Customer Reviews

Sheer Abandon (BBC Radio Collection: Fiction and Drama)

5 star:		(14)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(8)
2 star:		(6)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

I'm consistently surprised that more American readers have not yet discovered Penny Vincenzi. A bestselling author in her native England, Vincenzi has yet to find the audience she deserves on this side of the Atlantic. Captivating enough to gratify fans of escapist fiction and romance novels, skillful and sophisticated enough to draw in more literary readers (perhaps in spite of themselves), Vincenzi's novels sprawl satisfyingly through time and place, from character to character, but never get out of control.

Originally published in the United Kingdom in 2005, SHEER ABANDON is Vincenzi's latest to be released in the U.S. In some ways, it's her most restrained novel in scope; unlike her multi-generational Spoils of Time trilogy, for example, SHEER ABANDON's main action takes place over just a couple of years, with the exception of a few flashbacks to 1985, where the story really begins.

The novel opens with a terrifying scene of a young woman, just back in England from a post-graduation trip to East Asia, giving birth alone in a Heathrow Airport bathroom. Following the birth, the frightened young woman leaves the baby in a cleaning cupboard, watching unobserved until she is sure the infant has been discovered and will be safe.

Readers figure out pretty quickly that the terrified young mother is one of three acquaintances who met while backpacking through Thailand after graduating from college. Fast-forwarding 15 years, the three women are all successful, confident professionals, none of whom seems to be harboring a dark, shameful secret. So which one is it?

Is it Jocasta, a harried reporter for one of Britain's top tabloids? Growing up, she was constantly disappointed by her busy father --- now she's disappointed by her philandering brother. Her glamorous job and handsome boyfriend have failed to satisfy her --- she's tired of the ethical compromises her boss asks her to make, and she's really tired of waiting for Nick to settle down. When a wealthy older man takes interest, Jocasta has a hard time turning down promises of comfort, commitment and glamour.

Or is it Martha, a successful, driven corporate lawyer who often works all night to satisfy her clients? She grew up in a loving but poor minister's family and now enjoys the material comforts her success has bought her. But when Martha grows increasingly disillusioned by the economic opportunities available to others in Britain, she flirts with becoming a member of Parliament, representing a new party. And, much to her surprise, this confirmed single gal finds herself falling for a most unlikely man.

Or could it be Clio? She's hiding something from her overbearing husband, a brilliant surgeon but cruel man who wants nothing more than to have his wife, a respected physician in her own right, barefoot and pregnant. Will Clio come clean with her husband, and will she find the courage and confidence to leave him and start over?

Adept readers (especially those who read mysteries) will not remain in the dark for long, but it's so much fun to see how Vincenzi reveals the truth, playing with conventions and coincidences, having characters meet unexpectedly (or miss each other by moments), gradually drawing these very different women into a web of relationships. Add to the mix that abandoned baby (remember her?), now a beautiful teenager who bears a striking resemblance to one of the women, the baby's father and a dozen other subplots and minor characters, and you have a trademark Vincenzi novel.

Vincenzi's books are distinctive but rarely formulaic. Just when readers think they've figured everything out, she throws them a curveball (or in this case, a hairpin turn on the highway). Her fast-paced style relies on hooking readers by shifting perspectives frequently and suddenly, resulting in a series of cliffhangers that will keep readers glued to their beach blankets until sunset.

--- Reviewed by Norah Piehl

Overall I think that sheer abandon is an entertaining read. However, you have to really focus on the book as it's easy to get the storylines confused. The plot has plenty of twists to keep you guessing and just as you think youve solved a mystery another clue comes up that will change your mind completely.
Vincenzi seems to be able to bring the characters alive to the degree that you think you know them yourself, you can almost work out what they will do next. One might say that makes the book predictable, but I just felt I knew the characters well. My one complaint is that the author seemed to forget her own thread at times, for example Kate's hair is blonde but at one point describes her as a brunette.

This was the first book I have read by Vincenzi and I am very much looking forward to picking up another!

