EDITORIAL REVIEW:The Roses met at an auction on Cape Cod. Oliver had just bought a Staffordshire figurine-one of a pair-but Barbara outbid him for its mate. The figurines belonged together, and so did the Roses. Now the two objets d'art sat together on a shelf in the Roses' home-symbols of the passion their owners shared. A passion that united them and now was about to tear them apart .Sharing, for Oliver and Barbara Rose, was a way of life. Living in the mansion they had restored together, with the antiques they had collected together, their rare wines, their orchids, and their children-all the beautiful things they owned-they were happy. Their latest project had been the kitchen, which was to be the core of Barbara's new-found career as a caterer of gourmet foods. Though Oliver was a busy and successful attorney, he had shared all the planning chores with her.The tripping point occurred when Oliver collapsed with what seemed to be a heart attack, and Barbara, as he had expected, did not rush to his side. Her indifference to his fate was both galling and an eye-opener about the truth of their marriage, a truth based more on materialism than mutual sharing and love.The War of the Roses is a timeless novel. Yet, this is a story uniquely of our own time, where more and more people measure their happiness and success in terms of the things they possess.This is the book that inspired one of the most famous movies about divorce ever produced. Shown somewhere in the world every week, the movie is an excellent adaptation of the book that has been translated in almost every language on the planet. The impact of both the book and the movie have made them both classics and brought the title The War of the Roses into the accepted jargon of divorce, describing the terrible hatred and cruelty engendered in the process.A Major Motion Picture starring Michael Douglas and Kathleen Turner released by Twentieth Century Fox.

Adler, Warren

20th Anniversary ed, Place of publication not identified, 2001], ©1981

20th anniversary ed, New York, 2004], ©1981

United States, United States of America

Twentieth Anniv ed., 2004

"Adler's iconic tale takes us from suburban bliss to an deadly territorial battle. Jonathan and Barbara Rose are at first glance the perfect couple. Jonathan has a stable law career; Barbara is an aspiring gourmet entrepreneur with a promising pâté recipe. Their large home holds the rich antique collection that originally brought them together, as well as the loving familial bond that intertwines them with their children Eve and Josh. When Jonathan finds himself suddenly gripped by what is presumably a heart attack and Barbara confronts the loveless spell lingering between them, the sun-soaked sky that was once the Rose family union drifts into a torrential downpour. Their mutual hatred becomes ammunition in a domestic warfare that escalates in the most unpredictable ways while they helplessly eye their dwindling nuptial flame. In the chaos that unfolds Adler allows a moment of much needed contemplation on the shape of today's matrimonial bonds"--Publisher description

The Classic Story of a Nasty Divorce. This is the book that inspired one of the most famous movies about divorce ever produced. Shown somewhere in the world every week, the movie is an excellent adaptation of the book that has been translated in almost every language on the planet. It tells the story of Oliver and Barbara Rose who thought they had a perfect marriage, only to discover that their relationship was barely skin deep. The war they wage against each other eventually escalates into brutality and madness as they throw caution to the winds and destroy their most prized possessions as they spiral into chaos. The impact of both the book and the movie have made them both classics and brought the title The War of the Roses into the accepted jargon describing the terrible hatred and cruelty engendered in divorce proceedings. A Major Motion Picture starring Michael Douglas and Kathleen Turner released by Twentieth Century Fox.

"Warren Adler is the acclaimed author of 25 novels, published in 30 languages. Two of his books, "The War of the Roses" and "Random Hearts" were made into major motion pictures. He lives in Jackson Hole, Wyoming and New York City. This is the book that became one of the most famous movies about divorce ever produced. Oliver and Barbara Rose thought they had a perfect marriage, only to discover that their relationship was barely skin deep. Beginning with destroying each other's most prized possessions, the relentless war they wage against each other eventually descends into brutality and then spirals uncontrollably into madness and chaos. The global impact of both the book and the movie, now considered classics, has brought the phrase "The War of the Roses" into the accepted jargon describing the terrible hatred and cruelty engendered in divorce proceedings."--Publisher website

The break-up of an ideal marriage provides the framework for a dark cautionary tale about our attachment to material possessions

2025-02-04