Special Relationship

by Robyn Sisman

A razor-sharp romance from the author of Weekend in Paris and Summer in the City Renowned London literary agent Annie Hamilton never forgot Jordan Hope. And now he's back. As the saxophone-playing United States presidential hopeful, Jordan is a constant reminder to Annie of their whirlwind love affair during the heady days of Oxford in the 1960s—and of the secret she's kept ever since. Comfortably married with three wonderful children, Annie thinks her life is complete. But her son Tom, now twenty-one years old, discovers Annie's secret—and his own shocking connection to it. In tumult, Tom flees to Manhattan to try to unravel the past and confront the man who might be his father, with no regard for Jordan's delicate political situation. Desperate to explain, Annie races after Tom…and straight into the arms of the man she thought she'd never see again.

Genres: Chick Lit, Fiction, Romance, Contemporary, Contemporary Romance

391 pages, Paperback

First published August 1, 1995

Reviews

[Emily · Rating 2 out of 5]

Really not the greatest book. Don't like infidelity (or even toying with it)The author spent too much time not appreciating the fact that not everyone is familiar with the inner workings of Oxford and so I had to just bear with those parts of the book. And get to the conclusion which couldn't be satisfactory.

[Lisa · Rating 3 out of 5]

Cute book but the title was so cheesy I was embarassed to read it in on the train for fear people thought I was reading a romance novel.

[Lynn · Rating 2 out of 5]

I was out of a book to read while drying my hair and I found this in my nightstand. I have no idea if I bought it or if it was given to me. The copyright on the book is from the mid-1990s and boy does it feel dated reading it now. I asked myself over and over if it was just the references to Walkmen, cassette tapes and the complete lack of cell phones. Yet, the best bits of the book were those set in 1969 in Oxford. Why did the "current" 1990s stuff bug me so much? There can be no doubt that the inspiration for the Hope characters are the Clintons. Presidential candidate that went to Oxford, was accused of being a draft dodger and just happens to play the saxophone. The future first lady? Well, she is seen as cold, bossy and the voters are afraid she will control the White House. The political climate has changed so much since the 1990s, having an illegitimate child seems innocuous now. Perhaps this would have been a better light read back in the 1990s. Now it just seems childish.

[Gary Reger · Rating 3 out of 5]

Robyn Sisman's Special Relationship is a very thinly disguised take on Bill Clinton's Rhodes Scholar time at Oxford and his run for the presidency. The Clinton stand-in, Jordan, even plays the sax. The only difference is that Jordan got Annie, the main female character, pregnant one sultry night in a punt. The now-grown spawn of this one-night stand finds a photo of the two of them and, convinced by his resemblance to Jordan, heads off on an excursion to find his real dad--just a week before the election.

The writing is generally pretty good, but the improbabilities pile up with every chapter. Sisman's knowledge of the USA is also rather laughable--she thinks the bluffs on the Mississippi at St. Louis and 1000 feet high and the river a mile wide.

[Jenni Stein · Rating 5 out of 5]

Really enjoyed the book and am honestly shocked by how low it was rated. To me the book was easily at least a 4.5 for its ability to deal with extremely sensitive topics in a manner that didn't just breeze over them, and always circling it back to the main plot. Allowing you to truly see and understand the characters and motivations. The only thing I can think of was the book was before it's time having been first published in 2007

[Pam · Rating 3 out of 5]

How can you overlook a picture of a former lover when you give your old trunk to your son to use for college? Good grief! And the former lover is running for president -- and your son looks like him? Son goes off looking for the man who might (probably) is his father.

[Mary · Rating 4 out of 5]

Brilliant.....loved every second of this with it's twists where you sort of thought you knew what would happen and weren't right!!Loved the detail of all the characters and that era of the 60's right up to the modern day.Liked the characters especially Annie and thought it was a great read

[Rachel · Rating 4 out of 5]

A nice light read. I enjoyed it very much.

[Danielle Mintzlaff · Rating 4 out of 5]

It was good. Not really a chick-lit though.

[Valerija · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not the ending I expected 😐

[Katri · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.5 stars. A random pick from the library shelf. Super lame title. Not quite as fluffy as I thought it was going to be. But still not a great book.

I did like this quote, though:
"Perhaps nothing else marked one's life so strongly as one's choice of marriage partner -- not parents, not schools, not even love affairs. Marriage was never the sum of one plus one. It had the potential to enhance or to diminish out of all recognition the individuals it bound so tightly together." (p. 245)

[Kiss of a sniper]

Роман о двух девушках- студентках, которые стали подругами на долгие годы, о любви, трагедии и, конечно, тайне. Через 20 лет эта тайна выросла в прекрасного молодого человека, который захотел узнать всё о своём рождении. Одна женщина- два мужчины, один воспитал ребёнка и всегда считал его своим, а другой случайно узнал о нём и с радостью принял эту весть, даже не усомнившись в своём отцовстве.
Как они выпутаются из этого лабиринта.
Самое трудное для родителей- это определить, когда их дети становятся взрослыми, а с взрослыми детьми нужно разговаривать по- взрослому.
Роман очень понравился, необычный сюжет, очень хорошо написан, после прочтения оставляет приятное впечатление. Правда, немного напрягала вся это предвыборная шумиха, но конец все компенсировал и оставил только положительные эмоции.

[Carson T · Rating 2 out of 5]

I definitely didn't like the ending. I was left staring at the book and mentally yelling, "WHAT THE F-?!?! This is a bad-a** book that left me hanging...too much." I mean, I don't mind a little cliffhanger...IF there's another book!! But there isn't here. I think the author was just rushed to the deadline and hurried it. Personally, I think Tom should've ended up with Rose(or not), Annie with Jordan, and Ginny with Edward. Not..stayed as they were...how is that book-worthy?! When people pick up a book like this, they want a happy ending. Not one that leaves a sense of yearning.

[Annette · Rating 3 out of 5]

Actually not as bad as I thought it was going to be - different plot. Girl goes to college, falls for two guys, both handsome, successful, ambitious. One becomes a presidential candidate. Girl gets pregnant... years later the son thinks he knows who is real dad is... but does he. Again, not a classic, but better than the usual summer read.

[Diana · Rating 2 out of 5]

Annie and Jordan were interesting characters in their college years, but not fully realized as adults in this story. The author focused too much on peripheral characters and subplots for my taste and not enough on the main love story underlying the whole plot. This is not a book I would recommend, though Sisman has written others, such as Just Friends, that I adore.

[Jennifer · Rating 2 out of 5]

Took me longer to read than it usually takes me to finish a book because it just never compelled me to pick it up. And the fact that one of the characters was so blatantly based on Bill Clinton was annoying and distracting - I think the author could have told the same story without such an obvious and thinly disguised character.

[Carnie · Rating 1 out of 5]

Probably not a very educational book to read. Annie should be glad that she has someone like Edward. It kind of amuses me when Jordan said to Annie that their feelings for each other "wasn't just sex." when plainly they share a physical relationship. And what can I say about Tom? "He had been to bed with two women in two countries in two countries-and he didn't even feel guilty!" WTF. Really?

[Leslie Hickman · Rating 4 out of 5]

Its different from her other books that I have read, but very good. Has a more serious twist to it. I expected it as a quick and cheeky book, but it had more depth than that to it. The characters have a "Clinton" feel to them all.

[Jim · Rating 3 out of 5]

fun connection between U.S. politics and how Oxford students lose their innocence and gain a perspective on their place in the world; enjoyed the british/americanisms and her descriptions of how we view each other's eccentricities.

[Barbara · Rating 3 out of 5]

Took me a while to get going on this one. I was expecting a light read (which it ended up being) but the beginning of the book and its description of the Viet Nam protest years hit home and made it a somewhat serious read.

[Sharon · Rating 3 out of 5]

A Presidential candidate learns he may have sired a son during his time at Oxford University. The story switches among various time frames and characters, which gave it some interest, but the suspense element of the story fell flat.

[Lynda · Rating 5 out of 5]

Brilliant.....loved every second of this with it's twists where you sort of thought you knew what would happen and weren't right!!Loved the detail of all the characters and that era of the 60's right up to the modern day.Liked the characters especially Annie and thought it was a great read!

[siobhan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Karma always gets you in the end

[Robin Chapa · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was "eh". I liked the internationl/travel/european quality to it but it was too predictable and sort of "scattered"-- just ok.

[Bridget · Rating 2 out of 5]

The other books I have read by her have been more fun.

[Dunia · Rating 2 out of 5]

It was too fiction and predictable. Boring describes it best.

[Erica · Rating 2 out of 5]

Not my favorite- slow moving and not overly likable characters.

[Abby · Rating 4 out of 5]

Not chick-lit like the rest of this author's book. Smart and political a young boy questions if his mysterious father is now the mann running for President. Fun and moving.

[Michelle Daniher · Rating 3 out of 5]

liked it

[Yun Peng · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not too bad for chick lit.