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scribblinaway's review against another edition
emotional
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
4.0
shadypinesma's review against another edition
4.0
Another entry in the dual timeline historical fiction oeuvre. It has a murder (or is it a murder?) mystery, a romance, a woman finding her voice and sense or self separate from an oppressive upbringing, an aristocratic Gilded Age setting, conflict between performative propriety vs expansive authenticity, and all of the other expected tensions. These are rarely all-time favorites for me but have a high hit-rate as satisfying and enjoyable reads, and this book is no exception.
judithdcollins's review against another edition
4.0
From the New York Times bestselling author, Lauren Willig brings the glitz, glamour, and scandal of the Gilded Age to life in her latest THE ENGLISH WIFE – Rich in history, a mix of a gothic murder mystery, and romantic suspense.
A portrayal of culture, class, and privilege at the turn of the twentieth century mingled with dark secrets and numerous twists and turns.
Headlines New York, 1899. "Knickerbocker murders wife and kills himself. Murder and suicide on the Hudson."
Janie Van Duyvil and brother Bayard, and cousin Anne were best friends. Bay takes a trip to London and comes home with a new wife, Annabelle. Annabelle and Bayard Van Duyvil live a charmed life in New York. The perfect couple.
Then Janie and Anne find Bay at the glamorous Twelfth Night dinner party with a knife stuck in his chest.
Annabelle, the wife, is nowhere to be found. A final dying word "George." Annabelle has gone missing. Could it be a stranger or someone else? What secrets were they hiding?
Janie (an outsider in this prominent family) becomes obsessed with finding the truth about her brother and the mysterious death. Who was this strange and mysterious woman? Was she an imposter? Her past. Who murdered her brother?
With the help of a reporter, Burke — Janie begins to investigate and dig for clues. However, not sure who she can trust. Is there something between them? What about the secrets of her own family?
From London to New York, with dual timelines and a multitude of characters, Willig creates a compelling, dark, scandalous and atmospheric tale of mystery and intrigue— with hidden secrets, keeping readers guessing to the end.
Multi-layered, compelling, and skillfully written, THE ENGLISH WIFE is highly recommended for fans of historical fiction, romantic suspense, and mystery with a Gothic twist.
A special thank you to St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for an advanced reading copy.
JDCMustReadBooks
A portrayal of culture, class, and privilege at the turn of the twentieth century mingled with dark secrets and numerous twists and turns.
Headlines New York, 1899. "Knickerbocker murders wife and kills himself. Murder and suicide on the Hudson."
Janie Van Duyvil and brother Bayard, and cousin Anne were best friends. Bay takes a trip to London and comes home with a new wife, Annabelle. Annabelle and Bayard Van Duyvil live a charmed life in New York. The perfect couple.
Then Janie and Anne find Bay at the glamorous Twelfth Night dinner party with a knife stuck in his chest.
Annabelle, the wife, is nowhere to be found. A final dying word "George." Annabelle has gone missing. Could it be a stranger or someone else? What secrets were they hiding?
Janie (an outsider in this prominent family) becomes obsessed with finding the truth about her brother and the mysterious death. Who was this strange and mysterious woman? Was she an imposter? Her past. Who murdered her brother?
With the help of a reporter, Burke — Janie begins to investigate and dig for clues. However, not sure who she can trust. Is there something between them? What about the secrets of her own family?
From London to New York, with dual timelines and a multitude of characters, Willig creates a compelling, dark, scandalous and atmospheric tale of mystery and intrigue— with hidden secrets, keeping readers guessing to the end.
Multi-layered, compelling, and skillfully written, THE ENGLISH WIFE is highly recommended for fans of historical fiction, romantic suspense, and mystery with a Gothic twist.
A special thank you to St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for an advanced reading copy.
JDCMustReadBooks
literary_faerie's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
heidenkind's review against another edition
2.0
You know how LoTR has all these characters with 2 or 3 different names, and a bunch of characters with names that are similar? Well, this book is like that, except worse. Plus I skipped all the Georgie parts and it still felt like it went on forever.
littletaiko's review against another edition
4.0
Yay for books with strong female characters. Annabelle and Janie are sister-in-laws. We learn more about each of them as the story alternates between their points of view over the span of about 10 years or so. When Baynard, Annabelle's husband and Janie's brother, is murdered and Annabelle has disappeared, Janie starts to rethink what she thought she knew about both of them.
jobradley's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
This is a triple reread for me. Something about it…
bookswritingandmore's review against another edition
1.0
Unfortunately i was very disappointed in the book. I have read other books by Lauren Willig and was really expecting to love this read. I felt the story was very hard to follow as well as the characters not being likeable at all. The premise was a great one. I just felt there wasn't enough background story told in order for the reader to really connect with the story.
candaceross321's review against another edition
5.0
Slow to start, but I stayed up four hours late to because I had to finish it.
booklovingmom_'s review against another edition
4.0
I received The English Wife in a Goodreads giveaway in exchange for my honest review.
I found The English Wife to be a captivating novel following the death (or murder) of Bay and his wife at a dinner party. The rest of the novel follows the characters as they try to figure out what actually happens as the storyline twists and turns finding it's way to the end. At times I found the book hard to follow, but overall I found it to be a good read.
I found The English Wife to be a captivating novel following the death (or murder) of Bay and his wife at a dinner party. The rest of the novel follows the characters as they try to figure out what actually happens as the storyline twists and turns finding it's way to the end. At times I found the book hard to follow, but overall I found it to be a good read.