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The Parrots
'A sparkling tale of seduction and suspense' - Tatler
'Her prose buzzes with pitch-perfect modernity' Observer
Outsiders see things others don't.
Blessed with status, love, wealth and connections the Tennisons seemed the most enviable of families - until Antonella and Matteo Fullardi, dangerously attractive Italian siblings and offspring of an Italian fashion dynasty, enter their well-managed lives.
Calligrapher Katherine, gallery owner Rick and their student son Josh discover that the Fullardis are just as unsettling and alluring as the exotic parrots that now inhabit their tranquil London garden.
But this damaged pair are the catalyst that propel the Tennisons into a spiral of chaos, calling into question their place in a changing world of new money, new morality and new menace.
'Her prose buzzes with pitch-perfect modernity' Observer
Outsiders see things others don't.
Blessed with status, love, wealth and connections the Tennisons seemed the most enviable of families - until Antonella and Matteo Fullardi, dangerously attractive Italian siblings and offspring of an Italian fashion dynasty, enter their well-managed lives.
Calligrapher Katherine, gallery owner Rick and their student son Josh discover that the Fullardis are just as unsettling and alluring as the exotic parrots that now inhabit their tranquil London garden.
But this damaged pair are the catalyst that propel the Tennisons into a spiral of chaos, calling into question their place in a changing world of new money, new morality and new menace.
- GenresFiction
288 pages, Paperback
First published July 2, 2015
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Displaying 1 - 23 of 23 reviews
maybe
May 13, 2015Netgalley auto-approve
June 22, 2015
I really wanted to like this book. However I just couldn't get into it.
Thankyou to Netgalley and the publisher for the chance to read.
Thankyou to Netgalley and the publisher for the chance to read.
July 29, 2015
Editor-in-chief of British Vogue since 1992, and sartorial contributor to a slew of other publications, Alexandra Shulman has so far veered away from staging her fiction in the fashion world, but still retains an immaculate knack for describing her characters’ garb in mouth-watering detail.
The Parrots, Shulman’s second novel, is a story of brightly-feathered exotic birds, both literal and otherwise, and the whirlwind effect of their arrival in the lives of the well-heeled, well-bred Tennison family. In spring a small group of parrots begin to roost in the cherry tree branches of the family’s back garden, charming with their vivid beauty even as they chase out the meeker birds, wilfully destroying the eggs from their nests, turning dull order to chaos. By summer the Tennisons, one by one, are similarly bedazzled by a small group of glamorous, moneyed Europeans, soon tempted into a series of dangerous – or at the very least woefully ill-considered – liaisons.
Set in early 1980’s London, Shulman’s debut Can We Still Be Friends was an immersive period piece: a veritable neon shoulder-padded costume drama played out under the shadow of high Thatcherism, its plot driven by eighties aspiration, the last gasp of Fleet Street, and the insidious spread of big business. Now in The Parrots, not content to sketch out a general backdrop of London in the 2010’s, Shulman litters her narrative with references to barely wrapped-up television shows and specific smartphone models, date-stamping the novel to within an inch of its life. At points this isn’t quite successful. Nineteen year old Josh’s litany of websites visited and links clicked fails to capture that internet-quicksand feeling familiar to anyone who has come of age in the social media era (and his slang, or sometimes lack thereof, doesn’t quite ring true). But the book’s triumph is in highlighting the repercussions of all this new technology: how it has infiltrated the way we experience the world and ourselves, and how we conduct our personal relationships. In stark contrast to Josh’s electronic savvy, it is the technological naivety of Shulman’s adult characters that shapes the fallout of this thoroughly modern affair – a story that couldn’t possibly be told in any other historical context.
Occupying a middle ground between...
Want to read more? Get the rest of this review and many more at our website: http://forbookssake.net/2015/07/15/th...
The Parrots, Shulman’s second novel, is a story of brightly-feathered exotic birds, both literal and otherwise, and the whirlwind effect of their arrival in the lives of the well-heeled, well-bred Tennison family. In spring a small group of parrots begin to roost in the cherry tree branches of the family’s back garden, charming with their vivid beauty even as they chase out the meeker birds, wilfully destroying the eggs from their nests, turning dull order to chaos. By summer the Tennisons, one by one, are similarly bedazzled by a small group of glamorous, moneyed Europeans, soon tempted into a series of dangerous – or at the very least woefully ill-considered – liaisons.
Set in early 1980’s London, Shulman’s debut Can We Still Be Friends was an immersive period piece: a veritable neon shoulder-padded costume drama played out under the shadow of high Thatcherism, its plot driven by eighties aspiration, the last gasp of Fleet Street, and the insidious spread of big business. Now in The Parrots, not content to sketch out a general backdrop of London in the 2010’s, Shulman litters her narrative with references to barely wrapped-up television shows and specific smartphone models, date-stamping the novel to within an inch of its life. At points this isn’t quite successful. Nineteen year old Josh’s litany of websites visited and links clicked fails to capture that internet-quicksand feeling familiar to anyone who has come of age in the social media era (and his slang, or sometimes lack thereof, doesn’t quite ring true). But the book’s triumph is in highlighting the repercussions of all this new technology: how it has infiltrated the way we experience the world and ourselves, and how we conduct our personal relationships. In stark contrast to Josh’s electronic savvy, it is the technological naivety of Shulman’s adult characters that shapes the fallout of this thoroughly modern affair – a story that couldn’t possibly be told in any other historical context.
Occupying a middle ground between...
Want to read more? Get the rest of this review and many more at our website: http://forbookssake.net/2015/07/15/th...
October 21, 2015
This is eminently readable and quite enjoyable, but doesn’t amount to very much in the end. Shulman writes well but the characters she writes about are so vacuous that I never felt engaged with them. Centred on rich and privileged Rick and Katherine and their circle of friends and acquaintances, we follow their rather trivial adventures amongst London’s moneyed élite as they lead their self-absorbed lives. There are some good set-pieces and vignettes, and Shulman has an acute and observant eye for detail and atmosphere, but did I care for any of these people? No, I didn’t. They had little depth – which in a way I suppose is the point. But then if they have no depth, why read about them? A reasonable read overall though.
July 19, 2015
Alexandra Shulman first novel was Can We Still Be Friends. The Parrots is her second novel.
January 5, 2016
A fairly enjoyable, easy to read book but had a disappointing ending, lacking substance.
September 10, 2017
It wasn't badly written but I started to dislike the characters about quarter of the way through. The more the story unfolded, the more I disliked them. ALL OF THEM. And it's hard to care about people who are shallow and lacking morals, ethics and fibre.
May 9, 2018
I enjoyed this - probably because of the luxurious background and soap opera story.
June 11, 2026
This book didn’t come alive for me. There were perceptive insights but the cast were mostly stereotypical, unpleasant and often unbelievable, lacking any depth of character.
January 21, 2017
I thoroughly enjoyed this book - it had sibling rivalry, sex and romance in the book
May 20, 2016
I picked up this book at the National Portrait Gallery’s bookshop in London, after seeing the wonderful exhibition about the centenary of British Vogue magazine, “Vogue 100”.
The novel is the second novel by British Vogue’s Editor-in-Chief Alexandra Shulman. At the end of the book there is a general advert for Penguin Fiction that reads “He just wanted a decent book to read…”
That pretty much sums up my idea of this novel: a decent book to read. Not in a bad way: I really enjoyed reading it, and I finished reading it in a stretch at the earliest opportunity. It is enjoyable, well–written and thoughtful. I rarely read contemporary fiction, but when I do I enjoy the analysis such as the ones found in this one. It adds something.
My only complaint is that the novel was a bit too predictable at the end – not choosing the most obvious standard ending would have been preferable. Still, recommended!
The novel is the second novel by British Vogue’s Editor-in-Chief Alexandra Shulman. At the end of the book there is a general advert for Penguin Fiction that reads “He just wanted a decent book to read…”
That pretty much sums up my idea of this novel: a decent book to read. Not in a bad way: I really enjoyed reading it, and I finished reading it in a stretch at the earliest opportunity. It is enjoyable, well–written and thoughtful. I rarely read contemporary fiction, but when I do I enjoy the analysis such as the ones found in this one. It adds something.
My only complaint is that the novel was a bit too predictable at the end – not choosing the most obvious standard ending would have been preferable. Still, recommended!
July 28, 2015
At the beginning, the book is a bit weird, we can't really see where the story is going, is there going to be anything happening, what, etc. We are clueless. And then, little by little, we see a bigger picture and all the characters intertwine, and we have it all: mystery, love, passion, suspense, happiness and misery.
What I absolutely liked about the book is its utter realism. It just sounded so...true. And the way the book is written is quite impressive. The descriptions of the characters and of their actions are made with such an accuracy that it's just...brilliant.
I was just a little bit disappointed by the end - that left me wanting more. I felt it "incomplete".
Overall a very pleasant read.
***
I received a copy of 'The Parrots" via Goodreads in exchange of an honest opinion.
What I absolutely liked about the book is its utter realism. It just sounded so...true. And the way the book is written is quite impressive. The descriptions of the characters and of their actions are made with such an accuracy that it's just...brilliant.
I was just a little bit disappointed by the end - that left me wanting more. I felt it "incomplete".
Overall a very pleasant read.
