Product Description

Fleur is beautiful but lazy and, at forty, spends her life looking for rich men who can provide her and her teenage daughter with a glamorous and effortless existence. A daily trawl through the court pages of The Times provides her with an unusual but fertile search area - the funerals and memorial services of the great and good, where gatecrashers are so much less noticeable than they would be at a wedding or a christening.It is at one of these sad but oddly festive occasions that she meets Richard, dull but well-off, whose mousey wife has died after a lifetime of enjoyable ill-health. Before long Fleur has become an integral part of Richard's life, offending his friends, interfering in his leisure pursuits (golf bores her, so why should he spend so much time on it?) and stirring up his grown-up children to behave badly.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #10798 in Books
• Published on: 2004-11-01
• Original language: English
• Binding: Paperback
• 304 pages

From the Back Cover
Fleur Daxeny is beautiful, unscrupulous, and has a large wardrobe of black designer suits. With the help of The Times announcements page she gatecrashes the funerals and memorial services of the wealthy, preying on rich, vulnerable men. She charms her way into their lives and onto their platinum credit cards, takes what she can, and then moves swiftly on.

When Richard Favour, a dull but wealthy businessman, meets Fleur at his wife's memorial service, he's bowled over. Gradually Fleur works her spell on Richard's reserved and stilted family – transforming their lives while she moves in on their wealth. She finds herself lingering longer than she meant to, becoming involved in the family – but as Fleur rifles through Richard's files, it becomes clear that she is not the only one after his money.

About the Author
Madeleine Wickham was born in London. She read PPE at Oxford and published her first novel, The Tennis Party, while working as a financial journalist. Since then she has written A Desirable Residence, Swimming Pool Sunday, The Gatecrasher, The Wedding Girl, Cocktails for Three and Sleeping Arrangements, all published by Black Swan. She is also the author of several novels published by Black Swan under the name of Sophie Kinsella. She lives in Surrey with her husband and two small sons.

Customer Reviews

An intriguing premise...
I really enjoyed this book because it has a fresh and different kind of plot, and an anti heroine who you find yourself admiring if not particularly liking very much. The supporting characters are also particularly well drawn, and you find yourself rooting for their lives to turn out happily even if you're not sure what you want to happen to Fleur herself...

A highly recommended read.

Interesting Tale - easy read, but makes you think
What's remarkable about The Gatecrasher is that the "heroine" is anything but. In fact, even at the end of the story I didn't like her much. It's the impact that Fleur has on the lives around her that makes this a good book. The other characters - Richard the widower she picks up at his wives' memorial service, Johnny her longtime friend who finally kicks her where she needs it, Richard's children and in-laws, and finally Zara, her own daughter - that you come to love, each for their own strengths and weaknesses. The two teens, Antony and Zara, are particularly compelling.

The *dawgrrl* review
Fleur Daxeny is a funeral crasher - she's a con artist who preys on recent wealthy widowers and makes off with some of their money. Her most recent victim is Richard Favour whose wife Emily has just died. However, what she doesn't count on is that Richard and his family may change her just as much as she changes them.

I thoroughly enjoyed this novel and the just over 300 pages seemed to turn themselves. While I felt that Fleur's past was perhaps a little glossed over and could have been brought out more and that there was some foreshadowing thats denouement fell a bit flat, I felt that overall this was a great read. I will definitely be reading more of Ms. Wickham's work!