Review #1: Lace, by Shirley Conran

Alright, I haven't been here for a while. I have been very busy, though, with a college fest, and studying and (insert more lame excuses). Anyway, I though a review would be a fitting way to get back.
Lace was a book on my Pile, and I finished reading it a while ago. It might make it to my list of 'The best books I've read in 2013'. That really surprises me, considering I don't like reading chick-lit.That's another really difficult thing to do- categorising this book. Fashionable clothes, beautiful women, high heels, successful stories, handsome men, infidelity, and bitches- it has the markings of a chick-lit book. But it's not. It's full of unexpected plot twists and turns. It's so fast-paced, that I nearly finished it in one day. At the heart of the novel, it is a quest- Lili's quest to find her mother, who is one of these four women- Judy, Pagan, Kate, and Maxine.
The book opens in the present day, where Lili, a porn star turned actress invites these four women to her apartment, and poses a question that defines the theme of the entire book- "Which one of you bitches is my mother?" after which the book flashes back to the past, where the girls are students in a boarding school called L'Hirondelle, in Switzerland, and traces their journey throughout adolescence and adulthood. Their failed marriages, ruined ambitions, sexual encounters, (THE GOLDFISH SCENE. SHUDDER.) and how they overcome their problems and self-actualise. I didn't think the day would come when I'd advise people to derive inspiration from a chick-lit novel (snobby moment, sorry). All of it surrounding one question- which one of these bitches is her mother?
Something that confused me initially was the unclear timeline. It can be off-putting, but gets better once you get used to it. All in all, I think it's written excellently, re-defining the conventional chick-lit novel. That's something else I noted- it's not pure chick-lit. It's a combination of genres. Sure, it has the chick-lit theme and style, but at the heart, it's more of a mystery novel or a murder-free whodunnit.
Lace was made into a TV series, too. It was so popular amongst those who watched it, that they made a second season. If I had more time, I'd definitely watch it.
Has anyone who's reading this (yes, I know that's pitifully few) read the book or watched the TV show? What are your thoughts?
In one of my earlier posts, I had written about My Reading Pile, and how I'd keep updating it. I've read most of the books on that Pile, (Doctors, Prizes, Lace, The Fellowship of the Ring) plus a few more (A Storm of Swords, The Timekeeper) and I'm in the process of reading Gone with the Wing, A Feast for Crows, and Paper Towns. A diverse list, I know. I may not have time to do full reviews of all, but I'll mention them in my next Pile update.
Until next time!