11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
A thoroughly enjoyable family saga with glamour, romance and drama to spare, November 17, 2008
This review is from: AN Outrageous Affair (Hardcover)
The Overlook Press, the small publishing house that first introduced American readers to the epic novels of Penny Vincenzi, is committed to bringing all of Vincenzi's backlist in print in the United States (even as another, larger publisher has snatched up her newest titles now that the word is out). AN OUTRAGEOUS AFFAIR, first published in the United Kingdom in 1993, is another terrific example of Vincenzi's ability to bring together a couple dozen characters (and just as many subplots) in intriguing, titillating and outrageous ways.
The novel opens in Great Britain in 1942, in the middle of World War II, as aristocratic (and sexually frustrated) Caroline Hunterton falls desperately in love with American fighter pilot Brendan FitzPatrick. After Caroline becomes pregnant, she tries to reach her lover to tell him the news; distraught when he does not reply, she (at the urging of her mortified parents) gives the baby girl up for adoption and marries a man she does not love. When Brendan, who has been wounded and unable to be contacted, finally returns to Suffolk, a heartbroken Caroline tells him it's too late for their love. But it's not too late for one thing --- adoption proceedings have not yet been finalized, and Brendan can take their daughter, Fleur, for his own.
He does so, and the doting young father takes the girl back to New York City. After the war, Brendan turns his eyes westward --- to Hollywood, leaving his beloved daughter in the care of relatives while he pursues his dreams of stardom. Brendan might not be much of an actor, but he certainly does have star quality --- that is, until the threat of exposing a salacious scandal destroys him utterly.
As for Caroline, she and her husband have three children in quick succession. The oldest, Chloe, couldn't be less like Fleur. When teenaged Chloe learns of Caroline's past --- and of the existence of Fleur --- she realizes there's a reason for Caroline's persistent distance from her. She soon throws herself into marriage with noted London thespian Piers Windsor, who might be the most talented actor of his generation but is an absolute disaster as a husband. As for Fleur, she bitterly resents being kept a secret from her English "family" and becomes determined not only to avenge her father's death but also to have her revenge on the mother and sister who have shunned her for so long.
Into the mix comes dashing, debonair journalist Magnus Phillips, whose tell-all book on Piers Windsor exposes connections that no one knew existed --- and threatens to destroy the lives and loves of both Chloe and Fleur.
Fans of Penny Vincenzi's other novels will recognize trademark details here: the sprawling time frame, the large cast of characters, the teetering balance between scandal and propriety, between appearance and reality. Readers are also in for a particularly alluring historical ride this time around, as the action travels from old Hollywood to Madison Avenue advertising pitch meetings to the London theater scene to noble English country house culture. Both Fleur and Chloe are compelling characters, and their climactic meeting proves just as satisfactory as audiences will have anticipated. Perhaps not surprising given its title, AN OUTRAGEOUS AFFAIR has somewhat more (and more explicit) sex than many recent Vincenzi novels; it also contains numerous homophobic comments that (one hopes) are meant to be reflective of the novel's 1950s and 1960s setting rather than a straightforward commentary.
Nonetheless, AN OUTRAGEOUS AFFAIR gives readers more of what they've come to expect from Penny Vincenzi: a thoroughly enjoyable family saga with glamour, romance and drama to spare.
--- Reviewed by Norah Piehl
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3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
A hot steamy page turner, December 14, 2008
This review is from: AN Outrageous Affair (Hardcover)
Another page turner by excellent writer Penny Vincenzi. The plot is drawn out to almost unbearable lengths that at times becomes tiresome. But the characters, as always with this writer, captivate and you care about their outcome. I wish Penny would return to the historical milieu, her trilogy about the Lytton family was so superior to this women's jargon.
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