Because She Can

Claire Truman has spent six years at a top publishing house patiently waiting to be promoted to editor and stretching her ridiculously small salary as far as it will go. But her life is about to miraculously change. Fresh from an ugly breakup, she is dragged by her best friend to an art gallery opening where she bumps into the man she lusted after all through college: Randall Cox, a man with friends in high places.
When the top editor at a rival publishing house calls her the next morning, Claire suddenly finds herself with a new job worth three times her old salary. Unfortunately, her new boss, Vivian Grant, is even worse than the industry gossip has led her to believe. From middle-of-the-night phone calls and impossible demands to ridiculous hours and over-the-top tantrums, Vivian piles on the work...and the abuse. Now, as Claire's new job demands more and more of her time and her soul, will Randall Cox remain her Prince Charming?

Mary Birdsong is the perfect narrator for this comic romp around the New York publishing scene. When boss-from-hell Vivian Grant begins to have speech paterns reminiscent of Claire Truman's future mother-in-law, listners are all but doubled over with laughter. Claire, the young protagonist, is unsure of herself, sounding peppy and innocent one minute, nervous and chiding herself the next. Musical interludes add their own comic twist. Theres' good material for Birdsong to work with. Clark meshes literary history (entitling chapters after classics: The Bell Jar and The Sound and the Fury) with memorable sound bites from high-tech lifestyle. The full book might be overkill, but this abridged version can't helpbut delight anyone who's ever fantasized about working in New York or brushed up against social climbers. (Audio File 2007)