The Misadventures of Oliver Booth was an amusing tale. I found myself internally chuckling more than once. Mr. Desmond writes knowingly of a world to which few of us are privy. We tromp with him through the high-heeled sidewalks of Palm Beach, its' air conditioned country clubs and sprawling estates. He also takes us on an amusing trip through Paris' flea markets and gives us a glimpse of its' complicated judicial system; quite a lot for a 200 page book.
On the down side, the title character-Oliver Booth-often took a back seat to the supporting (and more enjoyable) character Bernard. Also, though not altogether disappointing, I wasn't crazy about the way this book ended; as unappealing as Oliver Booth was, you couldn't help but pity him in his ignorance. Also, the way things ended with Bernard were a bit cheese-eater. But again, it's not disappointing.
I give this book 4 stars. It's a light, uncomplicated read. There are plenty of humorous twists and turns that are sure to keep you turning the pages, and possibly laugh out loud. This would be a great vacation read, take it along on your next trip to the beach. ( )

Oliver Booth craves wealth, acknowledgment and prestige yet he goes about it in all the wrong ways. The more he scams and tries to pry up into the world that he admires the more it detests him and his slyness. He is the arrogant owner of a supposedly high-quality shop filled with "hecho en Mexico" reproductions. His luck goes from bad to worse when one of the bigshots- Margaret Van Buren sends him and his new assistant to France to purchase some furniture for her guest house. Booth's arrogance even when he has no clue of the language, culture or area get him into even bigger trouble. All his problems are not without the meddling of his assistant, who more than anyone would like to see him fail.

Oliver Booth is not a character with good qualities, and then when his assistant enters the scene I had high hopes for him. Once I saw that his only intent was getting whatever he could claw away from Booth in order to impress their boss Mrs. Van Buren I lost hope. I need at least one person in the book to look at and admire, this one was just a rat race. As much as I know that is probably more realistic, this didn't do it for me. I was expecting more depth than this gave, more depth of character, more depth of something and it was not there.

In parts it was funny, but soon bashing on Oliver Booth's weight wasn't humorous anymore. I started to feel worse for him because it seemed that everyone wanted to tear him down. It distressed me more than made me laugh. I understand that he got what was coming, but it was too much to watch. Not my cup 'o tea. ( )

Poor Oliver Booth. He's big. He's sweaty. He's the proprietor of an antique shop in Palm Beach but his taste is questionable and his antiques are...well... not. He desperately wants to be part of high society but they know an outsider when they see one and he has no hope of breaking in. He can't keep an assistant, either, because his basic nature tends toward grumpy, lazy and greedy.

The big New Year's Eve party at the Morningwood Club is a big night for Oliver. He plans to recoup the steep ticket price by being first in line at the buffet table. Unfortunately, the evening is a complete disaster for him. But he does meet a smart young waiter, Bernard, who agrees to be the replacement for Oliver's recently fired assistant.

When Margaret Van Buren, the doyenne of Palm Beach society, pays a visit to Oliver's shop, he is eager to sell her a large quantity of his inventory. She picks out the only nice piece in the place, which turns out to have been selected by Bernard. It seems he has quite an eye. She offers Bernard, and Oliver by default, a trip to Paris to buy furnishings for her guesthouse.

Bernard & Oliver have vastly different ideas of what they are going to buy. Bernard wants to buy quality pieces at thrifty prices. Oliver wants to make the biggest possible profit off of Mrs. Van Buren. The trip to Paris is a contest of wills that is hilarious, Oliver doesn't have a prayer.

I loved the following paragraph. If you have traveled to Europe and arrived early in the morning, you will appreciate the wry humor:

"It was 9:15 in the morning, the hour at which most American travelers are dropped at the doorsteps of European hotels like so many exhausted babies, hoping desperately that their accommodations would be ready only to find that the departing guests had not yet vacated their rooms and would not do so for hours. Most of these unfortunate travelers are forced to wander the streets aimlessly, with intermittent stops to refuel with double espressos that become decreasingly potent as the effects of jet lag begin to sink in. This journey ends when they return to the registration desk of the hotel exhausted, disheveled, and halitotic, to be presented--in most but not all cases--with that most satisfying of rewards, a key to a room."

This book is a fun, light read that pokes fun at the pretentious, at the rich, at the self-important. Common sense and honesty are rewarded, deviousness and greed are bested in the wittiest possible way. I really enjoyed it and am looking forward to reading the further misadventures of Oliver and Bernard. ( )

Oliver Booth imagines himself to be much more sophisticated than he actually is. He owns an “antique” shop off of Worth Avenue in Palm Beach. He hires Bernard Dauphin to be his assistant in the shop. One day, Palm Beach’s wealthiest society matron, Margaret Van Buren, comes in with her grandson who needs to use the restroom. She purchases the one good piece of furniture in the shop, which had been purchased by Bernard at an estate sale.

Pleased with her purchase, Mrs. Van Buren sends Oliver and Bernard to the Marché aux Puces in Paris to purchase furnishings for her guest house. Everything Oliver does on the trip backfires on him and he ends up in court, so Bernard does the shopping on his own.

Things become more complicated when they return to Palm Beach and Mrs. Van Buren discovers that Oliver is trying to swindle her and other members of the community. She comes up with a plan to put Oliver in his place.

The Misadventures of Oliver Booth by David Desmond satires high society. I think this sentence says a lot - “It’s all about image and status and trying too hard to impress people who have so much money that they really can’t be impressed.” I found the book to be a good (not great), light read. It was enjoyable, even though it is predictable and somewhat silly at times. It was a good book to read during the holidays since there weren’t many characters - it was easy to keep up with what was going on even though I was only able to read it in short spurts. David Desmond is Donald Trump’s nephew and is currently working on another Oliver Booth book. ( )

The Misadventures of Oliver Booth is a humorous look at a social-climbing man who thinks he deserves to have it all. Oliver Booth is quite repulsive (both physically and mentally) and he preys on the wealthy through his dismal antiques shop. He is definitely a caricature of a man, someone whose faults are grossly exaggerated in order to make the novel humorous. Of course, it is a successful technique, and the reader is left chuckling as Oliver makes one blunder after another. If he wasn't so odious, I might have felt sorry for him.

Despite the title, the story is more about Bernard, a waiter with an eye for antiques who ends up working in Oliver's shop. I really enjoyed reading about Bernard. I think if the novel had been solely about Oliver, the entire premise would have gotten old quickly. But Bernard adds a semblance of normalcy to the novel and is someone the reader can relate to. He keeps The Misadventures of Oliver Booth in balance between fiction and satire.

Desmond also should be commended for his writing style. His words are quick and sharp. His sense of humor is witty, without being too obvious. The novel is also a quick, light read. It ends before the mix of sarcasm and satire can get too grating; satires are only really funny if they know when to quit. This one definitely does, and is the better for it. It's a book you'll want to read in one sitting.

I would recommend The Misadventures of Oliver Booth to anyone who likes a good laugh. Though the novel is never absolutely hilarious, its wit and charm will keep readers enchanted. I'd definitely be interested in any subsequent books that Desmond releases.

From S. Krishna's Books ( )