Welcome to the world of Social Climbers. A funny novel that is cleverly illustrated much like The Official Preppy Handbook. A must read for the aspiring preppy socialite. Hailed as the preppy bible, Dunn's socialite lit acts as a how-to guide for the upwardly mobile. Do you know mean girls? Then enter Dunn's novel where the society season kicks off at the opening night of the Philadelphia Orchestra. Main Line ladies compete to get their names on committees, invitations and their picture in the newspaper. SC Elizabeth Quinn is a young lady determined to make it to the Philadelphia A-list. Each invitation (or snub) is a benchmark of her struggle. While Elizabeth is a SC, she lacks the ferocity of the ladies she will encounter. Sheâ€ll see schoolyard cruelty, just polished up for the grown-up world and now finely honed into small humiliations. Friends from The Agnes Irwin school, Kitty and Elizabeth, are “mean girls†grown-up. They use their clique of friends and polished possessions to pick away at each otherâ€s Social Standing. Sadly, their anger stemming from a boy they both liked in High School and neither married keeps them from seeing what is truly important in life. Follow Elizabeth to afternoon tea and photo-op's. See if she chooses the right childrenâ€s names and the proper label to wear and display. Find out how she learns the difference between Jimmy Choo and Kate Spade, the language of nicknames, when itâ€s alright to brag about a bargain or wear costume jewelry, what to monogram (not toilet paper), who to idolize (Babe Paley) and what constitutes taste in music, nail polish. Read about husbands who are an asset and the husbands who are a handicap. In the SC world, marriage and motherhood and a comfortable income are indispensable as a proper pedigree. For Elizabeth, the honeymoon was simply breathing space before the real work began. Elizabeth strives to be a socialite but also something bigger. But what?
