Gatecrasher

Madeleine Wickham, who also pens the Shopoholic series as Sophie Kinsella, is a real treat of a writer. She gets you involved in the story right away and fleshes out her characters quickly and in interesting ways. This is the fourth or fifth book I've read by this author, and I've enjoyed them all. This is the story of Fleur Daxeny, a serial seductress who frequents the funerals of wealthy women and charms their grieving husbands. But this time Fleur actually likes the family she's glommed onto, and she begins to feel at home. When her daughter arrives "home" from boarding school, she too enjoys the life, but it wouldn't be much of a novel if things didn't happen to stir the pot! Wickham's characters are immediately accessible. Fleur, the heroine, is charming and likable and resourceful, but she's also selfish and self-absorbed; Richard is a kind, loving man, but as he finds out in the course of the story, he should have been less admiring of his deceased wife and more involved in the family. The cast is fleshed out with Philippa, Richard's daughter, and her odious husband Lambert; Antony, the angst-y teenage son who falls for Fleur's daughter; and Gillian, the deceased's sister who's uncertain about her future with the family. Wickham is an excellent writer and her stories are lots of fun. If you are considering reading this book, you definitely should.

I greatly enjoyed this book, and was tempted to go out and buy some killer black suits after I finished the story :) This author - whether writing as Wickham or Sophie Kinsella - is capable of writing smart fiction. I realize that the Kinsella/Shopaholic books have a huge following, but I could not get on board with how "dumbed down" the "Shopaholic" was. Furthermore, anyone that ditzy would be a liability to a successful businessman, so I could never buy the protagonist's relationship with Luke. My point is not to bash the Shopaholic series, but rather to point out that this author is very capable of writing "smart" fiction, such as the Gatecrasher. I am glad to have read this novel, and hopefully Ms. Wickham will return to this type of fiction, at least every once in a while.

Fun, fast, and entertaining! She is one of the best ever! A plane ride or beach trip will fly by when reading this book

I have just finished reading THE GATECRASHER at three o'clock this morning and I found it to be ever so entertaining with characters that made the book appealing for me. Fleur Daxeny is a forty something year old sophisticated gatecrasher, who habitually attends funerals and memorial services of widows from very elite and wealthy backgrounds. Assisted by a male friend Johnny, they comb the obituaries with a fine tooth comb every day weeding out the millionaires from the rest of us. Then decked out in her wonderful black hats and fashionable outfits she puts herself in a position to meet the millionaire at the service of his dead wife, where she lances her charm on the poor unsuspecting vulnerable man, until she finally makes it to his wallet, into bank account......and enjoy all the niceties of a cushiony lifestyle. But in THE GATECRASHER on this particular occasion, she will meet Richard Favour a, man with a family and who is different to those she has trodden on before. You'll meet Richard's son Antony, his daughter Philippa and her husband Lambert as well as Zara; Fleur's daughter who comes into the picture mid-way and causes a certain change in the tide. The characters are great and have made this book what it is........so entertaining. Reviewed by Heather Marshall Negahdar (SUGAR-CANE 16/03/02)

If you are a fan of English writers, you will enjoy this one! The story keeps you interested -- even though the main character is a crook, somehow she carries it off in the story with style! I think this is just a cute easy to read book!