Customer Reviews

Queen Takes King: A Novel

5 star:		(15)
4 star:		(13)
3 star:		(18)
2 star:		(9)
1 star:		(8)

 

 

Queen Takes King is a lovely "coming into your own" story about a woman who's had enough of fitting into a mold, and decides to finally step out on her own and divorce her philandering husband. It's also about the husband, who's narcissistic and in love with a national news anchor. And that news anchor, who wants more than to be a bauble on his arm. And the daughter of the philanderer and his wife, who's not sure what to do given her life of privilege.

It's a very fast read, very clever, and I liked that I could root for each of the characters. Even the philandering husband had some redeeming qualities.

Recommended as a good beach read. Nothing serious, nothing heavy - just a good story about people taking charge of their lives.

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.

The characters and circumstances in Gigi Levangie Grazer's latest book QUEEN TAKES KING", could have been taken directly from the pages of your favorite supermarket tabloid.......or perhaps The New York Post's PAGE SIX.

Jackson "Jacks" Power wants a divorce from Cynthia, his wife of 25 years, in order to marry Lara, a potential "trophy wife". Jacks, being Jacks, doesn't want to face the possibility of losing his tri-plex at 740 Park Avenue in the divorce so he devises a plan to ensure he retains possession of the family homestead. Cynthia, it seems, has a few plans of her own.

Jacks persona is easily recognizable. He is part Donald Trump, part Tony Robbins and part Muhammad Ali in his youth (I am the greatest). Where "The Donalds" combover has been the subject of many a snarky remark, Jacks hair also seems to be a topic for discussion as illustrated by Jacks father who states, "You know that hair of yours looks ridiculous".

It appears that Ms. Grazer has drawn on the invaluable resources contained in the idiosyncrasies and foibles of individuals in her inner circle and has created a cast of characters whose antics are hilarious. You will love Cynthia's shrink, Goldie with his Zorba the Greek philosophy of life and her New York Ballet Theater BFF, Margot, she of the salty language. The are just two of the colorful characters who dance through the pages of this amusing tale.

With the help and encouragement of their lesbian daughter Vivi, Cynthia transforms herself and shows Jacks that she too is a "Power to be reckoned with". (pun intended). From the title Ms. Grazer gave her book it is obvious that she sees divorce as a chess game played out on the big board of life. I, however, saw it more as a game of Monopoly that attempts to answer the age old question, "Can you really be happy and fulfilled without owning Boardwalk and Park Place"??

I am going to have to be flat out honest when I say that I could even make though the first chapter. By page 16 I was so over these characters. Clearly this was written before the economy tanked. These were clearly shallow people. The only saving grace is that this book didn't cost me anything.

Jackson Power may be modelled on Donald Trump, right down to the wretched hairstyle, but he can be oddly likeable, which is more than one can say for the original. He's mega-rich but clueless, and when he decides to dump his wife for another woman, his wife fights back, and it rapidly becomes a death-match. This is a very fast read - practically a bullet - but pay attention or you'll miss the delightful snarkiness that all parties engage in. The chapters tend to be short. Chapter 9 is barely two pages, but the action is nonstop and often unplanned.

The book is roughly formatted as a chess game, and, although the queens do rule, it is Jacks who holds your attention...as when he breaks in on a dinner party and strips to the skin, looking for attention. Then, as he's being bodily removed by a servant, he clutches a Jackson Pollock in his arms. There is a great deal that will make you smile as you read this perfect beach book, and some lines that will have you laughing out loud.

There are also some flashes of wisdom that will tug at you. How many busy men think that they can make it up to their kids later on? When you read about Jacks and his plan to cover 26 years of his daughter's life in 6 days, though you may be laughing like a loon, you will relate to the concept. How many women wind up back in bed with their ex, then wonder what they could possibly have been thinking? Well, Cynthia has that experience, and you will admire what she chooses to do about it.

I enjoyed this snappy book and expect that many women will enjoy it too. It isn't immortal prose, won't be taught in high schools for the next century, and may not wind up on your keeper shelf, but for an afternoon's enjoyment, it's right on target.

It is chick lit- don't read if you want to read something Shakespearean or something that required deep thought.

It has some great moments, I breezed through some of the slow parts but overall it was cute. If you want a quick, fun, beach or airplane read pick this up!

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!

Disclaimer1: I'm reviewing an advance, non-proofread copy, which I received for free through the Vine program.

Disclaimer2: I have not read any other books by this author, nor have I seen any of the movie or TV adaptations, nor do I usually read this type of genre.

Well, I liked it! I started out not WANTING to like it, and for the first few pages, I actually DIDN'T like it so much. But it started to get more and more interesting, once past some of the initial cliches.

Eventually I found myself quite enjoying the story, actually, even rooting for some of the characters.

I don't like spoiler reviews with too much specific detail so I won't discuss any, other than to say, give this book a chance, get through the first couple of chapters, and I think you'll find it starting to capture your attention and cause you to experience some enjoyment, which is probably all that's expected, in this genre!

A brillant and yet frightening tale of the glamour of life turned inside out.
As the first pages reveal the age old story of people. The more that they get the less likely for happyness.
I was reminded of the 1989 production by Danny Devito in his War of the Roses. Just switch the name of the couple to Power, "Jacks" and the love of his self.
Here this book takes a different and much more interesting twist than The War of the Roses, as this couple throws in a daughter, an entire office of The older and most powerful Agustus Power, the father and his adventures, a cast of much more interesting and wide spread characters in this book.

Mid way through this Queen takes on the King with the starlting news of Jacks mis adventurers with the newest love of his life (on the side).
This is the tale of a beautiful woman who finds that we all must age, some better than most, but her dreams of a brillant dancer surrounded by strains of musical and lavish travel finds that on their 25th anniversary her hubby Jacks is late for teir anniversary party. The reason for his late arrival is the beginnning of rude awakening for both husband and wife.
From here the adventure really takes on the true tale of The Queen takes the King...

You would think that being with a person for 25 years that you would begin to know your partner better than most, however, Jacks find that his intimate knowlege of his glamerous but ageing wife has been so terrrible wrong.
Each wake up to the knowledge that they have grown so far apart. In between the couple comes into play, a daughter who has her own life struggling for her own identy, She, I believe is the only one out of this family who has actually found herself, through a means that she survives and out of lack of, love, a true knowledge of ones self, shines through.
Throw in a young bartended to shake things around in a triangle of 4, Jacks, wife cynthia, daughter and her loves, and shake them around, You come up with a high adventure!
Once the story takes on its own identy, the real adventurers begin,Sad at times, funny and with sub characters like the adorable "Harry" .. Jacks long time driver,
A Russian larger than life, heavy accent and adorable fur hat, the a high rise of adventure.

The ending is one that is aggreable to all, unlike The War of the Roses with Douglas and Turner swinging to death from the chandalier this ending is an alls well that ends well, much more rewarding and full fillment,
I enjoyed this book and would recomment it to all, It was light hearted and full of
people and their inter relationships, A funny and loveable book.

Well written by Grazer, with the touch of a couple whos divorce sparks lively and and ending that pleases all.
Not a turkey but a swan like Black Beauty.

A big fan of Grazer's The Starter Wife, I couldn't wait to plunge into this newest creation of hers.

In the beginning, I had high hopes for the Power Couple of this tale--Jackson and Cynthia Power, the ultimate King and Queen of Manhattan--who seemed larger than life, therefore primed for a big fall.

And when Cynthia suffers a public humiliation as photos of her husband and his mistress are splashed all over the media, the pot seemed stirred up enough to generate some heat...and definitely some magic.

I'm not sure why this story seemed to fall flat. The couple's machinations, with each one determined to gain the upper hand, had all the intrigue one could hope for. The tale swept back and forth, though, alternating between the characters: Jackson, Cynthia, Lara (the mistress), but something was missing. Something vital that would help us connect with them.

Maybe because, despite the grand plans each partner begins to wage against the other, these schemes never quite take off. Jackson pays someone to seduce his wife, hoping that she will hasten the divorce--she seems to be stalling, standing firm in her decision not to vacate the Upper East Side building they own--but through various missteps along the way, even this plan fails to achieve its goal. And Cynthia comes across as a superficial and one-dimensional character who displays occasional bursts of individuality and ingenuity.

But not enough to sustain any kind of plan to topple the King. Although she may win in the end, it will only happen because that character is even more pathetic.

At one point, I was seeing some parallels between these wealthy warring partners and the characters in "The War of the Roses," but any similarity quickly departed once the Power Couple fizzled out.

I was disappointed enough that I couldn't wait for this story to end. And that rarely happens to me! So three stars is the best I can give Queen Takes King: A Novel.


Laurel-Rain Snow