Shows us the many nuances that come with any long-lasting, functional relationship

From S. Krishna's Books | Sleeping Arrangements | Madeleine Wickham

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	• Sleeping Arrangements Madeleine Wickham Thomas Dunne Books, 2008 - 304 pages average customer review:based on 15 reviews view larger image
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Immerse Yourself in some Stellar Chick Lit

I'm not going to lie. My ideal summer reading is part trashy romance, part travelogue (cue the reel for Vicky Christina Barcelona). If that's also your literary cocktail of choice for beach side reading, "Sleeping Arrangements by Madeleine Wickham is a perfectly satisfying bet.

From the first page of "Sleeping Arrangements" you are drawn in by the strong-but-delicate heroine Chloe and her fab job as a wedding dress designer. Stellar supporting characters arrive in the form of the inscrutable Ice Queen Amanda, the wily villa owner Gerard, and the brilliantly cheeky nanny Jenna. As with Kinsella/Wickham's other novels, the strength and complexity of the characters, as well as a delicious finale ending, are what transcend her books from the confines of an otherwise predictable chick lit plot.

Add in the gorgeous descriptions of Spain (picturesque villa, lemon trees, oh yes), and the semi-predictable plot can be forgiven by a book that begins playfully and ends perfectly. Whatever you call her, the reigning goddess of Chick Lit has done it again!

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Shows us the many nuances that come with any long-lasting, functional relationship

Chloe is just about ready to pull her hair out, so her family's Spanish vacation is coming at a perfect time. She, her partner Philip, and her two kids, Sam and Nat, desperately need the time away, so she's thankful that her old friend Gerard has offered them his villa. All of a sudden a little unsettled about the fact that she and Philip have been together for years but never gotten married, Chloe wants to use the trip to figure out what their relationship means. Philip needs to stop worrying about work and just relax, but it's hard knowing that your bank has just been bought out by a bigger company and no one knows yet who will be fired.

Hugh Stratton is looking for the chance to finally get to know his two young daughters, Octavia and Beatrice. He needs a break from his busy job at a large conglomerate bank. His wife, Amanda, just needs to calm down and de-stress. She feels like a single mother and is quite the control freak, keeping tabs on the staff remodeling her house while they're gone. She's even hired a nanny, Jenna, to watch the girls so that she and Hugh can have some quality time alone.

The Strattons have just managed to find the villa and settle down and relax when strangers drive up to the door, claiming that it's their villa. It could be a simple mistake, except they all know Gerard. They decide that the only thing to do is to try to fit all nine of them in the house. It's big enough, physically, but it can barely contain all of the personalities inside.

It wouldn't be all that awful to share a vacation with another family, except no one knows that Chloe and Hugh have a history together. As they're grappling with what being back together means, Chloe's 16-year-old son Sam is smitten with Jenna, whose attempts at relaxing everyone ("Stocking up on the old cigarettes and booze. Joke!") just makes them even more tense. Then another connection between the two families surfaces --- this time between the men. Both families are more and more annoyed, and the couples are oblivious to the kids and Jenna learning that maybe this wasn't a mistake after all.

SLEEPING ARRANGEMENTS is an entertaining romp akin to any comedy of manners. If Shakespeare lived now and dealt with children, nannies, vacations and layoffs, he'd be proud. There's just enough comedy and romance to make this book about a vacation a perfect vacation read. Or beach read. Or weekend read. Wickham, who also writes as Sophie Kinsella, is an old pro at comedic tales that surpass the normal boundaries of chick lit. The story and its characters are lovable and dimensional. Everyone in it is grounded and human, and no one walks into the story with a Cinderella life that can't be explained. These are all people with complicated histories, which do even more for the relationships they have and develop with the others.

Love and marriage, sang Frank Sinatra, go together like a horse and carriage. But it's much more complicated than that, says Wickham. Her novel shows us the many nuances that come with any long-lasting, functional relationship. Still a quick enough read, SLEEPING ARRANGEMENTS will leave any reader satisfied.

--- Reviewed by Sarah Hannah Gómez

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From S. Krishna's Books

In case you aren't aware, Madeleine Wickham is none other than the true identity of Sophie Kinsella, the author of the popular Shopaholic novels. Wickham uses her real name when she wants to write edgier chick lit (is there even such a thing?). In my experience, I've found that I don't like Wickham's novels as much as Kinsella's; the lack of character growth was a frustration in The Gatecrasher, and it seems that trend has continued in Sleeping Arrangements.

I did enjoy Sleeping Arrangements and found it to be quite amusing. The main character, Chloe, was an appealing character, and surprisingly, Amanda was more than she first appeared to be as well. Philip was a bit frustrating, but eventually grew into a better character. The real disappointment lied in Hugh. He was shallow and flighty, and I just flat out disliked him. I understood the nature of his past with Chloe, and why there was an attraction between them, but it really seemed like there was no reason for her to be attracted to the person he had become. I really just didn't like the character.

Besides that, the book is fine. It's nothing remarkable, but it's an enjoyable chick lit read that is mindlessly entertaining. Anyone will probably have fun reading it, but promptly forget about it as soon as they move on to their next book. Those of you who haven't read any of her work, stick with Sophie Kinsella. Remember Me? was funny, had a great storyline, and was thoroughly enjoyable - read that one instead of this!

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     Chloe needs a holiday. She's sick of making wedding dresses, her partner Philip has troubles at work, and the whole family wants a break. Her wealthy friend Gerard has offered the loan of his luxury villa in Spain--perfect.

     Hugh is not a happy man. His immaculate wife Amanda seems more interested in her new kitchen than in him, and he works so hard to pay for it, he barely has time for his children. Maybe he'll have a chance to bond with them on holiday. His old friend Gerard has lent them a luxury villa in Spain--perfect.

     Both families arrive at the villa and realize the awful truth--Gerard has double-booked. What no one else realizes is that Chloe and Hugh have a history; and as tensions rise within the two families, old passions resurface. It seems that Gerard's 'accidental' double booking may not be an accident after all...

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