Customer Reviews

An Absolute Scandal: A Novel

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1 star:		(1)

 

 

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

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.

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.

I've been searching for some time now to find a halfway decent novel that was deliciously naughty but written intelligently. I found what I was looking for in Vicenzi's wickedly entertaining novel, "An Absolute Scandal." While it started less than interesting, I was determined to give it a chance to develop and I'm so glad I did. There was a multitude of characters to follow which could, at times, make it difficult to follow (I often had to flip back to previous passages to remember who was who early on) but it in the end, Vicenzi's ending felt neither too contrived nor painfully depressing. It was also remarkably easy to sympathize with the characters -- even those who made more "unsavory" decisions than others -- and while I wished there could have been more development of particular individuals, for a book that fell just slightly short of 600 pages, it probably wouldn't have been too practical. This is not a difficult read and I managed to finish it in about three days (including reading the remaining 2/3 during most of a Saturday). This is the first novel I've read of Penny's and I'm sure it definitely won't be the last. If you can tolerate the jumping from one character's perspective to the next, you're a bit of an Anglophile, and you want a novel that's more than just your typical romance story, "An Absolute Scandal" won't disappoint!

This was my first Vincenzi book, and now I must read more!!! Great story, totally engrosses you and causes you to forget prior appointments.

There are a lot of characters, but you feel as if you know them all personally. You will cry and you will laugh while reading this book. The snobbery of the Americans (Bostonians) is particularly hilarious. Great story all around. If you're contemplating buying it, go for it!

As for people saying it weighs a lot, get the smaller lightweight paperback.

:D

A word of warning first...you must read this book when you have a lot of time on your hands because it's very big and very engrossing. It covers the lives of various people hit by the Lloyds insurance scandal, and although it was written years ago, it could actually relate to recent economic events nicely. Very entertaining, very engrossing. The only issues are that I felt perhaps it could have been cut down by a third. Also, there was one plot twist concerning Fiona Fielding that I thought would not have happened in real life.

It was away that the rich and not so rich in Britian got money by being a Name with Lloyd's of London. But then in late 1980's every changed and instead of getting money they started losing money and having to pay Lloyd's. This cause a great change for many. For Simon and Elizabeth Beaumont it would changes that they might survivie. For Lucinda and Nigel Cowper it may help lead the of their marriage and for Cahtherine Martin a not so well-to-do she may have to make some choices that she doesn't want. But one thing is clear the end of Lloyd's of London will change them all forever.

"An Absolute Scandal" is a great book by Penny Vincenzi, fill with rich and interesting characters. Ms. Vincenzi a true situration and brings it to the human on how people were hurt about the failing of a company. Ms.Vincenzi a great storyteller and her books should not be missed

I love Penny Vincenzi! Although this book did not measure up to the Lytton family trilogy, it is well worth reading. I love the way she lists all the characters and who they are at the beginning of her books.

Imagine getting through the audio of this vast and melodramatic soap opera (redundancy? sorry!) and finding that the last two CD's are damaged? Darn! All I can say is: if Debbie didn't get out of her soul-killing marriage with Richard and join her true love Joel in New York, I'd have be very annoyed. And I kept waiting for Simon to walk in the door at the end, having been mugged, his identity and his boat stolen by a Simon lookalike, then left for dead and with amnesia in a French hospital. And what's that mystery woman got to say at the end of the inquest? And does Amanda marry her mama's-boy boyfriend? I loved her boss, Florian, not that boring, Kennedy wannabe! His parents were hideous and you know it wouldn't have worked out in the long run. And does Flora sleep with her "friend" and make everybody smile behind their hands? Here was the best thing about the book: mimicking all the teddibly Brit character exclamations of "Oooh" and "Ahhh" and "Jolly right!" and "Oh, deah!" and "Oh, noooo!" My husband and I laughed ourselves sick playing that little game, but I have to admit, it was a jolly good read, heah! heah!

This is a great introduction to Penny Vincenzi's writting style. The characters are developed early in the book and continue to grow throughout. It is so interesting to see how the story lines all separately breakdown and then how they build themselves up again while they interact. For the book's length it is a quick and compelling read.