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Altar Ego
`Query. Would it be a serious breach of etiquette to run out on my own wedding?` This is the question Becky Steele asks herslef as she clings to the window ledge of her parents` bathroom, grimly regarding the ten-foot drop into the dustbins below. She stares in disbelief at the meringue dress for which she has drunk only skimmed water for four weeks to fit into. Why can`t Becky commit to Julian, human rights lawyer, and her Knight in Shining Armani? Yes, Julian`s the right man. But has she had enough wrong ones?
368 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1998
9 people are currently reading
197 people want to read
About the author
Kathy Lette
62 books238 followersKathy Lette divides her time between being a full time writer,
demented mother (now there's a tautology) and trying to find a shopping trolley that doesn't have a clubbed wheel.
Kathy first achieved succés de scandale as a teenager with the novel Puberty Blues, now a major motion picture.
After several years as a singer with the Salami Sisters and a newspaper columnist in Sydney and New York (collected in the book "Hit and Ms") and as a television sitcom writer for Columbia Pictures in Los Angeles, her novels, "Puberty Blues" (1979) "Girls Night Out" (1988), "The Llama Parlour" (1991), "Foetal Attraction" (1993), "Mad Cows" (1996),"Altar Ego" (1998) "Nip'N'Tuck" (2001), "Dead Sexy" (2003) and "How To Kill Your Husband (and other handy household hints)" (2006) became international best-sellers. Kathy Lette's plays include "Grommits", "Wet Dreams", "Perfect Mismatch" and "I'm So Happy For You I Really Am".
She lives in London with her husband and two children and has just finished a stint as writer in Residence at London's Savoy Hotel.
Kathy says that the best thing about being a writer is that you get to work in your jammies all day, drink heavily on the job and have affairs and call it research! (Although her husband says he should have the affair as it would give her a better book!)
demented mother (now there's a tautology) and trying to find a shopping trolley that doesn't have a clubbed wheel.
Kathy first achieved succés de scandale as a teenager with the novel Puberty Blues, now a major motion picture.
After several years as a singer with the Salami Sisters and a newspaper columnist in Sydney and New York (collected in the book "Hit and Ms") and as a television sitcom writer for Columbia Pictures in Los Angeles, her novels, "Puberty Blues" (1979) "Girls Night Out" (1988), "The Llama Parlour" (1991), "Foetal Attraction" (1993), "Mad Cows" (1996),"Altar Ego" (1998) "Nip'N'Tuck" (2001), "Dead Sexy" (2003) and "How To Kill Your Husband (and other handy household hints)" (2006) became international best-sellers. Kathy Lette's plays include "Grommits", "Wet Dreams", "Perfect Mismatch" and "I'm So Happy For You I Really Am".
She lives in London with her husband and two children and has just finished a stint as writer in Residence at London's Savoy Hotel.
Kathy says that the best thing about being a writer is that you get to work in your jammies all day, drink heavily on the job and have affairs and call it research! (Although her husband says he should have the affair as it would give her a better book!)
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 38 reviews
November 17, 2017
Vapid. All the characters were unlikeable. Do not recommend
August 5, 2014
I am a very patient person. I can tolerate a weak storyline, provided there are good (or at least sexy) characters to make up for it. I can tolerate an excess of description, or an excess of characters, or even a book with too much going on at once. But, what I have recently discovered that I cannot tolerate is when the main character, (as in… you know… the protagonist… who you’re supposed to give a crap about) is so absolutely flawed, has no redeeming features worth noting, and does NOT redeem themselves, even though the ideal situation for redemption does arise. This is what I found with my reading of Altar Ego by Kathy Lette.
What annoyed me the most about Altar Ego was the absolute lack of integrity in the protagonist. I couldn’t be on her side, because she was on her own side to such a ridiculous degree that she obviously didn’t need me there, and she wasn’t worthy of it anyway. Every single action she takes is in her own self-interest, and because of that I didn’t want her to succeed. I wanted her to fail; making this the first book that I have ever read that has had that specific end result. There were moments in the text that SHOULD have been positive moments for her as a character, as she, for example, proclaimed her love for Julian. Over and over again. I love you, Julian. I still love Julian. I love him more than anything. And every time she said that, I felt like screaming “No you don’t! You just love yourself! If you loved Julian you wouldn’t be playing with him like he is your puppet for persecution!” The way that Julian is written in this text is as though he is some form of perfect, heroic person. He is a human rights lawyer, he is fighting the good fight, and he’s saving the world. He is polite, well-spoken, educated. And so often, characters that are upper class, educated person are written as a little self-involved, self-serving and a bit of an asshole, but in this text it is the main female character who is self-involved, self-serving and a bit of an asshole, and Julian is just this good natured, genuine fellow. It felt as though Kathy Lette was trying to have a strong female lead who made these decisions that were crazy, fun, and unpredictable, but instead it just wrecked the characters and the strength of the story.
