Book Review: Casual by Oksana Robski

  

Author: Oksana Robski
Original Title: Casual
Country: Russia
Rating: 3 cups

Blurb (from Goodreads):

Based on the author's own experiences, Casual tells the story of a wealthy young woman whose husband is mysteriously gunned down outside their Moscow apartment. Determined to avenge his murder while maintaining her lavish lifestyle, she must navigate through a treacherous labyrinth of high society and low company.
From running her own business to negotiating with hit men, the resilient widow becomes intimately involved in the corrupt and dangerous underbelly of the Russian business world. At once an entrepreneur and socialite, she and her equally rich and beautiful friends attend Moscow's wildest parties, spend thousands on plastic surgery, and stop at nothing to snag rich husbands.
A sensational bestseller in its native Russia, Casual exposes the secret lives of the country's new elite. In a world of double-crossinggangsters, torrid affairs, and truly desperate housewives, startling excess is often accompanied by violence, heartbreak, and betrayal.

I bought this book about three years ago, during a wonderful, big book fair. I loved the cover (not the one above, though, that one seems cold and impersonal for a chick lit). This is the cover my edition has:

Pretty, right? Anyway, I wanted to try something new, since every chick lit book I've read until then was either set in the UK or written by a British/English author. So the idea of a Russian chick lit appealed to me, big time.  

This book reminded me of Desperate Housewives, only in Russia. You have funny moments, tragic moments, some tears, plots and schemes and money. Lots and lots of money. The heroine of this book is very witty, sarcastic, sometimes almost snarky. Her and her friends are rich and they aren't afraid of showing that. The author takes you from spas to exclusive restaurants and clubs, where the rich people in Moscow have fun, drink, gossip and flirt. 

I liked the feel of reality this book had. It truly made me believe that about half of the things that happened in the book might happen in real life, which is really rare in a book. And the little intrigues, the every day life experiences, like running into an ex, or your lover and his wife and realizing he's not going to leave her for you,  or finding out your late husband's mistress is pregnant, being threatened by the mob, all those subplots made this a very interesting read. 

At times though, some of the characters blended together, probably because some of them had very similar names.

All in all, this was an interesting book. If you're a fan of chick lit, then you should give this book a try.

My Rating: