The War of the Roses

by Warren Adler

Overview

'Terrifying, black-humoured, black-hearted and bristling' Gillian Flynn, author of Gone Girl

The War of the Roses tells the story of the Roses, starting with their fateful meeting as students, falling in love, and creating the perfect nuclear family. Oliver, a Harvard graduate and successful corporate lawyer, has his sights set on a major promotion while Barbara, a steely self-starter, runs her own catering company, wowing the upper echelons of Washington DC society. Along with their two privileged children, grand mansion and joint hobby of visiting auction houses, the Roses seem to be the paragon of a family living the American Dream. But things then take an unexpected and shocking course.

A film remake, The Roses, is set to release in 2025, starring Benedict Cumberbatch and Olivia Colman.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781837263653
Publisher:	Canongate Books
Publication date:	03/13/2025
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	256

About the Author

Warren Adler was an author and playwright, best known for his novel The War of the Roses which was made into the Golden Globe and BAFTA-nominated film starring Michael Douglas, Kathleen Turner and Danny DeVito. Adler optioned and sold film rights to more than a dozen of his novels and short stories, including Random Hearts, which stars Harrison Ford and Kristin Scott Thomas, and The Sunset Gang, which stars Jerry Stiller. Adler Entertainment Trust has additionally developed and/or optioned over twenty more of his books and plays. His works have been translated into twenty-five languages Born in Brooklyn to Russian Jewish parents, he lived in New York until his death in 2019.

Read an Excerpt

A cold rain whipped across the clapboard facade of the old house, spattering against the panes. Like everyone else in the bone-damp parlor set up theater style with folding wooden-slat seats, the auctioneer raised his gloomy eyes toward the windows, perhaps hoping the gusty rain would shoot out the glass and abort the abysmal performance. Oliver Rose sat on an aisle seat, a few rows back from the podium, his long legs stretched out on the battered wooden floor. The room was less than half full, no more than thirty people. Behind the auctioneer, strewn around like the aftermath of a bombing, lay the assorted possessions of the family Barker, the last of whom had lived long enough to make some of this junk valuable. “. . . it’s a genuine Boston rocker,” the auctioneer droned, his voice cracked and pleading as he pointed to a much abused Windsor-style rocking chair. “Made by Hitchcock, Alford and Company, one of the finest names in chairs.” He looked lugubriously around the silent room, no longer expectant. “Damn,” he snapped. “It’s a genuine antique.” “Ten bucks,” a lady’s voice cackled. She was sitting in the first row, bundled in a dirty Irish sweater. “Ten bucks?” the auctioneer protested. “Look at these tapered back spindles, the scrolled top rail, the shaped seat. . . .” “All right, twelve-fifty,” the lady huffed. She had been buying most of the furniture offered, and it seemed to Oliver that the auction was being held for her benefit. “The whole thing stinks,” a voice hissed. It came from a veined Yankee face beside him. “The rain’s mucked itall up. She’s got the antique store in Provincetown. She’ll get it for a song and sell it off to the tourists for ten times as much.” Oliver nodded, clicking his tongue in agreement, knowing that the rain was his ally as well. Most of the tourists who had crowded into Chatham on Thursday and Friday, hoping for a pleasant Memorial Day weekend at the beach, had left by midmorning. At the Breaking Wave, where Oliver was a summer waiter, the dining room for the Sunday lunch looked and felt like an off-season resort, and his tips had matched the mood. But the weather on Cape Cod, at best, was uncertain. He was used to it. All through Harvard undergraduate school, he had worked summers at the Breaking Wave, amusing himself at the antique auctions on those days he couldn’t get to the beach. He was especially fond of those held at the old cottages after the owners had died off. Rarely could he afford to buy anything, although occasionally he picked up a Staffordshire figure for a song.

Editorial Reviews

Warren Adler writes with skill and a sense of scene.

New York Times Book Review

Tight, unique, intimate . . . fascinating and unusual.

West Coast Review of Books

Perhaps better remembered now for this work's feature film adaptation, Adler here traces the initial romance, failed marriage, and bitter divorce of Oliver and Barbara Rose. Though their actions turn maniacally brutal, Adler manages to make them seem logical under the circumstances. The book was first published in 1981. Copyright 2004 Reed Business Information.

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