And perhaps that was the fallacy in my thinking. The truth is, I probably would have liked this book much more if it HAD been more like Whitney, My Love. Unfortunately, it was not.
Here are a few of the similarities I noted:
There is a scene where Clinton's attorney, Doonesbury, is in his carriage, briefcase in lap, approaching Clinton's house....And what is Doonesbury going there for? Oh, funny you should ask. He is going to deliver a background report on Tiffany. And when he leaves, it is with instructions on what is to be done with a large sum of money. 100,000 pounds to be perfectly precise. Sound familiar? Yes, it's because it is a comically bad version of when Matthew Bennett goes to Clayton's gorgeous French house with his background check on Whitney and her family.
Another similarity -- At the time of Clinton's meeting with Doonesbury, Tiffany knows little of his existence. He's been introduced to her once, but she paid him scant attention because she was surrounded by a bevy of fawning admirers. Which is very much like Clayton having been introduced to Whitney twice--the first time when she was too young for him to consider, and the second time when she was surrounded by men and we are told she flicked a distracted glance in his direction and didn't pay attention to his name.
Names -- A lot of the names in Defiant Angel were similar to those used in WML. There's the Clayton/Clinton resemblance. I think Tiffany's maid was named Clarissa... Oh! And her horse, her beloved horse.... No, he was not named Khan. BUT....his sire was Genghis Khan, and his offspring was Kubla Khan. If that counts for anything.
There was one scene I remember where Clinton kisses Tiffany, and the first bruising kiss is "a lesson"....The scene was very reminiscent of Clayton and Whitney on the balcony at Amelia Eubank's party....
Oh, and you know where Whitney crosses the channel to France? And you turn the page and it says "France 1816-1820"???? Well....as hilarious as it is, this book has the same exact page.
These little similarities were fun when I found them....but the rest of the time, reading that book was like slogging through thigh-high swamp water in lead boots.
I think Crystal put it best when she said that whoever said this book was like Whitney, My Love ruined the career of a very bad author.
Not even the elements stolen from Whitney, My Love could make this book rise to the level of mediocrity, and no comparison between those two books should ever be drawn. Like...ever.Statistics: Posted by Jessica — Wed Jun 11, 2014 1:20 pm
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