A Desirable Residence by Madeleine Wickham

A Desirable Residence Reviews

• 
  Jessie (Ageless Pages Reviews)

  What an utter waste of time. The consolidated three hours it took for me to complete this tome of one-dimensional, unlikeable characters is 180 minutes I'd like back.
  
  There are seven characters; none of which seemed remotely convincing or valid. Most were vapid and so distasteful I wanted them to be caught out on their nefarious deeds. One character, Liz, was especially heinous and off-putting. I loathed that character. Any time the narrative was about Liz was a nadir for the book; just unrepentantly selfish, awful and unsympathetic.
  
  This is certainly a misfire from an author who usually writes warmhearted, lovable characters with interesting and personal storylines. Nothing really clicked or felt more than average in scope or detail; the love affairs aren't steamy, the revelations aren't that shocking, and the last quarter of the novel lacks any real resolution for ANY of the characters. A very frustrating, pointless read.
• 
  Ciara

  another terrible madeleine wickham book. i don't know if i even have the energy to go into it. but i'll try.
  
  so, liz is married to jonathan. they own a home in silchester. liz convinces jonathan to put the home on the market in the hopes of using the proceeds to pay down the mortgage on the "tutorial college" they just purchased. it took me forever to figure out what a tutorial college is. i guess it's like an american SAT prep company, sort of. liz & jonathan have a disaffected teenage daughter named alice. alice is sad about her parents selling the house, so she spends a lot of time sneaking into the garage of her old house to chain-smoke.
  
  marcus whitherstone is one of the owners of the realty company liz & jonathan are using to sell their house. he is married to some uptight supermom whose name i forget. they have two sons. the older one is about to sit the scholarship exams for a prestigious high school. supermom enrolls him in extra class at the tutorial school to help him prepare. marcus happens to be in the office one day when liz has to take a meeting regarding the fact that the silchester house hasn't sold yet. he offers to pull some strings at the bank so she can carry two mortgages, & also find her a tenant.
  
  the tenants he finds are ginny, a PR agent who does a lot of work for the realty company, & her husband piers. piers is an actor who has fallen on hard times, but he has an audition for a popular soap opera coming up. both he & ginny are hopeful that he'll get it.
  
  while marcus & liz are waiting for ginny & piers to come see the house, they end up kissing, & it soon blossoms into a full-fledged affair. liz is over the moon about it. marcus takes her to posh hotels & lets her raid the mini-bar & buys her expensive jewelry. she begins to fantasize about him declaring his love for her & asking her to run away & get married. she mostly seems excited about marcus solving all her money problems for her. she daydreams about being his wife, going to fancy parties, & wearing designer clothes. she seems totally oblivious to the fact that marcus is quickly running out of patience with her & isn't that interested in continuing the affair.
  
  marcus is also distracted by how he did some appraisal work on a fancy estate for a big-time banker named leo. leo asked marcus to under-value to estate so that leo could flip it & make a huge profit. marcus does as asked & is paid handsomely for it, but then people start asking questions & he kind of freaks.
  
  alice makes the acquaintance of piers & ginny after they move into the rental home & they kind of take her under their wings, even though she's just 14 years old. alice has a little crush on piers, which everyone seems to find cute. alice goes over to hang out with them pretty much every single day.
  
  blah blah. this all goes on for like 200 pages. finally ginny & piers decide to have a big party to celebrate...something. i don't know what. they invite alice & her parents, as well as marcus & his family (they rent from one couple & ginny works for marcus, remember). liz is thrilled to see marcus again. she thinks the party might be the setting for the marriage proposal she's been dreaming about. marcus pulls liz into the garage to break things off & liz makes an ass of herself. & it turns out that alice is in there smoking (marcus & liz didn't see her). so now she knows that her mom has been having an affair & she kind of freaks. meanwhile, piers just got the call about the soap opera gig. he was rejected. he & ginny are crying hysterically in their bedroom while everyone else parties. when alice tries to tell ginny about liz's affair, ginny screams at her & tells her to go away.
  
