The Best of Everything by Rona Jaffe portrays in a very honest way how far women have come and how far we still have to go.

The comparison of Rona Jaffe's THE BEST OF EVERYTHING to Sex and the City, are unfair to Jaffe's novel. The characters in THE BEST OF EVERYTHING are so well developed and complex. It's fascinating to read this novel written in the 1950s, in part because it feels so relevant to today. I especially appreciate the way Jaffe centers the story around the office, then follows characters as they go about their (work) days and nights. I've heard to Rona Jaffe for years through the various awards in her name, so it is lovely to (finally) read her writing.

I’d never heard of this title or Rona Jaffa, but I’m so glad I know both now.

I was hooked by chapter one and loved following this group of 1950s women as they navigated work, relationships, and figuring out who they want to be. It really does still feel relevant in many ways even 70 years after publication—with workplace gender discrimination and sexual advances, high nyc rents, and the exploration of money and class.

The cover is great, and I so appreciate the prefaces and added author notes in the Penguin classics re-releases. It’s why I’ll always opt for the penguin classic when purchasing if the there’s the option.

Thanks, NetGalley!

It almost feels kitschy because it's so dated, but I think this is a must read for anyone who loved Sex and the City (the show, not the book). Rona Jaffe's protagonists are the original single gals in Manhattan, slogging through the same issues that plague the SATC characters, 1950s style.

The difference is that Jaffe's characters are much more realistic than SATC's ladies, who were largely caricatures of four personality types and lived absurdly luxurious lifestyles well beyond their purported means.

The book is certainly a precursor to today's chic lit genre, but it's exceptionally well written, boasts complex, fascinating characters, and even 60+ years after it was written, is still relatable for today's New York women.

This is a reread for me, but so enjoyed revisiting it as well as perusing the supplemental material included with this new Penguin Classics edition.