This is the first Penny Vincenzi novel I'd ever read, and I was hooked from page one. It takes awhile to keep the cast of thousands straight, but once you do, you can't read fast enough. Vincenzi is my favorite kind of author -- she gives you drama, excitement, great characters, lots of plot, and plenty of pages for your money. And she also gives you something to think about, a moral dilemma or that gray area between black and white. Gee, I think it's called theme. <g> I've already passed this book on to several reading buddies, and they're now solidly hooked, too. Since reading SHEER ABANDON, I've ordered copies of all Vincenzi's books, but I'm not reading them all at once. It's more fun to read one here and there and know I still have some to look forward to. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.

First, let me say that I have read "No Angel" and "Something Dangerous" and absolutely loved both of them. I was pleased to find another book by this author. However, anyone who has enjoyed any of Penny Vincenzi's earlier books can expect to be very disappointed. This one is so inferior that it's almost impossible to believe it was written by the same author.

Every female character in the book is, at best, neurotic. Constantly displaying the sort of behavior that in real life is mislabeled 'PMS', and all sharing the same incredible lack of self-esteem; these women are the kind who give women a bad name.

Each of the many, many sub-plots is excruciatingly predictable. So predictable, in fact, that there actually IS some element of surprise with the discovery that, in each instance, the author really did go with the outcome that she'd been plodding toward for hundreds of pages. We expected better.

Only one thing kept me reading to the end of these 600 pages of sheer irritation: the desperate hope of a "Thelma and Louise" ending. A Land Rover with every pathetic woman in the book inside, sailing over the edge of the White Cliffs of Dover would have been wonderfully appropriate, and a well-deserved reward for any reader who stuck with this terrible waste to the end.

... because if you like this as much as I did, you'll be reading into the wee hours to try to get to the end. The three female lead characters were very well developed, flaws and all. The reader comes to feel as though the players in this book are friends rather than paper characters. I don't want to give away too much plot, but this is several steps above typical "chick lit" fiction. You'll be kept guessing on which of the three is the mother, and once you figure that part out, there's plenty more to keep you on your toes! Highly recommended.

I just finished reading SHEER ABANDON. I honestly found it hard to put down and this is the first novel in a long
time that held my interest throughout. Ms. Vincenzi is new to me and I'm anxious to read something else by her. Adriana Trigiani referred to her as the "plot twist queen" and she certainly was in this book. So many things happening to so many people at the same time creating a fast moving, interesting, well-written account of the lives of former travelling companions of years ago who meet up again and become enmeshed in each others lives. I found nothing far-fetched and everything believable. Emotions ran high in some places and I reached for the tissues more than once. I'm not particularly interested in English politics but
creating a new party by hard-driving individuals exemplified what the political scene is - any political scene - anywhere.
I truly liked each and every character - well, maybe not Janet Frean so much but she was interesting in her ruthlessness. I highly recommend this book.

This book reads like a boring conversation. Way too much detail before the author gets to the point. I figured the interesting pieces out early and was left with mundane dialog of characters trying to figure it out. I was sort of glad when one of the characters died so I wouldn't have to listen to that characters piece of the story. I read the whole book because I was hoping for an interesting twist that didn't happen.

I listened to this book on CD and it was incredibly long at 22 CDs and not terribly much happened. I would have thought there would have been more character development in this book. It really is true that the reader must find something likable about the characters to care what happens to them. The fact that the author practically broadcast who the baby's parents were so early in the story made it not nearly as fun. By the time the "revelation" came about I think I knew for at least one hundred pages if not more earlier. This one had the potential to be really great, but this is one I would pass on. I can't get back all of those hours of listening.

I have read 4 of Penny Vincenzi's titles and this one is not the best. She is a great writer of this genre, hard to put down modern women's fiction but this one drags on at the end to not much effect. The last third could have used a good paring down and the ending is disappointing. That said, it held my attention for most of it and as always with her books I stayed up way too late reading it. I do love her books and the Englishness of the settings. She could have done more with wrapping this one up. Try Absolute Scandal for Vincenzi in top form.

I'm with the reviewer who posted "Sheer Boredom". I greatly enjoyed the Lytton family trilogy, but this one is a real disappointment. In part, it may be the lack of historical trappings, along with the singularly uninteresting contemporary British political backdrop (and the author's pet peeves about socialized medicine), but I think the far more serious problem is the lack of character development. It's simply hard to care what happens to these cardboard cut out characters.

I haven't given up totally on the author, but will be cautious going foward.