Used book – A Such Pretty World, Stéphane Bern

When he became the society columnist for the Journal, Pierre Bonnard didn't expect to arouse such hatred.

Why did his first steps into the "world" have to be met with a virulent anonymous letter addressed to his magazine? While his secret ambition was to go from celebrity parties to fashion galas, from product launches to dinners with the great figures of high society in order to become the king of Paris, the journalist found himself grappling with the worst kind of adversary: an avenger lurking in the shadows wanting to turn him into an instrument of a "social rebirth freed from parasites."

But in this universe of particles and glitter, of counterfeit jet-set and fleeting reality TV glories, who is trying to destabilize him? Who wants to open his eyes to this dissolute and artificial world where people gossip and stab each other in the back with a glass of champagne in hand, coke in their nose, and Botox on their face? Lively, incisive, written with a dry wit, Stéphane Bern's first novel denounces with delightful humor the impostures of the "beautiful world" with its deceptive appearances: those of celebrity, birth, money, culture, trendiness, charity, simplicity, fidelity...

And paints an unvarnished picture of the kings of pretense. A funny but cruel deciphering told by a modern-day moralist.

Stéphane Bern hosts "Le Fou du Roi" every day on France Inter, and "L'Arène de France" on Wednesday evenings on France 2. Deputy editor-in-chief at Le Figaro, he has already published numerous books, including "Diane de France, la princesse rebelle" with Flammarion.