The War of the Roses

by Warren Adler

Overview

Now a major motion picture, The Roses, starring Benedict Cumberbatch and Olivia Colman, Warren Adler’s iconic 1980s tale of a crumbling marriage—an era’s defining portrait of a macabre divorce.

“Terrifying, black-humored, black-hearted and bristling.” —Gillian Flynn, New York Times bestselling author of Gone Girl

Jonathan and Barbara Rose are the perfect couple, living the dream in their beautiful house, filled with their precious antiques, their darling children, and their prized Ferrari in the garage. It’s all any red-blooded American could possibly want. But when Jonathan experiences a sudden heart attack (or so he thinks) Barbara realizes that she wants a new life, without him. There’s just one problem: they both want the house. For husband and wife, it’s not just a residence: it’s a passion, one that will escalate an ugly divorce into a full-blown battlefield, complete with weapons and casualties.

In this viciously black comedy, the Roses will each do whatever they can to destroy their better half—no matter the cost to themselves . . .

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781638932956
Publisher:	Zando
Publication date:	07/22/2025
Pages:	256
Product dimensions:	5.40(w) x 8.20(h) x 0.90(d)

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

Brilliantly captures the chaos of divorce, turning a personal tragedy into a universal truth.” —The Washington Post

“Brutally honest and darkly humorous, revealing the complexities of love.” — The New York Times

“The divorcing Roses go to battle over their beautiful home and the objects in it—and take revenge to stunning heights. You may have seen the fantastic 1989 film with Kathleen Turner and Michael Douglas, but the book is even more terrifying, black-humored, black-hearted and bristling, because you’re trapped inside the self-justifying, increasingly mad minds of Jonathan and Barbara Rose.” —Gillian Flynn, New York Times bestselling author of Gone Girl

“A darkly twisted, sharply written, rabbit-hole of a story.” —Karin Slaughter, New York Times and #1 international bestselling author

“Warren Adler's sharp wit transforms the turmoil of a crumbling marriage into a captivating narrative that resonates with anyone who's loved deeply.” —Los Angeles Times

“A profound exploration of love's complexities.” — Harper's Magazine

“A darkly comic study of a viciously disintegrating marriage.” —The Guardian

“One of the OG classics of domestic noir, Warren Adler’s The War of The Roses remains as sharp as a thorn and as deliciously dark as when it first arrived decades ago. The cat and mouse between the vicious, cutthroat Roses plays out in splendid fashion! An engrossing, exquisitely entertaining portrait of a divorce gone wickedly off the rails. I could not put it down!” —May Cobb, author of The Hunting Wives

“Adler masterfully depicts the absurdity of love's end, reminding us that every relationship has its battles.” —People Magazine

“A poignant commentary on relationships, exposing the thin line between love and hate.” — USA Today

“Skillfully blend[s] humor and heartbreak in a story that feels both personal and universal.” —The Atlantic

“In War of the Roses, Adler illustrates that the end of love can be just as compelling as its beginning, making us question the nature of commitment.” —The New Yorker

“If you are looking for a high-octane tale of marital dysfunction with guaranteed laughs (however acidic), The War of the Roses is endlessly diverting.” —The Sunday Times

“A very, very funny novel.” —New York Daily News

From the Publisher

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