  jonathan talks alice down & alice decides not to tell him about liz's perfidy. marcus has clearly decided to re-dedicate himself to his family after his brush with danger, engaging in fraud for leo. liz is chastened & ashamed. marcus's son did great on his scholarship tests & word is spreading, bringing tons of new business to the tutorial college, so jonathan is pleased. at the end of the book, there's some hint that maybe jonathan knows that liz was cheating on him but chose to turn a blind eye. & marcus uses the proceeds of the fraud he committed to buy the silchester house & invites jonathan & liz to move back in for a reasonable rent. of course, he doesn't tell them he's the owner.
  
  basically, this book is boring & manages to make no sense at the same time. skip it!
• 
  Meg

  As much as I became initially engaged in Madeleine Wickham's A Desirable Residence, all the attraction here is centered on unlikeable, misanthropic people finally getting their just desserts in the end. From scheming, bored Marcus to ungrateful, uncharitable Liz, I struggled to find one character with whom connect in this British novel.
  
  Bratty Alice couldn't have been more unjust to Jonathan, her bumbling but sweet father, and more than once in the book I found myself wanting to reach in and slap her. She's a self-absorbed teenager, yes, and I could respect the fact that her behavior was realistic, but who wants to spend 293 pages reading about a rude, deluded 14-year-old? As she began forcing her presence on Ginny, Piers and Duncan, I became more and more agitated. Couldn't she see she wasn't wanted? That she was intruding? That she was annoying? Even if the new residents of her old house didn't feel that way, I certainly did.
  
  What could have saved this book from becoming a soulless mess was a dash of humor, warmth or humanity. Demonstrating some growth. Some maturity. Some sincerity. And though I did find myself smiling inwardly toward the end at an unexpected turn of events, for the most part? The bad people stayed bad. The selfish people stayed selfish. Marcus redeemed himself slightly in my eyes, but Liz -- Liz, one of our central characters -- didn't get what she deserved. I wanted a blow-out, a reckoning . . . I wanted an epic battle complete with tears and divulsions. But I was disappointed.
  
  Wickham is better known to most of us as Sophie Kinsella, the nom de plume under which she wrote the best-selling Shopaholic series. While her writing is fluid and enjoyable, her characters -- the anchors of any story -- were terrible. You won't find me complaining about any "distance" between myself and these people, because I definitely felt like I got to know them through the course of A Desirable Residence. The real question is would I actually want to know them?
  
  And the answer to that is, of course, a resounding no.
  
  With so much great women's fiction and chick lit out there just waiting to be devoured, I can't recommend this one. It was boring, lifeless and grating -- though I did manage to finish it, so I guess that says something . . . mostly about the quality of Wickham's writing, which was fast-paced and readable. I didn't hate it -- but didn't love it, either. For good British chick lit, look no further than Jill Mansell -- and don't waste your time reading mediocre books.
• 
  Cisz Geverink - Strasters

  Hoewel ik echt hou van de boeken van Sophie Kinsella/ Madeleine Wickham heb ik me door dit boek heen moeten worstelen, net zoals bij de Tennisparty. Duidelijk een van haar eerste boeken waarin nog heel erg gezocht word naar een verhaal. De eerste 100 blz heb ik me meerdere malen afgevraagd of ik uberhaubt wel verder wilde lezen... vanaf 120 zat ik eindelijk lekker in het verhaal, maar bleef me ergeren aan de personages. Ook het einde was niet echt bevredigend helaas. Gelukkig heb ik van al haar andere boeken wel met volle teugen genoten!
• 
  Diana

  I feel like this book was so abruptly ended with no real tying up of loose ends. The characters were very one-dimensional.
• 
  Melita

