Cocktails for Three

Interestingly, this is the weakest Wickham books I've read so far. Still with charm and lovely characters, but almost too predictable and while it was a pleasant way to kill a short flight, it wasn't spectacular.

Having read all the Sophie Kinsella books, I have started reading some of her books under her original author name. I expect the Wickham books to be different, but this seemed to be the strongest departure from her usually light and funny style. Truth be told, I found myself crying through parts of it! The cutesy cover art did not prepare me for the sadder storylines. However, since I have enjoyed so many of her other books, I will still try more Wickham novels.

This book was absolutely brilliant! I love Madeleine Wickham and tins was another lovely show of her talent. The characters are so easy to love and hate. And of course you can't help but hope that someday you will have friends like the three ladies in this book. And of course the cocktail club is a must. But this book was a brilliant tale about love, life and friendship... And how you should always be cautious when it comes to people who seem to be nice. They might as well be psychopaths.

Anyway, I really loved this book!

Overall, I enjoyed this "chick lit" book. It definitely had heavier topics, and although some of the plot twists were hard to believe I liked the way the three characters developed. I especially liked the relationship with Ralph- I didnt see that one coming. Yes, it is a little bit darker than the Shopaholic books. However, the same messages behind the story, character development, and entertainment are still there. I was glad to find Madeleine Wickham, and will definitely pick up some more of her (Kinsella's) books.

#37, 2006

I wanted some light reading this past weekend and picked up this book, and didn’t put it down again until it was finished. So, I guess I must have enjoyed it. :D It’s chick-lit, fairly standard stuff for the genre, and the plot was comfortingly predictable, and never got TOO unpleasant (which is one of the things I sometimes don't like about books in this genre). Three Londoners, best friends, who all work at the same magazine; they all end up having a rough time of things for one reason or another. One goes on maternity leave with her first child, and isn’t quite sure how to cope with the difficult realities of motherhood; one is involved with a married man; and the third tries to make amends for something awful her show more father did years ago, and well, it’s not hard to guess that things don’t go as she plans, either. A satisfying read, and a good way to spend a lazy Sunday afternoon. show less

I find the British often do "chick lit" better than the Americans, and this is a typical book in the genre. Madeleine Wickham, of course, is the real name of Sophie Kinsella whose Shopaholic books made her more famous than these books published under the Wickham name. The Wickham books - I think there are seven - were also published earlier than the Kinsella series, in the late 1990s.

This is the usual chick lit type of book. You always want to rush to the end just to find out what happens. I found the male characters in Cocktails For Three even more stereotypical than usual. Giles, Maggie's husband, particularly, seemed more obtuse at the beginning, and later inclined to roll over and capitulate to Maggie's decisions when she finally show more gets around to making them, in a completely (to me) unbelievable way. Can't really itemize all he's willing to go along with as that would spoil the story for readers who haven't got to the end yet. A guy I characterize to myself as belonging to the "female fantasy" type - the perfect man. Find one of these in real life!

I'm not as big a fan of Wickham/Kinsella as many of her readers are - I got heartily sick of Becky Bloomwood years ago, for one thing. This was an interesting read for the couple of days I spent with it, but not special. show less

This was such a cute book! I felt like I was there with the girls and their cocktails. It brought up some serious issues that most women face, especially those with children. Another quick read but well worth your time!