Penny Vincenzi

Reader Comments about WINDFALL

Overlook Hardcover
ISBN: 9781590202470
(October 1, 2009)

Here are comments from our group of Advance Readers about Penny Vincenzi's WINDFALL.

Ginger from Clifton Forge, VA

Have you previously read a book by Penny Vincenzi?
No.

What other women’s fiction authors do you usually read?
Sandra Brown, Luanne Rice, Deborah Smith, Nora Roberts, Sue Margolis and Barbara Delinsky.

What did you think of WINDFALL?
A big, juicy read. As enjoyable as a great, sweeping, melodramartic TV miniseries. The rich and the beautiful will still be rich and beautiful while they suffer through life.

Would you ever read a future book by Penny Vincenzi?
Yes.

Heather from Tacoma, WA

Have you previously read a book by Penny Vincenzi?
I’ve never read a book written by Penny Vincenzi before.

What other women’s fiction authors do you usually read?
I usually read fiction written by Elizabeth Berg, Barbara Delinsky, Chelsea Cain, Brenda Novak, Lisa Gardner and Janet Evanovich.

What did you think of WINDFALL?
At first, WINDFALL seemed slow and plodding, but during the third chapter, the story drew me in and I started rooting for Cassia. I identified with her and her situation. It was much like it was when I went to college --- you were expected to marry and raise a family, not be at all interested in a career. The fact that Cassia inherited a substantial amount of money twists the situation more in her favor because she has the means to do what she wants without having to secure her husband’s permission. That doesn’t make him happy at all. He is all about Edward and doesn’t seem to care much about what’s important to Cassia. She is a very lovable and genuine character, and her ups and downs move the plot along. I really enjoyed the book once I got into the story.

Would you ever read a future book by Penny Vincenzi?
I would definitely read another book by Penny Vincenzi.

Jean from Davenport, IA

Have you previously read a book by Penny Vincenzi?
This is one of my favorite authors. I have read all her books, and I always feel like I've lost my best friend when I come to the end because I don't have any more to read.

What other women’s fiction authors do you usually read?
I like Lisa See, Billie Letts, Maeve Binchy, and Elisabeth George to name a few.

What did you think of WINDFALL?
In this book, I felt you were pulled in from the first sentence. The author has the ability to write so well that you just have an awful time putting it down, and she has done it again with this book. I loved all of her characters and again wished I lived in England so I could see all of the places she writes about.

Would you ever read a future book by Penny Vincenzi?
I always look forward to her new books. I would not miss one.

Lisa from Milton, FL

Have you previously read a book by Penny Vincenzi?
No, I haven't.

What other women’s fiction authors do you usually read?
Mary Kay Andrews, Janet Evanovich, Maeve Binchy and Deborah Smith.

What did you think of WINDFALL?
I loved it! I love books that follow historical occurrences. I felt as if I were actually in this time period.

Would you ever read a future book by Penny Vincenzi?
Yes, indeed.

Sue from Anacortes, WA

Have you previously read a book by Penny Vincenzi?
I have read several of Penny Vincenzi's books. This is also very entertaining and fun to read. Like all her books, it is fast paced, and has her usual trademark of sex, greed, lust, duplicity, secrecy and adultery. It is the perfect book to escape the cares of the day. Curl up in front on the fire on a cold winter night, pour a glass of wine and just enjoy the world of the rich and the glamorous people who inhabit it.

What did you think of WINDFALL?
Ms. Vincenzi's cast of characters makes the book sing. She enables the reader to know each character (for better or worse). It is through these characters that the author relates the themes of the book. The story is set in England during the mid 1930s, where we see the contrast between the lives of the glamorous, jet-setting people in London and the poor, impoverished people who live in the country. Homosexuality is touched upon, and we see how --- in this time frame --- it was considered a crime, punishable by arrest and imprisonment. It was believed by many to be an illness that could be cured by electric shock treatment or medication.

The influence of money and how it can change one’s life --- for the better or worse --- is the main theme of the book. Cassia Tallow, having inherited a windfall, finds that she can now become the independent, free, working person she has always wanted to be. As the story progresses, Cassia's life changes, (not always for the best). She neglects her children, her husband, and her home. Her life centers around her life in London and her jet-setting friends, and she pays little attention to her country life in West Sussex.

Like all of Ms. Vincenzi's books, the ending leaves us with a smile on our faces as we look forward to her next blockbuster novel.

I would recommend this book to any woman who is looking for a novel that offers a fun, quick read; a book that is not great literature, but one that I would describe as "THE PEYTON PLACE of the 2000s."

Tara from Yonkers, NY

Have you previously read a book by Penny Vincenzi?
Yes, I have read the complete Spoils of Time Trilogy (NO ANGEL, SOMETHING DANGEROUS and INTO TEMPTATION) and one of her stand-alone novels, AN ABSOLUTE SCANDAL.

What other women’s fiction authors do you usually read?
Maeve Binchy is a longtime favorite of mine, plus I also enjoy Janet Fitch, Jennifer Donnelly and Tilly Bagshawe.

What did you think of WINDFALL?
I loved the old-school feel of it --- it's one of those books I like to call "steadfast sagas" about women struggling to make a better life for themselves, with romantic intrigue along the way. Cassia is a great heroine and her journey to find out the truth about her inheritance was the cherry on top of this succulent sundae of a book.

Would you ever read a future book by Penny Vincenzi?
Yes, indeed. I enjoy her works very much and can hardly wait for more of them to be published in America.

Gail from Los Angeles, CA

Have you previously read a book by Penny Vincenzi?
No, I have not.

What other women’s fiction authors do you usually read?
Rosamunde Pilcher, Anita Shreve, Elizabeth Berg, Elizabeth Strout and Kathryn L. Stout.

What did you think of WINDFALL?
This is a very detailed, interesting and well-written story. A little long, but still a page turner that was enjoyable, especially the way she builds the characters and the plot.

Would you ever read a future book by Penny Vincenzi?
Maybe.