Innocence [Hardcover]

Kathleen Tessaro (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: May 31, 2005

The author of the huge debut success ELEGANCE is back with a wonderfully, warm, charming, romantic new novel. It's 1987 and Evie is leaving home for the first time, headed for London to study acting. Along with her fellow students and roommates, Imogene (a born again Laura Ashley poster child and frustrated virgin) and Robbie (native New Yorker, budding bohemian, and very much not a virgin), Evie's determined to make her mark both on stage and off. But then life and love, in the shape of struggling rock musician Jake Albery, intervene. And everything changes. Fourteen years later and Evie's stuck. She's now a single mother teaching drama classes, her dreams long since abandoned. Robbie's dead, killed in car accident and Imo's lost touch. Then a friendship from the past comes to haunt Evie. Literally. And suddenly everything is about to change again.

--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Editorial Reviews

Review

“Fans of Helen Fielding’s Bridget Jones’s Diary will love this unique Pygmalion tale, an impressive debut novel.” (Library Journal, starred review )

“Fabulous fiction. Expect to laugh and maybe pick up some Grace Kelly — Jackie O-esque tips.” (Arizona Republic )

“A brilliant read with fashion advice thrown in!” (New Woman )

“A tale as heartbreaking as it is heartwarming.” (Rocky Mountain News )

“A deeply nuanced work.” (Pittsburgh Tribune )

“Elegantly written and compelling.” (Entertainment Weekly )

“Witty…proves that confidence never goes out of fashion.” (Glamour )

“Funny and witty…devilishly fun to read.” (Romantic Times, four-star review )

“Clever…Elegance makes the journey in style.” (Fort Lauderdale Sun-Sentinel )

“A breath of fresh air in a wold of increasingly tired–looking chick–lit… a stylish antidote to girly fluff.” (Daily Express (UK) )

“Through vivid descriptions, lively mishaps and devastating details, Tessaro serves up a witty, original, fast–moving debut.” (USA Today )

About the Author

Born in Pittsburgh, Kathleen Tessaro studied drama before emigrating to London. After ten years working as an actress in films, television, and theatre, she left the profession and spent several years working for the English National Opera, while training in the evenings as a drama teacher and voice coach. During this time, she began to write. Working on short stories during her lunch hour, she soon became a regular member of a writers workshop. She lives in North London with her husband and son. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 320 pages
• Publisher: William Morrow (May 31, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0060522267
• ISBN-13: 978-0060522261
• Product Dimensions: 9.3 x 6.2 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.3 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 3.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (21 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,248,473 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A must read for anyone who has ever gone chasing a dream, July 4, 2005

By 

Janelle Martin "member of RIO, Reviewers Inte... (Waterloo, Ontario Canada) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Innocence (Hardcover)

As the title implies, Innocence is about three young women in London, learning about themselves as they leave home for the first time and attend acting school. Fourteen years later, as Evie faces a turning point in her life, she flashbacks to the days of "innocence" that lead her to where she is today.

When she is on the mark, Kathleen Tessaro writes prose you want to roll your tongue around and savour like fine wine. It is dense, delectable and begging to be spoken aloud - "In summer, the fig tree drops its heavy fruit to form a thick, gooey compote on the pavement below..." Her gift is for descriptions that draw you in, setting the mood for her characters, "It's like a house in a Victorian play; overflowing with life, busy with knowledge and experience. Even the dogs lolling about on the oriental carpet are engaged in battles of good versus evil."

I thoroughly enjoyed her debut novel Elegance, but in my mind her sophomore effort, Innocence, is the more fulfilling read. This is most likely due to Evie who, from her impassioned defence of love at eighteen to her contemplation of her co-worker ("Each week, I marvel in fascination at the fragments of R. Fitzroy's life as they unfold before me"), reminds me of myself. Evie's confusion as she stands at the crossroads, unable to make a choice in any direction can find resonance for all of us.

8 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent - MORE PLEASE, January 2, 2006

By 

Mrs. Helen Kavanagh "Helen Clare" (Hampshire, UK) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Innocence (Hardcover)

This book received rave reviews in the UK (where I live) and I am shocked at the US reviews. As an English Woman I think the author has captured completely the life of a foreigner in our shores. I devoured this book over Christmas and can't wait for the next one. If you think this isn't good I would love to know what you are reading!

9 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars terrific character study, May 25, 2006

By 

Harriet Klausner - See all my reviews
(#1 Hall OF FAME REVIEWER)    (TOP 1000 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Innocence (Paperback)

When Evie Garlick left Eden, Ohio for London she dreamed of becoming the toast of the town as a stage actress. However, she never achieves her aspirations settling for teaching as she rationalizes that she gave up ambition to raise her son as a single mom.

Lately she dreams of her late dearest friend Robbie, who came from New York when she did. He lived life to the fullest until he died in a car accident. In her dreams Robbie lectures her to stop using her son to hide from life. He insists she relook over her past lovers and her choices over the past fifteen years and reconsider is that what she truly wanted out of her life. Robbie demands she regain the élan she once had as a teen and dream to love again if she is to live again beyond the identity of single mother.

This is a terrific character study that looks at an individual who sacrificed her dreams to raise her son, but now dreams of what could have been. The key to the tale is that though Evie has regrets, she does not apologize for loving her son. Through Robbie's "reappearance" she wonders if she could have both though his spirit forces her to admit she wasted several years hiding from love. Fans of a powerful and insightful look at a person's psyche will want to read Kathleen Tessaro's fabulous sharp tale of a second chance at living if her everyday heroine finds the courage to go for it.

Harriet Klausner