The Favour by Laura Vaughan
Fortune favours the fraud...
When she was thirteen years old, Ada Howell lost not just her father, but the life she felt she was destined to lead. Now, at eighteen, Ada is given a second chance when her wealthy godmother gifts her with an extravagant art history trip to Italy.
In the palazzos of Venice, the cathedrals of Florence and the villas of Rome, she finally finds herself among the kind of people she aspires to be: sophisticated, cultured, privileged. Ada does everything in her power to prove she is one of them. And when a member of the group dies in suspicious circumstances, she seizes the opportunity to permanently bind herself to this gilded set.
But everything hidden must eventually surface, and when it does, Ada discovers she's been keeping a far darker secret than she could ever have imagined...
About the author.
Laura Vaughan grew up in rural Wales and studied Art History in Italy and Classics at Bristol and Oxford. She got her first book deal aged twenty-two and went on to write eleven books for children and young adults. The Favour is her first novel for adults. She lives in
South London with her husband and two children.
Review.
‘The Favour’ is an enthralling tale of privilege gone wrong, the desperate pursuit of one girl to fit in and a classic case of whodunnit to boot. This is the first adult fiction book that Laura has wrote and it was a great read.
Ada was 13 when her father died and when she lost her ‘privileged’ existence. They lived in a huge house in the Welsh countryside that was become very tatty and was sold and Ada and her mother relocated to London. Ada is determined to get back into that world and when her godmother offers to pay for a three month trip to Italy to learn all about culture, Ada decides to use this trip to her advantage.
She puts on a front with the other Diletante members to try and fool them into thinking she is one of them. As the trip progresses she schemes and works her way into relationships with Lorcan and his half sister Annabella. Unfortunately, when a member of the group is found dead under suspicious circumstances and Ada uses this to her advantage.
First of all can I say all the characters were vile, especially Ada. Yes she has a bit of character growth towards the end of the book but some of her actions were down right disgusting. I think the only person I liked was the one who dies! However, the fact I have such strong feelings towards these characters mean the author has done her job in her portrayal of them. I love to hate a character. Also I think most of us have a face that we went to portray to people - one where we want the person to like us and rely upon us. Just most of us don’t use it to gain an advantage but rather as a way to learn about ourselves and find the ‘best’ them.
This was an intricately plotted book and I must say I did not expect the ending at all! I think I actually gasped a wee bit and then felt dumb as all the clues were there for you to see. It was a good resolution that’s for sure. I also loved all the settings for the action - I now think Venice needs to be on the list for weekends away when the world returns to normal!
This was a great read and it will captivate your imagination. If you end up reading it let me know your thoughts!
