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The Perfect Crightons #1

A Perfect Family

Romance

384 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1998

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About the author

Penny Jordan

1,160 books677 followers
Penelope Jones Halsall
aka Caroline Courtney, Annie Groves, Lydia Hitchcock, Melinda Wright

Penelope "Penny" Jones was born on November 24, 1946 at about seven pounds in a nursing home in Preston, Lancashire, England. She was the first child of Anthony Winn Jones, an engineer, who died at 85, and his wife Margaret Louise Groves Jones. She has a brother, Anthony, and a sister, Prudence "Pru".

She had been a keen reader from the childhood - her mother used to leave her in the children's section of their local library whilst she changed her father's library books. She was a storyteller long before she began to write romantic fiction. At the age of eight, she was creating serialized bedtime stories, featuring make-believe adventures, for her younger sister Prue, who was always the heroine. At eleven, she fell in love with Mills & Boon, and with their heroes. In those days the books could only be obtained via private lending libraries, and she quickly became a devoted fan; she was thrilled to bits when the books went on full sale in shops and she could have them for keeps.

Penny left grammar school in Rochdale with O-Levels in English Language, English Literature and Geography. She first discovered Mills & Boon books, via a girl she worked with. She married Steve Halsall, an accountant and a "lovely man", who smoked and drank too heavily, and suffered oral cancer with bravery and dignity. Her husband bought her the small electric typewriter on which she typed her first novels, at a time when he could ill afford it. He died at the beginning of 21st century.

She earned a living as a writer since the 1970s when, as a shorthand typist, she entered a competition run by the Romantic Novelists' Association. Although she didn't win, Penny found an agent who was looking for a new Georgette Heyer. She published four regency novels as Caroline Courtney, before changing her nom de plume to Melinda Wright for three air-hostess romps and then she wrote two thrillers as Lydia Hitchcock. Soon after that, Mills and Boon accepted her first novel for them, Falcon's Prey as Penny Jordan. However, for her more historical romance novels, she adopted her mother's maiden-name to become Annie Groves. Almost 70 of her 167 Mills and Boon novels have been sold worldwide.

Penny Halsall lived in a neo-Georgian house in Nantwich, Cheshire, with her Alsatian Sheba and cat Posh. She worked from home, in her kitchen, surrounded by her pets, and welcomed interruptions from her friends and family.

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5 stars
46 (27%)
4 stars
37 (22%)
3 stars
53 (31%)
2 stars
18 (10%)
1 star
12 (7%)
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews
Profile Image for Mafi.
1,245 reviews252 followers
December 4, 2011
Neste primeiro livro desta enorme saga, somos apresentados aos Crighton e aos motivos que causaram a divisão da família e criaram a rivalidade em dois grupos.

A família Crighton, formada por advogados na pequena cidade inglesa de Haslewich, sempre apresentou uma imagem perfeita. Ben, o patriarca, conduz esta familia com mão de ferro, especialmente a de seus filhos gêmeos, o vaidoso David e o discreto e timido Jonathon.

Quando David, sofre um ataque cardíaco na comemoração dos seus 50 anos e do seu irmao, os Crighton terão de deixar os seus problemas de lado e unirem-se para superar as crises e os desafios que virão pela frente, onde segredos serão revelados mostrando que afinal a familia não era assim tão perfeita.

Profile Image for Priscilla.
1,930 reviews19 followers
May 4, 2022
Decepcionante.

O livro não dá uma continuação adequada ao primeiro volume, na verdade, poderia ser re-titulado como: Diário de uma Adolescente, pois há motivo de sobra para isso.

A personagem principal, Bobbie, apesar de ser descrita como uma pessoa adulta e madura, bola um plano meia-boca baseado em vingança com um fundo emocional tão aborrescente que em certos momentos extrapola e pode ser resumido a manha de criança.

O mocinho também não ajuda muito, pois é cheio de preconceitos e sempre pula para a pior, ou mais superficial, das conclusões. Comportamento inadmissível para o ambiente que tentam retratar.

Não há como simpatizar com o par romântico que desequilibra a história... uma espécie de versão tresloucada de "você abandonou minha mãe (etc), então vou destruir toda a sua família".

Exatamente assim, pois não há uma linha principal de narrativa e no final, fica-se com a impressão que alguém - você ou a autora - se perdeu no meio do caminho e resolveu tentar fazer alguma outra coisa.
Profile Image for Tania Martins.
1,133 reviews61 followers
September 6, 2022
No primeiro livro da saga ficamos a conhecer todos os meandros da família Crighton e a rivalidade que existe nesta família que esta dividida entre os que podem porque são homens como diria Ben o patriarca e as mulheres que tem de ser subservientes e que não servem para muito mais, contrariando a tendência as mulheres da família são bem sucedidas no plano profissional mas no plano pessoal muito confuso. David e John os gémeos dão o mote para esta rivalidade e na comemoração dos 50 anos destes tudo muda nesta família…para o bem e para o mal!
Profile Image for Seabear.
12 reviews
November 26, 2009
A seemingly perfect family come together for a fateful gathering where events occur which reveal that all is not as it seems....

An easy read which I only found a little slow in the middle. It seemed a little unfinished...I felt a sequel could work.

I found I could relate to a couple of the characters and was pleased with their outcomes.


Profile Image for Nikki-Luise Hanson.
63 reviews1 follower
March 4, 2015
I really enjoyed reading this book again, all the drama, history and romance from each character.

I would recommend this book to and mills and boon readers :)
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews