From Publishers Weekly
The power of friendship and love prevail against unlikely odds in Lokko's overstuffed, globe-trotting family epic. The saga, which begins in 1972 London, primarily focuses on lonely Amber Sall and her friends, artistically gifted Becky Aldridge and poor, intelligent Madeline Szabo. Amber yearns for the approval of her illustrious father, Max, but he's too occupied with his work and second family in Rome to notice. Amber's half-sister, the gorgeous Paola, grows into a vixen, and the two compete over everything, including, eventually, Tendé Ndiaye, a West African business associate of their father. Years blur together as Amber and friends embark on their own lives, rarely making contact with one another aside from infrequent visits; Madeline becomes a doctor, Becky finds work in a gallery and Amber becomes a journalist before marrying Tendé. Paola never outgrows her licentiousness, and it proves, predictably, to be her undoing. Political strife in Mali, meanwhile, portends possible disaster for Tendé, but help from an unexpected source saves the day. Stilted pacing slows an already meandering plot, though the few surprise turns should keep readers going.
(Nov.) Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
Product Description
From Lesley Lokko, an outstanding new voice in women’s fiction, comes a story of family, love, grief, and power . . .
In this sweeping family saga, Amber Sall has the world on a platter---everything a girl could ever want. She has a handsome, powerbroker father, an older brother she adores, scads of money, and two best friends, Becky and Madeline. But none of that satisfies her lifelong desire to win her father’s love, and for success in a career on the basis of her own talents, not her family’s power and money. Watching her beloved brother fail both tests only makes Amber more determined to succeed. Through the decades, she and Becky and Madeline need each other’s support through the best and the worst that women can experience, but can their friendship survive?
Max Sall, Amber’s father, is a distant, self-made man, whose lust for power comes from his tragic childhood. He drove Amber’s society mother to alcoholism by openly keeping a mistress in Rome. His daughter with that mistress, Paola Rossi, is spoiled by her mother. She grows up to be a beautiful, glamorous member of the international jet set, yet she is still envious of everything Amber has, and determined to do what her mother never could: get a man to marry her. But when Paola finally marries, the result is more disastrous than she ever could have dreamed.
Moving easily from London to Africa, Bosnia to New York, Saffron Skies is an unforgettable story of wealth, ambition, family, friendship, passion, loyalty, and betrayal.
