Sleeping Arrangements (Thorndike Core) [Large Print] [Hardcover]

Madeleine Wickham (Author)

Book Description

Series: Thorndike Core | Publication Date: July 2008

     Chloe needs a holiday. She's sick of making wedding dresses, her partner Philip has troubles at work, and the whole family wants a break. Her wealthy friend Gerard has offered the loan of his luxury villa in Spain--perfect.

     Hugh is not a happy man. His immaculate wife Amanda seems more interested in her new kitchen than in him, and he works so hard to pay for it, he barely has time for his children. Maybe he'll have a chance to bond with them on holiday. His old friend Gerard has lent them a luxury villa in Spain--perfect.

     Both families arrive at the villa and realize the awful truth--Gerard has double-booked. What no one else realizes is that Chloe and Hugh have a history; and as tensions rise within the two families, old passions resurface. It seems that Gerard's 'accidental' double booking may not be an accident after all...

--This text refers to the Kindle Edition edition.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Wickham (The Gatecrasher; also, the Shopaholic series as Sophie Kinsella) spins a delightful story of British families forced to spend their vacation together after a mutual friend promises them the same week in his Spanish villa. Chloe Harding hopes that a holiday will soothe the strain between her and longtime partner Philip Murray, who is worried that a recent takeover of his company may cost him his job. Their hopes are dashed when they arrive and find another family already settled at the villa. To Chloe's disappointment, she'll be sharing the space with Hugh Stratton, the beau who broke her heart 15 years ago. Now married to high-maintenance Amanda and with two children, Hugh apologizes, and though Chloe initially expresses nothing but hurt and disdain (all the while keeping their past a secret from Philip), she eventually considers beginning life anew with Hugh. Wickham does a bangup job of creating believable characters—even Amanda is less vapid than she at first seems. Surprises abound as the plot unfolds, and the families begin to wonder whether their mutual friend made an innocent mistake in getting them together. (July)
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Booklist

Wickham, who writes the popular Shopaholic series as Sophie Kinsella, explores what happens when two couples struggling with their relationships end up at the same Spanish vacation villa, owned by their mutual friend Gerard, an arrogant wine critic. Free-spirited Chloe and her longtime partner, the tightly wound Philip, are looking to escape their worries over the fate of his job. Workaholic Hugh can’t seem to connect to his uptight wife, Amanda, or their two daughters. Neither family is pleased to find Gerard has double-booked the villa, but unbeknownst to Philip and Amanda, Chloe and Hugh knew each other years ago, when they had a passionate love affair that ended abruptly when Hugh learned Chloe had a young son. Now together again 15 years later, they find their passion for each other is reignited. With its slightly older characters and more adult problems, Wickham’s novel has a different tone than do her Shopaholic tales, but it’s an equally engaging yarn, sure to please her many fans and gain her new ones. --Kristine Huntley --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 395 pages
• Publisher: Thorndike Press (July 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1410408043
• ISBN-13: 978-1410408044
• Product Dimensions: 8.5 x 5.9 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.3 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 3.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (49 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #4,512,820 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

11 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars just okay, July 7, 2009

By 

M. Smith (Lehi, Utah USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Sleeping Arrangements (Paperback)

Although I adore this author, I prefer her much more as Sophie Kinsella. When she writes as Madeleine Wickham she lacks the wit and humor that won me over. The characters in this book are not particularly likable and share very different values than I do. Subjects like infidelity, teenage sex and teenage substance abuse are taken very lightly and almost passed off as nothing. The ending seemed a little too picture perfect for the "realness" and meatiness of the rest of the book and basically left me no better and no worse for having read the book.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Madeleine Wickham does it again!, September 5, 2008

By 

K. Sarantakes "foto girl" (Austin, Texas United States) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Sleeping Arrangements (Hardcover)

Each new release by Madeleine Wickham (or Sophie Kinsella, for that matter) excites me to no end. I have read nearly all of her novels and have never been disappointed. Although this one ends differently than I anticipated, I still had a hard time putting it down, just like all the others. Can't wait for the next one!

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Very funny, July 29, 2008

By 

D. Alvarez (Naples, FL) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Sleeping Arrangements (Hardcover)

I was surprised a bit by this book, in that I was expecting a very Shopaholic type of story since this is the same author for those books as well (though she writes under a different name, Sophie Kinsella). Instead, I got a story that was a lot more family and relationship oriented, which is not a bad thing at all. Just different. Despite this surprise, I really enjoyed what I read, and the story is a very funny romp about a summer vacation gone awry. It is a great summer beach book and will make you chuckle quite a bit. Just don't expect to get a Shopaholic like story from it! I would recommend it.