Mary, mother of God, how does it get any more smug and up its own arse than Cassandra Jardine interviewing 'super PR' Julia Frogspawn in Torygraph on the 'work life balance' (in other words, flogging a book full of glaringly obvious shit to numpties)

[moondog]

Enjoy in a sick sorta way

i'm sure he's lovely moondog but surely the only function of newspaper features is to raise evidence of how many readers the paper has who respond to it in ANY way, and hence are more likely to buy stuff advertised.

So Mr Bamping says only he can stack the dishwasher. Somebody send that man a copy of The Feminine Mystique pdq.

Shall we ask MNHQ to get her along for a webchat?

NO

I had pneumonia - didn't lead to a life changing epiphany where I got to quit my job and get my nails gelled though .

please tell me that Wolfie is a nickname?

Snickers, that would be bloody hilarious - do it, do it!

kristina, perhaps Ms frogspawn was a big fan of Citizen Smith in the 70s...

She sounds very unhappy IMO. What's that crap about children calling her dad because she works and he stays at home. Wow, obviously the breaking the gender stereotype lesson is not getting through to them.

WTF is a non book group? Don't us people who obviously have more time on our sad little hands call that meeting up with friends.

And infuriated by timing of parents evenings she ruins their weekend by badgering them on the phone when it is convenient to her.

So to Myleen-the-first-woman-to-have-a-baby we can add JH-the-first-woman-to-have-a-family-and-a-career.

Here's a time saving tip for you: don't bother reading her book.

Can you ask features guy why they published such a fawning article? Couldn't they have challenged her even a little bit? I mean she's in PR, surely she wouldn't have started crying immediately if they were a teensy weensy bit confrontational? Or is she too important for them to risk pissing her off? hmmmm

As I have said on other thread, and someone has said on this one , who the hell actually BUYS these books? Not any of us, presumably not any of her contemporaries (too busy interviewing each other)....so what is exactly the point of writing it??? So it can be reviewed in the papers???

I know it's only a minor point, but reading through the article, I noticed this:

"Hair done, make-up in place, high heels, fitted jacket, matching jewellery ? at 44, she is an updated version of the perfectly turned out Jewish girl, right down, she admits, to being a world-class worrier and guilt-merchant. 'It's such a relief to put on the MUFTI again, [my italics and capitals] she says, after a Christmas/New Year break in which she has been "shluffing" around at home in pyjamas."

Now call me a pedant, but shouldn't she know that mufti means civilian dress or ordinary clothing, such as one might wear when OFF duty and not at work, whereas to me the context makes it clear that she is seeing her outfit as her work gear. I'm neither married to an antiquarian bookseller nor do I have a degree in Modern Languages - but I do know that.

Apologies for the smug rant.

Well, that's it though isn't it Sunny? She is implying that to here, work is 'fun' and enjoyable therefore her office gear is mufti, and her PJs are her 'workwear' - i.e. what she wears when she is 'grafting' at home being a, er, mother and wife.

Or perhaps I'm missing the point too - I'm good at that!

to her, not to here

I agree sunny, I had to read that bit twice to see if I had missed something...

Surely Mufti is casual and a break from work wear, surely not the other way around.

This bit in particular pissed me off for no obvious reason:
"She has instigated a nonbook group where no reading is required, but she can gossip with friends"
Okay, so why not just say she organises regular get togethers with friends?

Stupid article, stupid woman, poor husband.

Not a book I will be buying!

ah okay moose, you have a point!

Is no-one else laughing at Ilkboo's "peel me an orgasm"?

Wonder what ol' Eric makes of it? What do you suppose his aerial view of her part in the great historical dialectic is?

I so love it when you lot rip it to shreds deconstruct it and come up with even more gems than i first noted.

Agree re mufti and 'non=book group'. FFS. Didn't that used to be called seeing a friend?

Perhaps her non-book group is held in a non alcohol-free establishment.

deconstructing is good fun moondog

that non-book group is just WEIRD

that is just "meeting with friends" isn't it?

it's embarassing

Yah I had assumed that the Mufti comment was ironic

but really

how is she not under a patio

R.O.F.L.

at MP

I always thoguht Sarah brown seemed nice.
Not so sure now if she was titting about with this one.

Ok ok I get you all and I thought the same reading the Times article
but then it did strike me -if she were a super high earning successful public male figure-journalist/politico/PR whatever and she actually did what she claims too-make one on one time with all the kids every weekend, take time to talk to their teachers walk between meetings rather than go to the gym we would think she was a great father given work demands-there's a point in there somewhere not quite sure what though...Perhaps that her kids are actually better off than if the roles were reversed because a lot of high earning successful men are not as involved with their children/running the house if their OH is a SAHM? The nail gels did make me barf though