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Domestic Affairs

by Eileen Goudge

3.37 · rating details · 365 ratings · 66 reviews

"Rosie and Abigail are like family," Ina Merriweather used to say. That is, until the day Ina abruptly cast out her housekeeper, Rosie, and her fifteen-year-old daughter Abigail. Abigail felt deeply betrayed, especially by Ina's daughter Lila, who was her closest friend. Only Lila's twin brother Vaughn, with whom Abigail had been exploring the joys and heartaches...more

Hardcover, Large Print, 717 pages

Published October 3rd 2008 by Thorndike Press (first published January 1st 2008)

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Sep 09, 2008

Daisy rated it

· review of another edition

Blergh. I picked this up because the name looked familiar but I couldn't remember if I liked the author's last book or not. Judging from how tedious this one was, I'd have to guess I didn't. It's a textbook example of why a writer needs to "show, not tell" because it read like a lengthy description of the story, rather than a story in itself. The premise had potential but the characters were too vanilla. The supposed main theme is the tangled relationship between two women; childh...more

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Feb 21, 2009

Valerie rated it

· review of another edition

I had such high hopes for this book. I usually enjoy reading Eileen Goudge. What a snoozer this one was, I can't even believe I read the whole thing.

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Feb 18, 2009

Teji rated it

· review of another edition

This is the kind of book for people who like neat, tidy, happy endings, at all cost--even at the expense of plot cand character consistency.

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Jan 13, 2011

Bronwyn Rykiert rated it

· review of another edition

Shelves: audiobook, friends, family

Rosie had been housekeeper to the Merriweather family for a long time, her 15 year old daughter Abigail had grown up best friends with twins Lila & Vaughn Merriweather, she and Vaughn had been getting closer when all of a sudden Rosie had been sacked and they were thrown out. Abigail was angry that Lila did not help at all, it was only Vaughn who kept in touch.

Twenty Five years later and the books are turned. Abigail is a household name, she has built an empire out of the homemaking sk...more

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Jan 24, 2010

Maria rated it

· review of another edition

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.

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Mar 09, 2009

Heather rated it

· review of another edition

Shelves: book-club-reads

If that summary provided above seemed long and convulted, it kind of is because it summarizes the entire plot of the book and leaves essentially no questions unanswered before you've even started reading. (Which, technically, probably isn't the author's fault... blame the copy writer.)

Anyway, I read this book as my book club's March selection and I was thoroughly disappointed. We typically tend to read literary fiction (heavy on the character development, a little lighter on the ster...more

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Apr 17, 2010

fweetieb rated it

· review of another edition

Listening to this in my car. No surprises so far. I doubt I'll listen to the entire thing. I feel like I've read it before, seen it before...etc.

UPDATE:
I had to eject the book on cd #6. I tried, I really did. But if I heard one more stinking simile "the sunrise was like a bloody slash on the horizon"....yeegads. I just could not melt my brain with another minute. Characters were typical, much like what you'd see in a boy band.
There was...the wandering yet dashi...more

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Jul 01, 2010

Lizpeveto rated it

· review of another edition

Twins, Lila and Vaughn, live a life of luxury and share their idylic childhood w/ the housekeeper's daughter, Abigail. Abigail's mother is abruptly dismissed, Abigail feels betrayed by her best friend, Lila, and their friendship ends. Abigail marries a doctor, has a lovely daughter and has become the next Martha Stewart. Lila has a loving successful husband, a wonderful son and lives a life of privilege. All this ends when Lila's husband commits suicide after facing a prison term for embezzle...more

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Jul 30, 2011

Ineke Van rated it

· review of another edition

I like this novel. Eileen Goudge writes well and with clarity and none of the story was 'predictable', albeit towards the end I felt she was 'ready' to put an end to it. It has drama, is involving, good sequences to the different internal narratives, with a ring of emootional truths. One glaring mistake: the heroine of the book travels to Rekjavik, Iceland at some point, and the inhabitants are listed as 'Scandinavians' (Huh??) Plus, it does not take 8 hours to fly from New York to Rekjavik ...more

