TRADING UP

Candace Bushnell ("Sex and the City") has the "chick lit" formula down pat. Her characters flounce from event to event in New York society, encountering embarrassing situations that are hilarious for the listener. For instance, Janey attempts to show Mimi what a philanderer Mimi is dating by getting him to sleep with her. (He rejects her.) Ellen Archer portrays the characters as people so privileged that their characteristic response to most anything is utter boredom. While Archer's task is to characterize that ennui, her voices could still use more inflection to be interesting. While the listener needs to concentrate to follow these stories, Archer has a talent for reading straight through scenes reminiscent of THE VAGINA MONOLOGUES with explicit professionalism. J.F.M.
(c) AudioFile 2004, Portland, Maine [Published: FEB/ MAR 04]