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May 05, 2009 | ISBN 9780767926263 Buy
Jun 10, 2008 | ISBN 9780385526968 Buy
May 27, 2008 | 2106 Minutes Buy
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May 05, 2009 | ISBN 9780767926263
Jun 10, 2008 | ISBN 9780385526968
May 27, 2008 | ISBN 9781415949191
2106 Minutes
An inside view of the greed and social power plays behind the closed doors of upper-crust society, An Absolute Scandal looks at a world where money isn’t everything . . . sometimes, it’s the only thing. And when the money disappears in the thick of a financial crisis, the real story begins.For Nigel Cowper, this means the destruction of his family business; his wife, Lucinda, is willing to do everything she can to help him—except give up her irresistible lover. The powerful, charismatic banker Simon Beaumont and his equally successful wife Elizabeth lose everything they’ve worked so hard to acquire; but the ultimate tragedy is something that neither one could have anticipated. Yet the well-to-do are not the only ones whose lives are upended: a self-sufficient widow, a single mother, and a schoolmaster find that their lives are also turned upside down in this deliciously readable tale.
Penny Vincenzi, master of the contemporary blockbuster, returns with a moving, engaging portrait of people coping with a notorious financial disaster and its unpredictable emotional repercussions. Set during the boom-and-bust years of the 1980s, An Absolute Scandal follows the lives of a group of people drawn together by their mutual monetary woes when the great financial institution Lloyd’s undergoes a devastating downturn. For Nigel Cowper, this means the destruction of his family business; his wife, Lucinda, is willing to do everything she can to help him—except give up her irresistible lover. The powerful, charismatic banker Simon Beaumont and his wife, a highly successful advertising executive, lose everything they worked so hard to acquire; but the ultimate tragedy is something that neither one could have anticipated. The well-to-do are not the only ones suffering: a self-sufficient widow is suddenly deep in debt; a single mother struggles to maintain a comfortable home for her children; and a schoolmaster and his frustrated wife find that financial problems deepen the cracks in their troubled marriage. As their lives begin a downward spiral, these characters intersect in ways they never saw coming. Written in what has become her signature style of both wit and candor, Penny Vincenzi draws back the curtain and offers an inside view of the greed and social power plays that occur behind the closed doors of upper-crust society . . . where money isn’t everything. Sometimes, it’s the only thing.
Penny Vincenzi is the author of several major bestsellers, including Sheer Abandon, An Absolute Scandal, The Best of Times, The Decision and A Perfect Heritage. Before becoming a novelist, she worked as a journalist for Vogue, Tattler, and Cosmopolitan. She lives in London.
“Vincenzi continues to reign supreme.”—Glamour“Americans looking for glitzy blockbusters will devour this tale.”—Santa Cruz Sentinel“Engrossing.”—Seattle Post-Intelligencer“Vincenzi still has a knack . . . for drawing readers into her characters’ personal and professional dramas, and making hours curled up under the duvet (or spread out on the beach blanket) pass by effortlessly.” —Bookreporter
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