Plucking the Apple (G K Hall Large Print Book Series) [Large Print] [Hardcover]

Elizabeth Palmer (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: May 1999 | Series: G K Hall Large Print Book Series

Sexual fantasies, infidelities, imbroglios, and betrayals collide at a Chelsea dinner party hosted by art gallery owners James and Victoria Harting. By the author of Scarlet Angel.

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

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

With an impeccable blend of empathy and mocking wit, Palmer (Scarlet Angel) delivers a novel of high-society slapstick that is nearly impossible to put down. The trouble-and the abundance of delightful wickedness-stems from the chic summer dinner party thrown by Victoria and James Harting, owners of that trendy London exhibition space known simply as "The Gallery." Chosen from Victoria's wide acquaintance with the bright and privileged social stratum she calls the "glitterarty," the guest list includes Jack Carey-The Gallery's star artist-and his capable, serene-seeming wife, Ellen. Also invited are narcissistic, compulsively adulterous Tessa, her jealous husband, Alexander, and Ginevra, Victoria's frumpy but brilliant university chum. During the evening, Jack initiates his affair with Tessa, while Ellen establishes a tentative friendship with awkward Ginevra. Brief, snappily written scenes trace the events of the next few months: As voracious Tessa becomes more of a challenge than Jack ever imagined, Ellen-chafing against the confines of her marriage-struggles to find a role more meaningful than being her egotistical husband's caretaker. Meanwhile, Ginevra-living in isolated squalor-nurses her unrequited love for James and slides slowly into vengeful, self-destructive madness. Perhaps the novel's piece de resistance is the wildly disastrous opening night of Jack's long-awaited art show-but that's only one of the many hilarious, acutely observed scenes that pepper this savvy and highly literate romp.
Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Booklist

Fans of the movie Four Weddings and a Funeral will lap up this story of manners and morals in the frightfully insular world of the London upper classes. Old friends meet at a fashionable dinner party given by the Hardings, an arty, solvent couple who run a London gallery. This gathering introduces a small cast of characters who are simultaneously affected by sexual wanderlust and infidelity's repercussions within their circle. One by one they tumble into adulterous fantasy and affairs like dominoes, with the irrepressible artist Jack setting off events when he lures his friend's wife into bed with the dependable I-would-love-to-paint-you line. Although the engaging characters and wry humor entice to the end, the novel's light sophistication illuminates only a plot that is a good deal of fuss over very little. For those fascinated with the British upper-class milieu, more substance can be found in the ironic wit and perspective of Mary Wesley or Fay Weldon. Deanna Larson-Whiterod --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 396 pages
• Publisher: Thorndike Press (May 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0783886241
• ISBN-13: 978-0783886244
• Product Dimensions: 9.3 x 6.3 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.5 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 3.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #11,123,976 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Only a good read., March 28, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: Plucking The Apple (Paperback)

The book did not flow as smoothly as it could have. It seemed hurried in places, but mainly the character Tessa really annoyed me. In this day and age, she just seemed too casual at jumping from bed to bed. Granted it does happen in real life, but in this book it just seemed too much for my liking.