Queen Takes King: A Novel (Hardcover)

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Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

It's War of the Roses fought by The Real Housewives of New York in this hilarious if overlong morality tale of young love, old fools and happy endings. After 25 years of marriage—most of it squandered on unspoken disappointment, stifled grief and wasted affection—ex-ballerina Cynthia Power and real estate tycoon hubby Jackson are headed for divorce. At the same time, Jackson's latest condo project is teetering and Carolyn's ballet board is in turmoil. Though lesbian daughter Vivienne counsels Cynthia to think three moves ahead, Jackson, torn between his ambitious and reckless lover and imperious father, is staying in the game by sheer grit. In the end, these volatile emotional wrecks learn to rely on their hearts. Grazer (The Starter Wife) has Hollywood cred and brings a rollicking romantic-comedy tempo to her story of busting up and moving on, even if the cast is strictly celluloid: lovely to look at and unlike anyone walking this planet. (June)
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Review

"A sly, observant report from a rarefied world that's sure to be another big hit."-- Kirkus Reviews

"Hilarious... Grazer (The Starter Wife) has Hollywood cred and brings a rollicking romantic-comedy tempo to her story of busting up and moving on." -- Publishers Weekly

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 367 pages
• Publisher: Simon & Schuster; First Printing edition (June 16, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0743291999
• ISBN-13: 978-0743291996
• Product Dimensions: 9.4 x 6.1 x 1.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (56 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #31,883 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4.0 out of 5 stars Well narrated entertaining bit of fluff, October 27, 2009

By	Sandy Kay (Twin Cities, Minnesota USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Queen Takes King (Audio CD)

My review is of the audio CD narrated by Phil Gigante and Tanya Eby; I have not read the printed book.

Part of the reason I chose this book is that I expected the plot to be light and not too involved. I wanted to listen while doing something else and not be distracted by too much plot. Basically I was not looking for serious literature and I was not disappointed.

The best part of the narration was that the publishers decided to use two different narrators, male and female. Even the best narrators don't do very well with voices for characters of the opposite gender and it made the book a much more enjoyable listening experience than if one narrator had tried to do all the characters. Both narrators did a good job; I felt they captured the essence of the characters.

The plot is light and amusing. The divorce fight never gets particularly nasty and the reader (or listener) never gets the feeling that either party is particularly invested in the marriage. Even the cheated on wife never feels hurt and betrayed enough for you to hate the husband and his girlfriend. It seems more of a game between the characters than real emotional content. For my purposes, it was just what I wanted. If you want some entertaining fluff based in the high income bracket world of New York, this may fit the bill. If you want something deeper, you may not be as satisfied with this book as I was.

3.0 out of 5 stars A light read, October 22, 2009

By	N. Savoiu - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

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Quite a bit of name dropping (perhaps to engross the reader into Manhattan's social scene) but not much substance to the plot.

3.0 out of 5 stars Sorta Liked it, Sorta didn't, October 20, 2009

By	Zointrikca Wyatt - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Okay so I first started listening to this book at work (I work in Finance administration, I need entertainment hence I listen to a lot of audiobooks). The tone of the book, the plot was so interesting that I then bought the ebook, so I can read it at home. Man was I disappointed.

I think this book had a lot going for it but to me it just fell flat. Not because of the writing or the charecters but beacause there was no real climatic moment. You could't be mad at the scorned wife because it wasn't as if she was a super posh witch that deserved to get cheated on, you couldn't be angry the mistress because her story was explained as well and it made her more human. Its not like she was trying to be a golddigging home wreaker, nor was she portrayed that way. Even the adultrous husband had his misguided virtues although he was a lot easier to dislike than the previous two charecters. And all this was boxed into a sweet little happy ending moment for eveyone.

The thing is when I'm reading Chicklit, I like a bit of the cattiness, the "you're gonna get it ahole!" along with the romance storylines. There was no clear enemy in this and I hated that. In the end NO ONE got their comeuppence. Not even Jack Power, he still had a happy ending. I mean my ideal story would have been for him to see the error of his ways, try to get Catherine back, fail, but then keep trying, suffering along the way, until he has proven to her that he's a changed man and then they go live happily ever after again. Either that or he loses everything and Catherine is with her new beau. You know, classic Chicklit.

I really liked the first 3 quaters of this book but the ending just spoiled it for me. Not EVERYONE should have a happy ending when its about a story of the end of 25 year marriage. I need retribution!