Monday, February 18, 2013

The Gatecrasher: by Madeleine Wickham


Shakespeare said "What's in a name?" recently I have seen a big difference when the name changes. Finished reading "The Gatecrashers by Madeleine Wickham" (Original name of very famous, witty and bestselling author Sophie Kinsella).

This book is of different genre. Quite different from Sophie Kinsella novels.

Fleur Daxeny is forty, beautiful, smart and mother of a teenager. She gatecrashes funerals and memorials to spot rich widower men. She exhibits her ultimate charm to seduce them cleverly, in order to get an easy access to their money.

Her recent target is Richard Favour. She wastes no time in getting very friendly. Richard is a bit uncomfortable in getting close initially but Fleur finally manages to get a secure place in his home though his son and his wife's sister (Who looked after Emily, Richard's late wife, in her illness and still takes care of home) are feeling uneasy.

Gradually, as Fleur extends her stay, some secrets start to open up and she finds her life in a complete disarray. To know more, you'll have to read the book.

The name of Sophie Kinsella attracted my attention of course. The writing is undoubtedly 'clean and crisp' but style is vastly varied and not kinsella...ish. To my utter disappointment, it lacked the wit and humour that grace Sophie Kinsella novels. Honestly, I didn't find this book gripping enough to keep the pages turning with utmost interest. For me, it was an average read and now onwards, I would like to stick to the Sophie Kinsella books only.


I received this book by Random House India (Random Reads)




 

3 comments: