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Old Sins
In the tradition of Scruples and A Woman of Scruples, this is a spellbinding novel about six powerful women who maneuver for control over men, money, and a vast business empire. Their saga unfolds across 30 fiery years, building in intensity as the endgame approaches and a shocking secret is revealed.
632 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 1989
198 people are currently reading
676 people want to read
About the author
Penny Vincenzi
65 books928 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 64 reviews
June 29, 2013
Many years ago, I worked in a hotel... And many guests (specially foreigners) used to leave behind them the paperbacks they've finished reading... So, the maids were collecting those abandoned books and bringing them to my office... So, I came across this wonderful book and fell in love with the author... When I became editor-in-chief at Laguna I fought hard to make big boss let me publish her... And I gave her wonderful translator... And I was right, many readers in Serbia fell in love with her books as well... So far, 4 of her titles are published in Serbia... First class commercial female fiction... Nice "fat" books with many pages that you are sorry to put down once you finish reading... :)
April 4, 2024
Brilliant. I read this book many years ago but I still enjoyed reading it again.
September 17, 2017
You don't finish a 1000 page book unless it's readable (or I don't anyway), but I was left with a bit of a "so what" feeling at the end of this. It's the tale of a ruthless business man building an empire and shagging and upsetting lots of women. There's kind of a twist, but to be honest it's so obvious it hardly counts as that, and there are lots of sections that just feel a bit unnecessary.
That said, it's often fun, that characters are pretty engaging and I now know the names of lots of fashion and cosmetic brands that were popular in the 50s, 60s, 70s and 80s.
That said, it's often fun, that characters are pretty engaging and I now know the names of lots of fashion and cosmetic brands that were popular in the 50s, 60s, 70s and 80s.
January 24, 2017
Penny Vincenzi is by far one of my top favorite authors because of her unique way of capturing the essence of her stories. Weaving back and forth between different characters' lives, Old Sins (Penny's first novel) is just like all of her others where you feel obsessed and a part of the scandalous love affairs, business deals, and changing times. This one in particular takes place surrounding Julian Morrell and his cosmetics empire stemming from London in the early 1900s, extending and expanding to New York and Paris throughout the 1980s. Between the almost 1,000 pages of this story, you'll learn about this upper class family and their dealings, relations and more. Serious page-turner for those of you who like old-English scandals.
December 1, 2017
A good story set around the family members behind a multi million pound cosmetics empire, with family secrets emerging after the death of the main protagonist. A kind of UK based "Dynasty" saga with glitz, jewels, clothes, cars etc.
September 7, 2013
This is Penny Vincenzi's first novel and what a blockbuster it is! I read this when it first came out and I have gone on to read EVERY book that she has written. An excellent holiday read. Near the end I began to get slightly dissappointed because I thought I had sussed out what was going to happen but Penny brilliantly makes the reader think that but then comes up with something that had never entered your head so it does build up to an excellent climax after all.
April 19, 2021
Long, complex and fascinating
This is the first book I have read by this author but I will go on to read them all. Good characterisation of all the main characters. Love them or hate them they are certainly not cardboard cut outs and each stamp out their own personalities on the pages. I recommend to all who like a good story with some twists along the way
This is the first book I have read by this author but I will go on to read them all. Good characterisation of all the main characters. Love them or hate them they are certainly not cardboard cut outs and each stamp out their own personalities on the pages. I recommend to all who like a good story with some twists along the way
May 12, 2012
A good read, but massive! It was quite hard going at times, I struggled to pick it up sometimes. The resolution was unexpected and I still have a few questions left unanswered. A great read if your rich and powerful father has gotten remarried to someone younger than you!
January 1, 2012
Got to page 148 and can't read anymore. Very hard going and don't look forward to picking it up. Disappointing
July 24, 2018
Excellent family saga style book. It is almost 1000 pages, but it kept me interested for the full story. Penny Vincenzi always delivers a good story, with great characters.
December 27, 2020
I've read this before, & didn't realise it, but was the book I enjoyed most and hae been trying to figure out which of her books it was!
Well-written, at places emotional, at places amusing, at others maddening! Vincenzi has a way of creating emotion in her readers that cannot be equalled, I promise! Her writing is conversational in style, my favourite style, and tbh, she's possibly the only writer of contemporary fiction that I'll read, mostly being a more historical and fantasy fan, but this: my favourite of them all! I've read most this year, and the few I haven't are on my dryer waiting (there are too many books everywhere else and my front room, where the dryer is located, is more of a library than a front room! Just how I like it, weirdo that I am!!
The best of all her books, as well as the first, it took me a while to figure out the significance of the title, though when I got it, I felt fulfilled. I like to wonder. There's much else to wonder about before the threads are pulled together as only Vincenzi can do!
One to read, put it on the bucket list!!!
