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The Dilemma
ISBN: 0-75280-989-X : Alternate Cover Version.
All Francesca Channing had to do in order to keep her marriage alive, her children safe, her life intact, was to tell a lie. One simple, straightforward lie. But it wasn't that simple or that straightforward at all.
All Francesca Channing had to do in order to keep her marriage alive, her children safe, her life intact, was to tell a lie. One simple, straightforward lie. But it wasn't that simple or that straightforward at all.
884 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1996
183 people are currently reading
617 people want to read
About the author
Penny Vincenzi
65 books923 followersPenny was nine years old when she embarked on her storytelling career. She wrote her own magazine called “Stories”, which she copied out three times on carbon paper and sold for two pence at school. So began a career in writing which has seen 7 million copies sold, and 17 bestselling novels.
After secretarial college, Penny worked as a junior secretary at Vogue and Tatler magazines, before moving to the Daily Mirror as personal assistant to Marje Proops, Britain's legendary agony aunt.
Marje encouraged her to write, and she became fashion editor and beauty writer at the Mirror, working for the women's editor in what was irreverently known as the "fragrant department". Penny’s journalistic career as a celebrated writer and columnist spanned several decades working for many of the leading newspapers and magazines of the time.
She once asked bestselling British author Jilly Cooper for advice on writing a novel while interviewing her for a magazine profile. Jilly put Penny in touch with her own agent, who promptly auctioned off her (then unwritten) first novel. It was quickly snapped up and the rest, as they say, is history.
Penny died in 2018. She was the proud and much-loved mother of four equally proud daughters, and grandmother to nine grandchildren.
After secretarial college, Penny worked as a junior secretary at Vogue and Tatler magazines, before moving to the Daily Mirror as personal assistant to Marje Proops, Britain's legendary agony aunt.
Marje encouraged her to write, and she became fashion editor and beauty writer at the Mirror, working for the women's editor in what was irreverently known as the "fragrant department". Penny’s journalistic career as a celebrated writer and columnist spanned several decades working for many of the leading newspapers and magazines of the time.
She once asked bestselling British author Jilly Cooper for advice on writing a novel while interviewing her for a magazine profile. Jilly put Penny in touch with her own agent, who promptly auctioned off her (then unwritten) first novel. It was quickly snapped up and the rest, as they say, is history.
Penny died in 2018. She was the proud and much-loved mother of four equally proud daughters, and grandmother to nine grandchildren.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 80 reviews
April 24, 2018
Crap. Too long. Unnecessary sub-plots. Hateful characters.
May 22, 2013
I fall into Vincenzi's very British doorstopper/pot boiler books but yes, sometimes they are a bit overlong. There is always a large cast of characters and multiple POVs. Family sagas, usually. A bit old-fashioned, perhaps a tad sopa-operish, yet often compelling. My favorite of the 3 I've read was Forbidden Places, a WW II era story. I can't read them one after another, but every once in awhile I seem to crave her big book style and dash.
September 29, 2017
Wow, this was a real stinker. At first I enjoyed some of the 1980s and early 90s nostalgia, and I liked some of the secondary characters, but I grew to loathe Francesca. Her husband was horrible, but her endless excuses and self-blame for his ugly behavior were appalling. I skimmed through to the end to see how it would end and to see if she would ever wake up. But she didn't. Very disappointing.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
May 5, 2015
Knjiga o nedoumicama i pitanju koliko svi mi imamo čistu savjest. Netipičan ljubavni roman koji se čita u jednom dahu!
August 7, 2024
Not the best PV book in my opinion but still a great read.
October 4, 2015
The prologue to this meaty, complex family drama puts the central conflict up front and center: The wealthy, charismatic entrepeuner Isambard Channing is forced to ask his much younger third wife Francesca to provide an alibi for a particular night. If she will not, it is likely that Bard will be ruined and end up in jail.
Chapter one jumps backwards to Francesca as a young woman just starting out. Over the course of five years she and Bard Channing repeatedly meet and then separate despite mutual attraction. When they do marry Francesca gives up her career for Bard's extravagant lifestyle and in short order, motherhood. She soon learns that Bard's ideas about marriage are antiquated and limiting. Their relationship is further tested by Bard's acrimonious relationship with a vindictive adult son, his rages. his unwillingness to talk to Francesca about business matters and their differing attitudes regarding the poor health of their infant daughter.
