The Ex Files: A Novel [Paperback]

Jane Moore (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: January 13, 2004

After five years spent maneuvering for Mr. Right, beautiful, feisty Faye Parker has finally snared a sensitive cutie named Mark. So when he pops the question, Faye is fully prepared to step out of the dating rat-race, call the caterer, and don the veil.

Just as soon as she has one last teensy-weensy little fling.

Then comes the dicey issue of the guest list. First there’s Nat, Faye’s ex—a narcissistic fashion model hell-bent on flaunting his substantial charms in Faye’s face, his latest Playboy bunny in tow. Next there’s Kate, Mark’s ex—a woman so indignant she’s not the bride that she’s liable to slit Faye’s zipper. And, of course, there’s Adam, Faye’s flamboyant sidekick, milking the chaos for all it’s worth while shamelessly ogling Nat’s abs. As the rehearsal dinner lurches toward the brink of a spin-the-bottle-fueled imbroglio, Faye must face the fact that marriage means more than a flawlessly executed reception. She’s got a serious decision to make—about Mark, about love, and about her own deepest desires.

Wickedly funny, The Ex Files is a sexy, sophisticated caper that offers a brazenly edgy take on the complexities of the modern bride.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

British columnist Moore (Fourplay) returns with another clever titular pun, but wit is scarce after the title page, despite the novel's promising premise. Feisty model Faye Parker and soft-spoken rising chef Mark Hawkins invite several former lovers to their wedding bash at a gorgeous French chateau. (Mark's loaded parents pay the tab; despite some misgivings about the bride, mother Jean wants her baby to have the very best, especially since the marriage of Tony, her eldest, has broken up.) Why do Mark and Faye plant emotional land mines at their big event? It seems that deep down they know they're mismatched. Faye's bosom buddy Adam ("who described himself as 'Homo sapiens, homeopathic, and homosexual' ") tells her so, and best man Brian delivers the message to the groom. The arrival of Mark's brother clinches it. It turns out that Tony, who lives in New York, got to London a week ago, and he's the stud with whom Faye had a no-names last fling. Faye drew the line at intercourse, but that doesn't stop Tony-whose own marriage fell apart over infidelity-from demanding that she halt the wedding and let his brother find happiness with a good woman. Moore jumps forward and back in time to introduce the many players, and readers won't doubt for an instant that all's well that ends well. Awkward writing and unsympathetic characters dampen the fun, but there's something weirdly fascinating about a soap opera this shameless.
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

From Booklist

Faye is a spoiled, high-profile fashion model who is ready to give up the dating life and marry Mark, a sweet, good-natured up-and-coming chef. But before she flies off to her expensive wedding in the south of France, Faye has one last fling--a mistake with repercussions that have no bounds. Then there is the wedding itself. At Mark's insistence, they invite a few of their exes: Faye's self-absorbed, sex-crazed ex, Nat, and Mark's ex, Kate, who is bitter and angry because she isn't the bride. Faye's plans for a perfect wedding fall completely apart when she realizes her one-night stand is a guest at her wedding. Between figuring out who, if anyone, is truly happy for the couple and keeping her infidelity a secret, Faye has no choice but to decide what and who it is she really wants. Though the plot is fairly predictable, Moore makes a decent effort to keep the story moving by using flashbacks to highlight different points in the respective relationships. With a light tone and fresh characters, this is a fun, effortless read. Carolyn Kubisz
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 324 pages
• Publisher: Broadway; 1 edition (January 13, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0767916026
• ISBN-13: 978-0767916028
• Product Dimensions: 8 x 5.2 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 7.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (14 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #399,730 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Didn't strain my brain, but didn't light my fire, March 5, 2004

By A Customer

This review is from: The Ex Files: A Novel (Paperback)

I was looking for a light read when I picked this book up, and as such, it was not terrible. It was not very good, either.

The Ex-Files centers on Faye Parker, a model about to be married to her too-good-to-be-true chef fiance. As their wedding approaches, much mayhem is caused by ex-lovers and family and hi-jinx ensue.

The writing is passable -- funny, but never laugh-out-loud -- and the characters are never really developed. But my biggest problem with this book is that the NONE of the other characters truly like Faye and several are trying to stop the wedding!

Faye is described as difficult, selfish, demanding and a wicked witch...by her own friends and family...but we never really see examples of this. We're just supposed to take this author's word for it.

I would still lend this book to a friend looking for an easy beach read, but rather than asking that it be returned to me, I'd happily tell her to keep it.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Nix the "Ex-Files", May 17, 2004

By 

"sfgirl23" (California) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Ex Files: A Novel (Paperback)

This book was truly bad. I am generally fairly lenient with chick-lit books; if the characters and plot are endearing, lousy writing can be overlooked. However, there was nothing to like about this book. First of all, there was absolutely no reason to like or even sympathize with the main character, Faye. The author apparently thought that because Faye is a pretty model, readers will think she is great. Instead, she is selfish, bitchy and off-putting. The other characters are so clichéd (like Faye's token gay friend Adam) or poorly drawn (just about every character) that you end up not caring about any of them. The plot is lame, too: Faye and her fiancé Mark invite a bunch of their exes to their wedding and then we have to suffer through the anticlimatic "drama" that ensues. Then there's the matter of the writing, which is so stilted and pretentious that it's hard to get through without laughing derisively. The dialogue is especially ridiculous, as every line seems to be trying desperately to be hilarious and clever, but fails miserably every time. I didn't laugh once, except at how stupid it all was.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Not worth the purchase price., August 11, 2004

By 

K. Hannsberry - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Ex Files: A Novel (Paperback)

My primary complaint with this book was its predictability. Less than halfway through, I knew exactly what was going to happen, and I wasn't wrong. So it was just a matter of slogging through the rest to get to the end.

I also wasn't overly amused by most of the so-called witticisms and amusing one-liners of several characters. It wasn't endearing, only annoying.

All in all, pretty disappointing.