***
I received a copy of 'The Parrots" via Goodreads in exchange of an honest opinion.
July 13, 2015
Won from goodreads
Rick Katherine and josh have normal lives until Antonella and Teo come into their lives. Katherine is asked by an old friend to look out for her grown up kids and she agrees but soon realises the girl is really troubled and that where everything goes wrong. At first josh is interested in being with them especially as he is drawn to Antonella who just treats him as a place thing. Rick has secrets and hope Katherine doesn't find out and Katherine ends up doing something she never dreamed of. Will the family ever recover from the revelations that will happen .
Rick Katherine and josh have normal lives until Antonella and Teo come into their lives. Katherine is asked by an old friend to look out for her grown up kids and she agrees but soon realises the girl is really troubled and that where everything goes wrong. At first josh is interested in being with them especially as he is drawn to Antonella who just treats him as a place thing. Rick has secrets and hope Katherine doesn't find out and Katherine ends up doing something she never dreamed of. Will the family ever recover from the revelations that will happen .
July 20, 2015
received this book as part of Good Reads First Reads
This book follows The Tennysons a wealthy and envied family. Exotic parrots live in their London garden - hence the name of the book
An honest review - well - I found the book hard to follow and I actually caught myself nodding off each time I picked up the book to read. Oh dear !
I really like the cover of the book and the title intrigued me but oh what a dismal story line and plot - Apologies to Alexandra Shulman - but I cannot give more than 1 star for this
This book follows The Tennysons a wealthy and envied family. Exotic parrots live in their London garden - hence the name of the book
An honest review - well - I found the book hard to follow and I actually caught myself nodding off each time I picked up the book to read. Oh dear !
I really like the cover of the book and the title intrigued me but oh what a dismal story line and plot - Apologies to Alexandra Shulman - but I cannot give more than 1 star for this
August 30, 2015
It was an enjoyable read, but the title has nothing to do with the story! The colourful birds are, I think, mentioned two or three times as they make a brief appearance in the back garden of the house belonging to the married couple. It is a behind the scenes look at an apparently happy marriage; slowly the layers are pealed away and we discover that the man is a serial adulterer and the wife is open to temptation. There are some clever portrayals of the youth of today.
September 27, 2016
This was an extra holiday read as my hotel had a library and I picked up the book there .
It is not the type of novel that I would usually go for as art dealing and millionaire lifestyles isn't a world I inhabit or want to read about usually, but the main subject matter, relationships and families under pressure is something that we can all relate to. Well written with the odd twist, but I think I would have liked just a little more drama, but all in all I enjoyed it.
It is not the type of novel that I would usually go for as art dealing and millionaire lifestyles isn't a world I inhabit or want to read about usually, but the main subject matter, relationships and families under pressure is something that we can all relate to. Well written with the odd twist, but I think I would have liked just a little more drama, but all in all I enjoyed it.
August 9, 2015
When I started this book I was looking forward to it. I had read the inside sleeve and found the story interesting, but it soon turned to disappointment. This is not a page turner in fact I found my mind went to other places , should what other things I needed to do that day. A slow book that I did not care what happened .
June 1, 2016
Beautifully written. A story about a very privileged class who I couldn't really identify with. People who appear to have lots of money but don't really do anything. But I got drawn into their intriguing hedonistic lifestyles and read it in a couple of days mainly because I couldn't put it down.
June 10, 2015
NetGalley sent me a PRC of The Parrots
Gilded and wealthy world of Art Dealer and his wife is disrupted by the arrival of exotic Italians and Russians. Excellent
Gilded and wealthy world of Art Dealer and his wife is disrupted by the arrival of exotic Italians and Russians. Excellent
August 2, 2015
I won this book on a good read giveaway. A complex and intricate weave of characters who are not always likeable but what a lovely read Many Thanks
October 9, 2015
First time I've read this author - enjoyable on the whole, but I found the premise of the story a little unlikely, and a bit dark.
May 1, 2017
A story of over-indulged English people where foreigners - specifically Europeans - are disruptive and destructive to the good English life, unless they are servants or able to provide decent holiday accommodation.
November 20, 2017
The was a curiously old fashioned kind of book about the well-off perhaps rather too comfortable lives of Katherine and Rick, their friends the rich Russians Olga and Alexander and messy Flo, their son Josh and the children of an old school friend Antonella and Teo. The story weaves in and out of each of their lives and the relationships that exist or form between them. I liked the style of writing, finding it a more literary style rather than chick lit. However I think it made me feel quite distant from all the character - I didn't identify with any of them, or even particularly like them as people. I would recommend this book - it is a thoughtful read, not a blockbuster.
Displaying 1 - 23 of 23 reviews