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Marrying Up
She stopped at nothing. To get everything.
Scheming social climber Alexa may be humbly born. But she's a class-hopping cruise missile aimed at the very top of the gold-digging tree. Only a title, mansion and family tiara will do. Befriending feckless aristo Florrie (three surnames plus black hole where her brain should be) means the grandest doors swing open and the prince of her dreams is in sight. But has Florrie's mother, the formidable Lady Annabel, rumbled what Alexa is up to?
Beautiful but penniless student Polly, meanwhile, is in love. Is Max, the handsome young vet she's found in a country lane, quite as ordinary as he seems, however?
Passionate love, eye-widening snobbery and more than naked ambition abound in this contemporary Cinderella tale - a deliciously satirical novel of the upwardly mobile.
Scheming social climber Alexa may be humbly born. But she's a class-hopping cruise missile aimed at the very top of the gold-digging tree. Only a title, mansion and family tiara will do. Befriending feckless aristo Florrie (three surnames plus black hole where her brain should be) means the grandest doors swing open and the prince of her dreams is in sight. But has Florrie's mother, the formidable Lady Annabel, rumbled what Alexa is up to?
Beautiful but penniless student Polly, meanwhile, is in love. Is Max, the handsome young vet she's found in a country lane, quite as ordinary as he seems, however?
Passionate love, eye-widening snobbery and more than naked ambition abound in this contemporary Cinderella tale - a deliciously satirical novel of the upwardly mobile.
448 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2011
63 people are currently reading
583 people want to read
About the author
Wendy Holden
31 books427 followersWendy Holden grew up in Yorkshire, and studied English at Girton College, Cambridge. She worked in magazines for many years before joining Tatler's in 1997 as deputy editor, and later moved to the Mail on Sunday’s You magazine, which she left in 2000 to concentrate on writing. She regularly writes features for newspapers and magazines on a range of social, topical and lifestyle subjects and is also a television and radio contributor.
She has now published ten novels, Gallery Girl, Beautiful People, Bad Heir Day, Pastures Nouveaux, Fame Fatale, Azur Like It, The Wives of Bath, The School for Husbands, Filthy Rich, Farm Fatale, Gossip Hound, Simply Divine, all top 10 bestsellers.
Holden is married, and lives in England with her family.
She has now published ten novels, Gallery Girl, Beautiful People, Bad Heir Day, Pastures Nouveaux, Fame Fatale, Azur Like It, The Wives of Bath, The School for Husbands, Filthy Rich, Farm Fatale, Gossip Hound, Simply Divine, all top 10 bestsellers.
Holden is married, and lives in England with her family.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 99 reviews
October 29, 2011
One and half stars. If this book had just been about Polly and Max, I'd have liked it better but the plot with Alexa was irritating rather than amusing. The silly names for peripheral characters were so outlandish they irritated too. It started off so well. The archaeology bit reminded me of my story Digging Deeper. I liked Polly, I liked Max. There were some bits of fun with the kids digging and then it all went downhill.
I get the fact that Ms Holden was showing us a parallel of a nice poor girl meeting a XXXX(Don't want to spoil it though it was very obvious) and a not so nice poor girl - Alexa - who was determined to bag herself a rich guy. But Alexa had NO redeeming qualities, even when the rich people were horrible to her, I felt she deserved it, the scene on the boat was tawdry and the parallel overall seemed vacuous.
I feel as though I've either outgrown Ms Holden or she was aiming for a very young audience. Although, despite the fact that I feel I'm quite well read, there were several words used I've never heard before that took me right out of the story.
The book didn't work for me.
I get the fact that Ms Holden was showing us a parallel of a nice poor girl meeting a XXXX(Don't want to spoil it though it was very obvious) and a not so nice poor girl - Alexa - who was determined to bag herself a rich guy. But Alexa had NO redeeming qualities, even when the rich people were horrible to her, I felt she deserved it, the scene on the boat was tawdry and the parallel overall seemed vacuous.
I feel as though I've either outgrown Ms Holden or she was aiming for a very young audience. Although, despite the fact that I feel I'm quite well read, there were several words used I've never heard before that took me right out of the story.
The book didn't work for me.
September 20, 2021
Every time I'm tired or not happy, I pick up a book by Wendy Holden. They make me smile!
Yesterday was such a day. I was rather tired but it was beautiful weather so instead of working in home or garden, me and my husband took off to a small village nearby. We found a lovely spacious bt quiet terrace where we spent a couple of hours. And what better to re-read a Wendy Holden book then? This one is (still) extremely funny but underneath all the fun and quirky characters is a nice story with some wise lessons for the reader.
Yesterday was such a day. I was rather tired but it was beautiful weather so instead of working in home or garden, me and my husband took off to a small village nearby. We found a lovely spacious bt quiet terrace where we spent a couple of hours. And what better to re-read a Wendy Holden book then? This one is (still) extremely funny but underneath all the fun and quirky characters is a nice story with some wise lessons for the reader.
February 5, 2017
Am I the only one who finds friends earnestly discussing their plans for weeding out sweaters and books and kitchen gadgets, and evangelizing the joy-making potato peelers and vacuums they've found? Marie Kondo's name is spoken almost as though she is a lesser known saint rather than the author of a book about reducing clutter.