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Jan 28, 2009

Jenness rated it

· review of another edition

Abigal and Lila grow up together and are close friends until Abigal and her mother are banished from Lila's life. The friendship seems all but lost until many years later when Lila needs Abigal's help. Does Abigal seek revenge for being mistreated as a teenager or is she willing to help Lila and revive the old friendship. An interesting tale of friendship and betrayal. Just a good read. Some of the events are very predictable, but there are enough unexpected twists to the tale to keep your i...more

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Oct 18, 2008

Becky rated it

· review of another edition

Eileen Goudge sure knows what she's doing. In the world she creates everyone is driven--this one by a secret in her past so deep and horrible she's never told a soul, this one whose husband first betrays her and then kills himself, that one by the loss of her daughter in a sweatshop factory fire. Her landscapes, both exterior and interior, are lush and verdant--even, oddly enough, when she's describing a nightmare desert crossing by a group of Mexicans trying to enter the country illegally. And ...moreEileen Goudge sure knows what she's doing. In the world she creates everyone is driven--this one by a secret in her past so deep and horrible she's never told a soul, this one whose husband first betrays her and then kills himself, that one by the loss of her daughter in a sweatshop factory fire. Her landscapes, both exterior and interior, are lush and verdant--even, oddly enough, when she's describing a nightmare desert crossing by a group of Mexicans trying to enter the country illegally. And in the end you cry, because isn't that what a good melodrama is supposed to do?

Domestic Affairs is the story of three very different women, their personal tragedies and triumphs, and how their lives intersect and influence one another. Abigail Armstrong and Lila Meriwhether grew up like sisters. Although Abby's mother, Rosalie, was the Meriwhether family's housekeeper, Abby and Lila--and Lila's twin brother, Vaughn--were the best of friends. Until, that is, the fateful day when Rosalie's mother is falsely accused of stealing from the family she's taken care of for sixteen years, and she and Abigail are forced to leave the only home Abby's ever known.

Twenty five years later, Abigail Armstrong is an entrepeneur, a self made diva of the dinner party set who will show you how to prepare a five course meal, set the table, and get red wine stains out of the carpet. She's a driven woman--very Martha Stewart--whose public knows her as a beatific domestic goddess while her staff knows her as that woman's snappish evil twin. Lila DeVries, nee Meriwhether, is a New York society matron, married to a man recently convicted of financial misconduct who, within the first forty pages kills himself rather than face his disgrace. And Concepcion Delgado is a Mexican campesina whose daughter is killed in a fire that rages through the sweatshop where they are working overtime to get out the first line of mass produced linens for Abigail Armstrong's company.

Disgraced and nearly penniless, Lila DeVries is forced to look for work, but is shut down at every turn. What skills does a woman who's done nothing but organize parties and bake sales for the last twenty years have? And why would anyone want the media scrutiny inevitable if they hire a woman with a notorious name? Ultimately, and bizarrely, she ends up at the door to Abigail's estate in the country, and is hired as her housekeeper.

Meanwhile, Concepcion Delgado is making her way, first from Mexico to Los Angeles (where she does meet a nice man), then from L.A. to New York, in search of the woman responsible for the death of her beloved daughter. The ultimate confrontation between the two very different women is all that a reader could ask for...and more.

Coincidences pile up. More tragedies occur. There's cancer and suicide pacts. There's divorce and sexual abuse. There's reconciliation, redemption, and love. It's all here--everything and a bag of designer chips.

I'm happy to report that it's all tied up in a beautiful bow at the end..and yes, I really did cry.

And yes, I will read Eileen Goudge's next book.(less)

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Sep 20, 2008

Laurel-Rain rated it

· review of another edition

Childhood friends, Abigail and Lila, are torn apart by a betrayal that leaves them each damaged in different ways for years to come.

Abigail, the daughter of the family housekeeper, strives to achieve something with her life, and after many years of struggle, she becomes a household name…a diva of domesticity…a brand name. Her family life appears perfect, just like her domestic goddess kingdom, but underneath, more secrets and betrayals lurk.

Lila, worlds apart from Abigai...moreChildhood friends, Abigail and Lila, are torn apart by a betrayal that leaves them each damaged in different ways for years to come.

