CHICK LIT
ACTS OF LOVE by Talulah Riley (Hodder £12.99)
BEST known for starring in films of St Trinian’s and Pride And Prejudice, actress riley’s elegantly written debut novel proves she can add another successful string to her bow. Protagonist Bernadette is a beautiful but aloof english magazine journalist who uses her feminine wiles to expose and exploit the powerful men she interviews.
Bernadette believes herself helplessly in love with Tim, her agent, and is distraught when he announces his engagement.
however, it’s not long before Bernadette meets her match in the eccentric, older, Silicon Valley billionaire radley Blake who resists her attempts at control and subterfuge and seems to see through her carefully constructed exterior to understand what’s going on in her complicated mind.
Bernadette is not necessarily the most sympathetic character i’ve come across but she’s wonderfully drawn and more interesting than the usual chick lit stereotype. riley, of course, has been married twice to elon musk, founder of PayPal and Tesla, which possibly gives radley his whiff of veracity. riley is obviously super smart and has an old-fashioned, modernist sort of style that makes you think. i loved it.
THE SANTIAGO SISTERS by Victoria Fox (Harlequin £7.99)
THIS is an engaging and epic tale of Argentinian twin sisters Teresita and Calida who grow up entwined in each other’s lives on a remote family farm, but are torn apart by their differences when they are 15.
After the tragic death of their beloved father, Teresita is adopted by famous actress Simone Geddes and taken to London where she is groomed as Simone’s chosen hollywood heiress. Calida feels betrayed by her sister’s abrupt departure but makes her own way out of rural life and slowly works up the ladder of artistic success with her breathtakingly beautiful photographs.
Linked by such an unbreakable familial bond it is inevitable that the two will meet again. What no one can predict, however, are the explosive events that lead to their fateful reunion and how each will feel about the other when confronted with the truths about their past.
it’s beautifully written, exciting, glitzy and gripping. This is classic chick lit at its best and perfect summer reading.
THE INVITATION by Lucy Foley (HarperCollins £12.99)
HAL JACOBS is an english writer scraping a living in Fifties rome after a bitter war experience and dreaming of being a successful novelist when a chance invitation to a fancy soiree lands in his lap.
The night changes hal’s life and he soon finds himself hanging out with the glitterati on the italian riviera, invited along to report on a new film produced by the Contessa hostess.
hal is in love with mysterious Stella who he met at the party but she is trapped in a horrendous relationship with her powerful, rich and incredibly dangerous American husband.
There’s a lot going on in this wide-ranging tale — hal’s and Stella’s stories plus the narrative of the film about a man who rescues a bruised but beautiful woman from the sea only to become unhealthily obsessed with her.
As hal becomes more caught up with Stella it seems that distinctions between the plot and real life are blurring fast.