Two poor little rich girls struggle to find their way in the cruel world of wealth and privilege in this latest potboiler by former Dynasty
star Collins (Star Quality
, etc.). Born to 1960s Hollywood starlet Laura Marlowe and ruthless, womanizing Greek tycoon Nicholas Stephanopolis, Atlanta and Venetia are as different as, well, Greece and Hollywood. Elder sister Atlanta is every bit her father's daughter—not only is she dark, but she has also inherited his furry arms and facial hair ("many young girls from Mediterranean climates suffer from this embarrassing condition"). Thus Venetia, the image of her mother with aquamarine eyes and blonde hair, becomes the apple of her father's eye, while Atlanta is thoroughly ignored, especially after Laura's mysterious death. At age 20, Atlanta disappears, only to emerge as a swan after months of cosmetic surgery. She soon begins to enjoy the attentions of men, as well as professional success as a magazine editor, but her father continues to snub her. Meanwhile, Venetia chooses to follow a self-destructive path of alcohol, drugs and promiscuity that causes her to lose her glow. Collins's patented glitz and overheated plotting keep the pages turning, but Venetia's rich-girl misbehavior is tabloid predictable, and some readers may be put off by the endorsement of massive plastic surgery as a cure-all. Agent, Jonathan Lloyd at Curtis Brown (U.K.). (Mar. 2)