I'm only mentioning this to assure you that the reason I finally picked up a book from my looming to read pile was not because I've joined the "if it isn't causing you shivers of joy chuck it" semi-cult, and not even due to my fear that at some point an earthquake is going to fling the whole pile from my bedside table to my face as I'm sleeping, but because we are having our kitchen remodeled.
Well, not just because of the kitchen. The addition of a den and half bath are requiring us to move out of our house for a few months. And I don't just mean me and that lovely guy I married. Everything. Including the aforementioned looming pile of books.
Since I loathe packing it seems prudent to reduce the height of the pile by actually reading some of them.
Marrying Up is some high quality light and fluffy and predictable reading. I realize predictable isn't normally an adjective used in a positive book review, but sometimes it is exactly what I'm looking for in reading material. Especially after I've spent too much time reading the news. The dreadful, "this can't really be happening, oh damn it is" news. I really can't be blamed for wanting to hide in some mindless non-taxing fun. I'm not going to apologize, I'm just going to enjoy it.
I'm only mentioning this to assure you that the reason I finally picked up a book from my looming to read pile was not because I've joined the "if it isn't causing you shivers of joy chuck it" semi-cult, and not even due to my fear that at some point an earthquake is going to fling the whole pile from my bedside table to my face as I'm sleeping, but because we are having our kitchen remodeled.
Well, not just because of the kitchen. The addition of a den and half bath are requiring us to move out of our house for a few months. And I don't just mean me and that lovely guy I married. Everything. Including the aforementioned looming pile of books.
Since I loathe packing it seems prudent to reduce the height of the pile by actually reading some of them.
Marrying Up is some high quality light and fluffy and predictable reading. I realize predictable isn't normally an adjective used in a positive book review, but sometimes it is exactly what I'm looking for in reading material. Especially after I've spent too much time reading the news. The dreadful, "this can't really be happening, oh damn it is" news. I really can't be blamed for wanting to hide in some mindless non-taxing fun. I'm not going to apologize, I'm just going to enjoy it.
April 7, 2013
What a painful book. I like a good chic-lit and this one had an interesting enough blurb on the back to make me pick it up. To be honest the blurb made it sound like a completely different book than it actually was.
It starts off interesting enough, Archaeologist Polly is excavating a roman bathroom when she meets the handsome, mysterious veterinarian Max, and after a rough start begin a whirlwind romance. Then it switched to following a gold digger named Alexa as she tries, and fails, over and over to wiggle and scheme her way into a royal marriage.
In this book nobody's interesting or likeable (Polly and Max had the potential to be likeable but the book barely focused on them at all after the first chapter), the plot drags, the wealthy and the royals are all portrayed as so stupid I am surprised they can tie on their shoes, let alone run countries and big businesses, plot twists could be seen from about two miles aways, and the jokes, oh my gosh the jokes, so bad and painful and subtle as a hammer to the head.
I kept reading because this book did have a very strong start, but with each chapter it just became more of a grind. I finished, though the last quarter was more flipped through than actually read, and no the ending brought no surprises.
Avoid, avoid. I hear that this author's prior books are much better, but I have no desire to pick them up and find out.
It starts off interesting enough, Archaeologist Polly is excavating a roman bathroom when she meets the handsome, mysterious veterinarian Max, and after a rough start begin a whirlwind romance. Then it switched to following a gold digger named Alexa as she tries, and fails, over and over to wiggle and scheme her way into a royal marriage.
In this book nobody's interesting or likeable (Polly and Max had the potential to be likeable but the book barely focused on them at all after the first chapter), the plot drags, the wealthy and the royals are all portrayed as so stupid I am surprised they can tie on their shoes, let alone run countries and big businesses, plot twists could be seen from about two miles aways, and the jokes, oh my gosh the jokes, so bad and painful and subtle as a hammer to the head.
I kept reading because this book did have a very strong start, but with each chapter it just became more of a grind. I finished, though the last quarter was more flipped through than actually read, and no the ending brought no surprises.
Avoid, avoid. I hear that this author's prior books are much better, but I have no desire to pick them up and find out.
February 9, 2022
A pick-me-up more than anything😁
August 6, 2012
Originally posted at: http://www.longandshortreviews.blogsp...
Polly and Alexa may have come from the same humble beginnings, but when it comes to where they’d like to go, they’re on opposite ends of the spectrum. While all Polly wants is to marry the man of her dreams, Alexa’s looking to climb the ladder as high as she can, at any cost. When their two very different worlds collide, sparks are going to fly… and chaos shall ensue!
Polly is your typical girl-next-door. She’s had her heart broken and is working to ignore it as best as she can. With the aid of her supportive parents and her unwavering sense of humor, she’ll manage to pull through. What I love most about Polly is that she’s very real. She’s unapologetic in her feelings and actions, and just does her best to get through the days. If anyone deserves a wonderful man like Max, it’s Polly.
