Workhorse
A Novel
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3.8 • 53 Ratings
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- $16.99
Publisher Description
"Fierce, funny and unflinching."—Coco Mellors, New York Times bestselling author of Blue Sisters
A richly drawn, unsettling, and wickedly funny story of envy and ambition set against the glamor and privilege of media and high society in New York City at its height.
At the turn of the millennium, Editorial Assistant Clodagh “Clo” Harmon wants nothing more than to rise through the ranks at the world’s most prestigious fashion magazine. There’s just one problem: she doesn’t have the right pedigree. Instead, Clo is a “workhorse” surrounded by beautiful, wealthy, impossibly well-connected “show horses” who get ahead without effort, including her beguiling cubicle-mate, Davis Lawrence, the daughter of a beloved but fading Broadway actress. Harry Wood, Davis’s boarding school classmate and a reporter with visions of his own media empire, might be Clo’s ally in gaming the system—or he might be the only thing standing between Clo and her rightful place at the top.
In a career punctuated by moments of high absurdity, sudden windfalls, and devastating reversals of fortune, Clo wades across boundaries, taking ever greater and more dangerous risks to become the important person she wants to be within the confines of a world where female ambition remains cloaked. But who really is Clo underneath all the borrowed designer clothes and studied manners—and who are we if we share her desires?
Hilariously observant and insightful, Workhorse is a brilliant page-turner about what it means to be in thrall to wealth, beauty, and influence, and the outrageous sacrifices women must make for the sake of success.
APPLE BOOKS REVIEW
We were fascinated with the chillingly, deliciously, almost impressively flawed heroine in this gripping literary thriller. With her small-town, middle-class roots, Clo Harmon knows she lacks the money and connections it takes to succeed in the cutthroat world of the 2000s magazine industry. But that won’t stop her from indulging in deceit, betrayal, and worse in her quest to rise from lowly editorial assistant to a job above the masthead. Debut author Caroline Palmer really forces you to contemplate what makes a character a hero or a villain, likable or unlikable. After all, Clo’s observations about class and connections aren’t wrong. But even when the game is rigged against you, there’s a line between dogged determination and toxic obsession…right? At some point, as Clo’s actions escalate from the unflattering ambition of Election to the amoral scheming of The Talented Mr. Ripley, she definitely crosses the line. But this dark, enthralling read is so brilliantly executed, it’s hard to know exactly when that happens.
Customer Reviews
Fun little romp through 90s nyc
Leaves loose ends so a bit dissatisfying
Couldn't put it down!
Loved it so much and reminded me of my early days out of college living in manhattan
Racehorse
Workhorse is a spectacular read. Fast paced, sleek and glossy. I couldn’t put it down and I didn’t want it to end.
Caroline Palmer captures the inside world of fashion and society with winning accuracy. Her characters are deeply unique, yet also spot on. A tantalizing mix of old school subtle rules and the desperate desire of outsiders trying to keep pace without breaking a sweat.
An excellent read all the way to the finish line.