As much as I became initially engaged in Madeleine Wickham's A Desirable Residence, all the attraction here is centered on unlikeable, misanthropic people finally getting their just desserts in the end. From scheming, bored Marcus to ungrateful, uncharitable Liz, I struggled to find one character with whom connect in this British novel.Bratty Alice couldn't have been more unjust to Jonathan, her bumbling but sweet father, and more than once in the book I found myself wanting to reach in and slap her. She's a self-absorbed teenager, yes, and I could respect the fact that her behavior was realistic, but who wants to spend 293 pages reading about a rude, deluded 14-year-old? As she began forcing her presence on Ginny, Piers and Duncan, I became more and more agitated. Couldn't she see she wasn't wanted? That she was intruding? That she was annoying? Even if the new residents of her old house didn't feel that way, I certainly did.What could have saved this book from becoming a soulless mess was a dash of humor, warmth or humanity. Demonstrating some growth. Some maturity. Some sincerity. And though I did find myself smiling inwardly toward the end at an unexpected turn of events, for the most part? The bad people stayed bad. The selfish people stayed selfish. Marcus redeemed himself slightly in my eyes, but Liz -- Liz, one of our central characters -- didn't get what she deserved. I wanted a blow-out, a reckoning . . . I wanted an epic battle complete with tears and divulsions. But I was disappointed.Wickham is better known to most of us as Sophie Kinsella, the nom de plume under which she wrote the best-selling Shopaholic series. While her writing is fluid and enjoyable, her characters -- the anchors of any story -- were terrible. You won't find me complaining about any "distance" between myself and these people, because I definitely felt like I got to know them through the course of A Desirable Residence. The real question is would I actually want to know them?And the answer to that is, of course, a resounding no.With so much great women's fiction and chick lit out there just waiting to be devoured, I can't recommend this one. It was boring, lifeless and grating -- though I did manage to finish it, so I guess that says something . . . mostly about the quality of Wickham's writing, which was fast-paced and readable. I didn't hate it -- but didn't love it, either. For good British chick lit, look no further than Jill Mansell -- and don't waste your time reading mediocre books.
Yuck. Unlikable characters, unsatisfying ending and a wasted few hours of my life. Set in the fictional town of Silchester, which just sounds hilarious, it stumbles along, each two dimensional character worse than the next. Liz was the most egregious and it was frustrating that there was no confrontation between her and her husband about the affair. I only picked this book up because it had been republished with a printed cover reading: SOPHIE KINSELLA writing as Madelene WickhamObviously, a clever move on the part of the publishing house marketing department, to capitalize on a mediocre novel written in 1996, five years before the Shopaholic series took off under her pen name. There is even a foreword from the author issuing a slightly veiled warning that books written under the name Madeleine Wickham are not in the same style as books written under the name Sophie Kinsella. The bones of what made that series so readable are there, which is why I finished it, but it is crystal clear that she has grown leaps and bounds as a writer since her first few attempts. I was also surprised to learn that the author's sister is Gemma Townley, another British chick lit author I've reviewed. I wonder who was published first, and if the second one was piggybacking on the first sister's name. Don't get me wrong, I've thoroughly enjoyed Kinsella books. They're funny, fast-paced and generally page turners. I'll try another Wickham novel to see, but definitely give this one a miss.
What do You think about A Desirable Residence (2004)?
Through this book I learnt that Sophie Kinsella's real name is Madeleine Wickham. All is well, I thought. This one looks good. I read the book by borrowing it from my friend when we're on a class trip. We were on a bus, and I am dead bored. I dont want to sleep, so I asked her whether I can read her book. She said yes and I am so grateful for that! Finished half of the book by the time we ended the bus trip. Finished the rest of it during the week end. Found this to be a page turner. All of the Kinsella's element is here. Yes, maybe less humour than Kinsella writings. But still: surprise, suspense, interesting character, story lines, good details. When I gave it back, the owner was like, "What? Finished already? You're not busy or something?" I just thought there's always time for a good book which I can't put down.
—Melita
Things come full circle in A Desirable Residence by Madeleine Wickham. A family of three purchases a tutorial college and moves into the flat above it, hoping to sell their house -- What ends up happening is the married woman falls in love with the real estate agent, has an affair and falls deeply in love with the idea of having money and no worries that he does. However, the real estate agent is married as well. Their lives end up entertwining and coming to a climax in the end. Meanwhile, the real estate agent had a temporary fix for them until the house sold, renting it out to a PR person from the firm. Ginny and her actor boyfriend Piers have drama of their own. There is no shortage of drama and more drama in this book. It didn't have my attention for many pages but when it was climaxing and coming to a head, it made for a very interesting read. Beautiful ending!!!! I truly enjoyed it!
—Tonya
This book, though not what I expected, was quite a good read. Despite the fluffy description on the flap, this book is actually a very frank and serious look at relationships, love, and betrayal. Wickham does a marvelous job with these characters, though it is upsetting how very irresponsible almost all of the adults are throughout the novel. Fourteen year-old Alice was particularly well-drawn; the pain of her adolescent experience reached off the page to grab me. Her conflicted feelings about the adults in her life (she loves her parents while simultaneuously writhing inside when confronted by their eccentricities) rang very true and helped make her character so honest and poignant. All in all, an impressive offering from an author usually associated with chick-lit.
—Colleen
