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Η αγάπη πάντα κερδίζει
(By the author of Stoats and Weasels. Clementine is a 30-year-old, interior designer who was taken from her beloved Norfolk home when her parents were killed. When she returns to take up a job as a resident decorator, she becomes more and more familiar with the owner, unruly Rufus Palliser)
- GenresRomance
483 pages, Paperback
First published April 1, 1997
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Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
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February 11, 2020Wow...so this was homophobic.
I mean, I picked it up because I was expecting some sort of modern-British Gothic about a grumpy dude and a house restoration.
And instead it was just ... really, um, homophobic.
And by homophobic, I mean homophobic in that sort of ... 90s way? Where you're not, like, openly mean but you are just incredibly weird about queer people.
So the book opens with our heroine, Clementine Lee (I mean A+ name, but it is the high point of this book) waiting for her lover to meet her in a hotel in Amsterdam so they can seal the deal bonking-wise. But instead of her lover, a fellow interior designer called Jonathan, turning up...
Her lover's lover turns up instead. And her lover's lover is A DUDE.
A hypnotic and sinister type called SEBASTIAN. Because that is what gay people are like and what gay people are called.
Hypnotic.
And SEBASTIAN explains to Clem that Jonathan is a hopeless fribble who gets ideas in his silly little head, including apparently having random affairs with people, and it's time for Clementine to go away.
And Clementine is suddenly viewing Jonathan through the GAY LENS, because the guy is an interior designer, calls her darling a lot, moves his hands when he talks, and doesn't pressure her into sex--so OBVIOUSLY he must be as gay as a Maypole.
Then some straight stuff happens, and Clem goes back to the village where she grew up, to work with no qualifications as a housekeeper for a grumpy dude who is, like, instantly in love with her for no for no reason and yells at her all the time. I dunno.
Meanwhile bisexual brainless fribble Jonathan (and to give the text the minimum amount of credit it deserves, it is definitely sure Jonathan is bisexual, so it's not bi-erasing exactly, it just apparently thinks bisexuals are idiots) is still trying to break way from sinister hypnotic SEBASTIAN (because obviously two men wouldn't be together by mutual consent, sheesh) to pursue Clementine. And he falls in with Grumpy Dude's promiscuous colleague, Sal.
Sal is actually one of the few people in the book I liked. I think she's meant to be evil, because she's rich and beautiful and unapologetically fucks around, and is in love with Grumpy Dude (OH WHY HONEY, WHY? YOU CAN DO SO MUCH BETTER) so tries to break up and him Clem, by encouraging Jonathan to pursue Clem, and later setting up some small drama with Grumpy Dude's Ex Wife.
But Sal is just fucking fabulous and the book should have been about her banging all the bisexual boys and being fabulous.
Jonathan tells Sal his history of being a rentboy before Sebastian and blah blah blah every bisexual backplot from every m/m ever and this is supposed to be a srs published book and what are you even doing?! He doesn't feel able to tell Clem any of this because he fears it will drive her away forever and, like, the book doesn't stop for a moment to consider that maybe this means Clementine is a fucking dick, you know?
But Clementine, y'see, Clementine in her judgemental straight woman-ness, MAKES HIM FEEL CLEAN.
Anyway, Sal helps Jonathan separate from SEBASTIAN THE HYPNOTIC GAY, in a scene that is sort of amazing, and proves that SEBASTIAN THE HYPNOTIC GAY does actually kinda love Jonathan, it's just Jonathan is an incompetent bisexual who needs a monosexual keeper to stop him getting in trouble: and so Sebastian passes the baton of hopeless-bisexual-looking-after to Sal, recognising that she's awesome.
PERSONALLY I DO NOT SEE WHY SAL AND SEBASTIAN THE HYPNOTIC GAY AND JONATHAN THE STUPID BISEXUAL DID NOT ALL GET TOGETHER AND LIVE HAPPILY EVER AFTER. I WOULD HAVE READ THE SHIT OUT OF THAT BOOK.
Then more straight people stuff. Clem and Grumpy Dude are, like, together now. And he shares his tragic past of his wife being crap and his kid being dead.
And Sal, having boned down on Jonathan, gives him back to Sebastian (SERIOUSLY GUYS ALL THREE OF YOU) because bisexuals are not people, they're just sorta trinkets you pass around.
OH GOD, and talking about the straight people, when Grumpy Dude puts his dick in Clementine for the first time, they're both too into their own straightness to use a condom, and he remembers this just as he's about to come, and THE THOUGHT HE COULD PROBABLY BE PUTTING A BABY IN HER WITHOUT (and the book doesn't notice this bit at all) SECURING HER CONSENT FOR THAT EVEN A LITTLE BIT sends him over the edge.
Because that's super hot isn't it? Non-consultative impregnation.
This book. Straight people. I cannot.
I honestly don't know why I kept reading it. The writing was engaging? Also Sal. And I think, maybe, morbid fascination.
Because holy wow. What did I just put in my eyes?
PS--this book is also weird about Jonathan being short. WHY? There is just no reason.
I mean, I picked it up because I was expecting some sort of modern-British Gothic about a grumpy dude and a house restoration.
And instead it was just ... really, um, homophobic.
And by homophobic, I mean homophobic in that sort of ... 90s way? Where you're not, like, openly mean but you are just incredibly weird about queer people.
So the book opens with our heroine, Clementine Lee (I mean A+ name, but it is the high point of this book) waiting for her lover to meet her in a hotel in Amsterdam so they can seal the deal bonking-wise. But instead of her lover, a fellow interior designer called Jonathan, turning up...
