Customer Reviews

Dilemma, The

5 star:		(4)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

The Dilemma was my first book by Penny Vincenzi, which, in fact, made me seek a chance to read all the books she wrote. Franchesca, a smart and independent woman, when marries an overpowering real-estate tycoon Bard Channing confronts his possessive and selfish attitude to save her marriage and love. You start reading one story, but gradually with all various absorbing plot strings ultimately find yourself reading several stories at a time that do not distract you from the main line. It is not at all like a typical romance story centered round the only perfect woman, which in the end gets what she wants like in Danielle Steel's novels. A true-to-life narration involves a great number of diverse characters, which are not episodic, but integral, especially, Kate, a sensual and vivacious red-haired girl being confused and misled in her life by her tycoon-father's blind rage and trying to re-establish herself and regain her self-esteem. The reading is such a mellow and pleasant experience, which spares you the biggest fear of a reader that the pleasure will end up all too soon.

The Overlook Press was the first American publisher to introduce the novels of Penny Vincenzi, a bestselling author in her native England, to American audiences. Although U.S. readers have yet to give Vincenzi the attention she deserves, her most recent novels have garnered the attention of a major U.S. publisher, Doubleday. Overlook Press, however, has continued its efforts to bring Vincenzi's backlist to American readers, and their latest endeavor is to release Vincenzi's debut novel (originally published in 1996) to the United States for the first time.

At the start of THE DILEMMA, Francesca is a young and ambitious, but still rather insecure, woman at the very beginning of her career. In an act of bravado, she responds to a televised "advertisement for a wife" delivered by business tycoon Bard Channing. It takes several years of miscommunications, missed opportunities and many missteps before she is finally able to take up the charismatic Channing on his offer of marriage.

Despite the wealth, fame and luxury afforded her by becoming Mrs. Isembard Channing, Francesca experiences difficulties adjusting to her new life. She's passionately in love with her husband, of course, but the ambitious Francesca has a hard time giving up her own prominent career in advertising in order to be a full-time wife and, soon, mother.

The fact that Bard categorically refuses to share anything about his business with his new wife, let alone hear her advice on professional matters, doesn't make things any easier. Nor do Bard's four children from his two previous marriages, who view Francesca with varying levels of tolerance, ridicule, bitterness and disdain. The course of their early years of marriage is a rocky one, indeed, but when Francesca's emotional insecurities collide with Bard's growing secrecy, bad temper and business problems, can Francesca and Bard's love survive the crisis on the horizon?

THE DILEMMA is Vincenzi's debut novel, and readers already familiar with her subsequent fiction will notice how many elements of her successful novelistic formula have their genesis here. The quickly-shifting plotlines, the burgeoning cast of dozens of characters whose disparate lives soon become entangled for better or for worse, the oblique references to economic and political issues --- all these hallmarks of Vincenzi's more recent novels can be seen in THE DILEMMA as well.

Vincenzi's first novel, however, is not without its weaknesses. Although she has long shown a facility for weaving together numerous plot lines, most notably in her Spoils of Time trilogy, it's clear that in THE DILEMMA Vincenzi had not yet fully mastered this difficult technique. In addition, the main plotline, which hinges on a series of complicated business and banking maneuvers, is not as compelling as those in some of her more recent novels.

Finally, in Francesca, Vincenzi has created a character who can at times be more exasperating than fascinating, particularly for many female readers, who may lack sympathy when Francesca expresses thoughts like "She had tasted huge wealth and she knew very well...it had brought her no real pleasure."

Nevertheless, despite its weaknesses, THE DILEMMA is still a hugely entertaining and even captivating read. Once American fans discover Vincenzi, they'll want to read everything she's written, and reading her debut is the perfect way to trace how Vincenzi skillfully developed the fiction-writing techniques that have served her so well in her many bestselling novels to date.

--- Reviewed by Norah Piehl

I read Penny Vincenzi's trilogy and loved it. The Dilema was disappointing for me. Maybe it was a little too soap operaish?
There were times it just kept going on and on and I wanted it over.
Francesca was not an appealing character at all. A woman in this day and age giving up her career because hubby wanted this? Please! Francesca never seemed to know what she wanted. Bard was so tyrannical with his family and employees that it was scary. Lots of character and lots of story lines so it does keep you interested. I stuck with this to the end because I did want to see what happened. However, did not like it as much as her other books.

You can read it ....I had always considered Penny Vincenzi my very favorite author but The Dilemma was a real disappointment. Wordy is an understatement.....the story could have been completely told in far less pages. Like the Energizer bunny....it just kept going and going and going.. with so many characters it was hard to keep track. I know this was her first novel and apparently she got MUCH better as she went along. If there is absolutely no printed matter available and you have absolutely nothing to do for several days, read this book. Otherwise, you'll be forever reading it....if you stay with it that long.

I just finished this book and have read several of her others ones, including the entire Lytton "trilogy." This was just one available at the library I hadn't read. It does include the author's ability to have a lot of characters, easy dialogue and the story moves along so it isn't a difficult read, but the problem I had with this one compared to her others is that the plot was almost a little too confusing and several of the characters all seemed alike (some of the men). But the main thing I didn't like about it was the main character was not very likeable (Francesca) and the problems in her marriage seemed contrived/forced.

But the biggest issue is that one of the main plots was really rather sordid and disgusting, and I think it was stooping too low. I don't want to spoil the plot, but it made the entire story and ending which wrapped things up unbelievable.

I know the author wanted sensationalism, but this was too much. I would not recommend this book, her others are better.

Just finished this terrific book and had to write my review. I found it totally absorbing, the characters extraordinarily well-drawn and the complicated plot fascinating. In fact, I've stayed up much of the night to finish it.
I agree with a reviewer below that Bard's daughter Kirsten (not Kate, as she mistakenly said) is particularly empathetic but I liked the fact that each and every character was multi-dimensional and (unlike Danielle Steel, as noted elsewhere) behaved in a way consistent with his/her own personality, rather than being moved only by the author's needs in manipulating the plot. The author's ability to create such complex characters reminds me of Susan Howatch, which is high praise indeed.

I'm off to read her other books.

This author is a favorite of mine and this book again is very good read. The characters are real, the storyline is update and relevant to today's dilemma's of the world. You will not be disappointed if you purchase this book.

Being a fan of Penny Vincenzi, this was a nother good read. Yes, what a "dilemma", it held me spellbound to the last page.

Penny Vicenzi books are my guilty pleasure.
Very british, very soap opera-ish but so
well written that I looked forward to each
chapter to find out what would happen next.
The characters are fleshed out really well,
as well as the setting and the plot. I'm
surprised there aren't more Vincenzi fans
in the U.S.

I've loved just about all of PV's books. So when I say this is a disappointment I am not being overly critical. Its just wordy and it takes pages to get somewhere. I am only 1/4 of the way through and I am not one not to finish a book as I find that disrespectful to the author............but, I have to put this down for awhile and maybe get back to it later on. I hate Bard and Francesca and so far the only character I like is Francesca's mother and mother-in-law. As for his "beautiful" daughter she's just a waste of paper. Maybe I will be more sympathetic in a few years when I get back to it.