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Scruples #2
Scruples Two
Scruples, Judith Krantz's electrifying, world wide bestseller appeared fifteen years ago and made book publishing history. Now that unforgettable story, a story that marks an era, a story that millions of readers wish had never ended . . . continues. Only a single night's sleep seperates the lives of the characters in Scruples from this mesmerizing sequel. Billy Ikehorn is a contemporary woman living on a grand scale. A self-made beauty and the exquisite owner of a fabled Beverley Hills boutique called Scruples and married to the Oscar-winning producer Vito Orsini. To those who only know her from afar, she seems to lead a dream existence, wrapped in all the power of glamout, riches, and success. Then a stranger arrives in Billy's life--Gigi Orsini, Vito's sixteen-year-old daughter by an early marriage. Independent, deeply interesting, street-smart, and enchantingly humorous, Gigi captures Billy's heart and sets in motion a train of utterly unexpected events. Life with Gigi hold both joy and pain for Spider Elliot and Valentine O'Neill, Billy's partners in Scruples. The many new freinds Gigi makes during the next five years will grow important to Billy in ways she could never have forseen. Scruples Two moves swiflty and unexpectadly, filled with breathtaking change, from California to New York to Paris, following two of the most fascinating and touching females in modern fiction, Billy Ikehorn and Gigi Orsini.From the Paperback edition.
544 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 1, 1984
194 people are currently reading
858 people want to read
About the author
Judith Krantz
56 books308 followersJudith Krantz was an American author of blockbuster romance novels including her first novel Scruples followed by Princess Daisy. Krantz's books have been translated into 52 languages and sold more than 85 million copies worldwide. Seven have been adapted as TV miniseries, with her late husband, Steve Krantz.
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Displaying 1 - 24 of 62 reviews
March 9, 2017
Though a sequel to Scruples it's a 'stand alone' novel,I have not read Scruples but Scruples Two was an interesting read;though some characters are short live but lovable and the plot was beautiful but then why did I gave it 3 stars? Because some section of the book was boring and I still look forward to reading other Judith Kranz!
October 16, 2018
3 1/2 stars
Tackling the sequel to ‘70s classic SCRUPLES seemed the right decision last summer. Sun, surf…
https://sleaze-factor.blogspot.com/20...
Tackling the sequel to ‘70s classic SCRUPLES seemed the right decision last summer. Sun, surf…
https://sleaze-factor.blogspot.com/20...
May 1, 2008
This sequel is dull and blech in comparison to the original.
Kind of a rehash of the first book, but with differnt characters. same crap, different people.
save yourself the troubel and stick the the original Scruples.
Kind of a rehash of the first book, but with differnt characters. same crap, different people.
save yourself the troubel and stick the the original Scruples.
Read
February 20, 2018Krantz--more addictive than crack
This is my third Krantz and I'm hooked. One more, & I'll need rehab. Gone are the days when I'd happily fork over 20 bucks for a sensible Paretsky or a tame Evanovich. (Ranger who??). Krantz is more addictive than crack. Luxurious locales, mesmerizing characters & over the top drama
create a tantalizing tale that delivers a happy ending for Billy.
This is my third Krantz and I'm hooked. One more, & I'll need rehab. Gone are the days when I'd happily fork over 20 bucks for a sensible Paretsky or a tame Evanovich. (Ranger who??). Krantz is more addictive than crack. Luxurious locales, mesmerizing characters & over the top drama
create a tantalizing tale that delivers a happy ending for Billy.
November 12, 2012
The first Scruples was an acceptable mix of smush and all out fantasy in the fashion world and the world of the very rich. This, however, was a cheap knock off. Beloved characters were killed off, marriages were split, and unrealistic characters were paired together. The whole charm of the first book was completely lost.
Read
June 24, 2018Billy Winthrop Orsini had grown up as a chubby, motherless relation to the aristocratic Winthrop's of Boston. She'd graduated from a exclusive boarding school and then gone to Paris for a year and returned as a new version of herself. She was a beauty and got a job as secretary to multimillionaire, 60 yr old Ellis Ikehorn. Billy was 21. She made two friends, Jessica Thorpe, now living in NY and Dolly Moon.
Ellis had a stroke 7 years into the marriage and died 5 years later. She had traveled extensively with Ellis before his stroke and had become almost a recluse during the 5 years after his stroke. After he died, she threw herself into making Scruples, her clothing store, a success. Two years later she married Vito Orsini who had spent most of his time producing 'Mirrors'. He had just won an Oscar for Best Picture and Dolly won for Best Supporting Actress. Dolly went into labor that same night and had a baby girl. Billie wanted to tell Vito that she was pregnant but he was too busy accepting his congratulations to find for them to talk.
Gigi showed up then, Vito's 16 yr old daughter. Billy was angry that she hadn't been told he had been married previously and had a child. She let him know how angry she was and then announced that she was pregnant. Billy was happy to have Gigi join their family. And Gigi appreciated having a new hairstyle and clothes that weren't literally falling apart and stained.
Vito hadn't had anything to do with Gigi other than pay her child support. He had intended to send her back to NY to one of the families she typically stayed with when her mother was out of town. Graziella Giovanna Orsini's mother had been an actress who traveled a lot. Her mother had gotten pneumonia and not taken care of herself and died.
Billy took Gigi to Scruples to see her manager and clothing purchaser to discover that Spider and Valentine had gotten married. They were celebrating when Dolly's publicist came in and announced that he and Dolly were soon to be married. Billy announced her pregnancy and Vito arrived. He put on a happy face and wondered what kind of witch he had married for her to change into a prospective mother without consulting or warning him. He complained to Maggie MacGregor, a news reporter who still wanted Vito even though their affair had been over for 4 years. They talked about his new project, producing 'The WASP'. Then they resumed their affair.
Billy returned home after visiting Jessica in NY and miscarried her baby. She was disappointed and knew that she had made a mistake in marrying Vito due to his attitude. She divorced him while suing for custody of Gigi. Over the next several years, Billy opened branches of Scruples in Chicago, NY, Munich, Honolulu and Hong Kong while maintaining the store in Beverly Hills. She made Valentine and Spider partners in those stores to keep them from leaving her. Billy spent a lot of time traveling on business while Gigi grew up.
Gigi loved to cook and took lessons from Billy's cook, Jean Luc. He resigned when Gigi was ready to go to college and a new cook was hired, Quentin Browning. Gigi immediately pursued him and began an affair. She had led him to believe that she was experienced with men while she was yet a virgin. He knew he was in over his head because he couldn't stop thinking about Gigi or keep his hands off her and she was head over heels in love with him. Gigi pretended she didn't know how to cook until she found out that he had resigned and she showed him that she was an excellent chef.
Vito's new movie had bombed and Maggie dropped him when she realized how bad it was. Vito left the country because he was too was embarrassed to be seen. Curt Arvey had produced the movie while his wife, Susan, wasn't surprised as she watched the choices that Vito had made of writer, director and leading actors roles. She had married Curt with the approval of her father and was wealthy but unhappy. Her father had left Susan's husband to inherit upon his death. Susan used Curt's inattention to take time to travel to NY where she assumed another identity and hired male prostitutes to succumb to her bitter nature.
Valentine O'Neill accepted a job to design clothes for Melanie Adams for a new movie titled Legends. Melanie was the only other person Spider had loved and Val wanted to meet her. After they met, the only thing Val felt for her was pity. Melanie didn't seem able to picture herself in reality. She was owned by Wells Cope who had discovered her and didn't know how to break free.
Comtesse Cora de Lioncourt had married at 19 to a man who was 49 while she was in Paris. She was ugly in the manner of women like Barbara Streisand and felt she had few options. He had money and a title and she accepted his proposal for those reasons. Neither of them wanted children and they spent their time and money cultivating members of society and collecting various items of interest to them. He died years later and her income wasn't enough to support her lifestyle and she began thinking of employment. She was still an American citizen and a job in Paris wasn't possible. Her first thought was of NY. She moved there and began a business taking commissions to steer people to restaurants and stores. One of the customers she pursued to work with was Billy.
