Rich Again: A Novel

I have had the pleasure of reading all 5 of Anna Maxted chick-lit novels and her newest creation, Rich Again is simply delicious. This book is very different from Maxted's other books, Rich Again is bold, colorful, naughty, and exciting as hell. Rich Again is a real page-turner and I can see why some of Maxted's loyal readers may be turned off by this novel, but I truly enjoyed reading all 400+ pages of this clever story of a wealthy family who's life is anything but perfect. My favorites characters were Jack and Claudia, very complicated but interesting people. I highly recommend this trashy but captivating book, enjoy!

Despite what others have posted, I think this is one of Maxted's best! Diabolical characters fill the pages of Anna Maxted's Rich Again (originally published pseudonymously in Great Britain). At the beginning, it is nearly impossible to feel sympathy for any of the characters; but Maxted does an incredible job of making at least the Kent daughters somewhat likable as the family's past is explored. Furthermore, the characters are clearly not meant to be rooted for; instead one feels some of the horrors that befall them are much deserved. Another area where Maxted excels in Rich Again is in the way she drops little hints that leave the reader thinking a horrified, "Oh my god," as the pieces begin to fall together.

I don't agree with some of these reviewers who are grumpy that Anna is writing a funnier, more upbeat kind of book. How can you moan that a bonkbuster has sex in? Or murder or intrigue, it's silly. I've been reading Anna's books since Getting over It, all the way through to Tale of Two Sisters. You can tell Anna is having lots of fun, with this book and it reminds me of a younger kind of jackie collins. Enjoy it! I did!

If I hadn't read it on the cover I never would have known this was a book by Anna Maxted. I have enjoyed her other books, and pre-ordered this one thinking that was what I was getting. As I read this book I was happily surprised by this departure from her regular writing. If you can get past the sexual content (necessary for story development) of book one (the book is divided up into 5 books), you will be rewarded with a well written story that makes the melodrama of Dallas and Melrose Place seem tame. Maxted did a wonderful job of creating characters that you love, hate, and love to hate. Even though Maxted departed slightly from her past books the thing that remains the same is her observations on human relationships and showing that love is not always black and white. I would highly recommend this book to anyone who likes a bit of humor, murder, sex, and pop culture in their books.

Headquartered in London, multimillionaire power couple, Jack and Innocence Kent, own a boutique in hotel chains. Their spoiled fourteen year old daughter Emily has decided she will have Lord Timothy and she always gets what she wants. Their older child Claudia was adopted by Jack and his late first wife Felicia, but she has issues. Two years later, Jack is nearly ruined by a financial scandal; only the quick work of not so innocent Innocence saves their fortune when she transferred his fortune to her. Tim gets Emily pregnant so they marry in Vegas, but his outraged father disowns him. To make shoe money, Emily sells gossip, mostly false, about her and her family to the tabloids. However, the past returns to haunt the Kent family when Nathan adopted by Jack and Felicia who returned when she died, has begun a killing campaign using his guise as a movie star to conceal his obsession to murder everyone Kent. This is over the top of Big Ben; but it is an enjoyable inane and insane family drama. The killer is cartoonish as he is never developed beyond his need for vengeance. The Kent family fare better as they seem three dimensional especially the way Emily makes a living. Rich Again is silly, overly padded, but decadently fun. Harriet Klausner