  Through this book I learnt that Sophie Kinsella's real name is Madeleine Wickham. All is well, I thought. This one looks good.
  I read the book by borrowing it from my friend when we're on a class trip. We were on a bus, and I am dead bored. I dont want to sleep, so I asked her whether I can read her book. She said yes and I am so grateful for that! Finished half of the book by the time we ended the bus trip. Finished the rest of it during the week end. Found this to be a page turner. All of the Kinsella's element is here. Yes, maybe less humour than Kinsella writings. But still: surprise, suspense, interesting character, story lines, good details. When I gave it back, the owner was like, "What? Finished already? You're not busy or something?" I just thought there's always time for a good book which I can't put down.
• 
  Audrey

  Damn, this actually ended up being a really good book. And here, I was thinking that this might be the first Sophie Kinsella/Madeleine Wickham book I'd have to DNF. I don't understand why this book has such a low rating; yes, none of the characters besides Jonathan were likable, but it was a page-turner!
  
  This reminds me of another book by one of my favorite authors, "Wideacre", which has very low ratings on Goodreads similar to this, but I enjoyed it so much.
  
  296 pages went by very fast, and I barely noticed the time. However, the first 64 pages were a bit of a drag. The first 64 pages were too realistic about everyday money problems of not being able to afford a house & being in debt that I didn't enjoy hearing about them. In most romance books I read, the characters don't deal with problems that are too realistic/ones I could be one day dealing with, so I enjoy reading about the drama.
  
  The last page wasn't my favorite, and I wish Madeleine had written that Piers had gotten the part instead. That was really disappointing. How come Daniel succeeded, but Piers didn't? I really felt bad for the poor guy, just trying to get one acting role.
  
  Alice was my least favorite character. She was so rude and ungrateful to her parents and probably shouldn't have bothered Ginny and Piers all the time.
  
  I wish we got some sort of epilogue. Will Liz really be happy with Jonathan now that they'll move back into their old house? What will happen with Ginny and Piers? Will he get a job soon and they'll have kids?
• 
  shannon✨

  Ik vond dit een erg leuk boek om te lezen, ook al irriteerde ik mij regelmatig aan het gedrag van bepaalde personages. Het gedrag van Alice stoorde mij het meest want waarom zou je zo vaak langs gaan bij je oude huis, terwijl je er van bewust bent dat je zo vaak langs gaat. Ook haar gedrag tegenover haar ouders en met name haar vader was erg irritant. Ook Anthea haar gedrag was vreselijk irritant en Marcus zijn gedrag tegenover haar was gewoon ronduit laf. Daarnaast vond ik het einde een beetje tegenvallen, maar dat kwam omdat het een super erg open einde was. Voor de rest vond ik dit boek echt heerlijk weglezen, ik ben helemaal weg van de schrijfstijl. Het was namelijk erg leuk om vanuit zoveel verschillende perspectieven te lezen.
• 
  EssentiallyMeagan

  I wasn't a fan of this book. None of the characters really engaged me, and I really didn't like how it ended. It was very abrupt.
• 
  J.Elle

  I really enjoy reading most of what
  Sophie Kinsella writes. It's just really great, entertaining chick-lit. This did not fall into that category. This story just dragged on. Liz and Jonathan are financially over-extended (aren't we all). Liz ends up having an affair with the man who starts solving some of their money problems, but things quickly go south when everyone involved starts running in the same circles. Frankly, I read this over a month ago and any significant details escape me. I'm just writing this so that I can cross it off my list and get to the other eight books I read after this one in September. If you like Sophie Kinsella, you probably won't really enjoy this.
• 
  Colleen

  This book, though not what I expected, was quite a good read. Despite the fluffy description on the flap, this book is actually a very frank and serious look at relationships, love, and betrayal. Wickham does a marvelous job with these characters, though it is upsetting how very irresponsible almost all of the adults are throughout the novel. Fourteen year-old Alice was particularly well-drawn; the pain of her adolescent experience reached off the page to grab me. Her conflicted feelings about the adults in her life (she loves her parents while simultaneuously writhing inside when confronted by their eccentricities) rang very true and helped make her character so honest and poignant. All in all, an impressive offering from an author usually associated with chick-lit.
• 
  Valentina Trimigno

