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Ebooks by Madeleine Wickham

MADELEINE WICKHAM is the New York Times bestselling author of several acclaimed novels, including A Desirable Residence, The Wedding Girl, Gatecrasher, Cocktails for Three, The Tennis Party, and Swimming Pool Sunday. As Sophie Kinsella, she has written the bestselling Shopaholic series and The Undomestic Goddess. She lives in London.

Gatecrasher

Synopsys

The Secret Is Out!Madeleine Wickham is Sophie Kinsella, and The Gatecrasher is just as delicious as her internationally bestselling Shopaholic series. Everything’s coming up roses for Fleur Daxeny, as she goes through more rich men than she does designer hats. Beautiful and utterly irresistible, her success at crashing funerals to find wealthy men is remarkable. Fleur wastes no time in seducing her latest conquest, the handsome and rich widower Richard Favour. His children are caught up in a whirlwind as their father’s new girlfriend descends on the family estate. Fleur is not one to wear her heart on her Chanel sleeves, but she soon finds herself embracing Richard and his family. But just as Fleur contemplates jumping off the gold-digger train for good, a long-buried secret from her past threatens to destroy her new family.Take a wild and marvelous ride with The Gatecrasher, whose clever, chic, and sassy style will leave you desperately wanting more wonderful Wickham!

< Madeleine Wickham is the author of several acclaimed novels, including A Desirable Residence, Cocktails for Three, Sleeping Arrangements and The Wedding Girl. As Sophie Kinsella, she has written a number of bestsellers including the Shopaholic series, Twenties Girl, Remember Me?, The Undomestic Goddess, and Can You Keep a Secret? Confessions of a Shopaholic was made into a major motion picture starring Isla Fisher and Hugh Dancy. Born in London, Wickham studied at New College, Oxford. She lives in London with her husband and family.<

Praise for New York Times bestseller The Gatecrasher by Madeleine Wickham:"Wickham creates memorable characters who are as unpredictable and multifaceted as they are stylish. Jolly fun."--Publishers Weekly"[A] witty and deeply biting novel of modern manners and morals." --Library Journal"[Wickham is] an observant and engaging storyteller."--Kirkus Reviews"Wickham knows her characters well and the story never drags... an enjoyable read." --Booklist

< THE GATECRASHER (Chapter 1)

Fleur Daxeny wrinkled her nose. She bit her lip, and put her head on one side, and gazed at her reflection silently for a few seconds. Then she gave a gurgle of laughter.

"I still can't decide," she exclaimed. "They're all fabulous."

The saleswoman from Take Hat! exchanged weary glances with the nervous young hairdresser sitting on a gilt stool in the corner. The hairdresser had arrived at Fleur's hotel suite half an hour ago and had been waiting to start ever since. The saleswoman was meanwhile beginning to wonder whether she was wasting her time completely.

"I love this one with the veil," said Fleur suddenly, reaching for a tiny creation of black satin and wispy netting. "Isn't it elegant?"

"Very elegant," said the saleswoman. She hurried forward just in time to catch a black silk topper which Fleur was discarding onto the floor.

"Very," echoed the hairdresser in the corner. Surreptitiously he glanced at his watch. He was supposed to be back down in the salon in forty minutes. Trevor wouldn't be pleased. Perhaps he should phone down to explain the situation. Perhaps . . .

"All right!" said Fleur. "I've decided." She pushed up the veil and beamed around the room. "I'm going to wear this one today."

"A very wise choice, madam," said the saleswoman in relieved tones. "It's a lovely hat."

"Lovely," whispered the hairdresser.

"So if you could just pack the other five into boxes for me . . ." Fleur smiled mysteriously at her reflection and pulled the dark silk gauze down over her face again. The woman from Take Hat! gaped at her.

"You're going to buy them all?"

"Of course I am. I simply can't choose between them. They're all too perfect." Fleur turned to the hairdresser. "Now, my sweet. Can you come up with something special for my hair which will go under this hat?" The young man stared back at her and felt a dark pink colour begin to rise up his neck.

"Oh. Yes. I should think so. I mean . . ." But Fleur had already turned away.

"If you could just put it all onto my hotel bill," she was saying to the saleswoman. "That's all right, isn't it?"

"Perfectly all right, madam," said the saleswoman eagerly. "As a guest of the hotel, you're entitled to a fifteen per cent concession on all our prices."

"Whatever," said Fleur. She gave a little yawn. "As long as it can all go on the bill."

"I'll go and sort it out for you straight away."

"Good," said Fleur. As the saleswoman hurried out of the room, she turned and gave the young hairdresser Read Less

Book Information

Author: Madeleine Wickham

Pages: 256

Released: Apr 01, 2011

Publisher: Macmillan

Anonymous Reader (Amazon)

"The Gatecrasher" is an upper-class, refined, oh-so-British version of the con artist who falls in love with her prey. Fleur Daxeny (you have to love that name) attends the memorial services of wealthy wives so she can insinuate her way into the affections of their vulnerable widowers; as soon as she has a Gold Card in hand - conveniently billed to the widower, of course - she is outta there. But her latest target, Richard Favour, gives Fleur something of a crisis of confidence: he's so darn nice, and thoughtful, and sweet, and genuine, that she isn't sure she'll be able to go through with the scam after all. This isn't a new plot device (and so, to some extent, the story feels like it's been done before), but Madeleine Wickham works it with all she's got. It's great fun to peer into the lives of the wealthy, especially when they live in mansions in the English countryside and drink beverages like "buck's fizz" and wear couture hats. Fleur manages to be charming and likeable despite her ulterior motives. And because Wickham does a good job with characterization and plot, one can easily overlook the more predictable elements of the book. The result is a stylish and well-written story reminiscent of Brit writers like Joanna Trollope.

Anonymous Reader (Amazon)

Social climbing and the lengths people will go to in order to make a better life for themselves can be fascinating. In The Gatecrasher we have one such anti-heroine, but thankfully, she is surrounded by some of the most interesting and likable characters I have met as of late. Fleur Daxeny crashes funerals in order to meet rich, vulnerable men, and take as much as she can get from them before moving on. She's been doing this successfully for a while and has her routine down pat. When we meet her, she is in the process of getting ready for the new batch of funerals coming her way, charging her stylish new black outfits to her unsuspecting, soon-to-be-deserted, Greek lover. Her target at Emily Valour's memorial service is, of course, Emily's bereaved husband Richard, a rich man who mourns the wife he's lost but at the same time realizes the he's never really known her. What Richard has never had is a passionate soul mate, a woman who can make each day come alive and instill in him the desire to truly live. Fleur is determined to be all that and more. Little by little we see Fleur stealthily become an integral part of Richard's life. Damn his club and his gossipy acquaintances, Richard thinks. For the first time in his life he desires and is desired, although guilty thoughts of Emily do pop up whenever he's tempted to make love to Fleur, who knows that Richard must succumb physically in order to be completely hers. Richard's children are, of course, dysfunctional. Young Antony lives in shame of the birthmark that made him imperfect to his mother and his social life is painfully awkward and nonexistent. Daughter Philippa is married to the odious and greedy Lambert, the man Emily said would be the only one to marry an such an undesirable package as she. Needless to say, Fleur soon realizes that Emily was far from a kind person, be it in the capacity of wife, mother, or sister, and is soon charming Richard, his children, and Emily's own sister, the initially reticent Gillian. It is never part of Fleur's plan to linger so long at Richard's, but first the lack of sex, and then the fact that he hasn't yet given her a Gold Card (Fleur's preferred method of getting her hands on her target's money) serve to stall matters. Finally, Fleur's daughter Zara arrives, creating all sorts of complications with Antony as a triumphant Fleur, Gold Card finally in hand, gets ready to leave and move on to her next victim. Richard is the most likable of men - a little clueless when it comes to his children, but he definitely means well. His feelings where Fleur is concerned are pure and tender, and I couldn't help but feel for him as Fleur became increasingly bored with him. Much like Zara does when she finds herself up against her mother's machinations, I found myself losing patience with Fleur, and honestly wished that she'd gotten more of what she really deserved. The ending only works if one believes that the selfish, vain, greedy Fleur of 99% of the book has really changed. The secondary characters, however, were priceless. Philippa's pathetic marriage to Lambert is truly sad and real, just as Antony's desire to belong is heartbreaking. Gillian, who at first so hated Fleur, made me smile as she succumbs to Fleur's charm and wears the blue scarf Fleur gives her - every single day. This book will probably not be for everyone. Fleur is cold, ruthless, and calculating as she begins to ensnare Richard, who never has a clue about the captivating woman he's met. But if you're in the mood for a sort of Absolutely Fabulous storyline with a bit less comedy, then I recommend you try The Gatecrasher.

Anonymous Reader (Amazon)

This book, like Wickham's other books, is so disappointing. I continue to buy them thinking that I'll eventually get a bit of her "Kinsella" persona in the writing. But, no. It's as though she ruthlessly buries any hint of the fun, hilarious, endearing characters she concocts as Kinsella in order to try out darker, more serious heroines. They just don't work. I read a lot of British chick lit, and there are loads of better books and authors out there who can write "edgy" (as the book jacket says) characters whom the reader will actually want to read about. I just didn't enjoy Fleur. There was nothing redeeming about her. It's difficult to stick with a story when you don't like the individual who's eyes you must see through in the book. As other reviewers have stated, the story itself drags on and on for pages with nothing interesting happening. My hope is that Wickham only tries out this kind of writing every few years because I love the way she writes as Kinsella. Here's hoping she puts out more and more "Kinsella" books and less "Wickham" books in the future.