NEW RELEASE


Low Expectations - Elizabeth Aaron (2014)

Georgie is heading into the final year of her university fashion degree and vows that this year will be different, both in work and in love. Admittedly things don't get off to the best of starts. Negotiating family, friends, flatmates, fashion and flings, this is the crazy, quirky world of a twenty-something fashion design student. The thing that immediately strikes you on reading this book is the author's inimitable style. Flowery and sophisticated, she uses language wonderfully (tendresse and cognoscenti, enough said) to create a very strong and authentic voice. For some, this may tend towards the verbose, but there's nothing showy about it, it is the reflection of the sassy, smart heroine. In terms of plot, the novel is somewhat sparse and there's a lot that goes on off-stage as it were. The driving force behind this novel is instead very much the character and voice of Georgie and as such some of the storylines don't really emerge as you might expect. There's also a certain profligacy to the story, in terms of drugs and sex that may not appeal to all readers. But I loved the fact that in her acknowledgements, Elizabeth Aaron concedes that that's the only page her grandparents are allowed to read, which pretty much says it all in terms of the content. Strongly humorous, unashamedly raunchy and refreshingly grandiose, this is a bold and emphatic debut. (JC)



Low Expectations, the debut novel by Elizabeth Aaron, is set in the fashion industry of East London. The summary says: "Georgie has a glamorous career in fashion. Her boss doesn't know her name but working for a genius will pay off one day. She hopes. She also has great friends. Granted, they're sometimes a bit superficial but who wants to discuss a global crisis on a Friday night? And she's enjoying her single life. Eighteen months of celibacy, and not a hot prospect in sight. Perhaps life's not quite what she was hoping for... But how can she change it, and what does she really want? Stuck somewhere between a quarter-life crisis and self-fulfillment, Georgie is determined that this year, everything will be different. Armed only with her sense of humour, some black eyeliner and her best attempt at 'charming', she's on the way. But just how long will the new improved Georgie last?" Aaron is a Paris-based fashion design graduate who has worked for Alexander McQueen and Givenchy. Low Expectations is out in July 2014.

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