  Per quanto mi riguarda, uno dei libri più deludenti della Kinsella. Non ho provato empatia per nessun personaggio, ma per gran parte della storia mi sono convinta fosse un'impressione personale. Poi arriva il finale, che mi ha completamente spiazzata: nessuno affronta la minima conseguenza per le proprie azioni (o, se lo farà, non ci viene spiegato), alcuni cambiano inspiegabilmente atteggiamento e sembra non venga risolta alcuna storyline. La prima parte è ok, poi acquista anche un po' di brivido ma il finale ha fatto precipitare i già stiracchiati entusiasmi, lasciandomi con una sensazione di indefinitezza.
  Non c'è nulla dello stile brioso di Kinsella, che mi ha fatto innamorare dei suoi romanzi e personaggi; se non sbaglio questo è tra i primi suoi romanzi e onestamente si vede.
• 
  Sandie

  What we have here is a failure to communicate". That line from the old Paul Newman movie Cool Hand Luke could just as easily apply to the characters in Madeline Wickham's A DESIRABLE RESIDENCE. Although this book was published in the UK several years ago, it is just now making its way into the US marketplace.
  
  Ms. Wickham's book addresses several issues. We have overbearing, social climbing mothers, hen-pecked, wimpy fathers, underemployed actors, children seeking acceptance and friendship from teachers and household help, characters who are overextended financially, everyone worried about what everyone else will think, and of course the titillating extra-marital affair. Through all of these scenarios, most of the characters are looking for happiness and fulfillment, but no one is talking. It's obviously not "cool" to divulge your innermost feelings to your parents or your spouse. For me, Liz Chambers was a particularly unlikable character with Marcus Witherstone running a close second. Billed by the publishers as a "wicked comedy", RESIDENCE is more a social commentary that is melancholy rather than amusing. The book is, however, a quick, easy read that keeps you curiously fascinated.
  
  Wickham previously authored the "Shopaholic Series" under the name Sophie Kinsella, but do not expect to find a Rebecca Bloomwood gracing the pages of this book.
  
  
• 
  Kathy

  So, this is actually Sophie Kinsella however since Sophie Kinsella is her writer name, it really is Madeleine Wickham. Confused? No worries, this whole book is confusing. This book was written way before the popularity of the Confession of a Shopoholic Series. Elements of the Shopoholic series are evident everywhere throughout the book and all I can say is that she definitely pulled the best of this book and tightened up her writing in order to create a mass sensation with that series.
  
  The plot: bored housewife who believes she deserves better in life, hooks up with a rich guy (who is also married and has a myriad of problems himself) and begins to think that her life is on the way up. Add in the troubled husband and a daughter who is resentful that the family moved out of the house in order to make way for a new venture.
  
  My thoughts: a pure waste of time! I think I just kept waiting for the humour that is in the Shopoholic books. I really hated the main character. She was so whiny and self-entitled that I was hoping that she would have something really nasty happen to her.
  
  Recommendations: If this is the only book available to you, then go ahead and read it. If you have other options... then forget it. Read the Shopoholic series for a good laugh. There is no laughing in this book.
• 
  Cathy

  Why do I love Sophie Kinsella, but hate Madeleine Wickham? They're the same person, but their characterizations are apples and oranges. Wickham's main characters have such horrible moral judgment, and are so generally unlikable. The secondary characters are so put upon by the main characters that you want to say, "Pay attention. She's getting away with murder!" Figuratively, of course. While Wickham's characters are more sophisticated, I prefer the charming naivete that causes Kinsella's main girls to unwittingly get in scrapes. There's hope yet, as Madeleine Wickham's "new" releases are really books written earlier and released to the American masses.
• 
  Kristy W

  didn't like the characters, didn't like the language, didn't finish the book. Trashy book, so disappointing since she also wrote the most hilarious book I've ever read, and one of my favorites, "Can you Keep a Secret." Read that one instead.
• 
  Patti