Spider had gone out of town for work for a few days and Valentine was having trouble sleeping. She went to the store to work for a few hours and fell asleep while smoking. The Beverly Hills store was closed for remodeling and the cigarette fell from Val's hands and caught the place on fire. The paper, paint, and construction supplies caught fire quickly. The store burned down with Val inside. Billy ordered her lawyer to sell all of her stores. She wanted Scruples to cease to exist. She blamed herself for Valentine's death.
Spider bought a boat and took off to where no one knew him. It was a well after a year later that he found out about Billy selling off Scruples. He wrote her a letter telling her that she wasn't to blame and that Val had probably fallen asleep smoking and her cigarette had started the fire.
Billy moved to Paris and found a house. She dressed as a poor Parisian and went to flea markets to find decorations. After one of those trips she met a sculptor and they practically lived together for 9 months. Billy never told him who she was and used her nickname as a child, Honey Winthrop. He went with a friend to the Paris opera one night and saw Billy there. He had discovered her lie and told her that he never wanted to see her again. Billy had been planning on telling him within the next couple of weeks. He was having a showing of his work and she was going to tell him after it was over.
Billy had found a roommate for Gigi. It was Sasha, the daughter of one of the people that Gigi had stayed with growing up while living with her mother. Neither of the girls thought they would get along. Sasha was 4 years older. She was surprised to find out that Gigi was not a virgin and friendly. Gigi began dating Sasha's older brother, Zach.
Zach was an off-Broadway producer known for his affairs with actresses. He fell for Gigi in a big way but couldn't convince her in the slightest that he was in love with her. He invited her skiing with another actor and actress. They didn't know how to ski and took lessons. He convinced her to leave the class and try the easier slopes on their own. He kissed Gigi and she fell as she backed away from him and broke her leg. He went to get help and got her to the hospital. He felt guilty but was exhausted and fell asleep. The actress went into his room, took her clothes off and climbed into bed with him. He was so tired he didn't fully realize that she had climbed on top of him until Gigi entered the room and saw them. He tossed the actress off him but the damage had been done. Gigi was in love with Zach too but now the damage was done. She went home from the trip deeply hurt.
Billy and Gigi both arrived in New York about the same time. Sasha was a lingerie model and her boss had recently died of a heart attack. He wanted Gigi, who collected antique lingerie, to work with his company to produce a line of similar items to what she collected. That was over now with his death. The girls talked about his ideas with Billy and about opening a Scruples Two that sold moderate-priced clothing and exclusive lingerie. Billy angrily said no because she didn't want another Scruples store. She didn't want to discredit what the previous Scruples had been. She left Gigi's and Sasha's apartment and flew to LA to see Spider Elliot who had returned from his years spent traveling by water. Billy told Spider about the girls ideas and he thought it was a great idea. He and Billy decided to work with the girls and start a catalog business with them.
They both flew to NY to begin the planning stages. Billy arranged for office space for Scruples Two in LA, in the same building where Josh Hillman, Billy's lawyer, had his office. He came by their office one afternoon to drop off some papers and he and Sasha fell in love at first sight. Josh had been married before and had 3 kids. He had gotten a divorce when he fell in love with Valentine before she married Spider Elliot. Josh didn't realize how young Sasha was and she acted much older than she was in order to hold his attraction to her. Sasha was close to 24 while Josh was 40.
Billy spoke with a designer she knew and had worked with for Scruples and persuaded him to help launch Scruples Two. Spider tried making out with Gigi but she put a stop to it telling him that it was all wrong. They became close friends. Gigi was closer to 21 while Spider was 38.
Vito had come back to LA after being gone for a few years. He ran into Curt Arvey's wife, Susan, and began an affair. She used him as he used her for the rough sex she craved. They grew closer than either of them ever thought they would. She no longer went to NY to participate in her sexual fantasies. Vito was trying to persuade Arvey to agree to produce a movie using a new book, Fair Play, that he had purchased the rights too. Vito didn't realize that it was because of Susan's influence that he was getting nowhere with Curt.
