Polly's press & media appearances
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Rediscover your Passion - Go It Alone
Finansmiljøet i London - et Jobbhelvete
Fear and Loathing in the Heart of the city
My Glittering City Career Turned into Golden Handcuffs
Do Women Really Get a Raw Deal in the City?
My High Flying City Job was not worth a Life of Misery
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Golden Handcuffs by Polly Courtney
December 2006 Most people outside banking see only the fashionable suits and large pay cheques, remaining completely unaware of the hard work and late nights that go on behind closed doors. It is this perception that Polly Courtney aims to correct with her novel, Golden Handcuffs. The plot centres around two young analysts, Abby and Mike. They leave university full of naive enthusiasm, eager to start work at City bank Cray McKinley. However, the rigour of their new jobs soon causes them to look at life in a very different way. The story is firmly character driven, examining such issues as the impact a high-pressure career can have upon relationship both inside and outside a company. Another theme is the gulf between people's true nature and the facades they adopt at work. The reader's ability to discover characters' innermost thoughts creates an interesting contrast between their perception of one another and the reality. Golden Handcuffs begins with Abby and Mike's first interview at Cray McKinley, held while they're still at university. As such, the first few chapters lack unity of time, and feel somewhat disjointed. However, this problem is overcome when the characters actually begin work, and the reader is quickly enthralled. Those who have spent time at a major financial company may identify with elements of the characters' lives. Indeed, author Polly Courtney herself worked in the City before leaving to write this book. The result of her labours is a thought provoking work which begs the question, are golden handshakes really as glittering as they seem?
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Polly's TV & Radio appearances
From Engineer to Investment Banker to Novelist
Berliner Zeitung Magazin, 2007
I Know the Pressure Matthew was Under
I Sold My Soul to the City - then Wanted it Back
Banker Novel Shows it's not all Success in the City
Taste of High Life in City can Seduce Interns
City Woman who quit City over Sexism admits Lapdancing
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CityLife
