The War of the Roses (novel)

Last updated
The War of The Roses
War of the roses 1981 first edition.jpg
1st edition cover
Author Warren Adler
LanguageEnglish
GenreNovel
Publisher Warner Books Inc
Publication date
April 1981
Publication placeUnited States
Media typePrint (hardback & paperback)
Pages263 pp
ISBN 0-446-51220-6
OCLC 6789918
813/.54 19
LC Class PS3551.D64 W37
Followed byThe Children of the Roses 

The War of the Roses (1981) is a novel by Warren Adler. [1]

Contents

Plot introduction

The War of the Roses tells the story of Jonathan and Barbara Rose, and their descent from a picturesque family life into a world of macabre self-destruction.

Plot summary

The novel begins with the main characters, Jonathan and Barbara, as they are introduced to each other. Some years later, they seem happily married in a Washington, D.C., suburb. They have a dream house, filled with a lifetime's worth of antiques that they have collected, two children (Eve and Josh), and a dog and cat. Both of them are successful with their work, and they have recently hired an au pair to aid in the upkeep of the house and the children. Jonathan is a successful lawyer, and Barbara has embarked on a gourmet business endeavor with a promising start.

However, when Jonathan has what is believed to be a heart attack, Barbara realizes she no longer loves him and would not be distraught if he died. Upon returning home, she tells her husband that their marriage is over and it has been for some time and he never realized it.

Barbara hires the best divorce attorney in town. Jonathan would like the divorce to go smoothly. He offers Barbara a monthly allowance, as well as half of everything they have. Barbara rejects the offer, demanding the house and all of its contents, reasoning that, as the homemaker, she was the one putting the house together, raising their children, and making it a home they both wanted. Jonathan refuses this rationale, puts an attorney of his own on a retainer, and opts not to move out, citing an old legal precedent which permits a couple to live under the same roof while going through a divorce.

Despite the warnings of their attorneys, both take it upon themselves to make the other miserable with sabotage, vandalism and violence.

Adaptation

In 1989, The War of the Roses was adapted from novel to film, proving to be a huge success both financially and critically.[ citation needed ] The film starred Michael Douglas and Kathleen Turner and was directed by Danny DeVito, who also co-starred.

Related Research Articles

<i>Divorce Italian Style</i> 1961 Italian film

Divorce Italian Style is a 1961 Italian black comedy film directed by Pietro Germi. The screenplay is by Germi, Ennio De Concini, Alfredo Giannetti, and Agenore Incrocci, based on Giovanni Arpino's novel Un delitto d'onore. It stars Marcello Mastroianni, Daniela Rocca, Stefania Sandrelli, Lando Buzzanca, and Leopoldo Trieste.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kathleen Turner</span> American actress (born 1954)

Mary Kathleen Turner is an American actress. Known for her distinctive husky voice, she is the recipient of two Golden Globes, as well as nominations for an Academy Award, a Grammy, and two Tony Awards.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Barbara Cartland</span> English writer and media personality (1901–2000)

Dame Mary Barbara Hamilton Cartland,, known as the Queen of Romance, was an English writer who published both contemporary and historical romance novels, the latter set primarily during the Victorian or Edwardian period. Cartland is one of the best-selling authors worldwide of the 20th century.

<i>The Joy Luck Club</i> (novel) 1989 novel written by Amy Tan

The Joy Luck Club is a 1989 novel written by Amy Tan. It focuses on four Chinese immigrant families in San Francisco who start a club known as The Joy Luck Club, playing the Chinese game of mahjong for money while feasting on a variety of foods. The book is structured similarly to a mahjong game, with four parts divided into four sections to create sixteen chapters. The three mothers and four daughters share stories about their lives in the form of short vignettes. Each part is preceded by a parable relating to the themes within that section.

<i>Peyton Place</i> (TV series) American prime-time soap opera

Peyton Place is an American prime-time soap opera that aired on ABC in half-hour episodes from September 15, 1964, to June 2, 1969.

<i>Endless Love</i> (1981 film) 1981 American film by Franco Zeffirelli

Endless Love is a 1981 American romantic drama film directed by Franco Zeffirelli, and starring Brooke Shields, Martin Hewitt, Shirley Knight, Don Murray, Richard Kiley, Penelope Milford and Beatrice Straight. It also marked Tom Cruise's film debut.

<i>Diary of a Mad Black Woman</i> 2005 film directed by Darren Grant

Diary of a Mad Black Woman is a 2005 American romantic comedy drama film directed by Darren Grant and written by Tyler Perry. Inspired by the play of the same name, it marks Perry's feature film debut and is the first entry in the Madea film franchise. Starring Perry alongside Kimberly Elise, Steve Harris, Shemar Moore, and Cicely Tyson, it tells the story of a woman who is thrown out of her house by her husband on their 18th wedding anniversary and subsequently moves in with her grandmother, and is the only film written, but not directed, by Perry.

<i>Bright Leaf</i> 1950 film by Michael Curtiz

Bright Leaf is a 1950 American Drama Western film directed by Michael Curtiz and starring Gary Cooper, Lauren Bacall and Patricia Neal. It is adapted from the 1949 novel of the same name by Foster Fitz-Simons. The title comes from the type of tobacco grown in North Carolina after the American Civil War. According to Bright Leaves, a 2003 documentary film by Ross McElwee, the plot is loosely based on the rivalry of tobacco tycoons Washington Duke and John Harvey McElwee, the filmmaker's great-grandfather.

