The Misadventures of Oliver Booth: Life in the Lap of Luxury

By David Desmond

Book Overview

Oliver Booth dreams of becoming one of the beautiful people of Palm Beach, but with his arrogant personality, his garish wardrobe, and his incompetent stewardship of an antique shop stuffed with... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1929774567
• ISBN13: 9781929774562
• Release Date: October 2008
• Publisher: Greenleaf Book Group
• Length: 205 Pages
• Weight: 0.70 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.8" x 5.4" x 8.4"

Customer Reviews

The Dark Side of Palm Beach

David Desmond's "Oliver Booth" is a highly readable and highly entertaining novel about a shallow man named Oliver Booth. Yet the real story lies in the banal trappings of Palm Beach society, and the lengths that people will go to in an effort to be recognized by that society. Countless benefits are held for the likes of the Hammertoe Foundation, and hundreds of aging Palm Beach women flock to the portrait of St. Gisella - the patron Saint of skin disorders - in hopes that their once youthful appearance will be replenished. Along the Voltaire-ish travels we're introduced to wealthy heiresses, sex-starved wives with expensive breasts, smarmy tennis instructors, waiters who happen to be in the right place at the right time, and spoiled children who not only get their come-uppance - they actually learn the error of their ways. There's a lot going on inside "Oliver Booth" and David Desmond has entered the literary world as a force to be reckoned with!

A very funny satire - highly recommended!

The Misadventures of Oliver Booth is the best novel I have read in a long time. It is a very witty satire written with an insider's view of the inner worlds of Paris and Palm Beach. I eagerly await the next installment - you will too!

The author's first novel is a HUGE hit with this reader!!!

This is a laugh-out-loud witty glimpse into the shallowness (and shadiness) of Palm Beach's high society. It is a quick read that leaves the reader wanting more. Oliver Booth and its cast of characters are so vividly described that you almost feel you know them personally (or at a minimum know someone just like them). The reader will not be disappointed! I can't wait to read Oliver Booth Part II!

Smart, funny, Wolfian

Clever, fun, concise read that keeps you up at night. Precise character studies reminiscent of early Tom Wolfe set in the more bombastic scenarios of his later efforts - but without the voluminous self-indulgence. "Booth" is absorbing, memorable. Desmond is one to watch.

Vive Oliver Booth!

Oliver Booth is laugh-out-loud funny. Falling somewhere between A Confederacy of Dunces and Candide, the novel skewers Palm Beach and Paris with its sharp wit. I eagerly await the next installment of Oliver Booth's misadventures.