An Absolute Scandal: A Novel [Paperback]

Penny Vincenzi (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: May 5, 2009

An inside view of the greed and social power plays behind the closed doors of upper-crust society, An Absolute Scandal looks at a world where money isn't everything . . . sometimes, it's the only thing. And when the money disappears in the thick of a financial crisis, the real story begins.For Nigel Cowper, this means the destruction of his family business; his wife, Lucinda, is willing to do everything she can to help him—except give up her irresistible lover. The powerful, charismatic banker Simon Beaumont and his equally successful wife Elizabeth lose everything they've worked so hard to acquire; but the ultimate tragedy is something that neither one could have anticipated. Yet the well-to-do are not the only ones whose lives are upended: a self-sufficient widow, a single mother, and a schoolmaster find that their lives are also turned upside down in this deliciously readable tale.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Britain's bestselling Vincenzi (Sheer Abandon, etc.) sets this doggedly optimistic epic at the sunset of Thatcherism, and the bleak economic landscape proves fertile territory for a saga of families whose futures and fortunes become entwined in a court battle with the prestigious London insurer, Lloyds. There's Elizabeth, wife and mother of three with a Very Big Job in advertising; her charming husband, Simon, a banker with an eye for the ladies; posh Lucinda, who falls for working-class Blue and then risks everything to save her ex's fortune; Debbie's frustrated by her insensitive husband, Richard, afraid of her formidable mother-in-law and devoted to her three kids; and reporter Joel, who helps bring a Lloyds scandal to light and falls in love with one of its victims. Vincenzi deftly imbues the Greed Decade with all the twisty turns of an overheated soap—couples trapped by boredom, wives tortured by infidelity, singles hamstrung by convention, children buffeted by circumstance. The general stiff-upper-lipped attitude may sound tinny to American ears (even the Yankees sound like Brits-in-training), but this chickensian drama delivers all the goods required for a sizzling summer read. (June)
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

From Booklist

Reminiscent of the kind of financial destruction wrought in the wake of Enron and other megalomaniacal excesses, Vincenzi’s complex saga of corporate malfeasance on the part of the venerable Lloyds of London cogently exposes the insidious nature of unadulterated greed while sympathetically exploring the devastating personal toll such rapaciousness extracts. From a wealthy banker to a penniless teacher, Vincenzi’s victims of Lloyds’ corrupt moneymaking scheme represent a somewhat stereotypical cross-section of England’s economic, geographic, and social strata. As the enormity of their potential loss grows, this disparate group of overly trusting investors unites in a last-ditch effort to seek justice from the powerful financial institution. While marriages falter and fortunes evaporate, even greater tragedy strikes those who can least afford to have their lives’ work destroyed by the impending scandal. Although the sheer volume of characters and subplots can be distracting, Vincenzi nonetheless admirably demonstrates her nuanced talent for personal storytelling on a majestic scale as she nimbly navigates the sophisticated and labyrinthine world of high-stakes investment. --Carol Haggas --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 608 pages
• Publisher: Anchor; Reprint edition (May 5, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0767926269
• ISBN-13: 978-0767926263
• Product Dimensions: 5.2 x 0.8 x 8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 13.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (18 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #439,302 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

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25 of 25 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Intrigue, drama, and an infamous insurance scandal, July 11, 2008

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Bookreporter (New York, New York) - See all my reviews

This review is from: An Absolute Scandal: A Novel (Hardcover)

Bear with me for a moment, for a history refresher course for those who don't remember (or weren't acutely aware of) the scandal that hit famous British insurance agents Lloyd's of London back in the late 1980s. Lloyd's insurance policies (perhaps most famous to Americans for insuring unusual items such as Celine Dion's vocal cords and Tina Turner's legs) are underwritten primarily by a society of individual members (known as "Names"), who pool their sizable investments in the company, ideally to spread the risk and limit individual liability in the case of large claims.

For many, many years, being a Name at Lloyd's was considered akin to a risk-free investment, as members received sizeable annual returns on their considerable investments. In the late 1980s, however, primarily as a result of larger-than-expected claims from American workers stricken with asbestosis, Lloyd's Names were suddenly assessed huge amounts of money, to the extent that thousands of these formerly wealthy individuals declared bankruptcy.

Okay, enough with the history lesson. Fortunately, Penny Vincenzi's latest novel, which is set amidst a circle of Lloyd's Names during this crisis, is remarkably engrossing despite its fairly dry and complicated subject matter. Or, perhaps, not so remarkably, as readers familiar with Vincenzi's previous books have come to expect epic page-turners from this prolific British author. AN ABSOLUTE SCANDAL, likewise, will keep her audience gripped in the lives and loves of this small group of privileged but unfortunate investors.

There are the Beaumonts, Simon and Elizabeth, a well-off family with three children, from all appearances living the ideal British upper-class lifestyle, complete with private schools, a house in the country (complete with pony) and two fabulously successful careers. When Lloyd's starts to demand money, however, this financial pressure reveals some of the other cracks in the Beaumonts' façade, including Simon's infidelity and oldest daughter Annabel's misbehavior (and embarrassing career ambitions).

There are the Cowpers, Lucinda and Nigel, a young, attractive upper-class couple. Nigel is a bit stuffy and boring --- and a Name at Lloyd's. Lucinda is dissatisfied, bored --- and too eager to fall into the arms of a devastatingly handsome, exciting stranger. She longs to leave her husband, but Nigel's (morally and legally suspect) decision to transfer all of his financial holdings to Lucinda in the wake of the Lloyd's scandal threatens to tie Lucinda's hands --- for a while.

And there are the Fieldings, Debbie and Richard. Debbie is a bored housewife, resentful of her husband's wealthy mother, Flora, who has used her returns from Lloyd's to pay the private school tuition of Debbie and Richard's two children. As for Richard, he's a successful headmaster --- but when Flora's checks stop coming, he can't keep the family in the style to which they've become accustomed. Could the Lloyd's scandal be Debbie's chance to reignite her professional and personal ambitions?

The novel's prologue hints at a tragic outcome for one of the key players in this drama. But for the most part, barring the inevitable affairs, rumors, secrets and lies, the action of Vincenzi's latest marches confidently toward a more optimistic future than the one most of these Names envision when Lloyd's starts calling in the chips. Some fans will be surprised by the tighter focus and time frame of this book as opposed to some of her other multi-generational sagas. Vincenzi still has a knack, however, for drawing readers into her characters' personal and professional dramas, and making hours curled up under the duvet (or spread out on the beach blanket) pass by almost effortlessly as they lose themselves in other people's lives.

--- Reviewed by Norah Piehl

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Always Entertaining, March 15, 2009

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Patricia Kay "author and avid reader" (Houston, TX United States) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: An Absolute Scandal: A Novel (Hardcover)

I adore Penny Vincenzi books, and ABSOLUTE SCANDAL was no exception. With Vincenzi you know you are going to get a big book filled with fascinating characters, complicated plot lines, lush settings, lots of sex and scandal, gorgeous homes and clothes and jewels, and intricate family relationships. After reading my first Vincenzi, I promptly went about finding and ordering all the rest of her books. I've now read about ten of them, but I'm saving the final few. Every few weeks I plan to reward myself with one of them. I just wish she could write faster! HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Absolute Scandal, May 1, 2009

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FMM "oz views" (Dana Point, USA) - See all my reviews

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This review is from: An Absolute Scandal: A Novel (Hardcover)

While this is a "good read" it was very disappointing to me because I compared it to her earlier novels - I really enjoyed her triology of the Lytton family saga (beginning with No Angel) and I also enjoyed Sheer Abandon. I will however read more of her earlier work.