WHEN IN ROME...
A Novel of Piazzas and Passion
by Gemma Townley
Top stories in today’s news: to meet a hungry world’s growing demand for chick-lit plots, scientists have announced the cloning of an embryonic heroine who is cute, fluffy, clueless, and never grows up . . . .
Not really. But the leading lady here does seem awfully familiar: Georgie Beauchamp, London writer for a pension newsletter, is happy enough with her new boyfriend David, a forensic accountant who is decent, kind, capable, thoughtful—but a teeny-tiny bit dull. (Warning: girl words like teeny-tiny and actually and cool get tossed around loads of times.) Whatever happened to previous boyfriend Mike, the jerk who left a note on the kitchen table and dumped Georgie two years ago? Oh, no—he’s driving an extremely cool BMW and he’s gorgeous! Georgie has tummy butterflies all over again! Should she talk to Mike and not tell David? Better nip to the loo and think for three seconds. She decides to go to Rome and not tell David! What a smashing adventure it will be—and, lo, faster than you can say derivative plot, she’s in St. Peter’s Square. “It’s absolutely huge, a massive courtyard surrounded by statues and engravings and pillars,” Georgie gushes, feeling just like Audrey Hepburn in Roman Holiday—only Mike isn’t exactly Gregory Peck. He seems to be mixed up with all sorts of shady characters and dirty deals in his record business. What will silly Georgie do next? Why, spend a thousand pounds on clothes she doesn’t need, of course, and wait for dear, dependable David to show up and rescue her. Looks like David has evidence of Mike’s embezzlement! And he’s climbing up the drainpipe to show her that he’s not so stodgy after all!
Dopey first outing by Sophie Kinsella’s sister.