Vito had lunch with Gigi and asked her if she would speak to Billy about having a conversation about the book with Susan. He didn't want to ask Susan for her help directly so she couldn't hold that over him in their relationship. Gigi spoke with Billy later in the week and Gigi finally told Billy about her love for Zach and what she had walked into after she had broken her leg. Billy told Gigi that Zach had come to see her after what had happened with the actress, Pandora. Billy had Gigi listen to the explanation Zach had given her for the situation. Gigi told Billy that she would talk to Zach when he came to LA for Sasha's wedding the next month. Gigi also told Billy about Spider kissing her and they ended up good friends but nothing more. Billy called Vito after Gigi left and told him that she would finance his movie on the stipulation that Zack Nevsky direct the film.
Gigi went to Sasha's to try on her bridesmaid dress. She came out of the room to find Zach waiting for her. She ran into his arms and he told her again that he was sorry and that he was in love with her. She told him that she loved him too.
They were all preparing for a party and fashion show to launch their catalog business when their designer arrived with a magazine article. It detailed Billy's relationship with Sam in Paris. Billy was embarrassed and didn't know what to do. She went home to hide out. She didn't want to attend the launch party. Spider found out and went to see her. They began to talk and Billy told him that she was thinking of going back to Paris. Spider told her that he didn't want her to leave him. Billy admitted to him that she was mad at him as well as jealous of his relationship with Gigi. She was in love with him and had been since he had returned from his travels. Spider realized that he too was in love with Billy.
A year later, Vito's movie was another hit. Zach directed the film and the actor friend who had been with Zach, Pandora, and Gigi when they went skiing had starred in the film with Meryl Streep. Zach and Gigi weren't married but were living together. Gigi wanted more time with him to make sure they were the right fit.
Sasha was pregnant and due in another 4 weeks. Billy was only 2 weeks behind and expecting twin boys. The catalog business was much more successful than any of them imagined it could be.
Ellis had a stroke 7 years into the marriage and died 5 years later. She had traveled extensively with Ellis before his stroke and had become almost a recluse during the 5 years after his stroke. After he died, she threw herself into making Scruples, her clothing store, a success. Two years later she married Vito Orsini who had spent most of his time producing 'Mirrors'. He had just won an Oscar for Best Picture and Dolly won for Best Supporting Actress. Dolly went into labor that same night and had a baby girl. Billie wanted to tell Vito that she was pregnant but he was too busy accepting his congratulations to find for them to talk.
Gigi showed up then, Vito's 16 yr old daughter. Billy was angry that she hadn't been told he had been married previously and had a child. She let him know how angry she was and then announced that she was pregnant. Billy was happy to have Gigi join their family. And Gigi appreciated having a new hairstyle and clothes that weren't literally falling apart and stained.
Vito hadn't had anything to do with Gigi other than pay her child support. He had intended to send her back to NY to one of the families she typically stayed with when her mother was out of town. Graziella Giovanna Orsini's mother had been an actress who traveled a lot. Her mother had gotten pneumonia and not taken care of herself and died.
Billy took Gigi to Scruples to see her manager and clothing purchaser to discover that Spider and Valentine had gotten married. They were celebrating when Dolly's publicist came in and announced that he and Dolly were soon to be married. Billy announced her pregnancy and Vito arrived. He put on a happy face and wondered what kind of witch he had married for her to change into a prospective mother without consulting or warning him. He complained to Maggie MacGregor, a news reporter who still wanted Vito even though their affair had been over for 4 years. They talked about his new project, producing 'The WASP'. Then they resumed their affair.
Billy returned home after visiting Jessica in NY and miscarried her baby. She was disappointed and knew that she had made a mistake in marrying Vito due to his attitude. She divorced him while suing for custody of Gigi. Over the next several years, Billy opened branches of Scruples in Chicago, NY, Munich, Honolulu and Hong Kong while maintaining the store in Beverly Hills. She made Valentine and Spider partners in those stores to keep them from leaving her. Billy spent a lot of time traveling on business while Gigi grew up.
