Listen to a sample
Workhorse
- Author
- Caroline Palmer
- Narrator
- Helen Laser
- Publisher
- HarperCollins Publishers
- Publish Date
- 14 October 2025
- Run Time
- 18 hours 35 minutes
- Format
- x-book®
- Genre
- Modern and contemporary fiction: literary and general, Narrative theme: coming of age, Narrative theme: identity / belonging, Humorous fiction
- Rating
- 5.0 (1 review)
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What to expect
'Razor-sharp and deliciously wry' COCO MELLORS
'Funny, tender, thrillingly dark' HEATHER DARWENT
'Exhilarating, beguiling, beautiful' OLIVIA PETTER
An astonishing portrait of a city on the brink of a dizzying new era and a story about a young woman who will do anything to infiltrate the rarefied world of New York's fashion elite.
New York City, 2001. Editorial Assistant Clodagh “Clo” Harmon wants nothing more than to rise through the ranks at the world’s most prestigious fashion magazine. But there’s just one problem: she doesn’t have the right pedigree. Clo is a ‘workhorse’ in a world of beautiful, wealthy, impossibly well-connected ‘show horses’ and it seems that her fortunes will never change. That is until Clo meets Harry Wood, a reporter with visions of his own media empire and the person who might be Clo’s ally in gaming the system…or is he the only thing standing between Clo and her rightful place at the top?
Clo begins to wade across boundaries, taking ever greater and more dangerous risks to become the Important Person she wants to be. But who is Clo under all the borrowed designer clothes and studied manners? And who are we if we share her desires?
As wickedly funny as it is darkly unsettling, Workhorse is an astonishing story of envy and ambition, set against the glamour and privilege of media and high society in New York at its height.
Critics Review
-
‘Fierce, funny and unflinching. Palmer’s observations are razor-sharp and deliciously wry’ Coco Mellors, bestselling author of Blue Sisters
'Exhilarating and knife-sharp' Sunday Times
'Truly brilliant writing' Guardian
'Fun and pacy' Stylist
‘Palmer offers a full-body immersion into the sights and sounds of early 2000s New York life. There’s a distinct touch of the Tom Ripleys about this…punchily funny’ The Times
'Brilliant in every way' Irish Times
‘Exhilarating, and filled with such beguiling, beautiful and fundamentally flawed characters. Imaginative and refreshing, I was completely addicted to it’ Olivia Petter, author of Gold Rush
‘Brilliantly observes working life’Sunday Times Style
‘Hugely fun with razor-sharp humour and observations’ Marie Claire
'There are shades of Slaves of New York and The Devil Wears Prada in this deep, deep dive into the fashion abyss of Noughties New York. Clo is an exceptional creation. An absolute treat of a book, I was obsessed' Louise Candlish, bestselling author of Our House
'The Devil Wears Prada meets The Talented Mr. Ripley…I easily could have spent another 500 pages in the glamorous 2000s New York publishing scene'Daily Express
'Sly, fun and astutely observed. A suspenseful story about an assistant who will do anything in her power to move up on the masthead. Propulsive, surprising, and fun' Emma Rosenblum, bestselling author of Bad Summer People
‘The best thing I've read this year by far. It's Prep meets The Devil Wears Prada meets The Goldfinch. Funny, tender, but with so many thrillingly dark moments. OBSESSED’ Heather Darwent, bestselling author of The Things We Do to our Friends
'Thrilling, page-turning and deeply absorbing – fin de siecle indulgence shackled to an anxious expense account' Matthew Thomas, bestselling author of We Are Not Ourselves
'A heady brew of nostalgia and melancholia, resurrecting a magazine yesterworld of prima donnas, cash drawers and petty grievances' Lauren Mechling, author of How Could She
User Reviews
Book 5.0
Narration 5.0
- No written reviews yet.
Details
- Author
- Caroline Palmer
- Narrator
- Helen Laser
- Duration
- 18 hours 35 minutes
- Release Date
- 14 October 2025
- ISBN
- 9780008732233
- Format
- x-book®
- Publisher
- HarperCollins Publishers
- Genre
- Modern and contemporary fiction: literary and general, Narrative theme: coming of age, Narrative theme: identity / belonging, Humorous fiction
- Rating
- 5.0(1 review)
- Narration
- 5.0(1 review)
Synopsis
'Razor-sharp and deliciously wry' COCO MELLORS 'Funny, tender, thrillingly dark' HEATHER DARWENT 'Exhilarating, beguiling, beautiful' OLIVIA PETTER An astonishing portrait of a city on the brink of a dizzying new era and a story about a young woman who will do anything to infiltrate the rarefied world of New York's fashion elite. New York City, 2001. Editorial Assistant Clodagh “Clo” Harmon wants nothing more than to rise through the ranks at the world’s most prestigious fashion magazine. But there’s just one problem: she doesn’t have the right pedigree. Clo is a ‘workhorse’ in a world of beautiful, wealthy, impossibly well-connected ‘show horses’ and it seems that her fortunes will never change. That is until Clo meets Harry Wood, a reporter with visions of his own media empire and the person who might be Clo’s ally in gaming the system…or is he the only thing standing between Clo and her rightful place at the top? Clo begins to wade across boundaries, taking ever greater and more dangerous risks to become the Important Person she wants to be. But who is Clo under all the borrowed designer clothes and studied manners? And who are we if we share her desires? As wickedly funny as it is darkly unsettling, Workhorse is an astonishing story of envy and ambition, set against the glamour and privilege of media and high society in New York at its height.
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