It is at this point (three hundred eighty-five pages in) that we arrive at the scene in the prologue. Bard's business practices catch up with him, and put him -- for the first time -- in Francesca's power. With everything turned on its head, both Bard and Francesca have to face difficult truths.
There is a half-happy ending for this morality play that rings true, but it takes three hundred pages too many to get there.
Chapter one jumps backwards to Francesca as a young woman just starting out. Over the course of five years she and Bard Channing repeatedly meet and then separate despite mutual attraction. When they do marry Francesca gives up her career for Bard's extravagant lifestyle and in short order, motherhood. She soon learns that Bard's ideas about marriage are antiquated and limiting. Their relationship is further tested by Bard's acrimonious relationship with a vindictive adult son, his rages. his unwillingness to talk to Francesca about business matters and their differing attitudes regarding the poor health of their infant daughter.
It is at this point (three hundred eighty-five pages in) that we arrive at the scene in the prologue. Bard's business practices catch up with him, and put him -- for the first time -- in Francesca's power. With everything turned on its head, both Bard and Francesca have to face difficult truths.
There is a half-happy ending for this morality play that rings true, but it takes three hundred pages too many to get there.
April 30, 2018
This book would have been more enjoyable if it was half the length.
June 27, 2024
Enjoyable book but a bit too long!
February 13, 2017
Far too long and complicated.
January 1, 2016
I've really enjoyed some of her later books, but found this too long, too detailed, and therefore a bit dull. She creates realistically complex characters, but the problem with no character being all good or all bad is it becomes difficult to like any of them, and therefore care that much about what happens to them. The ""heroine"" is selfish and whiny and neurotic, although the main male characters do at least redeem themselves. I'd recommend it to big Vincenzi fans only.
July 24, 2008
Ok. This is the second book I have read by this author and I love how she interweaves the characters in her stories. This book kept me up trying to see how it would end. I liked Sheer Abandon better but I enjoy the author's style and her way of bringing her characters to life.
February 19, 2010
I love Penny Vincenzi. Her books are so thick and long. And I quite enjoy reading them. It took me a while to get through this one. Usually it's still somewhat of a short read. But, I was away on the weekend and I haven't really been feeling well this week. But, again, I love her :)
April 2, 2023
I love Penny Vincenzi and really enjoyed this book! I know it’s a bit older (2007), but I really couldn’t get over how many spelling errors there were! I can understand a few, but there were so many.
April 9, 2013
Meh boring I didn't even make it to chapter 5 all the characters are boring and dull. Way to posh for me
January 14, 2018
Dragged on a bit.
May 18, 2020
I thought I'd read this, but now I'm not sure! I got so many and they all got mixed up when I moved and I had no system where 'these are read' and 'there are to be read', which makes things so confusing!
I loved this from the first page page to the last, the writing is pure Vincenzi - this is how we talk - in punctured sentences, in asides, in lies and truths and half-truths... yet there are some things which should never be said, some truths which should never be told, and the explosions when they are discovered are volcanic. It's this which she does so well in all her books, and its this which makes you want to read more, however long the story, in whatever era they're set, in whatever situation the characters she brings to you: the sheer realism in all their actions and words just means you feel able to relate and understand even the most despicable of acts (OK, not the most despicable, shall we say the most human actions).
This book is well-written and you feel so innate to the story, that you're a part of it, that it's so so hard to put down! I've been ill for 9 days now, so I've been unable to read at my usual speed, and the comfort of also being able to put it down and pick it up when I feel able, a strange juxtaposition, meant that it was one of the most comforting and wonderful books to read at that time as well as at a time when I'm myself and want to read long into the night, missing the morning alarm if need be (not that it matters in lockdown anyway)!
One of my favourite authors, and I would so recommend to anyone who enjoys the story and substance just as much as the era - contemporary or biography or history or fantasy, fans of anything will love this, it's that engrossing!
I loved this from the first page page to the last, the writing is pure Vincenzi - this is how we talk - in punctured sentences, in asides, in lies and truths and half-truths... yet there are some things which should never be said, some truths which should never be told, and the explosions when they are discovered are volcanic. It's this which she does so well in all her books, and its this which makes you want to read more, however long the story, in whatever era they're set, in whatever situation the characters she brings to you: the sheer realism in all their actions and words just means you feel able to relate and understand even the most despicable of acts (OK, not the most despicable, shall we say the most human actions).