Abigail, the daughter of the family housekeeper, strives to achieve something with her life, and after many years of struggle, she becomes a household name…a diva of domesticity…a brand name. Her family life appears perfect, just like her domestic goddess kingdom, but underneath, more secrets and betrayals lurk.

Lila, worlds apart from Abigail in the beginning, as the daughter of a rich family, seemingly continues on this path, ending up with her handsome husband, beautiful Park Avenue apartment, and loving son. Then, with one brutal stroke of luck---or karma---it is all taken away, and she is forced to seek employment just to sustain herself and her son. Which is why she finds herself, after numerous rejections, on the doorstep of her former friend.

When Abigail offers Lila a job as her housekeeper, it would seem like vengeance, or some kind of karmic justice.

Meanwhile, Lila’s twin brother Vaughn, a world traveler and Abigail’s teenage lover comes home with devastating news of his own.

The scene is set for drama, but everything seemingly spins out of control when a woman from Mexico begins wending her way to New York to avenge her daughter’s death. A factory fire took the life of Concepcion’s daughter, Milagros, which Concepcion believes is the direct result of Abigail’s negligence.

Will the secrets and betrayals of the past finally come home to roost? Will Abigail and Lila ever restore the bond they once shared? What is going on with Abigail’s teenage daughter, and will her strange, obsessive preoccupation with Lila’s son turn into something even more troubling? And finally, what culminating events will bring all of the characters together or forever tear them asunder?

An intriguing read, this story of domestic drama truly transcends the “domestic” to become a sweeping emotional tale of lives derailed and family secrets revealed.

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Aug 31, 2008

Karen rated it

· review of another edition

Recommends it for: everyone

My Review of DOMESTIC AFFAIRS by Eileen Goudge

For Eileen Goudge to write a novel better than Woman in Red is something I never saw coming until I opened to the first page of this remarkable book. Nevertheless, in Domestic Affairs, Goudge has done just that! She brings us a love story on so many levels that it grabs you in the beginning and never lets go until the last page. First and foremost, this love story is about friends-and how although their friendship definitely is a roller c...moreMy Review of DOMESTIC AFFAIRS by Eileen Goudge

For Eileen Goudge to write a novel better than Woman in Red is something I never saw coming until I opened to the first page of this remarkable book. Nevertheless, in Domestic Affairs, Goudge has done just that! She brings us a love story on so many levels that it grabs you in the beginning and never lets go until the last page. First and foremost, this love story is about friends-and how although their friendship definitely is a roller coaster over time, it never loses its effect on the lives of the people it touches, nor the reader. It is also about how only a deep friendship like this can change people’s lives forever especially when secrets shared in that relationship remain unspoken for years.

The story starts with the friendship and alliance of Abigail Armstrong with Lila and her brother, Vaughn, Meriwhether. These three grow up from children to teens, sharing what at a certain point is essentially too much to share. These secrets they share will direct the paths their lives take as they are torn apart in their youth, but then brings them back together later as adults. When Abby’s mother, the housekeeper for Lila and Vaughn’s family is unceremoniously fired and chased from the only home Abby has ever known, horrific feelings and secrets go with Abby and her mother, Rosalie, as they leave the Meriwhether estate.

Fast forward twenty-five years and the proverbial shoe is on the other foot as Lila, once a high member of New York society, is brought down by the results of her husband’s illegal actions. When he cowardly commits suicide rather than take his punishment, Lila’s life falls apart. She is a pariah to those she once courted and was courted by. She is left without anything and the only work she could take on was if someone wanted a socialite to run a party. With not much call for that “skill”, in an ironic twist, Lila is saved when she is hired to be a housekeeper in the now very successful, Martha Stewart-like, media maven, Abigail Armstrong. While this NEW Abby now will only deal decently with her housekeeper, in memory of her now deceased mother, she is quite the opposite in the business world. A sharp tongue and iron fist enables Abigail to run a top-notch business, while trying to still hold on to her husband and family. When Lila becomes her housekeeper, the revenge should be sweet, but is it?

Into this duo, a third important female character, Concepcion Delgado, enters. As a mother who wants to revenge her daughter’s tragic death at what she believes is caused by Abby’s company and how it runs its “sweatshops” she is on a mission to confront the people responsible. The cost of producing inexpensive while highly desirable linens is too much when Concepcion’s daughter pays the price with her life. Concepcion travels to find the driven leader of this company that she feels took her child from her.

As these three very different lives come headed on a collision course and confrontation, Eileen Goudge has not settled to just reward readers with the results of this meeting. Goudge has not forgotten to also expertly stir into this mix tragedies, illness, suicide, teen angst and the only thing needed to complete the end product, a former lover. All that a reader could want is there for them to sink their teeth into. The final morsel leaves the reader satisfied but also sorry to see it end. This is a MUST READ for everyone!
Submitted by Karen Haney, August, 2008

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Sep 21, 2009

Jamie rated it

· review of another edition

I had high hopes for this book. However, it took forever for me to get into. I don't know why, but I waded through the pages of boredom before it (not-too surprisingly) ended quickly with a painless "patch-it-together" happy ending.

As heartless, cold, and seething as it sounds; this book is the perfect reminder as to why I never purchase books but rather only borrow them from the library.

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Jun 28, 2009

marg rated it

· review of another edition

Can you really complain when you pick up a trash novel by a trash author and it turns out to be trash?? SO I will spare you all everything that was wrong with this book because, for its genre, it was everything right. I wanted to celebrate my first day of vaca with a novel that would be utterly worthless and, well, that is what I got. Go Eileen ... she never lets me down ...

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Mar 09, 2009

Tana rated it

· review of another edition

Not as good has her older books that I have read, but I still enjoyed the story line. The character development was less in depth, and I really love her books where you feel like you actually know the people and feel their emotions. This one did not have that feeling when I finished it.

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Aug 23, 2009

Kim rated it

· review of another edition

A predictable book, especially once I got in to it. All the way, there were only a few small surprises, and in hind sight they weren't really surprises as much as contrived twists. I like the whole rediscovering a childhood friendship.

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Apr 26, 2009

Lauren rated it

· review of another edition

This book was okay for a fluff read. The plot and how it would play out was more or less obvious from the outset. It was a bit difficult to sympathize with the two main characters for various reasons. Not one I would recommend to others.

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Aug 20, 2009

Fran rated it

· review of another edition

While I loved Eileen Goudge's earlier books her newer ones are not that intriguing. This book was basically boring and very predictable. A housekeeper and her daughter are forced to leave the household they worked in by the acholic mistress of the home who accuses her house keeper of stealing her necklace. The daughter who is very close to the twins of the family are very disappointed when they don't come to her rescue. Tables turn when they are adults; the house keepers daughter becomes a f...more

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Jun 23, 2010

Michelle rated it

· review of another edition

Shelves: more-lit-less-chick

the idea of 2 best friends seperated by circumstances during childhood and then meeting again as adults sounded interesting but in the end I found the overall storyline too predictable

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Mar 19, 2009

Amanda added it · review of another edition

Shelves: couldn-t-finish

Half way through the book, I realized I just didn't care enough about any of the characters to finish. And as I say, there are too many books to be read to spend time with those you don't care for.

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Dec 08, 2010

Mrhonor rated it

· review of another edition

I liked this better than the Woman in Red, but again her plots are very predictable. It's a good book to read when you want lite fare and don't want to think too much.

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Jun 29, 2009

Kathy Guilbert rated it

· review of another edition

Seemed a bit contrived and too long. Lots of good twists and turns, though the characters just weren't that believable. I did like the last paragraph.

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Jun 15, 2009

Melinda rated it

· review of another edition

I listened to this book and found it much too long and tedious. Not sure I'd read other books by this author based upon this one.

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Nov 24, 2008

Loretta rated it

· review of another edition

Shelves: nov-2008

the author uses several story lines and a great cast of characters to tell a story of loyalty, ambition and love conquers all.... A good read.

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Jan 23, 2011

Carolyn rated it

· review of another edition

HORRIBLE! IT TOOK ME WEEKS TO EVEN SLIGHTLY GET INTO THIS BOOK. DON'T WASTE YOUR TIME. READ THE REVIEWS.

