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The Best of Times

By Penny Vincenzi

(4)

| Paperback | 9780755320882

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Book Description

A hot summer's day, a crowded motorway, a split second that changed people's lives forever. Gripping, heartbreaking, exciting and unputdownable, this new novel will be one of 2009's biggest and most enjoyable novels - from the irresistible Penny Vincenzi.

Critics

Bookreporter.com - THE BEST OF TIMES by Penny Vincenzi

Penny Vincenzi is known for her sweeping, dramatic, often surprising sagas that usually focus on large families and associates, groups of people who have long-standing connections by virtue of blood or business (and sometimes both). In her latest nov ... (read full critics)

bookreporter published on Wed, 1 Sep 2010

2 Reviews

Loved it!

As it is so long you really become close to the characters and in the end you don't want to separete from them!
Well written, very detailed (in some parts a bit too much), variety of characters.
Characters: Jonathan, Georgia, Toby, Barney, Emma, Mary

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Mati said on Mar 22, 2010 | Add your feedback

*** This comment contains spoilers! ***

It was the best of times, it was the worst of times... it was the spring of hope, it was the winter of despair, we had everything before us, we had nothing before us, we were all going direct to Heaven, we were all going direct the other way.
—A Tale of Two Cities, Charles Dickens
A hot s ... (continue)

It was the best of times, it was the worst of times... it was the spring of hope, it was the winter of despair, we had everything before us, we had nothing before us, we were all going direct to Heaven, we were all going direct the other way.
—A Tale of Two Cities, Charles Dickens
A hot summer’s day, a crowded motorway, a split second that changed a group of peoples lives forever…
Vincenzi takes the reader on a ride of a dramatic, yet ironically realistic, view of the various characters’ lives. With such strong and relatable storylines and emotions, Vincenzi successfully presents an unputdownable page-turner. Six different storylines, all weaved together because of the car crash on the crowded motorway, all occurring as people, unknown to each other before, cross paths, and ignite new friendships and romances whilst ending the old ones. From an awful incident, the characters all strive to create their best of times thereafter.
Jonathan, the successful, charismatic surgeon, was confronted with his wife, Laura’s suspicions of why he was on that motorway in the first place, with an unknown female, and his marriage was at risk, as Laura inches closer to the truth.
Barney was forced to reflect on his own life. Is Toby really the loyal best friend he thought he was? Is Amanda really the woman he wants to spend the rest of his life with? All of his previous certainties had shattered the moment the crash occurred, and the moment that he met Emma, the engaging young surgeon at the hospital.
Georgia, the young actress, felt her emotional conscience tearing away at her, despite getting out of the crash physically without injury. As Georgia tries to work through with her survivor guilt, she also faces a common problem of young people: finding what you want in life, and fight for it.
Linda, Georgia’s agent, ends up crossing paths with the A&E consultant, Alex, and the two develop a relationship that is seemingly hard to maintain, as these two equally stubborn, self-indulged, and opinionated constantly find themselves fighting over everything, yet are so deeply in love that they cannot possibly peel away from one another.
Mary, who was initially travelling to the airport to meet her first love, whom she has not seen in over fifty years, nearly missed her chance of seeing him at all because of the crash. However, fate takes a good turn, and as the two reunite, we are shown of how love has no expiration date, and memories of love linger around until eternity.
William, the young farmer who witnessed the entire crash, found himself attracted to a woman who is completely beyond his type. As his life is routine with caring for his cows and tractors, her life is extravagant and exciting with slight abuse of drugs and alcohol. Met with disapproval from his mother and skepticism from everyone around, William and Abi have quite a few obstacles to overcome.

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Cindy Cheng425 said on Jul 17, 2009 | Add your feedback