Saffron Skies [Hardcover]

Lesley Lokko (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: March 3, 2005

Max Sall, powerful, wealthy and utterly ruthless, a man without a past. His wife, Angela, a society debutante who fell in love with the dark, handsome chauffeur, and broke her parents' hearts when she married him. His mistress: Francesca, the glamorous Alitalia air stewardess, who saw in Max her ticket out of the Italian provinces and grabbed it - and him - with both hands. And his daughters: Amber, more like her father than she'll ever know - smart, shrewd and determined to achieve, whatever the cost; and Paola, groomed by her mother to succeed where she failed, in getting a man to marry her. Max's women are very different, but they all demand his attention. While Amber and Paola are growing up in the 1970s, their mothers somehow find a way to share Max between them. But when Amber and Paola fall in love with the same man two decades later, they're determined that this time there will be no sharing...Moving effortlessly across five decades, SAFFRON SKIES is a magnificent story of sisters, friends, families and love from Lesley Lokko, one of the most outstanding new voices in commercial fiction.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

The power of friendship and love prevail against unlikely odds in Lokko's overstuffed, globe-trotting family epic. The saga, which begins in 1972 London, primarily focuses on lonely Amber Sall and her friends, artistically gifted Becky Aldridge and poor, intelligent Madeline Szabo. Amber yearns for the approval of her illustrious father, Max, but he's too occupied with his work and second family in Rome to notice. Amber's half-sister, the gorgeous Paola, grows into a vixen, and the two compete over everything, including, eventually, Tendé Ndiaye, a West African business associate of their father. Years blur together as Amber and friends embark on their own lives, rarely making contact with one another aside from infrequent visits; Madeline becomes a doctor, Becky finds work in a gallery and Amber becomes a journalist before marrying Tendé. Paola never outgrows her licentiousness, and it proves, predictably, to be her undoing. Political strife in Mali, meanwhile, portends possible disaster for Tendé, but help from an unexpected source saves the day. Stilted pacing slows an already meandering plot, though the few surprise turns should keep readers going. (Nov.)
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. --This text refers to the Paperback edition.

Review

'An exciting, intelligent blockbuster.' EVE 'This is everything you'd expect of a blockbuster - glamorous locations, ambitious female protagonists and a singing, gliding narrative- but with a little more intelligence' GLAMOUR

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 496 pages
• Publisher: Orion Publishing (March 3, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0752857428
• ISBN-13: 978-0752857428
• Product Dimensions: 9.2 x 6.3 x 1.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.9 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 3.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (15 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,776,831 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Discover books, learn about writers, read author blogs, and more.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Beautifully written., May 12, 2006

By 

Tonya Speelman "Hoarder of books" (Goldendale WA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: Saffron Skies (Hardcover)

I couldn't have asked for a better book. This book is about three young ladies and their lives. It starts out when they are teenagers and goes a bit of story line about each of them back and forth and from time to time others that are in their lives too. A lot happens in 600 some pages, and I won't go into details but love comes and goes, people move on, pass away, but friendships seem to be the rock in this book.

I have never been on the Eastern part of the world, so I loved all the descriptions of places. Some parts of the book were given in detail and then kind of forgotten, but I still enjoyed the book immensely. This is an author to keep your eye on. I look forward to reading Sundowners and hope she writes more.

I kept wondering throughout the book which character I was most like.. I liked bits and pieces of course about each one of them. I wonder if as females we always compare our lives to each other a bit.

Bravo this is a book you won't forget about for a long time! Enjoy.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Page Turner, March 21, 2006

By 

Book Fan 771 - See all my reviews

This review is from: Saffron Skies (Hardcover)

This book was an entertaining page turner! It's a story about three women who's adventures take them from London to Belfast to New York to Africa. A VERY intriguing portrayal of "elite" living, and the jealousy (warranted or not) that comes as a result. One percaution: Any man that is met throughout the course of the novel most likely will sleep with a female lead(although never too graphic!!). This may explain how a 600 page book is read so quickly!!! ;)

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars saffron skies, October 27, 2006

By 

Coni J. Jaques "Bookworm" (Randle, WA United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Saffron Skies (Hardcover)

I really loved this book. It starts with young girls clear through their adulthood. And the images she creates are amazing. I took this book to work, and the other two employees that have read it so far, fell in love with it also. I can't wait to see what her next book is like