The War of the Roses
by Warren Adlerliterary work· published 1981
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Thirty-eight year old divorcee Grace Sorentino is in a precarious position – upwardly mobile in age, downwardly mobile in income. A cosmetician on Palm Beach's fashionable Worth Avenue, she barely makes enough for her and her 16-year old daughter to live on. When Grace loses her job, she reluctantly pursues a cynical scheme to snare a rich widower. But when she finally comes within reach of her goal, she finds herself enmeshed in a self-spun web of deception and danger that threatens to rob her of everything she holds dear. A timely novel of romance about the cost of getting what you want -- when what you really want is priceless.
Adaptations (2)
The War of the Roses has been adapted into 2 films, from 1989 to 2025. The most recent is The Roses (2025).
The War of the Roses1989 · film · 116 min · dir. Danny DeVito · IMDb ↗Barbara and Oliver Rose live happily as a married couple. When Barbara starts to wonder what life would be like without Oliver and likes what she sees, the two begin a campaign to force each other to leave their house, with their divorce lawyer D'Amato caught in the middle.
The Roses2025 · film · 105 min · dir. Jay Roach · IMDb ↗Life seems easy for picture-perfect couple Ivy and Theo: successful careers, a loving marriage, great kids. But beneath the façade of their supposed ideal life, a storm is brewing – as Theo's career nosedives while Ivy's own ambitions take off, a tinderbox of fierce competition and hidden resentment ignites.
