The Dilemma [Paperback]

The Dilemma was my first book by Penny Vincenzi, which, in fact, made me seek a chance to read all the books she wrote. Franchesca, a smart and independent woman, when marries an overpowering real-estate tycoon Bard Channing confronts his possessive and selfish attitude to save her marriage and love. You start reading one story, but gradually with all various absorbing plot strings ultimately find yourself reading several stories at a time that do not distract you from the main line. It is not at all like a typical romance story centered round the only perfect woman, which in the end gets what she wants like in Danielle Steel's novels. A true-to-life narration involves a great number of diverse characters, which are not episodic, but integral, especially, Kate, a sensual and vivacious red-haired girl being confused and misled in her life by her tycoon-father's blind rage and trying to re-establish herself and regain her self-esteem. The reading is such a mellow and pleasant experience, which spares you the biggest fear of a reader that the pleasure will end up all too soon.

The Overlook Press was the first American publisher to introduce the novels of Penny Vincenzi, a bestselling author in her native England, to American audiences. Although U.S. readers have yet to give Vincenzi the attention she deserves, her most recent novels have garnered the attention of a major U.S. publisher, Doubleday. Overlook Press, however, has continued its efforts to bring Vincenzi's backlist to American readers, and their latest endeavor is to release Vincenzi's debut novel (originally published in 1996) to the United States for the first time.

At the start of THE DILEMMA, Francesca is a young and ambitious, but still rather insecure, woman at the very beginning of her career. In an act of bravado, she responds to a televised "advertisement for a wife" delivered by business tycoon Bard Channing. It takes several years of miscommunications, missed opportunities and many missteps before she is finally able to take up the charismatic Channing on his offer of marriage.

Despite the wealth, fame and luxury afforded her by becoming Mrs. Isembard Channing, Francesca experiences difficulties adjusting to her new life. She's passionately in love with her husband, of course, but the ambitious Francesca has a hard time giving up her own prominent career in advertising in order to be a full-time wife and, soon, mother.

The fact that Bard categorically refuses to share anything about his business with his new wife, let alone hear her advice on professional matters, doesn't make things any easier. Nor do Bard's four children from his two previous marriages, who view Francesca with varying levels of tolerance, ridicule, bitterness and disdain. The course of their early years of marriage is a rocky one, indeed, but when Francesca's emotional insecurities collide with Bard's growing secrecy, bad temper and business problems, can Francesca and Bard's love survive the crisis on the horizon?

THE DILEMMA is Vincenzi's debut novel, and readers already familiar with her subsequent fiction will notice how many elements of her successful novelistic formula have their genesis here. The quickly-shifting plotlines, the burgeoning cast of dozens of characters whose disparate lives soon become entangled for better or for worse, the oblique references to economic and political issues --- all these hallmarks of Vincenzi's more recent novels can be seen in THE DILEMMA as well.

Vincenzi's first novel, however, is not without its weaknesses. Although she has long shown a facility for weaving together numerous plot lines, most notably in her Spoils of Time trilogy, it's clear that in THE DILEMMA Vincenzi had not yet fully mastered this difficult technique. In addition, the main plotline, which hinges on a series of complicated business and banking maneuvers, is not as compelling as those in some of her more recent novels.

Finally, in Francesca, Vincenzi has created a character who can at times be more exasperating than fascinating, particularly for many female readers, who may lack sympathy when Francesca expresses thoughts like "She had tasted huge wealth and she knew very well...it had brought her no real pleasure."

Nevertheless, despite its weaknesses, THE DILEMMA is still a hugely entertaining and even captivating read. Once American fans discover Vincenzi, they'll want to read everything she's written, and reading her debut is the perfect way to trace how Vincenzi skillfully developed the fiction-writing techniques that have served her so well in her many bestselling novels to date.

--- Reviewed by Norah Piehl

I read Penny Vincenzi's trilogy and loved it. The Dilema was disappointing for me. Maybe it was a little too soap operaish?
There were times it just kept going on and on and I wanted it over.
Francesca was not an appealing character at all. A woman in this day and age giving up her career because hubby wanted this? Please! Francesca never seemed to know what she wanted. Bard was so tyrannical with his family and employees that it was scary. Lots of character and lots of story lines so it does keep you interested. I stuck with this to the end because I did want to see what happened. However, did not like it as much as her other books.

› Go to Amazon.com to see all 10 reviews  3.8 out of 5 stars