Gigi loved to cook and took lessons from Billy's cook, Jean Luc. He resigned when Gigi was ready to go to college and a new cook was hired, Quentin Browning. Gigi immediately pursued him and began an affair. She had led him to believe that she was experienced with men while she was yet a virgin. He knew he was in over his head because he couldn't stop thinking about Gigi or keep his hands off her and she was head over heels in love with him. Gigi pretended she didn't know how to cook until she found out that he had resigned and she showed him that she was an excellent chef.
Vito's new movie had bombed and Maggie dropped him when she realized how bad it was. Vito left the country because he was too was embarrassed to be seen. Curt Arvey had produced the movie while his wife, Susan, wasn't surprised as she watched the choices that Vito had made of writer, director and leading actors roles. She had married Curt with the approval of her father and was wealthy but unhappy. Her father had left Susan's husband to inherit upon his death. Susan used Curt's inattention to take time to travel to NY where she assumed another identity and hired male prostitutes to succumb to her bitter nature.
Valentine O'Neill accepted a job to design clothes for Melanie Adams for a new movie titled Legends. Melanie was the only other person Spider had loved and Val wanted to meet her. After they met, the only thing Val felt for her was pity. Melanie didn't seem able to picture herself in reality. She was owned by Wells Cope who had discovered her and didn't know how to break free.
Comtesse Cora de Lioncourt had married at 19 to a man who was 49 while she was in Paris. She was ugly in the manner of women like Barbara Streisand and felt she had few options. He had money and a title and she accepted his proposal for those reasons. Neither of them wanted children and they spent their time and money cultivating members of society and collecting various items of interest to them. He died years later and her income wasn't enough to support her lifestyle and she began thinking of employment. She was still an American citizen and a job in Paris wasn't possible. Her first thought was of NY. She moved there and began a business taking commissions to steer people to restaurants and stores. One of the customers she pursued to work with was Billy.
Spider had gone out of town for work for a few days and Valentine was having trouble sleeping. She went to the store to work for a few hours and fell asleep while smoking. The Beverly Hills store was closed for remodeling and the cigarette fell from Val's hands and caught the place on fire. The paper, paint, and construction supplies caught fire quickly. The store burned down with Val inside. Billy ordered her lawyer to sell all of her stores. She wanted Scruples to cease to exist. She blamed herself for Valentine's death.
Spider bought a boat and took off to where no one knew him. It was a well after a year later that he found out about Billy selling off Scruples. He wrote her a letter telling her that she wasn't to blame and that Val had probably fallen asleep smoking and her cigarette had started the fire.
Billy moved to Paris and found a house. She dressed as a poor Parisian and went to flea markets to find decorations. After one of those trips she met a sculptor and they practically lived together for 9 months. Billy never told him who she was and used her nickname as a child, Honey Winthrop. He went with a friend to the Paris opera one night and saw Billy there. He had discovered her lie and told her that he never wanted to see her again. Billy had been planning on telling him within the next couple of weeks. He was having a showing of his work and she was going to tell him after it was over.
Billy had found a roommate for Gigi. It was Sasha, the daughter of one of the people that Gigi had stayed with growing up while living with her mother. Neither of the girls thought they would get along. Sasha was 4 years older. She was surprised to find out that Gigi was not a virgin and friendly. Gigi began dating Sasha's older brother, Zach.
Zach was an off-Broadway producer known for his affairs with actresses. He fell for Gigi in a big way but couldn't convince her in the slightest that he was in love with her. He invited her skiing with another actor and actress. They didn't know how to ski and took lessons. He convinced her to leave the class and try the easier slopes on their own. He kissed Gigi and she fell as she backed away from him and broke her leg. He went to get help and got her to the hospital. He felt guilty but was exhausted and fell asleep. The actress went into his room, took her clothes off and climbed into bed with him. He was so tired he didn't fully realize that she had climbed on top of him until Gigi entered the room and saw them. He tossed the actress off him but the damage had been done. Gigi was in love with Zach too but now the damage was done. She went home from the trip deeply hurt.
