June 9, 2009

Review: Obsession by Gloria Vanderbilt



Architectural genius Talbot Bingham was so enamored of his wife Priscilla, that he built her a dream home and compound name Talcilla. Everyone who knew the couple agreed that they had never known two people so in love with each other.

During their 10th anniversary celebration Talbot dies unexpectedly and Priscilla is devastated. After 6 month’s of mourning she finally gets up the courage to enter Talbot’s home office and finds a stack of letters neatly tied with ribbon. She is pleasantly surprised when she finds her own letters to Talbot from when they first met but as she continues to go through them she also finds a stack of letters from someone only identified as Bee.

What she discovers from reading these letters tears her whole world apart. Talbot had a mistress. And it wasn’t just an ordinary affair. Bee was a paid mistress set up in a home even grander than Talcilla and was well schooled in eroticism. Bee was also obsessed with Talbot and couldn’t stand the thought of Priscilla.

Shocked by this turn of events Priscilla tries to come to terms with this other woman but she herself becomes obsessed over Bee and the pair ultimately faces off in the most unlikely of settings.

This is a quick 143 page read that I finished in about an hour and I swear I was mesmerized the whole time. It was sensual and passionate but not excessively erotic. I thought the ending too much of a cliff hanger but I still enjoyed the read. I just wish it had just a couple of pages more to learn more about the meeting between Priscilla and Bee. The book was an unexpected pleasure and I recommend it for anyone who likes books that are a little on the spicy side.

2 comments :

bermudaonion said...

Is that the Gloria Vanderbilt of jeans and perfume fame? I had no idea she wrote a book.

MonieG said...

Yes it is her. I remember her most for her jeans in the early 80's. Lol