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The Washingtonienne
320 pages
A deliciously voyeuristic and unapologetic romp through the hypocritical, sex-fueled underbelly of early-2000s Capitol Hill.
What it feels like
Reading this feels like intercepting a highly classified, incredibly scandalous group chat from the early 2000s. It is a breezy, voyeuristic experience that plunges you headfirst into the grimy, glitzy hypocrisy of Washington D.C. politics, stripped of all its usual self-importance. The narrative voice is unapologetically shallow, cynical, and entirely addictive, reading with the rapid-fire pacing of a juicy tabloid column. You aren't here for moral lessons or profound character growth; you are here for the sheer, unadulterated messiness of a young woman navigating power, money, and transactional sex with zero regrets. It delights readers who crave the nostalgic, chaotic energy of Y2K chick-lit and who love a protagonist who refuses to apologize for her own bad behavior.
- Mood
- voyeuristic
- scandalous
- chaotic
- frivolous
- Tone
- irreverent
- gossipy
- unapologetic
- cynical
- breezy
- Pace
- brisk
- Themes
- transactional relationships · political hypocrisy · messy twenties · workplace power dynamics
- The writing
- Conversational and punchy, reading exactly like the scandalous early-2000s blog that inspired it.
- The arc
- The protagonist moves from aimless post-breakup drifting to a brazen, unapologetic embrace of her own chaotic desires and the transactional nature of her world.
- Who it's for
- Fans of early-2000s chick-lit and readers who delight in messy heroines behaving badly in high-status environments.
Content notes
- explicit sexual content
- transactional sex
- infidelity
About the book
In a snappy, unapologetic voice reminiscent of "moi" from Bergdorf Blondes, WASHINGTONIENNE narrator Jackie tells the story of her failed engagement, her decision to move from New York to Washington, and the mischief she starts getting into immediately upon arrival. From the married, Bush-appointed bureaucrat who gives her $400 for a lunchtime tryst—raising the question: at what point does "a gift" cross the line into "payment"?—to the staff counsel whose taste for spanking she "accidentally" leaks to the office, Jackie’s loosely fictionalized exploits serve up large portions of DC dish and prove that Washington’s taste for sexy extramarital relationships is by no means limited to the Oval Office. Fast-paced, deliciously gossipy and impossible to put down, THE WASHINGTONIENNE is destined to the book in next summer’s beach bag, from sea to shining sea.
Description from Open Library.
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