The Gatecrasher: A Novel

Written by Madeleine Wickham

Narrated by Katherine Kellgren

Madeleine Wickham is Sophie Kinsella, and The Gatecrasher is just as delicious as her internationally bestselling Shopaholic series. Madeleine Wickham's bitingly funny and edgy style keeps fans coming back for more. So hold onto your haute couture hats, as you dive into the fantastic world of Wickham!

Everything's coming up roses for Fleur Daxeny, as she goes through more rich men than she does designer hats....if that's humanly possible. Beautiful, charming, and utterly irresistible, her success at crashing funerals to find wealthy men is remarkable. But behind Fleur's Harvey Nichols wardrobe, is a woman with a mysterious past.

Fleur wastes no time in seducing her latest conquest, the handsome and rich widower Richard Favour, and she swoops into his life like a designer-clad tornado. His children are caught up in a whirlwind as their father's new girlfriend descends on the family estate leaving chaos and excitement in her perfume-scented wake. Soon, more than one family member is suspicious of Fleur's true intentions.

Fleur is not one to wear her heart on her Chanel sleeves, but she soon finds herself embracing Richard and his lovable family. But just as Fleur contemplates jumping off the gold-digger train for good and enjoying the ride of true love, a long-buried secret from her past threatens to destroy her new family. Fleur is thrown into a race against time to prove herself to Richard before it's too late. Can she trust her heart or will she cut ties and run away as fast as her Prada pumps can take her?

Take a wild and marvelous ride with The Gatecrasher, whose clever, chic, and sassy style will leave you desperately wanting more wonderful Wickham!

• Language: English
• Publisher: Macmillan Audio
• Release date: Jul 21, 2009
• ISBN: 9781427204387

Madeleine Wickham

Madeleine Wickham is the author of several acclaimed novels, including A Desirable Residence, Cocktails for Three, Sleeping Arrangements and The Wedding Girl. As Sophie Kinsella, she has written a number of bestsellers including the Shopaholic series, Twenties Girl, Remember Me?, The Undomestic Goddess, and Can You Keep a Secret? Confessions of a Shopaholic was made into a major motion picture starring Isla Fisher and Hugh Dancy. Born in London, Wickham studied at New College, Oxford. She lives in London with her husband and family.

Reviews for The Gatecrasher

[angelalam-300700 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Solid and entertaining read.

[foggidawn · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Fleur goes to funerals to meet men. Wealthy, lonely widowers, to be precise. She takes what she can, then gets out. But this time, things have gotten complicated...Another light read which I listened to due more to Katherine Kellgren's narration than anything else. It was just what I wanted at the time. I did admire the characterization. For instance, Fleur doesn't sound like a sympathetic character in my description above, but in the story, you see her charm and appeal as well as her avaricious side. If you enjoy this sort of book, you should give this one a try, particularly the audio version.

[cynditefft · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

This was typical Madeline Wickham/Sophie Kinsella and an enjoyable read, though the ending left something to be desired. I felt it ended with another chapter unwritten, that if she'd gone on a bit longer, it would have wrapped up more satisfactorily. She has an easy-to-read writing style and does a great job in building characters that feel 3 dimensional.

[cait815 · Rating: 1 out of 5 stars]

Wow... this was terrible. I forced myself to finish (only to complete a task for TNBBC's Spring Challenge), but I kind of want to gouge my eyes out now.

[cocomom1 · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

The characters in this book were more like caricatures and the plot was rather predictable I found it lightweight and unsatisfying.

[ceh0017 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

The Gatecrasher was another classic Madeleine Wickham. I always enjoy her novels and this one was no different. If you like her style of writing you will enjoy this one as well. An easy and quick read.

[wineisme · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Not quite a review of this particular novel... As of late, I am devouring anything written by Madeleine Wickham or Sophie Kinsella. For chick lit to temporarily sweep your mind away from day-to-day routine, she can't be beat. If you're in the mood for a fun, easy read, pick up one of Ms. Wickham's novels. It won't disappoint.

[indygirl_1 · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

About a money hungry women who crashes weathy widowed men's dead wives funerals to latch on to them and their money. Disfunctional...decetiful. She falls in love. It is ok.

[gmmoney · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Another light read from the author of the "Shopaholic" series. Fleur Daxeny crashes funerals for a living, preying on widowers in quick succession. This time though, she finds herself in a web of colorful family members and has some difficult decisions to make. Definitely on my "beach read" list.

[alanna1122 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Well. This was a surprise. I don't know if it was the particular mood I was in - or low expectations or what - but I really enjoyed this book and thought it was a fun read.I have read some of the shopaholic series (I much prefer it on audio) and I had listened to "sleeping arrangements".I picked up the hardcover of this one in a bargain bin and thought at best it would be a light palate cleanser between heavier fare.I though it was a great fast read. Perfect for the airplane or the beach. It rose above other books like it because I thought the story was original and I honestly wasnt sure most of the time exactly how it was going to resolve. So many books of these types are obvious from page one.Anyway. If you want something light and quick and interesting too - its a good one!

[kariannalysis · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

If you’ve ever seen Wedding Crashers, the part where Will Ferrell has turned into a funeral crasher, well that’s the life of Fleur. Fleur’s ultimate goal is to get the big bucks. To do that, she scours funerals, trying to find a widower who can support her life. She weasels her way in, gains their trust and runs of with their trust, money that is.But this time, her daughter Zara has gotten involved and this may be her final go round.I picked up this book because I loved every Sophie Kinsella book and read them all in a very short period of time. Well, you all know that Sophie Kinsella is actually Madeeline Wickham. Unfortunately, I liked the books better when Sophie wrote them.This book just didn’t do it for me. I thought it was extremely predictable, I didn’t really like the characters and I caught myself skimming for something to catch my attention quite a bit. There was one part of the book, in the last third, that I thought gave it hope, but it wasn’t enough to rectify it.I will still probably BookMooch other Wickham books (that’s where I got this one), with high hopes that this was just a fluke. I only give Gatecrasher 2 bookmarks.

[smbmom · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

The book reads well, engagingly well, but it never drew me in. How could it? The main character, Fleur, is a shallow, pathetic, but stylish creature who sponges off of others. And, she dumps her daughter to focus on her own selfish, materialistic needs. Over the course of the book, the reader discovers that Fleur is not so bad as others, at least, she isn't mean. So, that's ok, right? Sorry, that's not enough for me.

[lisabee_1 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

well, that ending came out of nowhere.

[hannahj26 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Written by the same author as Shopaholic and Can You Keep A Secret, this book is not too bad. However, I had a hard time liking the main characters in the book. A very fast read and at times amusing. It's not on the same level though as some of her other books. At times it almost felt like a different writer all together (though the book professes to be the same one).

[elbakerone · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Fleur Daxeny is the title character in Madeleine Wickham's The Gatecrasher, but instead of sneaking into garden parties or weddings, Fleur is the uninvited guest at funerals. More specifically, she targets funerals of women with wealthy husbands and makes a living by charming her way into the lives - and bank accounts - of one unsuspecting widower after another. Fleur's latest target is Richard Favour who finds that her bubbly personality and bright spirit is exactly what his dull life has been lacking. However, as Fleur is swept up into Richard's country club lifestyle and family problems she finds that maybe she is wanting more than just access to his gold card. Perhaps this will be the life that she finally settles into, until her own past catches up with her and threatens to ruin everything.I actually enjoyed this book quite a bit. It has a much more serious tone than many of the books Madeleine Wickham wrote under her popular pen name Sophie Kinsella. It has a decidedly British feel to it and lacks the Americanization that seems to penetrate the Shopaholic books. Though Fleur is not the most likable heroine, her charm and carefree spirit are contagious to the reader as well as to the other characters in the book. Overall this was a interesting story that made for a fun quick book to read.

[picklechic · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

I really like Sophie Kinsella's books normally. They are light, easy reads with very likable leading ladies as the main characters. However, this book, written under the pseudonym of Madeleine Wickham, was not as good as her other books. The main character just wasn't very likeable and didn't really have me pulling for her. The story was good and the other chararacters were likeable. The book just lacked that something that made it a good book.