Billy and Gigi both arrived in New York about the same time. Sasha was a lingerie model and her boss had recently died of a heart attack. He wanted Gigi, who collected antique lingerie, to work with his company to produce a line of similar items to what she collected. That was over now with his death. The girls talked about his ideas with Billy and about opening a Scruples Two that sold moderate-priced clothing and exclusive lingerie. Billy angrily said no because she didn't want another Scruples store. She didn't want to discredit what the previous Scruples had been. She left Gigi's and Sasha's apartment and flew to LA to see Spider Elliot who had returned from his years spent traveling by water. Billy told Spider about the girls ideas and he thought it was a great idea. He and Billy decided to work with the girls and start a catalog business with them.
They both flew to NY to begin the planning stages. Billy arranged for office space for Scruples Two in LA, in the same building where Josh Hillman, Billy's lawyer, had his office. He came by their office one afternoon to drop off some papers and he and Sasha fell in love at first sight. Josh had been married before and had 3 kids. He had gotten a divorce when he fell in love with Valentine before she married Spider Elliot. Josh didn't realize how young Sasha was and she acted much older than she was in order to hold his attraction to her. Sasha was close to 24 while Josh was 40.
Billy spoke with a designer she knew and had worked with for Scruples and persuaded him to help launch Scruples Two. Spider tried making out with Gigi but she put a stop to it telling him that it was all wrong. They became close friends. Gigi was closer to 21 while Spider was 38.
Vito had come back to LA after being gone for a few years. He ran into Curt Arvey's wife, Susan, and began an affair. She used him as he used her for the rough sex she craved. They grew closer than either of them ever thought they would. She no longer went to NY to participate in her sexual fantasies. Vito was trying to persuade Arvey to agree to produce a movie using a new book, Fair Play, that he had purchased the rights too. Vito didn't realize that it was because of Susan's influence that he was getting nowhere with Curt.
Vito had lunch with Gigi and asked her if she would speak to Billy about having a conversation about the book with Susan. He didn't want to ask Susan for her help directly so she couldn't hold that over him in their relationship. Gigi spoke with Billy later in the week and Gigi finally told Billy about her love for Zach and what she had walked into after she had broken her leg. Billy told Gigi that Zach had come to see her after what had happened with the actress, Pandora. Billy had Gigi listen to the explanation Zach had given her for the situation. Gigi told Billy that she would talk to Zach when he came to LA for Sasha's wedding the next month. Gigi also told Billy about Spider kissing her and they ended up good friends but nothing more. Billy called Vito after Gigi left and told him that she would finance his movie on the stipulation that Zack Nevsky direct the film.
Gigi went to Sasha's to try on her bridesmaid dress. She came out of the room to find Zach waiting for her. She ran into his arms and he told her again that he was sorry and that he was in love with her. She told him that she loved him too.
They were all preparing for a party and fashion show to launch their catalog business when their designer arrived with a magazine article. It detailed Billy's relationship with Sam in Paris. Billy was embarrassed and didn't know what to do. She went home to hide out. She didn't want to attend the launch party. Spider found out and went to see her. They began to talk and Billy told him that she was thinking of going back to Paris. Spider told her that he didn't want her to leave him. Billy admitted to him that she was mad at him as well as jealous of his relationship with Gigi. She was in love with him and had been since he had returned from his travels. Spider realized that he too was in love with Billy.
A year later, Vito's movie was another hit. Zach directed the film and the actor friend who had been with Zach, Pandora, and Gigi when they went skiing had starred in the film with Meryl Streep. Zach and Gigi weren't married but were living together. Gigi wanted more time with him to make sure they were the right fit.
Sasha was pregnant and due in another 4 weeks. Billy was only 2 weeks behind and expecting twin boys. The catalog business was much more successful than any of them imagined it could be.