I really like Kathy Lette’s writing. I find it fun, flirty, frivolous (and sexy at times), but I found this book really difficult to get through because her protagonist was just SO unlikable. I couldn’t support any of the decisions she was making, any of the actions she was taking, and I couldn’t support the fact that she ended up getting what she wanted, even though she was the last person who deserved it, and as a result, she destroyed lives and left suffering in her wake. You can have a character that has faults. You can have a character who starts off as a despicable human being, but they have to be redeemed at some point. They need to realise their faults and change themselves as a person along the way so that they deserve the happy ending. Becky didn’t do this. She is still a selfish person. She is still making terrible decisions. She is still leaving devastation in her wake. She doesn’t seem to care if her family, friends or loved ones get hurt because of her actions. She only cares about herself and though she tries to put the message across that she is just a victim of love, she is in the end, a villain. And to see her get her way. To see her get her man. It was just so very disappointing and disheartening that for now I won’t be going on to another Kathy Lette book for a while. Which, I guess, is the most significant form of literary criticism.
What annoyed me the most about Altar Ego was the absolute lack of integrity in the protagonist. I couldn’t be on her side, because she was on her own side to such a ridiculous degree that she obviously didn’t need me there, and she wasn’t worthy of it anyway. Every single action she takes is in her own self-interest, and because of that I didn’t want her to succeed. I wanted her to fail; making this the first book that I have ever read that has had that specific end result. There were moments in the text that SHOULD have been positive moments for her as a character, as she, for example, proclaimed her love for Julian. Over and over again. I love you, Julian. I still love Julian. I love him more than anything. And every time she said that, I felt like screaming “No you don’t! You just love yourself! If you loved Julian you wouldn’t be playing with him like he is your puppet for persecution!” The way that Julian is written in this text is as though he is some form of perfect, heroic person. He is a human rights lawyer, he is fighting the good fight, and he’s saving the world. He is polite, well-spoken, educated. And so often, characters that are upper class, educated person are written as a little self-involved, self-serving and a bit of an asshole, but in this text it is the main female character who is self-involved, self-serving and a bit of an asshole, and Julian is just this good natured, genuine fellow. It felt as though Kathy Lette was trying to have a strong female lead who made these decisions that were crazy, fun, and unpredictable, but instead it just wrecked the characters and the strength of the story.
I really like Kathy Lette’s writing. I find it fun, flirty, frivolous (and sexy at times), but I found this book really difficult to get through because her protagonist was just SO unlikable. I couldn’t support any of the decisions she was making, any of the actions she was taking, and I couldn’t support the fact that she ended up getting what she wanted, even though she was the last person who deserved it, and as a result, she destroyed lives and left suffering in her wake. You can have a character that has faults. You can have a character who starts off as a despicable human being, but they have to be redeemed at some point. They need to realise their faults and change themselves as a person along the way so that they deserve the happy ending. Becky didn’t do this. She is still a selfish person. She is still making terrible decisions. She is still leaving devastation in her wake. She doesn’t seem to care if her family, friends or loved ones get hurt because of her actions. She only cares about herself and though she tries to put the message across that she is just a victim of love, she is in the end, a villain. And to see her get her way. To see her get her man. It was just so very disappointing and disheartening that for now I won’t be going on to another Kathy Lette book for a while. Which, I guess, is the most significant form of literary criticism.
December 11, 2023
Insane, inappropriate, incredible. Hold on while I write a screenplay
February 11, 2015
I enjoyed this as a great escapist chick lit read. Becky Steele proves to us that its possible to make one bloody disastrous life after another and leave a trail of destruction of friends and family in your wake but then still turn out to have some simply irresistible and redeeming character features. There were times when I didn't think Becky could possibly make her life get any worse......and then she proves me wrong.....a great read to make your life and all its flaws seem simply enjoyable.
A great light-hearted read.....one to save for your holiday at a beach house.
A great light-hearted read.....one to save for your holiday at a beach house.