<i>Tuck Everlasting</i> American childrens fantasy novel

Tuck Everlasting is an American children's novel about immortality written by Natalie Babbitt and published by Farrar, Straus and Giroux in 1975. It has sold over 5 million copies and has been called a classic of modern children's literature.

<i>Daisy Kenyon</i> 1947 film by Otto Preminger

Daisy Kenyon is a 1947 American romantic-drama film by 20th Century Fox starring Joan Crawford, Henry Fonda, and Dana Andrews in a story about a post-World War II romantic triangle. The screenplay by David Hertz was based upon a 1945 novel of the same name by Elizabeth Janeway. The film was directed and produced by Otto Preminger. Having opened to restrained reception, Daisy Kenyon has seen reappraisal, and now enjoys a minor cult following for its realistic treatment of a typically melodramatic plot.

<i>The Postman Always Rings Twice</i> (1946 film) 1946 film by Tay Garnett

The Postman Always Rings Twice is a 1946 American film noir directed by Tay Garnett and starring Lana Turner, John Garfield, and Cecil Kellaway. It is based on the 1934 novel of the same name by James M. Cain. This adaptation of the novel also features Hume Cronyn, Leon Ames and Audrey Totter. The musical score was written by George Bassman and Erich Zeisl.

<i>A Woman of Substance</i> (novel) 1979 novel by Barbara Taylor Bradford

A Woman of Substance is a novel by Barbara Taylor Bradford, published in 1979. The novel is the first of a seven-book saga about the fortunes of a retail empire and the machinations of the business elite across three generations. The series, featuring Emma Harte and her family also includes Hold The Dream, To Be The Best, Emma's Secret, Unexpected Blessings, Just Rewards and Breaking the Rules. A Woman of Substance was adapted as an eponymous television miniseries as were the sequels Hold the Dream and To Be the Best.

<i>The Love Letter</i> (1999 film) 1999 film by Peter Chan

The Love Letter is a 1999 American romantic comedy film directed by Peter Chan and starring Kate Capshaw, Ellen DeGeneres, Tom Everett Scott, and Tom Selleck. It is based on the novel by Cathleen Schine. The original music score was composed by Luis Enriquez Bacalov. The film takes place in the fictional Massachusetts town of Loblolly-by-the-Sea and was filmed in Rockport, Massachusetts.

<i>Century</i> (novel) 1981 novel by Fred Mustard Stewart

Century is a 1981 novel by Fred Mustard Stewart. The story follows four generations of an Italian-American family with settings in both America and Italy. Most of the events that take place in the novel, take place in actual American and Italian history. Readers are witnesses to the rise of Benito Mussolini, the Prohibition period, Black Tuesday, World War I, World War II, the attack on Pearl Harbor, the Holocaust, and the gradual formation of the motion picture industry in Hollywood. The novel spent six weeks on The New York Times Best Seller list.

<i>Come Live with Me</i> (film) 1941 American romantic comedy film directed by Clarence Brown

Come Live with Me is a 1941 American romantic comedy film produced and directed by Clarence Brown and starring James Stewart, Hedy Lamarr and Ian Hunter. Based on a story by Virginia Van Upp, the film is about a beautiful Viennese refugee seeking United States citizenship who arranges a marriage of convenience with a struggling writer.

<i>Changes</i> (1991 film) 1991 American TV series or program

Changes, also known as Danielle Steel's Changes, is a 1991 American made-for-television romantic drama film directed by Charles Jarrott. The film is based upon the 1983 novel of the same name written by Danielle Steel.

<i>The War of the Roses</i> (film) 1989 black comedy film directed by Danny DeVito

The War of the Roses is a 1989 American satirical black comedy film based upon the 1981 novel by Warren Adler. The film follows a wealthy couple with a seemingly perfect marriage. When their marriage begins to fall apart, material possessions become the center of an outrageous and bitter divorce battle.

<i>Illicit</i> (1931 film) 1931 film

Illicit is a 1931 American pre-Code drama film directed by Archie Mayo and starring Barbara Stanwyck, James Rennie, Ricardo Cortez, and Natalie Moorhead. Based on a play by Edith Fitzgerald and Robert Riskin, the film is about a young couple living together out of wedlock because the woman does not believe in marriage. When they finally get married, both become unfaithful to each other. Illicit was produced and distributed by Warner Bros.

<i>Frisco Waterfront</i> 1935 film by Arthur Lubin

Frisco Waterfront is a 1935 American drama film directed by Arthur Lubin and Joseph Santley and starring Ben Lyon, Helen Twelvetrees and Rod La Rocque.

<i>This Is Where I Leave You</i> 2014 film

This Is Where I Leave You is a 2014 American comedy drama film directed by Shawn Levy, and starring Jason Bateman, Tina Fey, Adam Driver, Rose Byrne, Corey Stoll, Kathryn Hahn, Connie Britton, Timothy Olyphant, Dax Shepard and Jane Fonda. It is based on the 2009 novel of the same title by Jonathan Tropper, who also wrote the film's screenplay. This Is Where I Leave You tells the story of four grown siblings who are forced to return to their childhood home after their father's death and live under the same roof for seven days, along with their over-sharing mother and an assortment of spouses, exes, and might-have-beens. The film was released on September 19, 2014, and grossed $41.3 million against a $19.8 million production budget.

References

  1. "Love and Hate". The New York Times . 28 June 1981. Retrieved 17 October 2017.