Little White Lies

February 7, 2005
Natalie Raglan would fancy a more glamorous, exciting life, but despite a recent move to London, her days are far from thrilling—and her nights are spent slogging through Thackeray's Vanity Fair
. As in Townley's When in Rome...
(2004), one impulsive indiscretion has rippling consequences for a bouncy (but soulful!) heroine. Natalie, tempted by the growing mound of unopened letters meant for her flat's previous tenant, the dazzling Cressida, soon finds herself opening Cressida's mail, then attending Cressida's parties and finally going on Cressida's dates. The world Natalie always hoped for becomes a reality—the only price she has to pay is that she has to pretend to be Cressida. But when sparks fly between her and hunky investment banker Simon Rutherford, Natalie finds her little white lies have gotten out of control; she can fool Simon, but can she fool Cressida's godmother, who's coming back from India to catch up with Cressida and her old pals, the Rutherfords? Poor Natalie: she's just like conniving Becky Sharp in Vanity Fair
(which she finally finished). Well, really, she's a pale imitation, but she's sympathetic and likable enough. And while astute readers will see the happy ending coming from miles away, they'll still root for Natalie and her efforts to make the life she always dreamed about. Agent, Jennifer Callaghan at Dorie Simmonds.

February 15, 2005
Natalie Raglan has traded her country-girl roots for the trendy scene in London's Notting Hill. But she hasn't quite adopted the glamorous lifestyle she thought would come along with the new digs. She is working as a lowly shop assistant at a hip boutique and spending Saturday nights alone watching television. When her flat's former tenant receives a piece of mysterious mail, she can't refrain from peeking. And Natalie certainly doesn't expect to call the man whose information is inside, or to fall in love with him. Unfortunately, she has also fabricated almost everything about her life, and it is not long before her lies catch up to her. Townley draws comparisons to " Vanity Fair" 's conniving Becky Sharp, but Natalie isn't a scheming social climber; she is just struggling to find her place. With clean prose and engaging characters, Townley has set a classic story in a hip locale. (Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2005, American Library Association.)