40 Love by Madeleine Wickham

40 Love by Madeleine Wickham

From the author of the sensational bestselling Sophie Kinsella novels and the New York Times bestsellers The Wedding Girl and Sleeping Arrangements, this perceptive comedy 40 Love skewers the shallow rich, displaying a wicked backhand along the way.

Everyone wins this game of literary tennis, a comedy of manners about envy in which Madeleine Wickham skewers the nouveau riche. At their country estate, Patrick Chance and his wife host a weekend tennis party. As four couples gather on the sunny terrace, it seems obvious who among them is succeeding, and who is falling behind. But by the end of the party, nothing will be quite as certain. While the couples' children amuse themselves with pony rides and rehearsals for a play, the adults suffer a series of personal revelations and crises.

Wickham's nonstop action reveals at every turn that matters may not be as they seem, and in the end one thing is crystal clear: the weekend is about anything but tennis.

Cocktails for Three, Sleeping Arrangements, and The Wedding Girl are among Madeleine Wickham's critically regarded works. Sophie Kinsella is the author of several best-selling novels, including the Shopaholic series, Twenties Girl, and Remember Me? Wickham was born in London and attended New College, Oxford. Her husband and family live in London with her.