Max is everything that Polly could have ever wanted, but he’s harboring a secret. One that will completely change the way she feels about him. Or will it? He has no way of knowing for sure until he tells her. It was really fun to watch him woo her even while she was turning into her own worst enemy. The fact that he doesn’t let her runaway mouth get between them really endeared him to me. He’s patient, he’s kind, and he’s hot – what more could a girl want? Max is so good with both Polly and her family that it made me want to take him home, too.
Alexa and her comrade-in-arms, Barney, are the comic relief of the story. Although their determination to live a life of social stardom is despicable and underhanded at times, their sheer audacity kept me in stitches. The things these two will do just for a little recognition was amazing. And there was absolutely nothing they wouldn’t try to gain that status they were aiming for. In addition to Alexa and Barney, Marrying Up was loaded with an amazing cast of side characters that were too much to believe sometimes. But they certainly kept the laughter flowing.
Marrying Up is an entertaining combination of sweet love story, humorous adventure, and incessant social climbing. Sometimes frustrating, sometimes laugh out loud funny, and always witty, this book refused to let me walk away from it. A very enjoyable read that makes the utterly unbelievable into an entertaining story that I’m not going to forget anytime soon.
Polly and Alexa may have come from the same humble beginnings, but when it comes to where they’d like to go, they’re on opposite ends of the spectrum. While all Polly wants is to marry the man of her dreams, Alexa’s looking to climb the ladder as high as she can, at any cost. When their two very different worlds collide, sparks are going to fly… and chaos shall ensue!
Polly is your typical girl-next-door. She’s had her heart broken and is working to ignore it as best as she can. With the aid of her supportive parents and her unwavering sense of humor, she’ll manage to pull through. What I love most about Polly is that she’s very real. She’s unapologetic in her feelings and actions, and just does her best to get through the days. If anyone deserves a wonderful man like Max, it’s Polly.
Max is everything that Polly could have ever wanted, but he’s harboring a secret. One that will completely change the way she feels about him. Or will it? He has no way of knowing for sure until he tells her. It was really fun to watch him woo her even while she was turning into her own worst enemy. The fact that he doesn’t let her runaway mouth get between them really endeared him to me. He’s patient, he’s kind, and he’s hot – what more could a girl want? Max is so good with both Polly and her family that it made me want to take him home, too.
Alexa and her comrade-in-arms, Barney, are the comic relief of the story. Although their determination to live a life of social stardom is despicable and underhanded at times, their sheer audacity kept me in stitches. The things these two will do just for a little recognition was amazing. And there was absolutely nothing they wouldn’t try to gain that status they were aiming for. In addition to Alexa and Barney, Marrying Up was loaded with an amazing cast of side characters that were too much to believe sometimes. But they certainly kept the laughter flowing.
Marrying Up is an entertaining combination of sweet love story, humorous adventure, and incessant social climbing. Sometimes frustrating, sometimes laugh out loud funny, and always witty, this book refused to let me walk away from it. A very enjoyable read that makes the utterly unbelievable into an entertaining story that I’m not going to forget anytime soon.
May 28, 2012
This was a terrible book. It’s kind of a modern take on Cinderella but I would choose an actual fairy tale any day. The characters were puddle depth and the names were absurd.
The story is mostly about Polly the quiet archaeologist and Alexa the social climber. Polly falls for Max not knowing he is a prince & Alexa falls for anything with a healthy bank balance. The book focuses mostly on Alexa and her antics, which to be fair are marginally more entertaining. You can’t even really empathise with the characters; Polly is a complete drip and Alexa is just embarrassing.
I think the only reason that I kept on reading is that I am a sucker for Cinderella stories. But it really was bad in every way. I wouldn’t recommend this to anyone. Sophie Kinsella, Jane Mansfield or Milly Johnson are all 100 times better.
The story is mostly about Polly the quiet archaeologist and Alexa the social climber. Polly falls for Max not knowing he is a prince & Alexa falls for anything with a healthy bank balance. The book focuses mostly on Alexa and her antics, which to be fair are marginally more entertaining. You can’t even really empathise with the characters; Polly is a complete drip and Alexa is just embarrassing.
I think the only reason that I kept on reading is that I am a sucker for Cinderella stories. But it really was bad in every way. I wouldn’t recommend this to anyone. Sophie Kinsella, Jane Mansfield or Milly Johnson are all 100 times better.
August 17, 2019
Very good read.Short chapters too,so I could dip in and out of it easily.I haved loved all the Wendy Holden books I have read. She is one of my favourite authors :-)
May 14, 2021
This acerbic bit of fluff tracks the progress of three latter-day Cinderella types, all with their eyes on the prize, or rather, eyes on the Prince. There is airhead socialite Florrie, who is dumber than cardboard. Nice girl Polly, smitten with an enigmatic hunk of a farmer, and dreadful social climber Alexa who will stop at nothing to get her man. As ever, Wendy Holden's satire is searing, as she rips into snobs and social climbers alike, while somehow maintaining respect for royalty and position. It's a diverting read and even though you can tell exactly where it's headed, the fun comes in the journey to the inevitable.
October 4, 2020
Another bookstore purchase that I originally read a number of years ago. I thought this would return to my bookshelf, but ultimately it has found its way into my thrift store donation box.
.
The book starts out following Polly and Max, and I wish they remained the central focus, but Alexa quickly takes the lead. Polly and Max are flawed and multidimensional. Alexa is merely narcissistic. I remember really liking this book the first time I read it, so maybe I was in a different headspace this time. It's ultimately a hint of classic chick lit, with the couple not being the nucleus.
.
The book starts out following Polly and Max, and I wish they remained the central focus, but Alexa quickly takes the lead. Polly and Max are flawed and multidimensional. Alexa is merely narcissistic. I remember really liking this book the first time I read it, so maybe I was in a different headspace this time. It's ultimately a hint of classic chick lit, with the couple not being the nucleus.
August 20, 2021
Wanted to read something light and loved some of Wendy's previous books.
Found this a bit too silly. Started off fine but sort of petered out a bit at the end.
I listened on audiobook and the voice given to Polly was stupid, little girly and a real turn off.
It's fine for background, but she's written better imho.
Found this a bit too silly. Started off fine but sort of petered out a bit at the end.
I listened on audiobook and the voice given to Polly was stupid, little girly and a real turn off.
It's fine for background, but she's written better imho.
April 11, 2023
I seriously struggled reading this book.
Honestly, the only reason I didn’t DNF it was because the cover is just so pretty, and I really wanted to like it! But unfortunately no matter how hard I tried, this story simply was not for me.
I did not find it funny, I did not enjoy the romance, and I did not appreciate any of the characters.
Sadly a not so great read for me.
Honestly, the only reason I didn’t DNF it was because the cover is just so pretty, and I really wanted to like it! But unfortunately no matter how hard I tried, this story simply was not for me.
I did not find it funny, I did not enjoy the romance, and I did not appreciate any of the characters.
Sadly a not so great read for me.
June 16, 2018
Marrying up - a novel about a vet, a royal family, a proposed wedding and a scheming social climber.
What could possibly go wrong?
Read my full review on my blog -> http://bookworminglife.com/marrying-up/
What could possibly go wrong?
Read my full review on my blog -> http://bookworminglife.com/marrying-up/
April 18, 2024
This was ok. Most of the characters were unlikable. The ones I did like didn’t have a large enough role. It seemed like the book jumped forward quickly as if chapters were deleted. Not my favorite although it was funny and clever in parts.
May 14, 2017
I'm not even sure why or how I finished this. Insipid and abysmal. I feel like my intelligence is insulted by its very existence.
December 21, 2017
1.5 stars Max. This extremely wordy, and boring fairy tail is utterly skim-worthy.
March 21, 2019
oh dear me never ending..and I have read and liked her previous novels don't know why and this was book tape
August 5, 2019
This is a perfect beach read!
September 7, 2020
Wanted a light & fluffy book for the holiday weekend. Instead I got a silly, too long book that didn’t even focus on the best characters.
November 12, 2021
I wanted something light and fun. This had such potential, but took a really wrong turn. Just no.
April 13, 2022
Holden never disappoints. You know what you're going to get. It's going to be smartly written, engaging, and satisfying at the end. Pure escapist fiction far removed from my own reality.
August 1, 2024
Just didn't really like the writing style it's also a multi pov book with no names on the chapter titles not my vibe
July 21, 2015
Gold digger and social climber Alexa will do anything to climb to the top of the pile. Alexa wants the highlife and will stop at nothing but a Royal title, a Ferrari and a sparkling diamond tiara to match. After squandering her time at university attending parties, hunts and weekend soirees—all in search of a marriageable title—she is both without a degree or a husband. To gain her dreams Alexa befriends Lady FlorenceTrevorigus-Whyske-Cleethorpe, a ditsy but extremely affluent aristocrat. The doors to royalty are finally swinging open for Alexa, however will Florrie’s suspicious mother, finally rumble Alexa’s grand plans!
Contrasting with this is student Polly, a broke student, working as an archaeologist digging up the Lord of Shropshire’s estate when she stumbles across the dashing Max. This begins the start of a beautiful summer relationship. However does she really know who Max is? Is he really as ordinary as he seems? Just as Polly begins to fall in love with her rather dashing new man he has to rush back to the country of Sedona. Suddenly we find that Max is an heir to throne and his father is desperate for him to marry and take the throne for himself.
However this is not the end of the story. Sedona needs to attract tourism and there is nothing better than a Royal wedding! Here the fun really begins to start with Alexa, Polly, Max and Florrie and Barney, Alexa’s fellow socialite and hang-on begin to mix up in this brilliantly, mixed-up, gold digging romantic comedy! The story follows the two female characters as they struggle with money, difficult family and also incredibly confusing men! Alex’s character is brilliant written. She is not only money hungry, but sarcastic, incredibly desperate and extremely sneaky. Her desperate ways of acquiring money such as sleeping with a number of ghastly lords, and one Russian oligarch, even I was wishing her a little happiness by the end of the story. Polly is equally brilliant but contrasting. Her sweet nature and continually happy outlook is refreshing and distinct from Alexa’s catty undermining character.
I really enjoyed the book, the character profiles were brilliant and the plot line twisted throughout. At times I wished that Polly’s character had more dynamism and depth. Sometimes I found her as a character a little feeble, when I thought she could have been more intense. Florrie and her mother the formidable Lady Annabel were brilliantly written with a sense of snobbery and snootiness, which added to the story greatly. Barney was my favourite character; who was more of a hindrance to Alexa’s climb to royalty, which created great comedy.
