The Affair
A Novel
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4.0 • 21 Ratings
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- $12.99
Publisher Description
Previously published as The Perfect Happiness
Wonderfully wise Santa Montefiore will capture your heart with this "bittersweet and thought-provoking"* novel about a modern wife who must ask herself, Would I risk everything for love?
A wife who has forgotten her own beauty and allure. A distant, distracted husband. A smart, candlelit dinner party, witty conversation, and a charmingly rugged vineyard owner from South Africa. So begins Santa Montefiore’s powerful and poignant new novel in which a woman who finds herself in a common predicament must confront the most unlikely aspects of herself.
"I hope you don’t mind my writing to you," begins the first e-mail bestselling children’s book author Angelica receives from Jack. Surely it can’t do any harm to indulge in a mild flirtation. After all, she wouldn’t risk her stable marriage and the happiness of her treasured children. But things don’t stop at an e-mail, and when Angelica goes to Cape Town for a book tour, her affair with Jack begins in earnest. On their last day together, he makes a stunning confession, and now everything Angelica thought she knew about love and passion, safety and experience, right and wrong are entirely upended once again.
A tender book about the true meaning of love and happily ever after, The Affair is for any woman who has ever looked up from her steady, secure life and secretly wondered "what if . . ."
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Angelica Lariviere is living in London and seems to have it all: a handsome French banker husband, two adorable children, devoted friends, and a successful career as a children's book author. Then she meets Jack Meyer at a dinner party, and her world turns upside down. They hit it off immediately, and the flirtation advances from words to deeds. Things really heat up on a trip to South Africa, where Jack owns vineyards and Angelica is on a book tour. When she returns home, she begins to realize how rich her life is and what she would be risking by following her desire. This run-of-the-mill female midlife crisis novel has few surprises and even the ending twist will be caught early on by any reader who's paying attention. While Montefiore's supporting characters sparkle, her leads are dull, especially in their pseudophilosophical repartee. Cuckolded husband Olivier becomes more interesting as the story progresses, but Angelica and Jack fail to set off any sparks.
Customer Reviews
Enjoyed reading it!
Engaging and well-written story about a modern day married woman who falls in love with a married man.
Beautiful detailed descriptions throughout the book and thoughtful wisdom from Eastern philosophy on happiness elevate this book to another level. It's more than just a good story.
I feel like I've learned something from the author and I'd like to read the book again to fully appreciate some of her messages.
Has potential but very slow
I always read these ratings before buying a book and never write one. I read a lot- this one was just too painfully detailed and drawn out. I tried to finish it but gave up at page 672