Domestic Affairs [Unabridged] [Audio CD]

Eileen Goudge (Author), Susan Ericksen (Narrator)

Book Description

Publication Date: June 2, 2008

"Rosie and Abigail are like family," Ina Merriweather used to say. That is, until the day Ina abruptly cast out her housekeeper, Rosie, and her fifteen-year-old daughter Abigail. Abigail felt deeply betrayed, especially by Ina's daughter Lila, who was her closest friend. Only Lila's twin brother Vaughn, with whom Abigail had been exploring the joys and heartaches of first love, showed any compassion.

Now, twenty-five years later, an old score is about to be settled...and an old love rekindled. Abigail is now a self-made woman who has built an empire out of the homemaking skills she learned from her mother. When Lila, who married well and for decades lived the glittering life of a Park Avenue socialite, suffers a tragic reversal of fortune, an opportunity to right an old wrong lands squarely in Abigail's lap. Lila seeks the help of her childhood friend, but learns that the only opening available at the moment is as her housekeeper and Lila has no choice but to accept.

At the same time, Abigail is coping with the fallout from a fire in her Mexico factory, which took the life of an innocent girl, whose mother, Concepción Morales, now seeks the rich señora she holds responsible for her daughter's death.

In a collision of fate, Abigail, Lila, and Concepción are thrown together and must unite to save one another...and themselves.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

EILEN GOUDGE is the New York Times bestselling author whose novels include The Diary, Domestic Affairs, Woman in Red, One Last Dance, Garden of Lies, and Thorns of Truth. There are more than five million copies of her books in print worldwide. She lives with her husband, entertainment reporter Sandy Kenyon, in New York City, --This text refers to the Paperback edition.

Product Details

• Audio CD
• Publisher: BBC Audiobooks America; Unabridged edition (June 2, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1602834083
• ISBN-13: 978-1602834088
• Product Dimensions: 6 x 5.3 x 1.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 15.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (20 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,242,149 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

I was born on the Fourth of July, and it's been fireworks ever since. I began writing at age eight, with short stories and poems, and I haven't looked back since. From the early days of mostly collecting rejection slips, I went on to publish thirty-two novels for young adults, thirteen (and still counting) of women's fiction, as well as numerous short stories and magazine articles, and one cookbook.

Often I'm asked where I get my ideas. Fortunately, I have a wealth of life experiences to draw from. Starting when I dropped out of college to get married, at age eighteen. Two years later I was divorced, with a baby son and no means of support. I ended up briefly on welfare, and stood in line for government surplus food. But every cloud has its silver lining, and this one led to my determination to make it as a professional writer. I borrowed a typewriter, and lacking a desk, plunked it down on the living room floor. The rest, as they say, is history.

Following a string of young adult novels, I published my first adult novel, GARDEN OF LIES, in 1986. The saga of baby girls switched at birth---one rich, the other poor---went on to enjoy a combined total of 16 weeks on the New York Times bestseller list, in hardcover and paperback. Though there's no such thing as an overnight success, I felt like one, having gone in a matter of months from not knowing how I was going to pay the rent to wondering what I was going to do with all that money. The first thing I did was fulfill a fantasy born of years of wearing hand-me-downs: I walked into Saks Fifth Avenue and bought a dress...without even looking at the price tag!

I've since gone on to write many more novels. My most recent, which came out in June of '07, is WOMAN IN RED, a very special story about a woman just out of prison and a man struggling to get back on his feet after losing his wife on 9/11. Look for it in trade paperback in May of this year. I also have another hardcover coming out,in June, titled DOMESTIC AFFAIRS ---a Cinderalla story in reverse: Riches to rags but with a happy ending. I'll be posting sample chapters on my website at www.eileengoudge.com, so stay tuned. I would love to hear your comments once you've read the book! And, remember, there's always more where that came from...

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Secrets, Betrayal and Revenge..., September 20, 2008

By 

Laurel-Rain Snow "Rain" "Rainy Days" (Fresno, California) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: Domestic Affairs (Hardcover)

Childhood friends, Abigail and Lila, are torn apart by a betrayal that leaves them each damaged in different ways for years to come.

Abigail, the daughter of the family housekeeper, strives to achieve something with her life, and after many years of struggle, she becomes a household name...a diva of domesticity...a brand name. Her family life appears perfect, just like her domestic goddess kingdom, but underneath, more secrets and betrayals lurk.

Lila, worlds apart from Abigail in the beginning, as the daughter of a rich family, seemingly continues on this path, ending up with her handsome husband, beautiful Park Avenue apartment, and loving son. Then, with one brutal stroke of luck---or karma---it is all taken away, and

she is forced to seek employment just to sustain herself and her son. Which is why she finds herself, after numerous rejections, on the doorstep of her former friend.

When Abigail offers Lila a job as her housekeeper, it would seem like vengeance, or some kind of karmic justice.

Meanwhile, Lila's twin brother Vaughn, a world traveler and Abigail's teenage lover comes home with devastating news of his own.

The scene is set for drama, but everything seemingly spins out of control when a woman from Mexico begins wending her way to New York to avenge her daughter's death. A factory fire took the life of Concepcion's daughter, Milagros, which Concepcion believes is the direct result of Abigail's negligence.

Will the secrets and betrayals of the past finally come home to roost? Will Abigail and Lila ever restore the bond they once shared? What is going on with Abigail's teenage daughter, and will her strange, obsessive preoccupation with Lila's son turn into something even more troubling? And finally, what culminating events will bring all of the characters together or forever tear them asunder?

An intriguing read, Domestic Affairs, a story of domestic drama, truly transcends the "domestic" to become a sweeping emotional tale of lives derailed and family secrets revealed.

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Better Than Her Best, July 23, 2008

By 

Mrs. F. Lestar Martin "Sally Field Martin" (Gibsland, LA USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Domestic Affairs (Hardcover)

I have been a fan of Eileen Goudge for many years and always look forward to her books. This one was certainly not a disappointment, but the best Of hers I have ever read. The plot is so intricate; the characters so well developed. I felt like I was living in the moment that it was written and so wanted to help each character. I even cried for them. My husband is now reading it and can not put it down. So this is a book for everyone: young, old, man or woman. I am in my 60's and could relate to the story, and I have recommended it to my 40 year old daughter and my 18 year old granddaughter.

17 of 21 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars engaging contemporary tale, September 7, 2008

By 

Harriet Klausner - See all my reviews
(#1 Hall OF FAME REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Domestic Affairs (Hardcover)

In 1982 Greenhaven, Georgia, Abigail and Lila were best friends although the former's mother worked as a housekeeper to the latter's affluent family. Abigail also was attracted to Lila's twin brother Vaughn. However, Lila's mom accuses Abigail's mother of stealing, fired her, and tossed mother and daughter into the street.

In present day New York, Abigail runs a successful catering business and is a TV show guest due to a popular cook book she wrote; while she and her husband Kent raise their child Phoebe. However, lately Abigail has been unhappy as Kent ignores her and Phoebe seems frighteningly withdrawn. In that environs Lila arrives impoverished from a factory fire and despondent from her husband's suicide. She begs for a job for the sake of her son. Abigail hires her frantic former friend as the family housekeeper. However, what has split them for over two decades remains especially with the insult of the job as a reminder of reverse fortunes; but soon current painful issues such as Vaughn reappearing will surface to complicate any chance of reconciliation between the once two best friends.

DOMESTIC AFFAIR is an engaging contemporary tale that focuses on friendship and betrayal. The story line is character driven obviously first by the two lead females, but also enhanced by their extended family members. Although at times the plot veers into soap opera turf, readers will enjoy this fine modern day drama wondering what will happen to each key cast member as the underlying rapport and discord of relationships change.

Harriet Klausner