What do you do when you lose everything? It was one of the biggest scandals of the 80s. Lloyds. It started with just a few requests for money from various Names. And then the demands got bigger. And bigger. Until thousands of people found their lives ruined, homes gone and relationships wrecked. All because of money. When you do have it, its value isn't that important. When you don't - it's everything...
An Absolute Scandal
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Praise for AN ABSOLUTE SCANDAL: 'Buy on a Friday, get home, turn off the phone and emerge on Monday replete with a tale well told. Guilty pleasures? We certainly all have them and this is better than most' (Daily Express)
'The bonkbuster is definitely on the rise again as fiction gets chunkier and glossier. But despite stiff competition from a new vanguard of younger and arguably hipper writers, there's one name that continues to reign supreme, Penny Vincenzi' (Glamour)
'This is a big book and a terrifically entertaining one. It's also highly addictive' (Telegraph)
'The bonkbuster is definitely on the rise again as fiction gets chunkier and glossier. But despite stiff competition from a new vanguard of younger and arguably hipper writers, there's one name that continues to reign supreme, Penny Vincenzi' (Glamour)
'This is a big book and a terrifically entertaining one. It's also highly addictive' (Telegraph)
About the Author
Since her first novel, OLD SINS, was published in 1989, Penny Vincenzi has written twelve novels, most recently SHEER ABANDON, a massive Sunday Times No. 1 bestseller in both hardback and paperback. After college she worked as a journalist, writing for The Times, Vogue and Cosmopolitan amongst many others, before turning to fiction. Several years later, over seven million copies of Penny's books have been sold worldwide and she is one of the UK's best-loved and most popular authors. Penny Vincenzi is married, with four daughters, and lives in London.
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
20 of 20 people found the following review helpful
By Roadrunner
Format:Hardcover
I was surpised to read such mixed reviews of this novel. Some of the criticisms I agree with - there are some proof reading errors, and Vincenzi is not at her most convincing when writing dialogue for the supposedly working class characters (that is also true of Jilly Cooper). Part of the fun of reading books like this is you set aside such thoughts and absorb yourself in the lives of the rich and glamorous. I think her characterisation is fantastic on the whole, particularly of women. Almost all of the female main characters in her books are strong, brave, feisty and intelligent. I also thought the Lloyds scandal was a good choice of subject, it really sparked my interest in a way that a dryer book would not have. I now know what 'reinsurance' means, so I have learnt something! Overall although I thought this was her best yet.
9 of 9 people found the following review helpful
By Rhiannon
Format:Hardcover
As a huge fan of the Spoils of Time saga by Vincenzi I couldnt wait to start this new book.
The best assessment i can give is it is v good in parts but overall not her best work.
I think one of the problems being the main characters who 'suffer' are all Lloyds names with considerable amounts of wealth therefore the sympathy levels are not too high to start with.Vincenzi does build the story well and halfway through you do indeed have considerable empathy with the main characters and their misfortune.
She has obviously researched Lloyds and the financial world of the eighties with great detail and this certainly shows.
It is a 700 page novel and for the first 500 pages i was hooked , i thought the last third of the novel was overly long and the way some of the plots were concluded slightly dubious and at times unbelievable.
Overall i certainly enjoyed the novel and its vivid portrayal of recent history.As family sagas go its entertaining and informative, however when the main event of the book happens off page (a vincenzi device)it can be frustrating and plot devices are too contrived.
Overall a good holiday read , but maybe 200 pages needlessly too long.
The best assessment i can give is it is v good in parts but overall not her best work.
I think one of the problems being the main characters who 'suffer' are all Lloyds names with considerable amounts of wealth therefore the sympathy levels are not too high to start with.Vincenzi does build the story well and halfway through you do indeed have considerable empathy with the main characters and their misfortune.
She has obviously researched Lloyds and the financial world of the eighties with great detail and this certainly shows.
It is a 700 page novel and for the first 500 pages i was hooked , i thought the last third of the novel was overly long and the way some of the plots were concluded slightly dubious and at times unbelievable.
Overall i certainly enjoyed the novel and its vivid portrayal of recent history.As family sagas go its entertaining and informative, however when the main event of the book happens off page (a vincenzi device)it can be frustrating and plot devices are too contrived.
Overall a good holiday read , but maybe 200 pages needlessly too long.
8 of 8 people found the following review helpful
By D. T. Doyle
Format:Paperback
I totally disagree with the previous reader - I have just finished this book, being virtually unable to put it down. As in her other books, Penny draws you in gradually, her characters become like part of your own family. Yes, it was a long book (and too cumbersome to read in the bath!), but what a read! Slightly disappointed that I have read all the others and now have to wait for a new PV novel!
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
5.0 out of 5 stars
Penny Vincenzi
I love all Penny Vincenzi's books. This one is no exception. o o o o o o o o o
Published 4 months ago by dsquare
5.0 out of 5 stars
An Absolute Scandle
I found book quite good at beginning but dragged towards middle. Could have been better about 200 pages shorter.Got a bit boring towards middle.
Published 11 months ago by jane
5.0 out of 5 stars
An Absolute Scandal
Excellent book. couldn't put it down once i'd started. took me back to "my era"!!!!! believable and diverse characters - i knew peoploe like these! another vincenzi gem
Published 12 months ago by krisonabike
3.0 out of 5 stars
Oh dear, a chore to read
This book seemed promising. It had an interesting backdrop in the 1980's Lloyds financial crisis and plenty of characters to get to know, but oh dear, it went downhill halfway... Read more
Published 15 months ago by Chrissie
3.0 out of 5 stars
A disappointment
I loved 'The Best of Times' so eagerly picked this up, expecting more of the same.
This is a good book. Read more
This is a good book. Read more
Published on 9 April 2011 by C. Rucroft
3.0 out of 5 stars
Good story but dodgy writing
I love a long book and I enjoyed reading this apart from the constant over-use of the words 'indeed' and 'extremely' which drove me a little bit mad. Read more
Published on 20 Jan 2011 by Mrs. Elizabeth M. Pawle
5.0 out of 5 stars
LA QUILTERS OPINION
I had this story on CD, which I can listen to whilst doing some pretty mundane household chores, it this easiest way to get through a pile of ironing listening to a well written... Read more
Published on 7 Sep 2010 by Mrs. La Watts
2.0 out of 5 stars
Disappointing
I bought this having loved 'The Best of Times' by the same author but was disappointed. It starts off well enough but sadly tires part way through, I would say it is definitely... Read more
Published on 19 July 2010 by JM
4.0 out of 5 stars
An Absolute Scandal
It was away that the rich and not so rich in Britian got money by being a Name with Lloyd's of London. Read more
Published on 18 July 2010 by M. E. Newell
5.0 out of 5 stars
Completely Absorbing Escapism
I read this book quite by chance as it had been left by a previous occupant of our holiday apartment. I became engrossed in it from the beginning and found it hard to put down. Read more
Published on 12 April 2010 by CGB, London
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