NEW RELEASE
All that Glitters - Aita Ighodaro (2012)
When Evita steps off the plane in London from her native Bolivia with a stomach-full of cocaine and manages to evade detection, she turns her back on her past and begins a new life in England as Isabel Suarez-Octavia. Chloe Constance, a fresher at Oxford University, Is struggling to belong when Isabel bursts into her life and the two become friends, along with fellow students Will and Ol. With Isabel at the helm they encourage Chloe to run for the prestigious seat of president of the Oxford Union that brings with it the opportunity to meet some of the most powerful and important people. From the spires of Oxford, Isabel moves her way up the ladder founding her own company, ISO communications. But when she takes on a new client, the notorious Mr Sweet, Isabel's dream comes crashing down. There is a lot more to this novel than the blurb suggests and although Isabel emerges in the latter stages as the protagonist, much of the focus, particularly in the earlier part of the novel, is on Chloe and it is only really in the final parts that the action begins. Although all loose ends are tied up in the final part, the novel felt rather disjointed to me. Overall, it is an ambitious and multi-layered novel with a dramatic finale. (JC)
All That Glitters, by Aita Ighodaro, is about an ambitious girl who is determined to make her mark on the world. The summary says: "Isabel doesn't want to marry a tycoon. She wants to be one. Isabel Suarez-Octavio is ravishing, intelligent and ambitious. But unlike some of her friends, she's not planning to use her looks to seduce a billionaire and become someone's trophy wife. She's just arrived at Oxford University, and she is determined to make her mark on the world. The city of dreaming spires is everything she hoped for. The parties are riotous, the societies thrilling, and the people are the power brokers of tomorrow. Before long, Isabel is prowling the corridors of Westminster by day, partying in Miami by night: a rising star pursuing good times and a glittering career. Until a yacht trip along Italy's glamorous Amalfi Coast goes horribly wrong. Suddenly, Isabel is in the frame for murder, standing utterly alone against some of the world's most powerful men. After years of thinking only of the future, she must finally confront the secrets of her past - and face her biggest challenge yet."