I really enjoyed this book and wouldn’t know how to describe it as a genre; although it is a chick-lit, it was filled with humour and sarcasm that I really loved. Definitely a book for your wish list.
Contrasting with this is student Polly, a broke student, working as an archaeologist digging up the Lord of Shropshire’s estate when she stumbles across the dashing Max. This begins the start of a beautiful summer relationship. However does she really know who Max is? Is he really as ordinary as he seems? Just as Polly begins to fall in love with her rather dashing new man he has to rush back to the country of Sedona. Suddenly we find that Max is an heir to throne and his father is desperate for him to marry and take the throne for himself.
However this is not the end of the story. Sedona needs to attract tourism and there is nothing better than a Royal wedding! Here the fun really begins to start with Alexa, Polly, Max and Florrie and Barney, Alexa’s fellow socialite and hang-on begin to mix up in this brilliantly, mixed-up, gold digging romantic comedy! The story follows the two female characters as they struggle with money, difficult family and also incredibly confusing men! Alex’s character is brilliant written. She is not only money hungry, but sarcastic, incredibly desperate and extremely sneaky. Her desperate ways of acquiring money such as sleeping with a number of ghastly lords, and one Russian oligarch, even I was wishing her a little happiness by the end of the story. Polly is equally brilliant but contrasting. Her sweet nature and continually happy outlook is refreshing and distinct from Alexa’s catty undermining character.
I really enjoyed the book, the character profiles were brilliant and the plot line twisted throughout. At times I wished that Polly’s character had more dynamism and depth. Sometimes I found her as a character a little feeble, when I thought she could have been more intense. Florrie and her mother the formidable Lady Annabel were brilliantly written with a sense of snobbery and snootiness, which added to the story greatly. Barney was my favourite character; who was more of a hindrance to Alexa’s climb to royalty, which created great comedy.
I really enjoyed this book and wouldn’t know how to describe it as a genre; although it is a chick-lit, it was filled with humour and sarcasm that I really loved. Definitely a book for your wish list.
August 31, 2012
Let me start off by saying that I’m probably going to be pretty harsh on this book. But that said, I realized pretty early on that this book wasn’t going to be my cup of tea. But, I had to review, so I pressed on.
From the blurb, I thought that the book was going to be split equally between Polly and Alexa’s stories. But I found it to heavily lean towards Alexa, and while there may have been more possibility for story there, I kept finding myself wanting more about Polly. I could relate to Polly. I wanted to see her relationship with Max and even those she worked with in more detail. But alas, once her story made any sort of stride, I was pulled back into Alexa’s world.
I couldn’t stand Alexa. She was a gold digger with no scruples. I didn’t like all her antics, the using and abusing of people to climb that aristocratic ladder. And all the while, I couldn’t figure out where the money to support her lifestyle was coming from. She wasn’t getting money from family and outsides of some mooching off of “friends”… well, she must’ve had quite the credit card bill.
I think you can see where this review is going. I didn’t particularly like the plot either. Well, most of it. As I said before, I liked Polly’s “half” of the book. I found the romance between Polly and Max believable (mostly, the surprise with the disappearance mentioned in the blurb was a little out there) and I wanted more. But once again, when it came to Alexa, I couldn’t relate. Perhaps it’s because I don’t have that scheming, social climbing desire. But as I read, I more often than not found myself shaking my head in disbelief rather than laughing because I found it funny (which I think was the intent). And then throw in some satirical characters with unbelievable names (Lord Wharte-Hogge… really??) and I was not amused.
As I said in the beginning, this book was not my cup of tea. But I tried to be objective, but just can’t find much positive to cheer about. Perhaps if you enjoy satire or even have some sort of fascination with contemporary aristocracy, you might enjoy this book. But for me, it wasn’t time well spent and I don’t anticipate reading anything further by Wendy Holden if this is what I’m going to get.
Review by Jen, published on Romancing the Book. ARC provided by the publisher.
From the blurb, I thought that the book was going to be split equally between Polly and Alexa’s stories. But I found it to heavily lean towards Alexa, and while there may have been more possibility for story there, I kept finding myself wanting more about Polly. I could relate to Polly. I wanted to see her relationship with Max and even those she worked with in more detail. But alas, once her story made any sort of stride, I was pulled back into Alexa’s world.
I couldn’t stand Alexa. She was a gold digger with no scruples. I didn’t like all her antics, the using and abusing of people to climb that aristocratic ladder. And all the while, I couldn’t figure out where the money to support her lifestyle was coming from. She wasn’t getting money from family and outsides of some mooching off of “friends”… well, she must’ve had quite the credit card bill.
I think you can see where this review is going. I didn’t particularly like the plot either. Well, most of it. As I said before, I liked Polly’s “half” of the book. I found the romance between Polly and Max believable (mostly, the surprise with the disappearance mentioned in the blurb was a little out there) and I wanted more. But once again, when it came to Alexa, I couldn’t relate. Perhaps it’s because I don’t have that scheming, social climbing desire. But as I read, I more often than not found myself shaking my head in disbelief rather than laughing because I found it funny (which I think was the intent). And then throw in some satirical characters with unbelievable names (Lord Wharte-Hogge… really??) and I was not amused.
As I said in the beginning, this book was not my cup of tea. But I tried to be objective, but just can’t find much positive to cheer about. Perhaps if you enjoy satire or even have some sort of fascination with contemporary aristocracy, you might enjoy this book. But for me, it wasn’t time well spent and I don’t anticipate reading anything further by Wendy Holden if this is what I’m going to get.
Review by Jen, published on Romancing the Book. ARC provided by the publisher.
August 24, 2012
For me, Summer is the time to read fun, frothy books like Marrying Up. It's too hot to focus on anything too heavy. Is this book life-changing? No, probably not (unless you've been thinking of hopping a plane to England and trying to jump into the wonderful world of English high society). One thing I can say is that you're going to certainly have a lot of fun diving in to the world of this book. Marrying Up is part comedy of manners, part comedy of classes, part desperation, and part social commentary.
While I would not be one to relish the sort of social climbing that Alexa and Florrie engage in the book, it was sort of fascinating to see. This story takes place in England where social climbing is just a little bit different from the United States. While America has its own brand of social wisteria, we don't really have titles here, although I guess people here get a little tied on to last names (your Rockefellers, Kennedys, etc.). On the other hand, England is rife with titles, which is exactly what Alexa and Florrie are after. The titles definitely made it a little more exotic to me.
Polly wins as my favorite character hands down, probably because she's the most normal and down to earth character (ok, so is Max but I felt that Polly was a lot more well rounded as a character). She's seems to be a rock of calm in a sea of crazy people in a lot of cases during the book.
One feature that I really liked about the book is the names of the people of the book. Holden comes up with some truly ridiculous names in the book. In a way, they reminded me a lot of some of the names that you find in Charles Dickens books. The names almost seem to describe the people in one way or another. It was an interesting feature. You can kind of tell that Holden is being very tongue in cheek about it.
There were a couple holes here and there but they really did not take away from what the book is, a fun read that definitely does not take itself too seriously. This is the best kind of chick-lit (talk about a loaded term). It's a fun book for summer when you're looking for a book to keep you company and give you a giggle or two.
While I would not be one to relish the sort of social climbing that Alexa and Florrie engage in the book, it was sort of fascinating to see. This story takes place in England where social climbing is just a little bit different from the United States. While America has its own brand of social wisteria, we don't really have titles here, although I guess people here get a little tied on to last names (your Rockefellers, Kennedys, etc.). On the other hand, England is rife with titles, which is exactly what Alexa and Florrie are after. The titles definitely made it a little more exotic to me.
Polly wins as my favorite character hands down, probably because she's the most normal and down to earth character (ok, so is Max but I felt that Polly was a lot more well rounded as a character). She's seems to be a rock of calm in a sea of crazy people in a lot of cases during the book.
One feature that I really liked about the book is the names of the people of the book. Holden comes up with some truly ridiculous names in the book. In a way, they reminded me a lot of some of the names that you find in Charles Dickens books. The names almost seem to describe the people in one way or another. It was an interesting feature. You can kind of tell that Holden is being very tongue in cheek about it.
There were a couple holes here and there but they really did not take away from what the book is, a fun read that definitely does not take itself too seriously. This is the best kind of chick-lit (talk about a loaded term). It's a fun book for summer when you're looking for a book to keep you company and give you a giggle or two.
October 30, 2015
I have been reading Wendy Holden since around 2002 and in the early days absolutely devoured her books and really enjoyed them. Her last book entitled Gallery Girl was quite frankly not that much cop and I finished it feeling disappointed and a little let down. Where had Wendy’s brilliant stories gone? I figured that every author must write a bad book at some point and that was hers. Sadly, I was wrong, very wrong.
This latest book is even worse! I very rarely dislike books this much but it was like reading a book written by a completely different author. When I first started reading I had high hopes as we were introduced to Polly who was studying archaeology and happened to have a chance encounter with the handsome Max who is studying to become a vet. We also met Alexa who is a scheming and downright awful girl who wanted nothing more than a rich man in her life. However, after the first few chapters things wend rapidly downhill.
I understand that an element of chick lit books is the happy endings and romance, but this book went over and above what is needed! The ‘fairytale’ element of this is more set to young girls who dream of being a princess. To be frank, once the story got going everything was one big romantic cliché, with impossible and improbable situations occurring in every other chapter.
The further into the book I got, the harder I found it to read. I desperately wanted to enjoy this book but everything about it screamed No at me. Sadly, Wendy Holden’s writing is still as brilliant as ever, but I think the storylines themselves are just getting worse. She still manages to create characters you can love or loathe, and the writing certainly flows well; but that’s where it ends.
I feel saddened to not be able to recommend this and sincerely hope that Wendy Holden comes back next year with a story that will blow me away and remind me why I am a follower of her books.
