The Affair

April 19, 2010
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.

May 15, 2010
Montefiore (The French Gardener, 2009) sets her latest love story among a group of privileged Londoners. Angelica, a best-selling author, is married to a handsome French banker, has two adorable children, a coterie of well-heeled friends that does Sex and the City one better with five fabulous women instead of four, and a closet full of Prada, Gucci, and Ralph Lauren. And yet shes dissatisfied. Enter Jack, a dashing South African. The two begin a flirtation over dinner that quickly escalates from suggestive emails to a full-blown affair. The pairs bliss is short-lived, however, but Angelica settles back into life with her family having learned from Jack the value of finding happiness in the moment. Throughout, Montefiores prose is as fizzy as the Bellinis her heroine favors, and the authors sensual style wonderfully conjures the sights, sounds, and smells of settings that range from upscale restaurants to shantytowns. While some readers may find Montefiores cataloging of conspicuous consumption slightly tone-deaf, most will enjoy this romp as escapism of the highest order.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2010, American Library Association.)