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Silk
Money. Sex. Power. Some things are always in fashion.Christine Fairbrother is a high-powered barrister, the scourge of the divorce courts. Christine has ambitions to become a QC—to "take silk"—after her next big case.Her talented daughter, Isabelle Cisse, is a design graduate launching herself on the London fashion scene, full of dreams and ambitions—and with a fatal weakness for unsuitable men...Victoria Crabtree's position as Massimo Rivelli's mistress is precarious. Massimo is the multi-millionaire owner of the House of Rivelli, one of the world's leading manufacturers of couture fashion. However, he shows no sign of wanting to divorce his wife and Victoria's always in danger of being replaced with a younger model. But he's about to discover just what lengths Victoria will go to in order to survive...
480 pages, Kindle Edition
First published February 14, 2012
4 people are currently reading
266 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews
September 2, 2018
Riotous romp? Mmmmm. Mostly despicable characters with few redeeming features. Easy read though.
February 23, 2012
Reading for review, published by Cleis Press.
Move over The Devil Wears Prada, fans of Judith Krantz and Jackie Collins, here comes Silk. Will update with complete review once posted at arketipo187.com
ETA: Full review also published at Arketipo187.com
Managing a plot with more twists and turns than Lombard Street in San Francisco, Rupert James keeps the pace steady and sure while advancing the characters through their development. The writing is superb in Silk; it makes the reader feel like an invisible observer who gets to participate in all the exciting parts, too.
Because it’s set in England, there are some concepts that puzzled me, like becoming Queen’s Counsel for a barrister. Never fear, Wikipedia to the rescue! Other than that, everything else translates fairly easily to American life.
The story takes the reader on a ride of celebrity lifestyles in fashion, movies, and even the criminal underworld. From the beginning you know things are going to get very bad, it’s inevitable, but what you don’t know is exactly how it’s going to happen and if only one character will be the culprit or if they will all have a hand in the crisis. Brilliantly done, Mr. James!
The Characters: Victoria and Christine dominate the action, with Isabelle being more of a catalyst for their actions. Joel was the perfect foil to all the people he interacted with in the novel, and let me tell you, most everybody dipped their quill in this guy. Massimo is as fascinating as he is disgusting. The one who won my heart from the start, of course being the fruit fly that I am, was Will. He’s Isabelle’s business partner and as gay as they come. Slutty, funny, and a true best friend. I loved him!
Overall: With a mix of sex in all its variety, professional and emotional jealousy, rampant infidelity, drugs all over the place, and yes, murder, all in a rollercoaster ride of a read, Silk is a book you will not want to put down. Move over "The Devil Wears Prada". Look out, fans of Judith Krantz and Jackie Collins, Rupert James has joined the party.
And it’s going to be lots of fun with him here!
Move over The Devil Wears Prada, fans of Judith Krantz and Jackie Collins, here comes Silk. Will update with complete review once posted at arketipo187.com
ETA: Full review also published at Arketipo187.com
Managing a plot with more twists and turns than Lombard Street in San Francisco, Rupert James keeps the pace steady and sure while advancing the characters through their development. The writing is superb in Silk; it makes the reader feel like an invisible observer who gets to participate in all the exciting parts, too.
Because it’s set in England, there are some concepts that puzzled me, like becoming Queen’s Counsel for a barrister. Never fear, Wikipedia to the rescue! Other than that, everything else translates fairly easily to American life.
The story takes the reader on a ride of celebrity lifestyles in fashion, movies, and even the criminal underworld. From the beginning you know things are going to get very bad, it’s inevitable, but what you don’t know is exactly how it’s going to happen and if only one character will be the culprit or if they will all have a hand in the crisis. Brilliantly done, Mr. James!
The Characters: Victoria and Christine dominate the action, with Isabelle being more of a catalyst for their actions. Joel was the perfect foil to all the people he interacted with in the novel, and let me tell you, most everybody dipped their quill in this guy. Massimo is as fascinating as he is disgusting. The one who won my heart from the start, of course being the fruit fly that I am, was Will. He’s Isabelle’s business partner and as gay as they come. Slutty, funny, and a true best friend. I loved him!