This book is well-written and you feel so innate to the story, that you're a part of it, that it's so so hard to put down! I've been ill for 9 days now, so I've been unable to read at my usual speed, and the comfort of also being able to put it down and pick it up when I feel able, a strange juxtaposition, meant that it was one of the most comforting and wonderful books to read at that time as well as at a time when I'm myself and want to read long into the night, missing the morning alarm if need be (not that it matters in lockdown anyway)!
One of my favourite authors, and I would so recommend to anyone who enjoys the story and substance just as much as the era - contemporary or biography or history or fantasy, fans of anything will love this, it's that engrossing!
November 12, 2017
From the very first novel I read by Penny Vincenzi, I never fail to be amazed by her work. Her novels are rich with characters who develop throughout, and she is able to manage plots that string all the way across and throughout the entire novel while keeping them consistent.
In this book, Bard Channing is a rich businessman who broke into the property business early on in his career, building up his business with partners so that he has a pretty vast empire by the time the book starts. Francesca is his third wife and mother of two of his children, although he has older children from previous marriages. Bard is rough around the edges and is not anyone's ideal father, although Francesca loves him and is willing to forgive him many of his ill temperaments.
The book mostly focuses on the collapse of Bard's company due to the inability to pay back his loans. His company starts to be investigated, which leads to the revelation of some less than savory actions that Bard himself has taken.
One of the other characters in the book, Graydon Townsend, a journalist who begins investigating Bard in the hopes of getting a big story, was probably my favorite character. His own life is torn apart and he develops as a character as he investigates Bard.
I enjoyed this novel. as I always do with Vincenzi. The storytelling is rich, nearly every character has development, and despite its length, it is a page-turner. I always recommend her novels!
In this book, Bard Channing is a rich businessman who broke into the property business early on in his career, building up his business with partners so that he has a pretty vast empire by the time the book starts. Francesca is his third wife and mother of two of his children, although he has older children from previous marriages. Bard is rough around the edges and is not anyone's ideal father, although Francesca loves him and is willing to forgive him many of his ill temperaments.
The book mostly focuses on the collapse of Bard's company due to the inability to pay back his loans. His company starts to be investigated, which leads to the revelation of some less than savory actions that Bard himself has taken.
One of the other characters in the book, Graydon Townsend, a journalist who begins investigating Bard in the hopes of getting a big story, was probably my favorite character. His own life is torn apart and he develops as a character as he investigates Bard.
I enjoyed this novel. as I always do with Vincenzi. The storytelling is rich, nearly every character has development, and despite its length, it is a page-turner. I always recommend her novels!
May 10, 2018
Francesca has been married to wealthy Bard Channing for five years when everything falls apart. Actually, the Channing "family" has been falling apart for years but it all comes to head when questions arise about Bard's business dealings. Francesca is Bard's third wife, and he has four children from the previous two marriages plus the two new ones with Francesca. His older children are all enmeshed in messes of their own. There is a problem with both lack of communication and the failure of all them to keep their mouths shut at inappropriate times. As their lives spin out of control, all the relationships are forced to be re-evaluated.
I love Penny Vincenzi's books! They are long and rambling with characters that are despicable but yet lovable at the same time. She writes in stream of consciousness sentences which gives the impression that the characters are sitting down with the reader and confiding. Vincenzi's books are gossipy, about lavish lifestyles, and thoroughly entertaining.
I love Penny Vincenzi's books! They are long and rambling with characters that are despicable but yet lovable at the same time. She writes in stream of consciousness sentences which gives the impression that the characters are sitting down with the reader and confiding. Vincenzi's books are gossipy, about lavish lifestyles, and thoroughly entertaining.
August 8, 2025
This is what we called a word processor novel. If authors had to type and retype all the pages on the old-fashioned typewriters, they would have been a great deal shorter. There are 884 pages and there are many paragraphs a page long.
The characters are selfish, arrogant, insensitive and philandering - self-described in one case at least. Most of them are liars and they swear a lot. For no great reason we have to follow the British cast through several years - pre-divorce, marriage, family, kids raised, scandal, court case - to get to a point where someone is held partially accountable for some business dealings. We could have established that the woman was going to lie, and skipped a decade. Following the minutiae of people's lives when you already don't like them, and they just drink, argue and get on yachts, is not a great way to pass a few days, so I didn't.
Word processors were supposed to make authors better at their job. You decide.
I read a paperback. This is an unbiased review.