March 27, 2009
Not as poignant as Till Divorce Do Us Part, but punny nevertheless. My favourite line was where Zach informs Becky's shocked upper crust mates that "F*** is such a c*** of a word" - juvenile? Yes. Rip roaringly funny in the mind's eye? Unequivably so. Great to read when you need some mindless mush after a hard week.
September 2, 2011
'A "hostage" is the term for a woman who invites guests into her own house. Is there anything worse?' p. 289
'Nostalgia is that weird emotion which makes things seem a million times more wonderful now than they did when they were actually taking place. What makes the 'good old days' is a really bad memory' p.244
'Nostalgia is that weird emotion which makes things seem a million times more wonderful now than they did when they were actually taking place. What makes the 'good old days' is a really bad memory' p.244
October 7, 2012
A bit of a light read, i enjoyed it very much!
May 23, 2014
This book has the highest rating I can give only because I really did laugh out loud reading it and did read it in one go without letting it down and felt sorry when I reached the last page.
February 23, 2016
Terrible and contrived. Hard to like the main character and the writing is predictable.
May 13, 2023
Altar Ego had some hilarious moments and had the potential to be a funny but ultimately heart warming book. Rebecca bad some serious personality flaws like many protagonists do. I was waiting for the light bulb moment when she realises what a horrible person she is, and turns over a new leaf. It just never happened and by the end of the book I hated her so much. I just couldn’t believe that Julian would take her back. I was begging him not to….but he did. And in the process he became an asshole himself by immediately dumping his new girlfriends, whenever Rebecca wanted to come back. Very difficult to like a book when most of the characters are despised.
May 5, 2021
I love me a Kathy Lette book however i wasn't pleased with how this one ended. She doesn't deserve him
Also I didn't care for how the black dude was treated and perceived by the other characters. The American had a kind heart and was committed to his relationship for a man so young. Yet she kept working to change him, forcing him to speak like a Brit -why?
Just felt like the selfish and self absorbed ones always win and I didn't like that.
Also I didn't care for how the black dude was treated and perceived by the other characters. The American had a kind heart and was committed to his relationship for a man so young. Yet she kept working to change him, forcing him to speak like a Brit -why?
Just felt like the selfish and self absorbed ones always win and I didn't like that.
December 17, 2019
Over the top ‘wit’. Trying too hard to be funny in every sentence. A Mills and Boon in reverse with the Bride taking flight moments before the wedding. An outrageous romp of a plot ensues featuring a young sex God rock star. Light reading which I committed myself to finish.
September 1, 2025
Awful. Horrible, stupid, selfish main character and dreadful plot. Cringey writing and unsatisfactory ending. Give it a wide berth unless you find infidelity funny and are desperate for something to read on a sun lounger. I gave it 1 star as it was a very easy read.
January 24, 2018
Detestável heroína, horrível herói, assustadoras amigas tipo quem precisa de inimigos e medonho final. Queria dar menos duas estrelas por ter gasto meu tempo.
February 26, 2019
Frivolous - very Bridget Jones Diary but a less appealing character. Couldn’t finish it.
May 26, 2020
Another good book from Kathy Lette. Not one of my favourites, admittedly, but I still read this again and again.
August 18, 2020
Some definite laugh out loud moments. Plus someone else who has a problem with rude cosmetic sales girls (even the same brand as I did! I feel thoroughly vindicated!)....
January 15, 2021
Funny but a little long
February 3, 2021
Ascerbic, witty, repetitive, cruel with several laugh out loud moments.
Great discipline to write in this style for so many pages.
Great discipline to write in this style for so many pages.
December 2, 2024
Absolutely horrible main character, weak and annoying sub-characters. Well written, but an absolutely horrible book
August 31, 2007
Nachdem ich von derselben Autorin bereits ein anderes Buch (Sushi-Schwestern) gelesen hab und für ziemlich schlecht befunden hatte, bin ich an dieses mit einigen Vorurteilen rangegangen. Und war dann doch überrascht, dass es zumindest lesbar war.
Die Story (junge Frau bekommt kurz vor ihrer Hochzeit Muffensausen und hat das Gefühl, noch nicht genug erlebt zu haben - weshalb sie sich flugs in eine heiße Affäre stürzt und sich dann nicht zwischen Mann und Lover entscheiden kann) ist nicht schlechter als bei anderen Chick-Lit-Büchern (realistisch sind die ja meist alle nicht); es ist flüssig zu lesen und unterhaltsam.
