The Misadventures of Oliver Booth
by DAVID DESMOND
Greenleaf Book Group Press, 205 pages, $14.95
David Desmond writes about the rich, and the wannabe rich, in Palm Springs. Since he is Donald Trump’s nephew, and lives in Palm Springs, we can assume he is not unfamiliar with that milieu, and in this novel he manages to navigate this world of the rich and self-indulgent with ease.
We explore Palm Beach with the Oliver Booth of the title. As his main protagonist, David Desmond gives us the unpleasant, arrogant, incompetent – throw in obese too – proprietor of a store situated near, but not in, a top class shopping street, where he tries to unload his fake antiques at outrageous prices upon the rich and super-rich. You will look in vain for redeeming qualities.
As we follow him from Palm Springs to Paris on an antiques buying trip on behalf of a client, and back again, bad things happen to Oliver Booth, but he is so unremittingly unpleasant to everyone he encounters in this story – he is either fawning over them or trying to take advantage of them, and very often both – that we feel no sympathy for him when fate slaps him upside the head. Add a French waiter who is both intelligent and possessed of an easy manner, a very rich old lady and her grandson, and you have the main characters in this comic novel.
At the start of the novel, David Desmond describes for us the nature of Palm Beach society, with its own code of behaviour, hierarchy and rules, and we are left wondering if all this can be true, but of course since Desmond is describing the place where he lives, we believe every word. Then he takes up the story of Oliver Booth’s attempt to join that society and make his fortune as antique dealer to the wealthy. This is a very entertaining and undemanding read. Don’t look for deeper meanings than those you find on the page – just enjoy what happens to the sweaty little toad of the title and those with whom he comes into contact. It takes a lot for a book to make the reader laugh out loud, but this one succeeded in several places. The Misadventures of Oliver Booth comes under the category of fun! Read and enjoy. And if you’re like me you’ll be though it all too quickly, and wanting more; so you’ll be delighted to see that Desmond is writing a sequel.
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This definitely looks like something I'd enjoy. Nicely done review, Nick!
Posted by: Carol | January 06, 2009 at 12:01 PM
Who says we don't share the same taste in books? First there was Bill Bryson. And now this sounds wonderful to me!
Posted by: Di | January 06, 2009 at 08:18 PM
Hmm. This sounds like an interesting book.
Posted by: Brenda ND | January 08, 2009 at 09:14 AM
Good to hear that a nephew of Donald Trump is doing something entertaining with his life that doesn't include being a party-hearty-er in the news rags.
Posted by: julia | January 08, 2009 at 09:15 AM
Since I enjoy your book posts I thought I would tag you in this meme on our blog...
Posted by: Bumbles | January 10, 2009 at 09:16 PM
Like Bumbles, I really enjoy your book posts too, and I am seriously missing your T13 posts. Please do join in again!
I've given you an award today, just 'cause you've got such a great blog! http://bettysbooks.blogspot.com/2009/01/my-first-award.html
Posted by: Betty | January 11, 2009 at 01:50 AM
What an interesting book...at least it sounds like one...fun and funny and interesting.
Posted by: J | January 11, 2009 at 12:25 PM
sounds interesting. i bet with all the books you read nick you could write your own.
I bet you gonna tell me you have already ;)
Posted by: Tina | January 11, 2009 at 12:40 PM