Her lover's lover turns up instead. And her lover's lover is A DUDE.
A hypnotic and sinister type called SEBASTIAN. Because that is what gay people are like and what gay people are called.
Hypnotic.
And SEBASTIAN explains to Clem that Jonathan is a hopeless fribble who gets ideas in his silly little head, including apparently having random affairs with people, and it's time for Clementine to go away.
And Clementine is suddenly viewing Jonathan through the GAY LENS, because the guy is an interior designer, calls her darling a lot, moves his hands when he talks, and doesn't pressure her into sex--so OBVIOUSLY he must be as gay as a Maypole.
Then some straight stuff happens, and Clem goes back to the village where she grew up, to work with no qualifications as a housekeeper for a grumpy dude who is, like, instantly in love with her for no for no reason and yells at her all the time. I dunno.
Meanwhile bisexual brainless fribble Jonathan (and to give the text the minimum amount of credit it deserves, it is definitely sure Jonathan is bisexual, so it's not bi-erasing exactly, it just apparently thinks bisexuals are idiots) is still trying to break way from sinister hypnotic SEBASTIAN (because obviously two men wouldn't be together by mutual consent, sheesh) to pursue Clementine. And he falls in with Grumpy Dude's promiscuous colleague, Sal.
Sal is actually one of the few people in the book I liked. I think she's meant to be evil, because she's rich and beautiful and unapologetically fucks around, and is in love with Grumpy Dude (OH WHY HONEY, WHY? YOU CAN DO SO MUCH BETTER) so tries to break up and him Clem, by encouraging Jonathan to pursue Clem, and later setting up some small drama with Grumpy Dude's Ex Wife.
But Sal is just fucking fabulous and the book should have been about her banging all the bisexual boys and being fabulous.
Jonathan tells Sal his history of being a rentboy before Sebastian and blah blah blah every bisexual backplot from every m/m ever and this is supposed to be a srs published book and what are you even doing?! He doesn't feel able to tell Clem any of this because he fears it will drive her away forever and, like, the book doesn't stop for a moment to consider that maybe this means Clementine is a fucking dick, you know?
But Clementine, y'see, Clementine in her judgemental straight woman-ness, MAKES HIM FEEL CLEAN.
Anyway, Sal helps Jonathan separate from SEBASTIAN THE HYPNOTIC GAY, in a scene that is sort of amazing, and proves that SEBASTIAN THE HYPNOTIC GAY does actually kinda love Jonathan, it's just Jonathan is an incompetent bisexual who needs a monosexual keeper to stop him getting in trouble: and so Sebastian passes the baton of hopeless-bisexual-looking-after to Sal, recognising that she's awesome.
PERSONALLY I DO NOT SEE WHY SAL AND SEBASTIAN THE HYPNOTIC GAY AND JONATHAN THE STUPID BISEXUAL DID NOT ALL GET TOGETHER AND LIVE HAPPILY EVER AFTER. I WOULD HAVE READ THE SHIT OUT OF THAT BOOK.
Then more straight people stuff. Clem and Grumpy Dude are, like, together now. And he shares his tragic past of his wife being crap and his kid being dead.
And Sal, having boned down on Jonathan, gives him back to Sebastian (SERIOUSLY GUYS ALL THREE OF YOU) because bisexuals are not people, they're just sorta trinkets you pass around.
OH GOD, and talking about the straight people, when Grumpy Dude puts his dick in Clementine for the first time, they're both too into their own straightness to use a condom, and he remembers this just as he's about to come, and THE THOUGHT HE COULD PROBABLY BE PUTTING A BABY IN HER WITHOUT (and the book doesn't notice this bit at all) SECURING HER CONSENT FOR THAT EVEN A LITTLE BIT sends him over the edge.
Because that's super hot isn't it? Non-consultative impregnation.
This book. Straight people. I cannot.
I honestly don't know why I kept reading it. The writing was engaging? Also Sal. And I think, maybe, morbid fascination.
Because holy wow. What did I just put in my eyes?
PS--this book is also weird about Jonathan being short. WHY? There is just no reason.
January 19, 2017
Love story σε αρχοντικό στην Αγγλία
August 20, 2024
The chapter where Sal and Sebastian spoke was the most intriguing part of the book and I think that says a lot about the book as a whole.
Clementine and Rufus HIGH-KEY suck (even though they were entertaining to read about at times).
I HAAATED HOW JONATHAN WAS POTRAYED. He felt like a caricature, a completely outdated stereotype of bisexual people and it sucked. (I understand this was written in the 90s)
I'll admit, it was a fun & light read. The writing was engaging IF you ignored the constant time jumps that took you completely out of the book.
Clementine and Rufus HIGH-KEY suck (even though they were entertaining to read about at times).
I HAAATED HOW JONATHAN WAS POTRAYED. He felt like a caricature, a completely outdated stereotype of bisexual people and it sucked. (I understand this was written in the 90s)
I'll admit, it was a fun & light read. The writing was engaging IF you ignored the constant time jumps that took you completely out of the book.
January 5, 2025
I fell in love with this book. It drew me in very slowly, because I really didn't like all that mess with Clem having a boyfriend who has a boyfriend etc., completely unnecessary and clichéd plot - but KR got me interested in the main characters, then I just found myself falling for the lines and finishing it quickly! Such a beautiful life story, sprinkled with love. Thank you!
September 1, 2016
Although I loved "A peculiar chemistry" I can't say the same about this one. A little "confusing" for me.
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews