The Children of the Roses

312 pages

What ever happened to the children of Mr. and Mrs. Rose? Warren Adler’s ‘The War of The Roses’ leaped onto the public consciousness and has since remained an essential thread in a wider tapestry of divorce iconography. Now, Adler presents us with the chandelier-shattering legacy of Barbara and Jonathan Rose relived in their children Josh and Evie. This darkly hilarious sequel to ‘The War of the Roses’ will draw you into a world of domestic mayhem that carries the confrontation between the Roses into the second and third generation.

The hilarious sequel to the original iconic tale about the perils of marriage, divorce and the destructive power of materialism.

Unlike the legendary Roses, Josh’s marriage to Victoria should have all the qualities of an everlasting union. But when an innocent caper involving missing Milky Ways catapults out of control at their son’s elite private school, the pair find themselves entering into a shattering warfare of a different kind. Armed with the emotional mayhem inherited from their parents, as well as compounded pressures involving a depraved headmaster, clandestine affairs and Victoria’s male-hating mother, ‘The Children of the Roses’ presents a gripping story of the lengths to which parents will go to protect their children.

Little more than a child herself, Josh’s ever sympathetic and over-stuffed sister Evie lavishes her ‘food-is-love’ obsession on her beloved niece and nephew coping with their own sense of loss. Meanwhile, Michael and Emily, soon-to-be children of divorce, orchestrate their own plan to keep their family together at all costs. Adler, once again, demonstrates his storytelling mastery by revealing the intricate blending of the past with the present, and how time unravels all things seemingly perfect to be darkly and even comically dysfunctional.

Reviews

“A funny new spin on dysfunctional family life – engrossing, unpredictable and touching.” — Sidney Sheldon, bestselling author
“Adler recreates the epic marital bickering that made the original ‘The War of the Roses’ such juicy movie material.” — Publishers Weekly
“Strangely compelling.” — Kirkus Reviews
“Warren Adler has delivered a racy fast-paced read. This sequel to that highly acclaimed bestseller is full of drama, suspense, tension and at times great hilarity. This is one of those books that’s hard to put down until the last page is read. Clever plotting and terrific dialogue make it a page turner.” — Barbara Taylor Bradford, bestselling author
“In War of the Roses (1986), Adler set the ultimate standard for dysfunctional families. Now in his long-awaited sequel, the sins of the father are visited upon the next generation of Rose offspring…Adultery, blackmail, rape, and arson all factor into the downfall of the next crop of Roses, yet Adler’s gift is to turn these outrageously bleak scenarios into outrageously appealing black comedy.” — Booklist