They call it the tall poppy syndrome. If you are too successful, you must be cut down to size.
Nina and Elizabeth are tall poppies. One a poor Jewish girl who becomes a brilliant businesswoman, the other an English public schoolgirl who is a champion skier. Women from different parts of the world, from different sides of the social track, but under the skin the same.
Both desperate to escape from a past which dragged them down and determined to make an extraordinary mark on the world. Both unlucky in love. Both with enemies who will not willingly see them succeed.
That's the trouble with being a tall poppy- people always know how to find you.

I wasn't fussed on this one. I read it in an afternoon, couldn't identify with the characters and felt it tried too hard.

Released on Sunday, May 02, 2004 at Roath Park in Cardiff, Wales United Kingdom.

Left on a bench on the west side of the lake

Dear Releaser, many thanks for leaving this book around! I'd never heard of bookcrossing.com before, or anything like it but thought it was so fantastically bohemian and lovely! I'm not sure whether you waited around to see whether someone would pick up the book you left or if you saw me. I couldn't believe it when I found it, and kept looking around wondering whether it was a prank and whether someone was watching me (if you'd seen me you perhaps would've noticed the surprised look on my face!) When myself and my friend found the book, we couldn't believe it was a genuine gift of a free book... that kind of thing doesn't happen much these days... we were so amazed in fact that we asked some bystanders if it belonged to them and they came over and read the message in the book to try and work it out! Anyway, I'm rambling a bit here (as you do!) We caught the book in Roath Park Cardiff on a bench by the lake, and I haven't read it yet (but I was really intrigued about the website so had to sign in and write something!). The book looks really gorgeous so I'll definitely make a start on it today, and I'll write more once I'm finished (contain your excitement over the prospect of even more of my ramblings!) Thanks again, whoever you may be. Ceri x

I found the book on a park bench, with a wonderful label saying "free book" and instructions what to do with it.it was so fab, i intend to leave it in a corwded public place so that someone else can find it.