- Hardcover: 384 pages
- Publisher: HarperCollins; Library edition edition (5 Nov 2001)
- Language English
- ISBN-10: 0007129556
- ISBN-13: 978-0007129553
- Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
- Amazon Bestsellers Rank: 3,971,087 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
| ||||||||||||||||||
Did you know you can trade in your old books for an Amazon.co.uk Gift Card to spend on the things you want? Plus, get an extra £5 Gift Certificate when you trade in books worth £10 or more before June 30, 2012. Visit the Books Trade-In Store for more details. |
Product details |
More About the Author
Product Description
Review
Acclaim for Stuart Harrison
THE SNOW FALCON:
‘Harrison is set to become a literary star’ Mirror
‘Harrison’s first novel is an accomplished [mix] of Kes and The Horse Whisperer’ Mail on Sunday
‘A heartfelt story by a distinctive new voice’ Paullina Simons
STILL WATER:
‘From its eerie opening…to the tension-charged denouement, we are smoothly sucked in to the tale…On one level, the book is an old-fashioned thriller in the best sense, its meticulous plot full of suspense and red herrings. But in a neat subversion of the mystery genre…this smart, absorbing novel also grapples subtly with the idea that things are rarely black and white…even with murder, things are not always what they seem.’ Daily Mail
Product Description
Thrilling contemporary novel from the author of THE SNOW FALCON and STILL WATER. What could be better than this…
To all appearances, Nick has an eviable life: his own advertising company, comfortable house in a desirable area of San Francisco, car to die for and, above all, a gorgeous wife whom he loves more than anything. But he knows that the company could fold if his latest pitch isn’t successful. Trouble is, he’s neglected to mention this to his wife or best friend and business partner. When they find out, they start to see him in a different light and a fatal distrust creeps in.
Oblivious to everything but the need to succeed, Nick can’t see what’s happening to the rest of his life. Inexorably, the destructive momentum grows and Nick is left desperately pinning his hopes on one impossible scheme. How far will he go to save his marriage? Theft? Murder? Will it really lead to something better than this?
Tag this product(What's this?)Think of a tag as a keyword or label you consider is strongly related to this product.
Tags will help all customers organise and find favourite items. |
Sell a Digital Version of This Book in the Kindle Store
If you are a publisher or author and hold the digital rights to a book, you can sell a digital version of it in our Kindle Store.
Learn more
What Other Items Do Customers Buy After Viewing This Item?
Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
3 of 3 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
Better Than This is a suspenseful, deep and thoughtful novel about a man who will do anything to succeed in the advertising business that he runs with his friend. Nick Weston is spurred on to succeed by his troubled past but many things conspire against him – he is experiencing trouble with his marriage, has a poisonous mother-in-law, a business partner who no longer trusts him and the bank snapping at his heels over money his business owes them. If only he can secure a new account, one that will, he believes, end all his problems…
Better Than This is what I call a ‘slow burner’ because things become slowly worse and worse for Nick in every area of his life, both professional and personal. Just as he sorts out one relationship or business deal something else falls through and he is once again floundering and trying to find a new solution. Due to this the novel is packed with tension and I read the last few hundred pages in a single nerve wracking session, my heart pounding as I turned the pages.
Nick is, surprisingly, a character you sympathise with. I’m giving nothing away by saying that he does some pretty bad things throughout the course of this book and you certainly could not call him a ‘hero’. The background to the novel itself is that Nick has already been deceptive with his business partner and his wife in the past about the true state of the business. However the details we are given about Nick’s family and his past make us feel sorry for him and give us some idea of why he has become such a driven and materialistic man.
Overall I am very glad that I read Better Than This. I actually cried at the end because it made me feel so emotional. I would say that those who like unequivocally happy endings should stay away from this book as it is after all a cautionary tale about societies greed and love affair with money and therefore does not end pleasantly. I highly recommend this book to all those who like to close a novel with plenty of things to think about and enjoy high tension and lots of twists on the way.
JoAnne
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
This book is interesting and its plot is all about testing how far one will go to satisfy his/her own greed.
The story is told the in first person and even so, the lead character emerges as a very disagreeable type from the outset. He is motivated solely by the need to get rich, and quickly, and he ignores friends and family in the process, before teaming up with somebody of like-mind.
For some reason, there was a little of me which wanted to see him make it, given the adversity and bad luck he'd been through, but I was conscious, nonetheless, that this would have been an "unfair" outcome. Just how Harrison dealt with this aspect was both unusual and sound, in my view.
Overall, this is a good and very different book.
3 of 4 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
Stuart Harrison has made the transition from writing about wild life and the outdoors to contemporary urban life easily. This is a very readable book - man's greed and the lengths he will go to are perfectly illustrated here. The ending is particularly good. Well done, Stuart Harrison.
Most Recent Customer Reviews
Best book I've read in ages!
This book had me rivetted. It is in the style of earlier David Baldacci ('The Winner' comes to mind). If you like Baldacci or Harlen Coben, you'll certainly like this. Read more
Published on 12 May 2006 by C. J. Holbrooke
Story about two friends who run an advertising agency
Basically, we have a man who puts himself first, before his best friend (who is his business partner) and his wife, and makes decisions within the company that put their business... Read more
Published on 13 Nov 2001
Customer Discussions
|
This product's forum
Active discussions in related forums
Search Customer Discussions
|
Related forums
|
Listmania!
Look for similar items by category
Look for similar items by subject
Feedback
- Would you like to update product info or give feedback on images?
- I am the Author, and I want to comment on my book.
- I am the Publisher, and I want to comment on this book.