Overall: With a mix of sex in all its variety, professional and emotional jealousy, rampant infidelity, drugs all over the place, and yes, murder, all in a rollercoaster ride of a read, Silk is a book you will not want to put down. Move over "The Devil Wears Prada". Look out, fans of Judith Krantz and Jackie Collins, Rupert James has joined the party.
And it’s going to be lots of fun with him here!
February 22, 2014
Reviewed by Robin
Book provided by the publisher for review
Review originally posted at Romancing the Book
Rupert James weaves a story while keeping such a steady pace that you don’t realize that the characters are moving right along in life. It is as if I had a bird’s eye view while observing or rather peeking into the lives of the characters. James takes you on a journey into the world of fashion, introducing us to the somewhat steamy side of celebrities, movies, the fashion industry and even a glimpse into the underworld antics of the mob. At times I found it hard to distinguish who was involved in what as I traveled through the twists and turns of the lives of the three women whose lives where intertwined in the fashion world and with each other.
Isabelle, Christine and Victoria are all very strong women but tend to make choices that aren’t quite right for them. Isabelle is an up and coming fashion designer in love with the wrong guy when the right one has been in front of her all the time. Victoria wants something that she can’t have and becomes the mistress of a very high profile garment manufacturer. She wants marriage and prestige but most married men don’t leave their wives and this one has a special needs child that keeps him married. Then, there is Christine who aims to become a barrister for the Queen. All three women doing different things yet attached through Joel, Isabelle’s bi- sexual manager.
I enjoyed this somewhat compelling story filled with plenty of sex, trauma, beatings, emotional and professional jealousy, indiscretions, drugs and even murder. I found Mr. James’ book to be a little reminiscent of say a ‘Jackie Collins’ novel like Hollywood Wives or Husbands or even ‘Jacqueline Susann’s’ Valley of the Dolls. You won’t be disappointed if you would love the chance to take a peep into the intriguing world of fashion. Mr. James leaves you believing that this just may be someone’s reality.
Book provided by the publisher for review
Review originally posted at Romancing the Book
Rupert James weaves a story while keeping such a steady pace that you don’t realize that the characters are moving right along in life. It is as if I had a bird’s eye view while observing or rather peeking into the lives of the characters. James takes you on a journey into the world of fashion, introducing us to the somewhat steamy side of celebrities, movies, the fashion industry and even a glimpse into the underworld antics of the mob. At times I found it hard to distinguish who was involved in what as I traveled through the twists and turns of the lives of the three women whose lives where intertwined in the fashion world and with each other.
Isabelle, Christine and Victoria are all very strong women but tend to make choices that aren’t quite right for them. Isabelle is an up and coming fashion designer in love with the wrong guy when the right one has been in front of her all the time. Victoria wants something that she can’t have and becomes the mistress of a very high profile garment manufacturer. She wants marriage and prestige but most married men don’t leave their wives and this one has a special needs child that keeps him married. Then, there is Christine who aims to become a barrister for the Queen. All three women doing different things yet attached through Joel, Isabelle’s bi- sexual manager.
I enjoyed this somewhat compelling story filled with plenty of sex, trauma, beatings, emotional and professional jealousy, indiscretions, drugs and even murder. I found Mr. James’ book to be a little reminiscent of say a ‘Jackie Collins’ novel like Hollywood Wives or Husbands or even ‘Jacqueline Susann’s’ Valley of the Dolls. You won’t be disappointed if you would love the chance to take a peep into the intriguing world of fashion. Mr. James leaves you believing that this just may be someone’s reality.
April 2, 2012
Silk by Rupert James is a fiction novel.
Isabelle Cissé is a budding designer who's trying to make a name for herself in the high-pressure, high-stakes world of fashion. Meanwhile, her mother, Christine Fairbrother, is one of London's best divorce attorneys who is determined to become even more prominent. Also in the mix is Victoria Crabtree, who is involved with a garment manufacturer and dreams of being the man's wife instead of just his mistress. These three women don't know it, but their lives will soon intersect with interesting -- and deadly results ...
This book sort of reminded me of a Jackie Collins novel. It has all sorts of characters doing all sorts of devious things against the backdrop of the world of fashion, which isn't as glamorous as it first appears.
At first, you don't think that these three women have much in common, other than Christine and Isabelle being mother and daughter, and Isabelle and Victoria both being involved in fashion, but James manages to bring them together. I liked Christine's character the best, and I found the scenes detailing her work as a divorce attorney to be interesting. Both Isabelle and Victoria came off as spoiled, but that was in keeping with their characters/personalities.
