The Misadventures of Oliver Booth: Life in the Lap of Luxury [Paperback]

David Desmond (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 1, 2008

Next Generation Indie Book Award Winner (General Fiction/Novel & First Novel) Third Place Grand Prize (Fiction)

Best Book Award Winner (Best New Fiction)

Finalist, 2009 Benjamin Franklin Awards, Humor/Comedy/Satire category

Eric Hoffer Award Finalist (da Vinci Eye)

National Indie Excellence Award Finalist (Humor)

New York Book Festival Honorable Mention (Fiction)

Oliver Booth wants nothing more than to join the ranks of Palm Beach's high society. But with his arrogant personality, garish wardrobe, and incompetent stewardship of an antique shop filled with gaudy reproductions, he doesn't have a chance. Oliver's luck takes a turnabout when the society doyenne Margaret Van Buren sends him and his assistant, Bernard, to Paris on a shopping spree to furnish her new estate. What ensues is a series of hilarious, Voltaire-esque misadventures as Oliver bumbles his way through the milieu of the elite. A satirical look at the lengths some people will go to in order to enter the insular circle of the privileged, David's Desmond's novel is a witty glimpse into a world few of us know.

Praise for The Misadventures of Oliver Booth:

'David Desmond has written a hilarious tale based on his insider's knowledge of life in Palm Beach and Paris. It should be a big success.' --Donald Trump

'Can we talk? The Misadventures of Oliver Booth is filled with intimate details about the you-know-whos doing you-know-what in Palm Beach and Paris. You're going to love it! It's a fast and fun read.' --Joan Rivers

Editorial Reviews

Review

"High society is rarely what it's cracked up to be, but that doesn't stop some people. The Misadventures of Oliver Booth: Life in the Lap of Luxury tells of the titular character's overwhelming desire to live the good life, the life of the filthy rich. Opportunity presents itself and there are no lengths Oliver won't go to mount himself among the most elite in the world. Hilarious and biting satire, The Misadventures of Oliver Booth is riveting and recommended reading." --Midwest Book Review

About the Author

Born in New York City, David Desmond is a clinical psychologist and a member of the renowned Trump family. He is a graduate of the University of Chicago with a degree in behavioral sciences, and he received his PhD from Fordham University. He resides in Palm Beach and Paris.

Product Details

• Paperback: 224 pages
• Publisher: Greenleaf Book Group; First Edition edition (October 1, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1929774567
• ISBN-13: 978-1929774562
• Product Dimensions: 8.4 x 5.4 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 10.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (27 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,313,195 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars An all out RAT RACE! Not my cup 'o tea., March 25, 2009

By 

Bethany L. Canfield "Dreadlock Girl" (Corvallis, OR,USA.) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Misadventures of Oliver Booth: Life in the Lap of Luxury (Paperback)

Oliver Booth craves wealth, acknowledgment and prestige yet he goes about it in all the wrong ways. The more he scams and tries to pry up into the world that he admires the more it detests him and his slyness. He is the arrogant owner of a supposedly high-quality shop filled with "hecho en Mexico" reproductions. His luck goes from bad to worse when one of the bigshots- Margaret Van Buren sends him and his new assistant to France to purchase some furniture for her guest house. Booth's arrogance even when he has no clue of the language, culture or area get him into even bigger trouble. All his problems are not without the meddling of his assistant, who more than anyone would like to see him fail.

Oliver Booth is not a character with good qualities, and then when his assistant enters the scene I had high hopes for him. Once I saw that his only intent was getting whatever he could claw away from Booth in order to impress their boss Mrs. Van Buren I lost hope. I need at least one person in the book to look at and admire, this one was just a rat race. As much as I know that is probably more realistic, this didn't do it for me. I was expecting more depth than this gave, more depth of character, more depth of something and it was not there.

In parts it was funny, but soon bashing on Oliver Booth's weight wasn't humorous anymore. I started to feel worse for him because it seemed that everyone wanted to tear him down. It distressed me more than made me laugh. I understand that he got what was coming, but it was too much to watch. Not my cup 'o tea.

For all my reviews go to B&b ex libris: http://exlibrisbb.blogspot.com

5.0 out of 5 stars Read in one day, February 20, 2011

By 

Claudine W. Jordan (ASHLAND, OREGON USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Misadventures of Oliver Booth: Life in the Lap of Luxury (Paperback)

This little book is such a great read. Loved the trip to my Paris. Did not know Palm Beach, until now. So, where is the promised next one?

1.0 out of 5 stars This Is So Badly Written, October 26, 2010

By 

C. E. Selby "Eric Selby" (Miami Beach, FL) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: The Misadventures of Oliver Booth: Life in the Lap of Luxury (Paperback)

I read these reviews and thought I would really enjoy this novel because I like satire. Well, I made it to part two before leaving my copy in the gym, the place I leave one-star books since I assume most of the people there might actually be able to handle such bad prose.
The central character, Olive Booth, is totally unbelievable. I realize satire can be very tricky to write, and even the best at it such as Carl Hiaasen sometimes fail as he did in his most recent "Star." But this is a book I would have thought all publishers would have rejected pronto.