Well-written, at places emotional, at places amusing, at others maddening! Vincenzi has a way of creating emotion in her readers that cannot be equalled, I promise! Her writing is conversational in style, my favourite style, and tbh, she's possibly the only writer of contemporary fiction that I'll read, mostly being a more historical and fantasy fan, but this: my favourite of them all! I've read most this year, and the few I haven't are on my dryer waiting (there are too many books everywhere else and my front room, where the dryer is located, is more of a library than a front room! Just how I like it, weirdo that I am!!
The best of all her books, as well as the first, it took me a while to figure out the significance of the title, though when I got it, I felt fulfilled. I like to wonder. There's much else to wonder about before the threads are pulled together as only Vincenzi can do!
One to read, put it on the bucket list!!!
July 19, 2018
II give it five because of how much thought and detail went into the book. Plus the intensely and intimately written characters. I loved how casual and intimate the dialogue was. It wasn't too far-fetched and unnatural. It was so so English. I LOVED the passive aggressive jabs of English high society conversation.
Yes this was basically a soap opera and a lot of sexuality: the act, appeal, and conversation (like, a lot). But I find that if some authors, like Vincenzi here, are brave enough to write detailed and honestly about sex and relationships, then they won't shy away from talking honestly or frankly about unsavory things of human nature (i.e impotence, drugs, parental negligence, emotional manipulation and abandonment, adultery, etc.)
I enjoyed it.
Found 6 of Vincenzi's books at the thrift store one day, googled that she had died earlier this year, so I felt much obligated to get all her books and read them.
Yes this was basically a soap opera and a lot of sexuality: the act, appeal, and conversation (like, a lot). But I find that if some authors, like Vincenzi here, are brave enough to write detailed and honestly about sex and relationships, then they won't shy away from talking honestly or frankly about unsavory things of human nature (i.e impotence, drugs, parental negligence, emotional manipulation and abandonment, adultery, etc.)
I enjoyed it.
Found 6 of Vincenzi's books at the thrift store one day, googled that she had died earlier this year, so I felt much obligated to get all her books and read them.
November 22, 2021
Many unlikeable characters
Enjoyable but not my favourite Vincenzi novel. Almost every character was unlikeable. I found myself not caring too much if they failed at their job, lost their money or if their partner left them. I’m glad that she went on to write books with much more appealing central characters.
Enjoyable but not my favourite Vincenzi novel. Almost every character was unlikeable. I found myself not caring too much if they failed at their job, lost their money or if their partner left them. I’m glad that she went on to write books with much more appealing central characters.
March 30, 2024
Having red other Penny Vincenzi books before, I was looking forward to this one. However, it could have been at least 400 pages shorter. It became quite boring, repetitive, and unoriginal towards the end. I couldn't read the endless descriptive blurb about clothes, buildings, sex that seemed to go on forever, and I skipped over most of that. Not her best book.
October 13, 2019
As always, another great novel by Penny. I love her books because they are not only good, but her novel are long. This one took me 2 weeks to read (983 pages) because I read it during my downtime at work.
May 21, 2020
Detailed, sexy, scandalous, and worth reading. Loved at the end of each chapter an unexpected item was shared that kept you reading. Not my first Vincezi novel nor my last. Great for a beach read or a long plane trip.
August 14, 2023
My first book by this author. I bought 6 books just by finding her covers on Pintrest. Old Sin was her first book I guess and I found it way to long. Also would've enjoyed it more if less characters. I am on the second book Forbidden Places.
May 31, 2017
Long book. Not one of my favorites from my most favorite author.
August 19, 2017
Thoroughly enjoyed the book - very long but very interesting told over many years and many interconnecting dots. Will read more from this author.
April 8, 2018
This was moving along like a good guilty pleasure novel and then it just got weird. HATED the ending!!
August 12, 2018
I found this very interesting but slightly predictable towards the end. Great story quite raunchy in places.
Well worth a read
Well worth a read
May 13, 2019
The best kind of trash
March 26, 2020
Too long and very badly punctuated!
April 21, 2020
I really enjoyed this book. It has been out a while. I really loved it 😀
April 29, 2020
Salacious! A fun read. I’ll be reading more from this author.
July 17, 2020
excellent easy reading
August 5, 2020
A very interesting book about a ruthless and deceptive business man, whose family when he eventually dies,learn a shocking secret and a tussle to control the empire begins.
It’s fast paced, with a lot of twists and intrigue and the ending was very good.
It’s fast paced, with a lot of twists and intrigue and the ending was very good.
November 14, 2020
First book of Penny's that I read... I was hooked to read them all!
November 24, 2020
Slightly disappointing ending as in nothing more on Roz
March 31, 2021
Wow! What a book
It’s taken a long time to read, but was really worth it. Loved it all, the scheming, the romance and all the between action.
It’s taken a long time to read, but was really worth it. Loved it all, the scheming, the romance and all the between action.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 64 reviews