Customer Reviews

Swimming Pool Sunday

5 star:		(1)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

My wife would like to read everything written by Madeleine Wickham, aka Sophie Kinsella, and this was the last book we found that she had not read. It is different from the others as it does not have the humor factor, but is more serious. However, it still is a good read.

Long before she penned the Shopaholic Series as Sophie Kinsella, Madeleine Wickham wrote this emotional tale about what happens when a tragic accident and the law suit that follows turns the lives of not just a family, but a whole community upside down. In the past I have been critical of some of Wickham's other work outside the Shopaholic series, finding it more formulaic and less fine tuned. However, after reading and really enjoying Remember Me? I decided to give more of her books a chance. I'm glad I decided to pick up this older work of hers. It's definitely much more emotionally charged than her later works, but this isn't a bad thing. In fact, it was a nice change of pace from the chick lit I tend to read, but still not as emotional as books by Jodi Picoult. It was very well written and did a fantastic job of holding my attention. She does a great job of developing multiple characters in such a way that you find yourself not just relating to them, but really pulling for them. There were also a couple interesting subplots with the more minor characters which added further depth to the read. I did, however, find myself a bit conflicted at the end of the book. The main story line was left very open ended. This I appreciated as sometimes books can be summed up too quickly and in a way that seems hasty. However, some of the subplots were also unresolved and left me wondering about the characters. For instance, there are several scenes in the book that involve the eldest daughter of the main couple in the story her feelings about the accident. We never really get to learn whether her feelings change or she gets any closure.

Overall though I was very impressed with this book. It's very different from some of Wickham's latest work, but I still believe will be appreciated by fans of her more recent book. I consider it a highly enjoyable and easy read.

In Melbrook, England Louise and Barnaby Kember are divorcing each other. In spite of their personal animosities towards each other, they still go to the annual charity swimming party. However, this year a tragedy occurs when their daughter is injured in a poolside accident.

Louise's lawyer and lover, Cassian Brown convinces her to sue her neighbor for negligence in the accident, which she does. By doing so, she has alienated the townsfolk. Meanwhile, Barnaby blames her for the accident. As the couple turns even more acrimonious towards one another, neither realize that the ambitious Cassion has his own agenda, and does not care what happens to his lover, her daughter, or the rest of her family as long as she further his political and social plans.

In a rather short period of time, Madeline Wickham has earned the reputation for writing about the effects of life's disasters on relationships. Her latest novel, SWIMMING POOL SUNDAY, enhances her deserved reputation by depicting the impact of a trauma on a couple already too deeply buried under personal troubles to even notice how they are being used. The secondary characters add humor while providing insight into the lead characters. Ms. Wickham scribes a winning tale about the down side of family relationships.

Harriet Klausner

Good book,goes into familial dynamics and explore the topic of marriage, infedility and older man and younger woman. Morevoer, how a tragadey can seperate and bond others together.

A little more than what you would normally expect from Ms Wickam/Sophie. But, thouroughly enjoyable at the same time.

Swimming Pool Sunday is about an incident that occurs at a swimming pool and a resulting lawsuit. There's a small subplot concerning a leather skinned middleaged man who seduces an 18 year old girl which definitely gives the book a crawling skin "ewwwwwww" factor. The book as a whole is a fail. Madeleine Wickham seems to write better stories under her Sophie Kinsella moniker. The female protagonist and other female characters in Swimming Pool Sunday are bitter, angry and unlikable. Even the child, Amelia, is angry. In fact the only character in the book I found likable was the husband, Barnaby, but even he was angry the majority of the time. The characters of Ursula and Daisy are both vapid and mind-numbingly weak although in Daisy's defense she is a talented pianist and could mature into a strong, independent young woman -- but that is entirely up to the reader's imagination. The author's depiction of the lawyers as being conniving, greedy and smarmy is pretty spot-on. I thought this book was boring and didn't care about the characters because they were all so unlikable. The ending was unsatisfying as it left the Meredith character seething with unforgiveness. I can't really recommend this book.

I got very angry when I discovered that books by Madeline Wickham that had been released in England earlier are being released here in the states with new titles. I was so excited to see " 40 Love" on the bookshelves but when I ordered it and started to read I discovered it was actually "The Tennis Game" which had been released in England under this title. I was going to order "Swimming Pool Sunday" but, when I tried to order it on my Kindle, I find "A Desirable Residence" (which I've already read) keeps coming up, leading me to belive this is the same situation. I find this exceedingly misleading, possibly fraudulent! Really a case of Buyer Beware!

I was pretty disappointed with the condition of the book when I received it. It was very yellowed and had previously been in a library as noted by the stamps. I don't think the description of this book 'Good' or 'Like New' was accurate, I would have gone with another seller if I knew what I was receiving.

I love Sophie Kinsella, but unfortunately don't think this was her best work. Good, quick read, just not the best.