Something Wonderful [Hardcover]

Judith McNaught (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: January 1990

The Duke of Hawthorne is a cynical, blase, sophisticated rake. Alexandra Lawrence is a penniless, practical girl innocent in the ways of the world, but courageous and headstrong. This is the story of their marriage, a battleground of tempers, society, money, intrigue and jealousy.

--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"Judith McNaught is truly the spellbinding storyteller of our times".

-- Affaire de Coeur --This text refers to the Mass Market Paperback edition.

About the Author

Judith McNaught is the New York Times bestselling author who first soared to stardom with her stunning bestseller Whitney, My Love, and went on to win the hearts of millions of readers with Once and Always, Something Wonderful, A Kingdom of Dreams, Almost Heaven, Paradise, Perfect, Until You, Remember When, the #1 bestseller Night Whispers, Someone to Watch Over Me, and other novels. There are more than thirty million copies of her books in print. Judith McNaught lives in Houston.

--This text refers to the Mass Market Paperback edition.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 432 pages
• Publisher: Severn House Pub Ltd (January 1990)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0727840177
• ISBN-13: 978-0727840172
• Product Dimensions: 8.5 x 5.7 x 1.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.3 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (174 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,433,454 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

43 of 46 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Laughter and Tears, September 26, 2000

By 

Rasee Govindani (St. Louis, MO) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Something Wonderful (Mass Market Paperback)

In my opinion, the best Judith McNaught book I have ever read. Set in England in the early 19th century, young Alexandra Lawrence meets the handsome Duke of Hawthorne and sets in motion a story that will make you laugh and cry, as is Ms. McNaught's specialty. The young Alex marries the cold-hearted Jordan, her heart filled with love and admiration. Tragedy strikes, tearing the two apart, only to meet again when the awkward duchess has bloomed into a beautiful, sophisticated young woman. I've read this book cover to cover about four times and each time I discover something more magical about this wonderful couple created by romance author, Judith McNaught. It's an intelligent, witty, passionate, romantic, funny, and heart-warming story of a young girl who believed in "something wonderful."

64 of 74 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Funny, Romantic, Heart Quenching & Enchanting..., December 29, 2000

By 

Abbys (Moreno Valley, CA United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Something Wonderful (Mass Market Paperback)

Once again, this is one of my favorite Judith McNaught book!

Jordan, the rich & powerful Duke of Hawthorne, known also as a handsome rake was travelling to the countryside where his mother is staying when he met trouble in the highway. A knight in a rusty armour came to his rescue. When the person in the armour suit, who he assumed was a young boy, was knocked unconscious in the process of saving his life, he had to make sure he would be ok, returned to his family & be well compensated. Therefore, in good intention, he carried the boy to the nearest motel. When Jordan took off the armour suit & clothes to check for any open wound, he realized that the boy he thought was actually a young girl. Alexandra was already half naked & half conscious when the hotel hostess came inside the bedroom. That good intentions turned into a black cloud which created a scandal in Alexandra's small town, ruining her reputation & her chance of finding a decent husband, which infuriated her mother. Since Alexandra's family were impoverished when her father died, her mother took this opportunity to better their situation. Forced to marry each other, their life changed forever....

Even if she wasn't ready to marry, Alexandra found herself already half in love with Jordan. On the other hand, Jordan who have no intentions of marrying, let alone falling in love, decided to wed Alexandra. Afterall, he owed her for saving his life. However, What Alexandra's unaware of is he plans to leave her in one of his estates, fully financially compensated, including her mother and only to be visited once or twice a year for show. He intended to live his life just the way he was before he got himself in this mess.

Alexandra Lawrence was a tomboyish, innocent, naive young country girl when Jordan first met her. She was so naive that she was so unpretentious with her emotions. She speaks her mind and shows her emotions freely. She was romantic & full of imaginations. She's overwhelming & she amazes him as well. She was totally different compared to the Ladies Jordan is use to being with. But before Jordan can see Alexandra flourished into a beautiful Swan, he got himself into another trouble. This time, Alexandra wasn't there to rescue him...

When Alexandra was initially introduce to the Ton, She acknowledge her love for Jordan which made her the laughing stock of the Ton. She didn't know the true character of Jordan. She always believed him to be good hearted, a gentlemen & a sensitive person. However, as she matures, what she eventually heard and found out was an exact opposite. She is no longer the naive country girl who Jordan played like a fool. That's when she decided to be the Belle of every Ball. She stopped sulking, came out, enjoyed herself immensely & became every man's desire.

This book have so many twists & turns that just makes you want to read it until it ends. Aside from the suspense of finding who wants to kill Jordan, Alexandra's growing relationship with Jordan makes this book very romantic and heart quenching. There is so many scenes I love in this book but the ending was the powerful and the best one of all. Jordan's confessions, his touching words of noticing colors & the jewel gifts that Jordan gave her made me cry. I was overjoyed! Once you read the book, you will know that the jewel he gave her had other significance. A deeper, thoughtful meaning! Jordan mother's hatred to Alexandra & her acceptance in the end was also heart warming. The "situation" that J.M. wrote in order for the two to be close was really sad. That "situation" gave Alexandra & the dowager duchess a special bond. One of my favorite scene was also Alexandra's second wedding to Tony, Jordan's cousin. Oh, you must read it to find out. Don't want to give it away for you... But it's so excitingly funny! There is so many wonderfully described secondary characters in this book, all of them contributed to the success of this story. I liked every one of them! Though, I specially loved Alexandra's two loyal servant & friends. The blind Filbert & the deaf Penrose. Alexandra childhood and her relationship with her father was really sad. The confession of Filbert to Jordan about Alex's past made me cry. After reading this part, you simply want the best for Alexandra and what she finally gained in the end was truely what she deserve. Loved this book. Glad I have it in my collection! Pick it up, read it... you won't be sorry!

27 of 30 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Is Alex too good for Jordan or What??, August 13, 2005

By 

Bookie "M.E." (USA, CA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Something Wonderful (Mass Market Paperback)

I admit, this is the first book that I have by Judith McNaught. The book was very well written and I see that she is very talented. Throughout the book , I felt that Alex was constantly trying to prove to Jordan that she is good enough.
Alex first meets Jordan during his holdup with the thieves. She saves his life and what is the thanks she get?? He 'dies'/disappears on her 4-5 days after their marriage, the 'ton' ostrasizes her, she's jerred upon and made into a laughing stock and she is under the delusion that something wonderful is going to happen to her. Even though she had a painful past, she still sees the positive aspects of life. She still loves life, the good and the the ugly. Even though her father lies to her and gives her a tin locket (instead of the gold one), she still believes there is something wonderful in her future. Even when her dad dies and she comes face to face with his 'other' wife and daughter , she still believes in that 'something wonderful'.
Jordan is the complete opposite. There is no such thing as something wonderful. Yes, his family is wealthy beyond ur wildest dreams and he can buy anything and everything he wants. He had a nonchallant mother and a strict/demanding father. He has been molded to hide his feelings, cram useless info into his brain till he has a headache and torture himself trying to impress his father. As if thats not enough, he desregards the opposite sex and uses them like chattle. He's a player (and proud of it) and sleeps with different women as often as he changes his clothes.
Here are some of the reasons that I still feel that she is too good for him:

1.she always manages to forgive him as soon as he give her one of his 'melting kisses'

2.Half the time he didn't even bother telling her the truth, as if she is not old enough and mature enough to handle it.

3. He always sees the bad in people, especially her. even though she is good, truthful, generous, thoughful, and lovable. He sees her as a sceming manipulative bitch. Come on Jordan. What is wrong with you??
Talking to fictitious characters should give u a clue as to how great of a book this is. You have got to read the book to get the rest of the story. It only gets more interesting. I promise.