November 5, 2019
I remember this book more than the first. Does that say something about me? That I’ve read both?
May 30, 2024
Not quite as good as Scruples, but almost. We're back with Billy, Valentine and Spider, but also some new characters. This book takes many twists and unexpected turns, resulting in some jarring time jumps. Despite the initial shock of the narrative turn, I really ended up enjoying this one. I always find Krantz simultaneously difficult to read but I also find myself being unable to put her books down.
October 11, 2021
I forget how much we have changed as a society in what is considered acceptable and what isn't.
This book takes place from the mid-70's to the early 80's when certain things were considered normal and other things have yet to even happen
.
An example: Women who are pregnant drink alcohol. Yup. In this book and the previous one in this duet, two of the characters are pregnant (at different times). One (in the previous book) is going to have her kid in the next 24 hours (although she thinks it will be two weeks away). She thinks that alcohol that is made from fruit or is fruit flavored can't hurt the baby, because fruit is good for people, RIGHT? Although she is kind of ditzy in the book, she isn't stupid. Anyhow she talks the guy she is with into getting booze to drink because they are stressing out over being nominated for the Academy Awards (She's in it for best supporting actress and the awards are the next day). Anyhow, her guy gets like 10 different types of fruit flavored liquors including Framboise. She likes that it has practically no flavor but it smells nice. She and her guy get totally bombed. In that book there is nothing wrong with that. There is no internal monolog saying "maybe I shouldn't". Nope, they get bombed and there are no repercussions. It happens again in this book at the beginning when the main heroine finds out she is unplanned and unexpectedly pregnant by her new husband. She finds out because her Oscar dress was too tight. Her husband is up for best Picture (he was the producer). She is pissed and goes home and has a couple of brandies. Then the next day (in the beginning of this book) she had multiple glasses of champagne.
That and the casual infidelity as well as the general tone of the early 80's with its mass capitalism.
I did find it funny how towards the end of the book two of the main characters think that they could go into the catalog business to sell their big idea of vintage lingerie. However, they don’t' think it would be a good idea because what catalog only sells lingerie? Victoria's Secret hadn't been started yet. Also, in case you are too young to remember, Victoria's Secret was strictly a catalog store with more clothes, shoes and accessories than lingerie when it first came out in the early 90's. Actually, they didn't even have lingerie then (I don't think). It was a straight clothing catalog.
Another thing that made this book dated was the complete lack of technology that is abundant today. No computers, no cell phones, no phones that weren't actually attached to the wall (so no cordless phones). The plot depended a lot on that fact. People weren't as accessible; news wasn't so fast to get around.
Anyhow, I love this book, I read it for the first time in 1998 when I was stuck in my own version of quarantine at an in-law’s home in Jordan. No tv, nothing to do but read her books. She had a large library with all the Judith Krantz, Sydney Sheldon, Harold Robbins, and other books. It was there that I read my first "erotica".
This book takes place from the mid-70's to the early 80's when certain things were considered normal and other things have yet to even happen
.
An example: Women who are pregnant drink alcohol. Yup. In this book and the previous one in this duet, two of the characters are pregnant (at different times). One (in the previous book) is going to have her kid in the next 24 hours (although she thinks it will be two weeks away). She thinks that alcohol that is made from fruit or is fruit flavored can't hurt the baby, because fruit is good for people, RIGHT? Although she is kind of ditzy in the book, she isn't stupid. Anyhow she talks the guy she is with into getting booze to drink because they are stressing out over being nominated for the Academy Awards (She's in it for best supporting actress and the awards are the next day). Anyhow, her guy gets like 10 different types of fruit flavored liquors including Framboise. She likes that it has practically no flavor but it smells nice. She and her guy get totally bombed. In that book there is nothing wrong with that. There is no internal monolog saying "maybe I shouldn't". Nope, they get bombed and there are no repercussions. It happens again in this book at the beginning when the main heroine finds out she is unplanned and unexpectedly pregnant by her new husband. She finds out because her Oscar dress was too tight. Her husband is up for best Picture (he was the producer). She is pissed and goes home and has a couple of brandies. Then the next day (in the beginning of this book) she had multiple glasses of champagne.