The characters are selfish, arrogant, insensitive and philandering - self-described in one case at least. Most of them are liars and they swear a lot. For no great reason we have to follow the British cast through several years - pre-divorce, marriage, family, kids raised, scandal, court case - to get to a point where someone is held partially accountable for some business dealings. We could have established that the woman was going to lie, and skipped a decade. Following the minutiae of people's lives when you already don't like them, and they just drink, argue and get on yachts, is not a great way to pass a few days, so I didn't.
Word processors were supposed to make authors better at their job. You decide.
I read a paperback. This is an unbiased review.
June 28, 2025
This book was confusing for me as I’d previously believed that I had read all of PV’s books, despite forgetting some of the details over time, which makes re-reading all the better. This one however I discovered quite far in, I hadn’t read at all. This made me very pleased and excited - however, it soon became apparent (as also mentioned in many of the reviews here) that this is not her best work.
This was a real shame as I usually enjoy absorbing her huge, detailed, sprawling stories - often taking them on holiday as they easily last a week - but had this been written by anyone else, I think I would have given up. There were no interesting or likeable characters at all and the storyline held no interest or care to me. A pity. There are many other far better examples of her writing, thankfully.
This was a real shame as I usually enjoy absorbing her huge, detailed, sprawling stories - often taking them on holiday as they easily last a week - but had this been written by anyone else, I think I would have given up. There were no interesting or likeable characters at all and the storyline held no interest or care to me. A pity. There are many other far better examples of her writing, thankfully.
May 22, 2022
This is the first (and most definitely the last!) Penny Vincenzi novel I ever read!!!
I was looking forward to a good trashy read ...novel is almost 900 pages and sounded promising a gossipy family drama of rich people...
And many of my friends piped in and said you will enjoy this when I posted on Facebook that I was reading this.
But enjoy it I did not ...I only managed to get to page 128 when I gave up ...too many characters doing uninteresting things ...I would have hoped before page 128 I would be hooked with enough interest to see me through.
I set it aside some months ago with the thought I would pick it back up later ... but honestly life is too short to waste reading this drivel! NEXT!!
I was looking forward to a good trashy read ...novel is almost 900 pages and sounded promising a gossipy family drama of rich people...
And many of my friends piped in and said you will enjoy this when I posted on Facebook that I was reading this.
But enjoy it I did not ...I only managed to get to page 128 when I gave up ...too many characters doing uninteresting things ...I would have hoped before page 128 I would be hooked with enough interest to see me through.
I set it aside some months ago with the thought I would pick it back up later ... but honestly life is too short to waste reading this drivel! NEXT!!
December 4, 2018
I like how the author weaves multiple storylines together but I couldn't really empathize with any of these characters. Francesca is supposed to be clever and tough and all she does is whine...the ENTIRE book.
More like 2.5 but I bumped it up to 3 stars because I was interested in seeing how the story turned out.
More like 2.5 but I bumped it up to 3 stars because I was interested in seeing how the story turned out.
March 13, 2022
I was looking forward to this read but ultimately somewhat disappointed with the predictability. There were times it grabbed me, but ultimately, Francesca annoyed me a little, portraying that sweet and innocenct persona, yet succumbing to her stepson. It was too drawn out and the storyline for me is a little overdone.
February 15, 2018
Delicious!!
This book has such an interesting story. I love the way Ms Vincenzi weaves a story of so many characters. And she somehow gets me worrying about every one of them. And, as usual, I'm sad that it is over. A great read!!
This book has such an interesting story. I love the way Ms Vincenzi weaves a story of so many characters. And she somehow gets me worrying about every one of them. And, as usual, I'm sad that it is over. A great read!!
April 16, 2018
Longer than it needed to be but true to her approach to writing.
November 26, 2019
A wonderfully engaging tale of the struggle to move past loss and ignorance and make a better place for oneself in a hard and unyielding world. Intriguing, enigmatic to the end.
August 5, 2020
The story about a woman at a crossroad in her marriage and her decision to either lie and get her husband out of a criminal charge or let him face the consequences of his actions.
It’s a long novel and this dilemma does to actually come up till much later in the book.
It’s a long novel and this dilemma does to actually come up till much later in the book.
April 12, 2022
it may be old but its good ! Re-read for maybe the 3nrd time & had completely forgotten the ending!
September 20, 2022
read this while drunk on the beach in France and it was perfect for that vibe
January 11, 2024
To long, much to long…Very slow read indeed. To many characters to many little plots.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 80 reviews