Garden of Lies - Hardcover

Goudge, a distant relation of the durable British novelist and wife of literary agent Al Zuckerman, makes a skillful transition from teenage paperback romances to big-time commercial fiction in this highly readable story of secret loves and tangled lives. When Sylvie Rosenthal's baby girl is born, she realizes that her wealthy husband will surely recognize the resemblance to their Greek handyman, Sylvie's lover. A fire in the hospital gives her the chance to switch her daughter with that of a woman who dies in the blaze. While Sylvie brings up the girl she names Rachel in a luxurious Manhattan apartment, her natural daughter is raised as Rose Santini in Brooklyn by a harsh, vindictive grandmother. Rose's only solace is her love for Brian McCallahan; when he goes to Vietnam, she works her way through law school. Meanwhile, Rachel, devastated after having been forced to abort a pregnancy, also ends up in Vietnam, where she falls in love with Brian. Thus Rose and Rachel are fated to meet, and Sylvie to be confronted with the "lie" of her natural daughter. The novel is adroitly plotted, the dramatic tension rising as the characters finally come together at a sensational trial. At this point, however, the narrative falters because Goudge uses an old device as an easy cop-out (the villain breaks down on the witness stand). Nonetheless, most readers will remain engrossed in this smoothly written romantic tale. 150,000 first printing; $125,000 ad/promo; BOMC featured selection; ABC-TV miniseries.
Copyright 1989 Reed Business Information, Inc.

The fiction tradition that a woman will do anything for a man is alive and well in this novel by "Sweet Valley High" teen series writer Goudge. Sylvia seizes the opportunity offered by a hospital fire to switch infants, taking a newborn whose appearance resembles her husband's. Her true child, fathered by Sylvia's lover, is left to make her own way in the world. Rachel, raised in luxury as Sylvia's daughter, becomes a doctor. When her career is jeopardized, she is defended by Sylvia's real daughter, who has overcome poverty to become a lawyer. The two women of course compete for the same man, as Sylvia herself tries to decide whether to marry Nikos, her former lover. With the requisite cast of heroes and villains and a backdrop including the Vietnam War, this should be a sure-fire hit for romance lovers. BOMC featured selection; ABC-TV miniseries.
- Elsa Pendleton, Computer Sciences Corp., Ridgecrest, Cal.
Copyright 1989 Reed Business Information, Inc.