The Gatecrasher

Date of Reading: 09/05/2012

Author: Sophie Kinsella (writing as Madeleine Wickham)

Publisher: Black Swan

Place: London

Year: 1998

Rs. 399

Summary:

          Fleur Daxeny is beautiful, unscrupulous, and has a large wardrobe of black designer suits. With the help of The Times announcements page she gatecrashes the funerals and the memorial services of the wealthy, preying on rich, vulnerable men. She charms her way into their lives (or to their beds) and onto their platinum credit cards, takes what she can, and then moves swiftly on. We can call her an upperclass prostitute. She is forty, and the money thus earned supports her child Zara in the boarding school.

          When Richard Favour, a dull but wealthy businessman, meets Fleur at his wife Emily's memorial service, he is bowled over. He has two children. Philippa, aged 28, is married to Lambert who works for Richard and Antony at 15 is studying. Emily's elder spinster sister Gillian also stays with them. All lead a dull, monotonous life with their own private problems where the root cause was Emily.

          Emily was a complete mystery to Richard which made him ashamed; she had never loved the children. Philippa is constantly reminded of her ugliness and is forcefully married off to Lambert; Antony is hated for his birthmark over the eye and Gillian is totally suppressed and is more like a servant in the family.

          So when Fleur enters the arena all these lives change. Gillian takes her to the heart as she is treated with kindness and she begins to go outing and for playing bridge; Antony gets his long awaited companionship from Zara -- he even wins the Golf Cup. Philippa, influenced by her begins to assert her position to Lambert (who has married her for the sake of money) and even attempts a suicide to get some attention. She applies for a divorce. 

          Meanwhile Fleur also faces problems from Zara's father Hal Winters, who was until then was unaware of a daughter's existence. When Richard proposes Fleur had to think twice. As most his money has already been bequeathed to the children, she decides to leave with whatever she can take. But Zara who is too attached to Antony to leave the place, persists and she comes to an agreement. Fleur won't marry Richard, but she will stick around. Zara is allowed to meet her father too.

Rating: Excellent

Comment:

           Sophie Kinsella is the pseudonym of Madeleine Wickham. She has written seven novels under this original name. Her first novel under the name of Kinsella was submitted to her existing publishers anonymously and was enthusiastically received. She revealed her true identity for the first time when Can You Keep a Secret? was published in December 2005.

           I have read most of the novels of Kinsella and it is hard to believe that both are same. Kinsella novels are pure comedy, while Wickham is serious to the core. Here this is an omniscient narration with multiple points of view and in Kinsella narration is done by female protagonist.

          From the beginning itself we know how the story goes. Well, that is the case of all love stories right? Pleasure here is not from the suspense but how the author treats the familiar theme. A love story concerning people above forty itself is exciting. Setting of funerals (most unlikely place for the blossoming of love) is also a novelty. . . I like it on the whole and love the coverpage too.

External Link:

  Official website of Sophie Kinsella.

You might also like:

THE UNDOMESTIC GODDESS