This latest book is even worse! I very rarely dislike books this much but it was like reading a book written by a completely different author. When I first started reading I had high hopes as we were introduced to Polly who was studying archaeology and happened to have a chance encounter with the handsome Max who is studying to become a vet. We also met Alexa who is a scheming and downright awful girl who wanted nothing more than a rich man in her life. However, after the first few chapters things wend rapidly downhill.
I understand that an element of chick lit books is the happy endings and romance, but this book went over and above what is needed! The ‘fairytale’ element of this is more set to young girls who dream of being a princess. To be frank, once the story got going everything was one big romantic cliché, with impossible and improbable situations occurring in every other chapter.
The further into the book I got, the harder I found it to read. I desperately wanted to enjoy this book but everything about it screamed No at me. Sadly, Wendy Holden’s writing is still as brilliant as ever, but I think the storylines themselves are just getting worse. She still manages to create characters you can love or loathe, and the writing certainly flows well; but that’s where it ends.
I feel saddened to not be able to recommend this and sincerely hope that Wendy Holden comes back next year with a story that will blow me away and remind me why I am a follower of her books.
August 23, 2012
Also at What I'm Reading:
Today's selection is Marrying Up by Wendy Holden. I must say it was delightful. I wasn't sure what to expect when I started reading the book. First of all I must say that there are a couple story lines in the story that all interrelate with one another. So, if you are not a fan of that you might not like this book.
First of all, we have Polly and Max's relationship. Let me rephrase that, a budding relationship when Max is called home. Max never tells Polly where he's from or that he's a crown prince. He just wanted to be a normal guy to her. Sometimes that never really works to well.
Next you have Allison Donald, who wants to be wealthy beyond means. She's willing to do anything to become a social highlight among the creme de la creme. So, she decides to go through a transformation. Not a physical one, but with a new persona. She heads to London to become Alexa MacDonald.
Finally, you have Lady Florence Trevorigus-Whyske-Cleethorpe (aka Florrie). The best way to describe her would be a valley girl of England. However, she is a socialite always in the scandal sheets. You wouldn't expect anything less from her.
So you have all these characters that are intertwined with each other in some way. Alexa attaches herself to Florrie trying to climb the social ladder using her. However, Florrie is too ditzy that she doesn't even know it.
Overall, I liked the book. Granted there is a lot going on in Marrying Up. However, if your not afraid to take on the challenge of keeping up with all that is going on, you might actually enjoy the story. I have to say writing a review for this story was a bit of a challenge, but I still liked the book.
That's all and I hope you enjoy whatever your reading.
Today's selection is Marrying Up by Wendy Holden. I must say it was delightful. I wasn't sure what to expect when I started reading the book. First of all I must say that there are a couple story lines in the story that all interrelate with one another. So, if you are not a fan of that you might not like this book.
First of all, we have Polly and Max's relationship. Let me rephrase that, a budding relationship when Max is called home. Max never tells Polly where he's from or that he's a crown prince. He just wanted to be a normal guy to her. Sometimes that never really works to well.
Next you have Allison Donald, who wants to be wealthy beyond means. She's willing to do anything to become a social highlight among the creme de la creme. So, she decides to go through a transformation. Not a physical one, but with a new persona. She heads to London to become Alexa MacDonald.
Finally, you have Lady Florence Trevorigus-Whyske-Cleethorpe (aka Florrie). The best way to describe her would be a valley girl of England. However, she is a socialite always in the scandal sheets. You wouldn't expect anything less from her.
So you have all these characters that are intertwined with each other in some way. Alexa attaches herself to Florrie trying to climb the social ladder using her. However, Florrie is too ditzy that she doesn't even know it.
Overall, I liked the book. Granted there is a lot going on in Marrying Up. However, if your not afraid to take on the challenge of keeping up with all that is going on, you might actually enjoy the story. I have to say writing a review for this story was a bit of a challenge, but I still liked the book.
That's all and I hope you enjoy whatever your reading.
April 26, 2015
This romance is funny, fast-paced and frightening if true.
We get to know Polly, an archaeology student who got to do the work she loves, in muddy trenches with eager kids. She doesn't date but it is hard to turn down a nice veterinary student with a nice dog. Then he disappears and mysteriously she can't get in touch.
Meanwhile the girl who taunted her in school is a scheming social climber and changing her name to Alexa, sets her sights on the inherited wealth of the upper class. She doesn't fool everyone and gets called a castle creeper. Actually she comes across as something like Lillie Langtry without even the excuse of a grand passion.
While Lady Florence Trevorigus-Whyske-Cleethorpe who is the kind of wealthy girl who has no consequences to fear from riding a cow naked at Glastonbury, stoned out of her mind, and drinks champagne at other people's expense, flits from socially acceptable job to job making a hash of them.
The hilarious names borne by the upper crust are echoed by the sheer mindlessness of their spending and ignorance of just about everything. Nobody could hold down a genuine responsible job and it just seems wrong that this tiny inbred dim circle should possess all the wealth - apart from that gained by a Russian gangster, Mr Bigski.
The bringing together of the main characters at a tiny principality called Sedona on the Italian coast does seem a trifle forced but it's a romantic comedy so we accept the staging. Sedona has a Crown Prince and a spare, and needs to hold a royal wedding to bring in some money to their pretty but non-glamorous monarchy. The Crown Prince has received his orders, but the only girl he wants to marry is Poppy....
