Tom and Octavia Fleming have what the media likes to call a “power marriage”. As well as having three children, they run their own highly successful companies and are always ready to share their individual expertise to help the other. They’re portrayed in the press as the perfect modern couple, and are much sought after at public functions for the glamour that surrounds them. If, perhaps, they don’t get to spend enough quality time either with one another or their children, the rewards make the sacrifice worthwhile.Then, with appalling suddenness, their carefully ordered life seems set to collapse around them. Octavia makes the devastating discovery that Tom is having an affair, and Tom loses a vital client which takes his business to the brink of ruin. To make matters worse, someone seems intent on sabotaging not only Tom’s company, but any hope he and Octavia might have had of repairing their marriage. Only now does it become apparent exactly how precariously balanced their life together was, and how easily it could come crashing down. Picking up the pieces turns out to be an awful lot harder. In fact, it’s doubtful whether it can even be done.Long as it is, this novel kept me riveted from beginning to end with its complex relationships, company politics and cleverly woven subplots. I honestly couldn’t put it down! Most of all, I loved the way the characters developed in response to the troubles confronting them. Octavia, always dominated by her overprotective father, painfully insecure and terribly serious, gradually gains confidence and the ability to laugh at herself. Tom, on the other hand, faced with the prospect of losing everything that’s important to him, is stripped of the arrogance I initially so disliked. By the end, much to my surprise, I found myself sincerely hoping these two would succeed in salvaging their marriage.
For this review and more, please visit http://fortheloveoftheread.blogspot.comThis book was quite a time investment. At over 600 pages and with small font, there was a lot of story to devour, but it was all worth it.My favorite thing about this book is that there are no supporting characters. Each character is a main character. While the blurb leads the reader to think the focus is on Octavia and Tom, this doesn't always ring true. Often other characters' tales are so entwined that they, too, become central to the story. The time and thought that was put into making each character matter and building their history and store is astounding, and this author did that extremely well.Another thing I liked about this book is that the climax the reader might expect (Octavia finding out about Tom's affair) happens fairly early on in the book. Instead of that being the focus, the author focuses on how the relationship is affected, including how this affair affects other characters in the book. The reader gets to see how each character responds and in what ways it changes everything.The length of this book is the only thing that might be considered a downside. Because it's so long, there are parts of the story that don't move at the same pace as other parts. While I didn't feel like this detracted from the story, it does mean that the reader has to commit.Overall, I thought this book was beautifully written. Characters were well-crafted, and the story moves along at a proper pace. If you're looking for a book that you can really devote yourself to, I think this is a good choice. I'm very much looking forward to other books by this author.
What do You think about Almost A Crime (2009)?
I think I smiled throughout the entire million-page duration of this book. Rich people having affairs! Baby abductions! Evil best friends! Every five pages, someone bursts into tears; every ten pages, someone chokes down a glass of expensive champagne; and every twenty pages, someone insists that she can't possibly continue this conversation, as it's making her feel quite ill (the vast messy soap opera is narrated in the Queen's English). In short, I can't imagine a novel more perfect for slightly hungover beach reading.
—eb
I didn't realize this author is a Danielle Steele clone until I'd read about 50 pages. Originally I mistook her for a writer more similar to Olivia Goldsmith whose books I've really enjoyed. What put me off about this book was the obvious in-your-face formulaic pattern of the story telling. There weren't any surprises,nor was there any suspense about what outcome awaited each of the characters. It was all very predictable, but what did surprise me was that even though the length of the book was considerable, there was less repetition than I expected.
—Gabby
What a whopper of a book. It took me a long time to get through this one. Liked it well enough to keep going with it. I found the ending somewhat weak when Octavia confronts Louise at the farm house after shes stolen minty though.
—Alison
