn't enjoy the book - some unpleasant fictional characters can be more fascinating than their "good" counterparts, but not here.

I did like Evelyn's prep school friends, but they were quickly discarded in her climb to the top. I also had problems in terms of some of the plot elements being plausible - particularly that Evelyn, despite being well into her twenties, appears to never have learned to budget or have any kind of compassion for people who don't have it all, even though she, herself, does not quite fit into the high society world. On the plus side,. the gay best friend is allowed to have a life of his own here and does not have to spend pages counseling the heroine on her wardrobe and love life. But overall, I would not recommend this book.

I checked this out from the library after reading the sample from the store but was disappointed. Characters are quite exaggerated and plot is very thin and improbable. I suppose the NY Times review was so glowing and favorable because she works at the newspaper... Probably wouldn't recommend if you're looking for a good read.

This book should be subtitled: Oh what tangled webs we weave, when first we practice to deceive....Sir Walter Scott. Ms. Clifford is a good writer who obviously researched this book thoroughly, but I found nothing about Evelyn to like or to care about. Too shallow for my taste.

As others have said, the main character has no redeeming qualities. Worse, she presents herself as someone who expects her father to keep coming up with money to fund her lifestyle, in fact demands it or tricks him into giving it (through the sham "new apartment" because her old one is "too dangerous.") Worst of all, I didn't even remember reading it until someone suggested it and I read the book description. This isn't even chick lit. Probably was trying for chic lit. Didn't make it. See Metropolitan, the movie, for a view of these same people maybe 20, 30? years ago. It was considered a revelation then.

I was very impressed by Ms. Clifford's writing and superbly vivid characters - this is the kind of book where the characters really stay with you after you put the book down. I read it in one sitting because I could not put it down and definitely recommend it.

The writing was strong, but I disliked the characters to much that I could barely finish this book. The whole idea of high society and trying to get there is just so old fashioned and not interesting to read about.

EVERYBODY RISE is another novel about the very rich . The heroine Evelyn who I had a great deal of trouble not disliking learns all about how important class and social standing are to wealthy New Yorkers. And then in the end she learns what is really important in life. The book is decently written and has some entertainment value but I felt like I had read this story so many times before. I don't really think this compares as a modern day Edith Wharton as some reviewers have claimed.

I absolutely loved it. A story about a shallow young social climber from a modest background, her rise to somewhat success through lies and inevitable fall to disgrace were brilliantly developed by this author. It is a very clear description of many young girls arriving to NYC with big dreams and dollar signs in their eyes.

This is pleasant enough reading although nothing outstanding. It's centered around an unlikeable heroine trying to break into the upper crust. To a degree, this becomes wallowing in rather muddy waters. I didn't really connect with the characters and honestly didn't really want to.

This is strictly pastime reading and nothing to remember.

Like any addiction, Evelyn Beegan is completely seduced by her desperate bid to become part of the New York upper class scene. Like any addict, she needs to hit rock bottom, literally and figuratively, before she can attempt to rise again. I was unable to put this book down, even though it is not hard to guess where this social climber and her story is heading. The author’s skill is evident even when Evelyn's poor, poor choices become pathological, we still sympathize with her.

Initially, Evelyn seemed not to care that she was on the fringes of the old money that her social climbing mother longed for and her prep school friends had. The year is 2006, when Evelyn moves to New York, reconnects with some of these friends from her prestigious prep school and accepts a job at an elite website called People Like Us. Evelyn is hired to “get the right sort of people to seed the site”. Initially, things go smoothly for Evelyn. Old friends Charlotte, Preston and Nick have access to the right parties and social events and take Evelyn with them to their Adirondacks compounds and stately mansions. Evelyn is only too happy to sleep in a smaller bedroom or clean up after parties in order to figuratively pay her way and sign up new members for the site. When Evelyn meets and eventually befriends heiress Camilla Rutherford, “the clear center of young New York”, she becomes obsessed with the trust fund millionaire and her way of life. What Evelyn won't do to sustain her climb to the top is what makes this book so compulsively readable. Evelyn will lie, cheat and discard old friends to keep her new ones. She will run up enormous fees on her charge cards to look the part and eventually begins to act the part. Like any addict, Evelyn rationalizes her behavior and every success she achieves validates her efforts.

From start to finish I was as absorbed as Evelyn. Highly recommended.