The Hearts and Lives of Men [Hardcover]

Fay Weldon (Author)

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Clifford Wexford, the rising star of a Sotheby's-like international art-auction house, and Helen Lally, the daughter of an eccentric artist, fall in love at first sight in the '60s and make each other perfectly miserable for the next 20 years. Their passionate squabbles lead to the disappearance of their beautiful three-year-old daughter Nell, whose subsequent bizarre adventures involve her with the motley likes of senile French devil worshippers and kind British drug-dealers. With characteristic arch wit, the prolific author ( The Lives and Loves of a She-Devil) spins a supple, modern-day fairy tale, replete with heroes and heroines, evil-doers, fairy godmothers, castles and fateful coincidences. Characters undergo swift changes of heart and circumstance, and moral declamations abound ("Our children are to be loved and guarded, not used as pawns in some sad mating-game"). Weldon deftly sends up the art world, the idle rich, the male-female double standard, marriage, divorce and parenthood. A clever, confiding narrator ("People like Clifford and Helen love and create havoc in every decade, in every century, in every corner of the globe") and symbolic characters figure in a polished, fast-paced, entertaining story that ends happily ever after but doesn't grip the reader. 50,000 first printing; $60,000 ad/promo; first serial to Boston Globe Sunday Magazine; BOMC dual main selection.
Copyright 1988 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 420 pages
• Publisher: William Heinemann Ltd; 1st Am Edition edition (September 7, 1987)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0434851922
• ISBN-13: 978-0434851928
• Product Dimensions: 2.6 x 2.2 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.3 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #10,536,826 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A Delightful Tragicomedy Of A Modern Day Fairy Tale!, August 4, 2003

By 

Jana L. Perskie "ceruleana" (New York, NY USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The Hearts and Lives of Men (Mass Market Paperback)

Fay Weldon gives new meaning to irony in "The Hearts And Lives Of Men." This is a satiric love story, peopled with some of the most original characters I have met in years. Weldon gets right to the guts of the love-hate contradiction, that exists in all of us, and turns it into grand comedy, and sometimes, grand guignol. She also parodies the art world, and the lives of the rich, famous, and talented, as well as a few plain ordinary folks, back in the 1960s, "when everybody wanted everything, and thought they could have it, and what's more had a right to it!" It was a time when it was possible to have, "Sex without babies. Revolution without poverty. Careers without selfishness. Art without effort." Her writing is elegant, and her wit, delightfully malicious. She takes her readers into her intimate confidence. We become her Dear Readers, and priveleged to travel with her into the realm of her insights, and very wicked they are.

"This is the story of Clifford, Helen and little Nell." We are once upon a time, in London, in the glorious mid-1960s. Clifford, a wealthy, up and coming art aficionado, who is soon to give Sotheby's a run for their money with his establishment, Leonardo's, and Helen, the much younger, lovely daughter of an eccentric, impoverished artist, fall in love at first sight. They gaze across a crowded room into each other's eyes, (just like in the song), and immediately know that fate has touched them. Nell is conceived that night. And, as with most fairy tales, and sadly with life also, all is not happily ever after.

Clifford and Helen fight as passionately as they love. He is too often busy at work, buying, appraising, and selling art to spend much time with his new wife and daughter. "Telling the good from the bad is what the Art World is all about, and a sizable chunk of the world's resources is devoted to just this end." And Clifford wants part of that chunk. A very wicked witch enters the picture, at about this time. Actually she was there from the beginning, in the person of Angie, Clifford's super wealthy, scheming, ex-fiancee. The new husband was just too busy to pay much attention to Angie's vicious mischief-making before. And mischief-make she does. Helen and Clifford divorce as a result, and in the nastiness that accompanies such dissolution of relationships, little Nell becomes lost to both of her parents.

Nell, miraculously survives a kidnapping, plane crash, various foster parents and many harrowing adventures. Her parents grieve, blame each other for their loss, and move on with their lives. They must live many years, and learn much in that time -enough to deserve Nell. And then she will return to them.

In this adult fable, true love will finally triumph over hate, lust and greed. Good will ultimately prevail. It is the process of reaching the story's finale that makes this tale so fascinating and funny. The characters will change, grow and mature. And those few who do not, will find their just reward. A hilarious read! You'll want to applaud at the novel's end.

5.0 out of 5 stars Brilliant. I return to this book again and again., April 14, 2009

By 

C. M. Moret (Southeastern United States) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The Hearts and Lives of Men (Mass Market Paperback)

I don't know if I can add much to Jana's excellent review, other than to say that this is a book unlike any other I have read. It is one of the few in my collection I wouldn't part with. Really well done and entertaining!