Workhorse by Caroline Palmer

Caroline Palmer's debut novel Workhorse is a captivating exploration of ambition, envy and the cost of success in New York's fashion elite. Set in 2001, when the city's media world was at its height, this is a story that will resonate with anyone who has ever felt like an outsider looking in.

We meet Clodagh ‘Clo’ Harmon, an editorial assistant at the world's most prestigious fashion magazine who wants nothing more than to rise through the ranks. The problem? She doesn't have the right pedigree. Clo is a ‘workhorse’ in a world of ‘show horses’. Workhorses come from the public school system in suburbia and have been promised that with enough hard work they will succeed. Meanwhile, show horses are the beautiful, wealthy, impossibly well-connected people who seem to glide effortlessly toward success. Clo is surrounded by them, including her cubicle-mate Davis Lawrence, the well-bred daughter of a famous actress. 

When Clo meets Harry Wood, Davis's boarding school classmate and a reporter with visions of his own media empire, she thinks she may have found an ally. But is he helping her, or is he the only thing standing between Clo and her rightful place at the top?

What follows is a career punctuated by moments of recklessness, sudden windfalls and devastating reversals of fortune. Clo becomes obsessed with reinventing herself as the ‘right’ kind of girl, crossing boundaries and taking risks to become the important person she desperately wants to be. 

Having spent seven years as the editor of Vogue.com, author Caroline clearly brings an insider's eye to this world. As you read, you can't help but wonder how much is based on truth. Caroline’s observations about the fashion industry are sharp and knowing, though you don't need to have worked in fashion to appreciate them. That said, having spent my early career in magazine publishing, I found myself nodding along at the familiar dynamics.

Workhorse is fast-paced and funny, but also unsettling. It asks who is Clo underneath all the borrowed designer clothes and newly acquired manners? Who are we if we share her desires? It's a brilliant page-turner about the seductive power of wealth, beauty and influence. It also cleverly explores the sacrifices women make for the sake of success.

If you enjoyed The Devil Wears Prada, you'll appreciate this darker, more complex take on the fashion world. Workhorse is both hilarious and insightful, capturing a moment in New York's cultural history while telling a timeless story about ambition and the price we're willing to pay for it.

Reviewer: Andrea Molloy

HarperCollins