The English Wife by lauren willig
Published by St. Martin's Press
Publication date: January 9th 2018
Genres: Fiction, Historical, Mystery
Bookshop, Amazon
At a time when much of my reading seems centered on dystopia, trauma, or pathos it’s welcome to read a novel that is simply enjoyable. No hard thinking or difficult emotions to process, just a well-constructed story that you can settle into. It isn’t as easy as it sounds because often this kind of book can be badly written or just written without enough thought and so has gaps and issues that a picky reader like me can pull apart. Thankfully, Lauren Willig is an author who gets it. Her latest novel, The English Wife, is set in the 1890s and is the story of one of those prefect couples who have everything—love, adorable children, and more money than they know what to do with. Annabelle is an English aristocrat and Bayard is as close as Americans get to aristocracy. His people were already having cocktails on the verandah when the Mayflower pulled into port. It’s all oh-so lovely until Bayard is found with a knife in his chest at the couple’s housewarming gala for their newly built mansion.
Annabelle and Bay may be at the center of The English Wife, but it is Bay’s elitist, icy mother who insists on being at the center of their lives. Everyone’s lives. She is the epitome of snobbery and as Bay is her only son and heir to the family’s fortune his marrying an English wife is seen as appropriate in her eyes. But how would she feel, now that her son is dead, if she knew Annabel may not be who she says she is? And so, with bewitching rapidity, the secrets start to reveal themselves and no one, in the present or the past, is happy about it.
That’s about all I’m going to tell you about The English Wife. Suffice it to say, it’s all about the plot and there’s plenty of it, but if you know me, you know I cannot stand plot overload. It has to be handled properly and Willig does. The narrative is split between the time when Bay and Annabelle met and fell in love in London to New York after Bay’s death. She dovetails the two timelines carefully so details appear when needed without being fanciful or overdone. She also throws in an important twist that I did not see coming. If it sounds too twee or cozy, it’s not. At the same time, it’s not a novel that is going to change your perceptions or evoke great bursts of emotion. It is exactly what I needed, an entertaining respite from heavy reading.
Oooh, this sounds like such a great palate cleanser and I always love crazy family dynamics and secrets!! 🙂
It is exactly that! I had no expectations, but the addition of a sister considered to be a spinster, who won’t let the mystery go, made it great winter reading.
Great review, Catherine. At some point I DNF one of Willig’s books, but I can’t recall the title. Would this be a good one to jump back into her work with?
She wrote a YA-feeling, women’s cozy historical mystery series called The Pink Carnation. They weren’t my cup of tea. I’m so hesitant to recommend her to you simply because everyone’s idea of a palate cleansing, easy but enjoyable read is different. I’d say give this a shot, but I won’t be offended if you DNF.
I know you read as voraciously as I do so this may be old news, but if I were to recommend a fabulous, quirky, all enveloping book love read it would This Is How It Always Is. I’m evangelical about it. Or, if you like mysteries I have a full on girl crush on Louise Penny. Any of her books. Just saying.
You are the second person to not just mention but proselytize about Frankel’s latest. I admit to being cautious because I DNF one of her earlier books to the point where I really lost my interest in her. Perhaps I need to reconsider. I adored Louise Penny’s first four-five books and then she went sideways with her plots. I tried again with the one before her latest in hopes of getting back into her. Sadly, no dice.
I am a huge fan of Charles Todd’s Inspector Rutledge books but not the series about the nurse. (Bess Armstrong?)
Was it Goodbye For Now? Because I read that after This Is and was floored that it was the same author. I DNFed it so can understand feeling cautious. Two thoughts on why you might love this one: her writing has matured (but still maintains the kind of quirkiness I love!) and this novel is closer to home- she has a transgender child.
So far there have been two Penny books I did not love, but it is her writing that keeps drawing me in. The plots I can ignore to some degree.
I love what you said at the beginning of this review about how we sometimes pick apart good books. I’ve really been working on not doing that as much, though it’s very difficult. I’m glad The English Wife worked for you. Entertaining is good!
I kind of think of it as part of the necessary individual judging of a book. There have been plenty of times something has bothered me so much I DNFed a book and others said it was no big deal because they loved the book. Or, like Sarah and me, regarding Gentleman in Moscow, she felt all the detail ruined the book and I wanted more of it!