Als Tipp an die Autorin: wenn sie schon einen sexy Roman schreiben möchte (und die Protagonistin und andere Figuren nehmen ja kein Blatt vor den Mund, wie scharf sie aufeinander sind), dann darf sie aber auch nicht so feige sein und immer dann wenn es doch mal zur Sache geht ausblenden und zur nächsten Szene übergehen.
Die Story (junge Frau bekommt kurz vor ihrer Hochzeit Muffensausen und hat das Gefühl, noch nicht genug erlebt zu haben - weshalb sie sich flugs in eine heiße Affäre stürzt und sich dann nicht zwischen Mann und Lover entscheiden kann) ist nicht schlechter als bei anderen Chick-Lit-Büchern (realistisch sind die ja meist alle nicht); es ist flüssig zu lesen und unterhaltsam.
Als Tipp an die Autorin: wenn sie schon einen sexy Roman schreiben möchte (und die Protagonistin und andere Figuren nehmen ja kein Blatt vor den Mund, wie scharf sie aufeinander sind), dann darf sie aber auch nicht so feige sein und immer dann wenn es doch mal zur Sache geht ausblenden und zur nächsten Szene übergehen.
August 14, 2011
'Query. Would it be a serious breach of etiquette to run out on my own wedding?' This is the question Becky Steele asks herslef as she clings to the window ledge of her parents' bathroom, grimly regarding the ten-foot drop into the dustbins below. She stares in disbelief at the meringue dress for which she has drunk only skimmed water for four weeks to fit into. Why can't Becky commit to Julian, human rights lawyer, and her Knight in Shining Armani? Yes, Julian's the right man. But has she had enough wrong ones?
November 3, 2016
I read this train wreck while I was sick.
Basically Becky Steele is about to marry Julian who she has been living with for x amount of years. Her mother is a busy body who likes to think she is better then everyone. Becky's friends are all morons. I got confused near the end so did Vivian date Julian or was it Anoushka engaged to Julian. Anoushka's It girl was obnoxious and the whole pregnancy/miscarriage who is the father tripe is yeah whatever Zac was okay but I have read better books from the Baby Sitter's club that seem more mature thin this rubbish.
Basically Becky Steele is about to marry Julian who she has been living with for x amount of years. Her mother is a busy body who likes to think she is better then everyone. Becky's friends are all morons. I got confused near the end so did Vivian date Julian or was it Anoushka engaged to Julian. Anoushka's It girl was obnoxious and the whole pregnancy/miscarriage who is the father tripe is yeah whatever Zac was okay but I have read better books from the Baby Sitter's club that seem more mature thin this rubbish.
November 5, 2010
I've read this before but had forgotten. I won't bother again - I'm donating it to my workplace holiday reading swap.
It would be a good holiday read. It's light, occasionally funny but drags on with the same theme for a bit too long and is a little bit obvious in places. You could take it away and then just leave it at the hostel for the next bored backpacker to pick up.
It would be a good holiday read. It's light, occasionally funny but drags on with the same theme for a bit too long and is a little bit obvious in places. You could take it away and then just leave it at the hostel for the next bored backpacker to pick up.
July 2, 2013
As you would expect from Lette this is a funny, quite rude and risqué read. It's throw-away chick-lit but Lette really does have a wicked way with puns. She's not one of my favourites but if you want a sure-fire laugh, a bit of attitude and pretty ridiculous storylines then escape for an hour or two with Altar Ego.
January 29, 2014
I picked this up from the library on a whim. I needed something light to fill the time and get me back into a reading routine. This book was exactly that. It was funny and a bit confusing in the "what is she thinking?! why would she do that?" kind of way with more than enough secondhand embarrassment. Overall I found this book to be quite enjoyable.
September 6, 2015
2.5 stars. Characters were fairly horrible and I didn't believe for a second that Julian, having been left at the altar, would remain in a relationship with Becky who wants to sow her wild oats with others. All they did was argue. The best bit about the book is the dialogue, there's a few funny lines in there that made me see the story through.
August 25, 2012
Umm, this book started out great and then just kind of ended up in a mess. I felt as if I was watching/reading a train wreck. There were some really funny parts and then some eye brow raising ones. The story is interesting though. This book could have been classified a comedic bonkbuster.
October 27, 2008
The best thing about this book is how clever with words she is. She's very punny!
October 8, 2009
Is it okay to have an affair with your own husband?
Displaying 1 - 30 of 38 reviews