Read it and laugh.
We get to know Polly, an archaeology student who got to do the work she loves, in muddy trenches with eager kids. She doesn't date but it is hard to turn down a nice veterinary student with a nice dog. Then he disappears and mysteriously she can't get in touch.
Meanwhile the girl who taunted her in school is a scheming social climber and changing her name to Alexa, sets her sights on the inherited wealth of the upper class. She doesn't fool everyone and gets called a castle creeper. Actually she comes across as something like Lillie Langtry without even the excuse of a grand passion.
While Lady Florence Trevorigus-Whyske-Cleethorpe who is the kind of wealthy girl who has no consequences to fear from riding a cow naked at Glastonbury, stoned out of her mind, and drinks champagne at other people's expense, flits from socially acceptable job to job making a hash of them.
The hilarious names borne by the upper crust are echoed by the sheer mindlessness of their spending and ignorance of just about everything. Nobody could hold down a genuine responsible job and it just seems wrong that this tiny inbred dim circle should possess all the wealth - apart from that gained by a Russian gangster, Mr Bigski.
The bringing together of the main characters at a tiny principality called Sedona on the Italian coast does seem a trifle forced but it's a romantic comedy so we accept the staging. Sedona has a Crown Prince and a spare, and needs to hold a royal wedding to bring in some money to their pretty but non-glamorous monarchy. The Crown Prince has received his orders, but the only girl he wants to marry is Poppy....
Read it and laugh.
January 25, 2015
Overall this book was a romance with a bit of comedy thrown in. Polly and Max made great characters and I would love to see and learn more of them. Their relationship was suppose to be the true love, yet the reader had no opportunity to see that for themselves. I liked Max's family and their story. I found the queen very interesting yet I was disappointed that she let lady Annabel be so disrespectful to her. I was hoping that the queen would be the one to put lady Annabel in her place.
The social climber Alexa on the other hand was simply annoying. She had no self respect and her ambition to marry a rich and titled man was irritating. Her friend B... was even worse. Overall I felt, that the author did not like or respect rich people. A lot of times they were described as air heads, heavy drinkers with low morals and no ambitions and work skills. I found that very discriminatory and a bit boring. Every time the action took place in the high society it involved high amount of alcohol, easy sex and total disrespect of others.
On the other hand I loved reading about Polly and Max's families. Their characters and their relationship was not explored enough. Which is a shame, since that would make this book a lot better and more enjoyable.
And I thought that Florrie's wedding was out of place and irrelevant to the rest of the story. I would have preferred to read more about Max and Polly.
The social climber Alexa on the other hand was simply annoying. She had no self respect and her ambition to marry a rich and titled man was irritating. Her friend B... was even worse. Overall I felt, that the author did not like or respect rich people. A lot of times they were described as air heads, heavy drinkers with low morals and no ambitions and work skills. I found that very discriminatory and a bit boring. Every time the action took place in the high society it involved high amount of alcohol, easy sex and total disrespect of others.
On the other hand I loved reading about Polly and Max's families. Their characters and their relationship was not explored enough. Which is a shame, since that would make this book a lot better and more enjoyable.
And I thought that Florrie's wedding was out of place and irrelevant to the rest of the story. I would have preferred to read more about Max and Polly.
August 5, 2012
This book was silly and funny. The silly comes from names used here and there, oh those British peers have strange names. And there were more things too. But it worked and it was charming.
The story itself is about Polly, the nice and sweet girl who you have to like. She is specialized in toilets, that is her field in archaeology. She meets Max, a really sweet guy too who is a vet, but he has secrets. Now what can those secrets be?
The other POV is Alexa, first I found her amusing, then she was pathetic and then she turned into one big B#¤%&. She was a golddigger with a big G, she wanted money, she wanted a title. But in the the end she was pathetic and miserable. The last 100 pages I gritted my teeth and wanted to smack her over the head. It got scary there for a moment. And then I do not mean scary as in ohhh danger! But in scary because she is not nice in the end.
Silly, fun and a cute little Cinderella story. One thing though, they were all so young, 18-21. I would have wanted the bunch a bit older. Now I just couldn't take it seriously all the time. But like I said, it was funny and silly.
A nice little chick-lit book with a Cinderella twist to it.
The story itself is about Polly, the nice and sweet girl who you have to like. She is specialized in toilets, that is her field in archaeology. She meets Max, a really sweet guy too who is a vet, but he has secrets. Now what can those secrets be?
The other POV is Alexa, first I found her amusing, then she was pathetic and then she turned into one big B#¤%&. She was a golddigger with a big G, she wanted money, she wanted a title. But in the the end she was pathetic and miserable. The last 100 pages I gritted my teeth and wanted to smack her over the head. It got scary there for a moment. And then I do not mean scary as in ohhh danger! But in scary because she is not nice in the end.
Silly, fun and a cute little Cinderella story. One thing though, they were all so young, 18-21. I would have wanted the bunch a bit older. Now I just couldn't take it seriously all the time. But like I said, it was funny and silly.
A nice little chick-lit book with a Cinderella twist to it.
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