  Boring, but I plowed trough it, hoping the end would be worth it- NOT SO!
• 
  Carrie Morrison

  I have NEVER returned a book to the library without finishing it... this was the first. Before this book, I have enjoyed many of Madeline Wickham's novels - including the ones she wrote under her pseudonym, Sophie Kinsella. I simply could not get into this book - I could tell where it was going within the first 20 pages. I enjoy quick-read Chicklit, but this one simply stunk. I am guessing she cranked this one out to meet her contract requirements.
• 
  Amy

  Why is Sophie Kinsella so fabulous and Madeline Wickham not... They are the same person! I kept waiting for this book to start and then... Boom... over! Medium plot, somewhat annoying characters... Where is Becky Bloomwood when I need her. I think I'll just stick to the fun side of this author...Sophie Kinsella.
• 
  Rhiannon

  This book was a huge disappointment for me. I just found it lacked a good story-line and so it was kind of a time waster.
• 
  Bookread2day

  I really enjoyed reading A Desirable Residence. I totally just love reading her books either as Madelenine Wickham or Sophie Kinsella
• 
  Kristi Connell

  The only dud I’ve read this year. I was looking for a light, fun read - the kind Madeleine Wickham/Sophie Kinsella is known for - but this fell completely flat. My biggest issue was that I couldn’t find a single character to root for. Everyone was kind of awful, except for Liz’s husband Jonathan, and he was presented as a total milquetoast. And it really irked me that it seemed to be no big deal that Alice was essentially stalking Ginny and Piers - I mean, really? It was creepy, not endearing.
  
  I know this was one of Madeleine’s first novels, and let’s just say I’m grateful her work has gotten better with time. I’ll stick with Becky Brandon, née Bloomwood, thanks.
• 
  Sharyn

  I picked up the first book and this book at a small resale shop in Stornaway, Scotland, just because I like to support local businesses. I read them one after another, and I don't know even how to categorize them. They are not RomComs, no romance, or Comedy of manners as there is no humor. The only redeeming quality for me is a glimpse of a slice of time in England, 1994 to 1996. That brought some interest, bit otherwise the characters were quite unlikeable, except for 1 husband, who got the last word. I would not reccomend this author until she started writing as Sophie Kinsella.
• 
  Lisa

  Yawn! Characters were pretty awful! What 14 year old is encouraged by adults around her including her mother to drink wine and spirits? No real story here. Took so long to get into it and then I was half way through so I may as well finish it. A disappointing read.
• 
  Becky

  This was just ok. Some parts were funny. Some were boring.
• 
  Christy ImperfectlyWorthy

  Made it to pg 50, and that was more than enough. Next!
• 
  Sharlyn Zimmerman-Tollefson

  I usually really enjoy books written by Sophie Kinsella, AKA Madeleine Wickham, I had to push myself to finish reading this one. I found it quite boring actually and I will be giving it away.
• 
  Iris van Krimpen

  Nee, dit boek zou ik niet nog een keer lezen of aanraden. Ik vond er eerlijk gezegd geen klap aan. De karakters zijn totaal niet sympathiek en soms zelfs ronduit irritant.
  
  Het einde van het boek is als een hakgevoel; de schrijfster heeft tsjak tsjak gedaan en het laatste stukje verhaal eraf gehakt en de verhaallijnen gek laten eindigen. Van 1 stel is het einde gewoonweg overgeslagen.
  
  Dus ja, dit boek kun je met een gerust hart overslaan. De enige reden dat ik het uit heb gelezen is dat ik toch wilde weten of het verhaal tegen het einde aan beter zou worden, wat niet zo was, en dat het boek een middagje afleiding vormde.