Shelley Green has just finished up her training as a pediatric physician and has landed a cushy job with an upscale pediatric office and all her dreams are starting to come true.
Moving from a working class lifestyle to that of a well-off young physician means some adjustments need to be made. What with the new hairstyle, the sophisticated makeup, the trendy clothes, the la-de-dah new friends and the marvelous new apartment, Shelley's fiancee can scarcely recognize her any more and he is not happy. And Shelley is not happy that he can't seem to accept the new Shelley. They both end up the arms of others and the engagement is at an end.
Caught up in her new job and new lifestyle, it all kind of goes to Shelley's head. But she never lets the lifestyle affect her main priority, her young patients. She loves kids and she loves providing medical care for them. In fact, adding in her sexy new boyfriend and her rich new girlfriend, seems like life can't get any better. But sometimes life in the fast lane is not all it is cracked up to be and rich people are famous for looking out for number one. Shelley is about to get a harsh lesson in who you can really trust.
For the most part, I enjoyed this story of a working class woman getting to enjoy the perks of the rich and famous. Shelley is suddenly earning stacks of dough and hanging out with folks who hobnob with the A-list celebs. She enjoys it and her new job and reading about her transformation from dowdy medical student to the new hot pediatrician in town was interesting and fun. However, the medical stuff where she visits with her little patients just wasn't very compelling. About the most interesting case turns out to be misdiagnosed Lime disease. Other than that, the patients are mainly used as a vehicle to point out how stupid and selfish their rich, self-involved parents are. For example, one famous parent is about to have a melt down because her nanny is leaving for a couple weeks and the rich bitch's 18-month-old baby is not potty trained. The mom "doesn't do poop" and wants Shelley's advice on how to get the baby potty-trained in the few days left before the nanny takes off. Shelley has to explain that babies that age are not capable of controlling their bowel movements and that potty training is not possible. But the mom rallys and comes up with a plan: she and the baby will go and stay at a resort near where the nanny will be visiting and every time the baby needs to be changed, she will have her driven over to the nanny's house so the nanny can do it. Holy crap! And that is typical of the wealthy, successful parents depicted in the story. Also the hot new boyfriend and wealthy new girlfriend are mostly there just to show us what creeps the wealthy classes are.
Overall, I enjoyed the book. The medical cases were not compelling, though, not even the girl with the Lime disease. For a book titled after her patients, the "24-Karat Kids," it is surprising how little they figure in the story. Mostly it is about Shelley and her transition from deprived to affluent. The ending is very contrived and obvious, as the author lets you know several times that rich people are not to be trusted. Shelley is probably modeled after the author herself as Goldstein is also an upscale pediatrician practicing in Manhattan. And Goldstein's despite for her patients' rich parents comes through very clearly. Makes you wonder what cruelty and heartbreak the author experienced in her own life that has turned her so thoroughly against the upper crust.
Despite these problems I had with the story, overall I enjoyed it and read it in only two days, which is always the sign of a book that can capture and hold the reader's interest.
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