That and the casual infidelity as well as the general tone of the early 80's with its mass capitalism.
I did find it funny how towards the end of the book two of the main characters think that they could go into the catalog business to sell their big idea of vintage lingerie. However, they don’t' think it would be a good idea because what catalog only sells lingerie? Victoria's Secret hadn't been started yet. Also, in case you are too young to remember, Victoria's Secret was strictly a catalog store with more clothes, shoes and accessories than lingerie when it first came out in the early 90's. Actually, they didn't even have lingerie then (I don't think). It was a straight clothing catalog.
Another thing that made this book dated was the complete lack of technology that is abundant today. No computers, no cell phones, no phones that weren't actually attached to the wall (so no cordless phones). The plot depended a lot on that fact. People weren't as accessible; news wasn't so fast to get around.
Anyhow, I love this book, I read it for the first time in 1998 when I was stuck in my own version of quarantine at an in-law’s home in Jordan. No tv, nothing to do but read her books. She had a large library with all the Judith Krantz, Sydney Sheldon, Harold Robbins, and other books. It was there that I read my first "erotica".
October 12, 2023
lots to admire and lots to not in this elegantly titled sequel to Scruples, SCRUPLES TWO. billy ikehorn nee winthrop once again inhabits the fizzy promised land of late seventies los angeles but this time: it's worse! the majesty and unrelenting gender spectacle of the original feels somewhat deflated here -- makes sense since krantz only returned to the source material fifteen years later in a very different and very dreamless nineties landscape. characters are literally butchered with abandon, marriages are destroyed, babies are lost... there is a perfunctory and invasive sadness that makes the soap opera less sparkling and actually even elegiac from time to time. simply not the tone i'm looking for from these books. that said, krantz and her singular world view do persist and surface throughout the book in vignettes i will never forget: high school girls imagining what woody allen's dick looks like, antique shopping in paris, operatic dinners draped in diamonds, light bdsm in a plush hotel, makeovers and haircuts... that's where the meat of the world lies and it makes it worth reading after all
May 4, 2018
I read the first Scruples and I remember really liking it. Of course that was years ago. This one, while entertaining, just got on my nerves. So much drama! And the ending was entirely implausible in my opinion. I’m glad I picked this up at a used book store for $.50. I’d have been really upset if I paid full price.
April 7, 2022
Really just read this since I am OCD and it is hard for me to not read the whole series. This one is a def step down from Scruples, almost abandoned it 1/3 way through, but I'll see this to the end, there is only one more book.
December 11, 2017
feels like there's a real market gap - why do i have to go back to the classics to get this kind of book? someone should be updating these.
May 26, 2018
Reread.
January 25, 2019
PRETTY GOOD BUT PREDICTABLE
Read
June 28, 2019I have the german edition.
September 4, 2019
Read this years and years ago but just no marking it "read" on Goodreads.
October 20, 2019
Tämänkin tosin suomeksi.
July 31, 2021
Excellent sequel
The characters become almost like friends in this sequel to Scruples. Couldn’t put it down, and and hoping to find Scruples 3!
The characters become almost like friends in this sequel to Scruples. Couldn’t put it down, and and hoping to find Scruples 3!
August 27, 2022
Enjoyable. Not as good as the first one, seemed to drag a bit.
March 21, 2023
This one kept me guessing and I was not at all disappointed.
September 7, 2024
D. fiction; society rich, (Why did I bother?); from stash, discard
January 14, 2023
Continuación de la saga iniciada con Scruples, esta novela perfila una galería de nuevos personajes y situaciones que someten a dura prueba a Billy Ikerhorn, la inolvidable protagonista de la serie.
August 3, 2025
Daytime soap sequel featuring a sprawling cast of incestuous characters. We love you Gigi, we love you Sasha the Great Slut....
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