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Aug 03, 2009

Ellatnaples rated it

· review of another edition

A wonderful big book with lots of drama that keeps you interested until the end. Enjoyed it very mcuh.

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Nov 29, 2008

Tbb113 rated it

· review of another edition

I haven't read Eileen Goudge before and I'm sorry I missed her for this long. Good story, believable characters, a very satisfying read.

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May 02, 2011

Joanne rated it

· review of another edition

Not a page-turner, not great but not horrible either. Save yourself the 400+ pages...LOL

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Aug 22, 2009

Cydgardner added it · review of another edition

Again, I enjoyed this book by Eileen Goudge. May have to get a few more of her books.

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About Eileen Goudge

I was born on the Fourth of July, and it's been fireworks ever since. Growing up in the San Francisco Bay area as one of six kids, I was never without a cast with which to stage my early theatrical productions, which included a musical rendition of "The Christmas Carol," in which I was Ebenezer Scrooge. I began writing at age eight, with short stories and poems, and I haven’t looked back...moreI was born on the Fourth of July, and it's been fireworks ever since. Growing up in the San Francisco Bay area as one of six kids, I was never without a cast with which to stage my early theatrical productions, which included a musical rendition of "The Christmas Carol," in which I was Ebenezer Scrooge. I began writing at age eight, with short stories and poems, and I haven’t looked back since. From the early days of mostly collecting rejection slips, I went on to publish thirty-two novels for young adults, thirteen (and still counting) of women’s fiction, as well as numerous short stories and magazine articles, and one cookbook.
Often I’m asked where I get my ideas. Fortunately, I have a wealth of life experiences to draw from. Not all of them so good, but they each contributed to my writing in some way. Starting when I dropped out of college to get married, at age eighteen. Two years later I was divorced, with a baby son and no means of support. I ended up briefly on welfare, and stood in line for government surplus food. But every cloud has its silver lining, and this one led to my determination to make a go of it as a professional writer. I borrowed a typewriter from my next-door neighbor, and lacking a desk, plunked it down on the living room floor. The rest, as they say, is history.

I wrote non-stop for the next couple of years, selling a few articles here and there. Enough to fan the flame, if not to make ends meet. Oddly enough, with each rejection slip my determination only grew. I guess it's true what they say: Success is getting up one more time than you fall down. My first break came in the early eighties, when I was chosen to help launch a line of teen romances, which went on to become the phenomenally successful "Sweet Valley High" series. At last I had enough money (barely!) to strike out on my own. Ending another bad marriage, I pulled up stakes and moved east with my two children to New York City, where I was determined to make it as a novelist.

In 1986, my first adult novel, GARDEN OF LIES, was published. The saga of baby girls switched at birth---one rich, the other poor---went on to enjoy a combined total of 16 weeks on the New York Times bestseller list, in hardcover and paperback. Though there’s no such thing as an overnight success, I felt like one, having gone in a matter of months from not knowing how I would pay the rent to wondering what I was going to do with all that money. The first thing I did was fulfill a fantasy born of years of wearing hand-me-downs: I walked into Saks Fifth Avenue and bought a dress...without even looking at the price tag!

I've since gone on to write many more novels. My most recent, which came out in June of '08, is titled DOMESTIC AFFAIRS ---a Cinderella story in reverse: Riches to rags but with a happy ending. I've posted a few sample chapters on this site. In '09, I have two new titles coming out, a Mother's Day novella, THE DIARY (April), about two adult daughters who come across their mother's girlhood diary while cleaning out her attic and discover a shocking secret. And ONCE IN A BLUE MOON (August), about sisters separated in childhood who are reunited later in life, after having lived drastically different lives. Look for a "sneak preview" of each in the weeks prior to publication.

My own real-life romance reads like those in my novels. After three failed marriages, I finally found true love in the most unlikely place of all: sitting at home. I was being interviewed over the phone by a radio talk show host named Sandy Kenyon, formerly of CNN and now a correspondent for WINS and WABC-TV, here in New York City. He sounded so nice that when he asked if he could call back later on, I said, "Sure!" We talked for three hours that night...and every night after that. Six weeks later, when we finally met, it was as if we'd known each other all our lives. We were married in September of 1996, and after more than ten years w(less)

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