However, the characters are a little run-of-the-mill. Christine is divorced herself and has just started dating again; Isabelle gets sucked into some bad behavior/situations; and Victoria is always scheming something.
I also thought the story was a little slow in the beginning, but it picks up after the characters start meeting and interacting. There are also a couple of subplots that get resolved quickly or don't really seem to go anywhere, like Isabelle's drug use.
Overall, this book didn't quite work for me, but if you are interested in fashion, you may want to check it out.
Isabelle Cissé is a budding designer who's trying to make a name for herself in the high-pressure, high-stakes world of fashion. Meanwhile, her mother, Christine Fairbrother, is one of London's best divorce attorneys who is determined to become even more prominent. Also in the mix is Victoria Crabtree, who is involved with a garment manufacturer and dreams of being the man's wife instead of just his mistress. These three women don't know it, but their lives will soon intersect with interesting -- and deadly results ...
This book sort of reminded me of a Jackie Collins novel. It has all sorts of characters doing all sorts of devious things against the backdrop of the world of fashion, which isn't as glamorous as it first appears.
At first, you don't think that these three women have much in common, other than Christine and Isabelle being mother and daughter, and Isabelle and Victoria both being involved in fashion, but James manages to bring them together. I liked Christine's character the best, and I found the scenes detailing her work as a divorce attorney to be interesting. Both Isabelle and Victoria came off as spoiled, but that was in keeping with their characters/personalities.
However, the characters are a little run-of-the-mill. Christine is divorced herself and has just started dating again; Isabelle gets sucked into some bad behavior/situations; and Victoria is always scheming something.
I also thought the story was a little slow in the beginning, but it picks up after the characters start meeting and interacting. There are also a couple of subplots that get resolved quickly or don't really seem to go anywhere, like Isabelle's drug use.
Overall, this book didn't quite work for me, but if you are interested in fashion, you may want to check it out.
August 5, 2015
Money. Sex. Power. Some things are always in fashion.
Christine Fairbrother is a high-powered barrister, the scourge of the divorce courts. Christine has ambitions to become a QC—to "take silk"—after her next big case.
Her talented daughter, Isabelle Cisse, is a design graduate launching herself on the London fashion scene, full of dreams and ambitions—and with a fatal weakness for unsuitable men...
Victoria Crabtree's position as Massimo Rivelli's mistress is precarious. Massimo is the multi-millionaire owner of the House of Rivelli, one of the world's leading manufacturers of couture fashion. However, he shows no sign of wanting to divorce his wife and Victoria's always in danger of being replaced with a younger model. But he's about to discover just what lengths Victoria will go to in order to survive..
Christine Fairbrother is a high-powered barrister, the scourge of the divorce courts. Christine has ambitions to become a QC—to "take silk"—after her next big case.
Her talented daughter, Isabelle Cisse, is a design graduate launching herself on the London fashion scene, full of dreams and ambitions—and with a fatal weakness for unsuitable men...
Victoria Crabtree's position as Massimo Rivelli's mistress is precarious. Massimo is the multi-millionaire owner of the House of Rivelli, one of the world's leading manufacturers of couture fashion. However, he shows no sign of wanting to divorce his wife and Victoria's always in danger of being replaced with a younger model. But he's about to discover just what lengths Victoria will go to in order to survive..
August 15, 2019
This book is quite vulgar and usually I consider myself to be a bit of a prude, and I shy away from this type of novel. It's very graphic, but somehow it works here. There was only one scene that made me ill.
My favorite character was Victoria; even though I couldn't stand her. She was so entertaining and so pitiful and lousy. Most of the other characters are good here, as is the writing. I don't often like modern books set in England for some reason, I'm a big of historical.
I never heard of the author before, but I'm glad I ran across this book. Plenty of over the top Dynasty-Falcon crest style drama.
My favorite character was Victoria; even though I couldn't stand her. She was so entertaining and so pitiful and lousy. Most of the other characters are good here, as is the writing. I don't often like modern books set in England for some reason, I'm a big of historical.
I never heard of the author before, but I'm glad I ran across this book. Plenty of over the top Dynasty-Falcon crest style drama.
March 5, 2012
Review to come.
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews