The English Wife
Laura Willig’s The English Wife shows the scandalous and even murderous side of New York during the Gilded Age, where everyone has their secrets and will do anything to keep them.
In its simplest form, this is a story about Annabelle and Bayard Van Duyvil. On the surface, they live a charmed life. He’s the golden heir to a wealthy New York family and she’s a (supposed) heiress to a well-off London Lord. During a ball at their country home, Bayard is discovered murdered and Annabelle is missing, presumed drowned. The locals are in an uproar and everyone has one question: who killed Bayard?
Enter Janie, Bayard’s little sister. Thought of as a plain spinster by the upper class and her family, Janie will do anything to find out what happened to her brother and his wife, even if that means making an unlikely alliance with a New York reporter.
This book took me by surprise. I liked the concept of it, but I wasn’t sure if I would enjoy a who-done-it. The English Wife proved to be more than a murderous mystery. I was hooked from the first page.
One of the things I enjoyed most was how Willig proved my predictions wrong. I thought I knew what caused the strain between Bayard and Annabelle, and who murdered Bayard, but Willig surprised me (in a good way).
Although their marriage wasn’t perfect, it’s clear Annabelle and Bayard loved each other. I really appreciated Willig’s ability to show the complexities of marriage, especially between two people who tend to keep secrets. Ultimately it was their secrets that lead to their demise. If Bayard had told Annabelle he ways gay from the beginning, and if Annabelle had revealed her true identity from the start, things may have turned out very different for this young couple.
Although Annabelle holds a place in my heart, it’s Janie who stole the show for me. Janie did her best to be the kind of woman her mother wanted her to be, but she never seemed to measure up to Mrs. Van Duyvil. Living under her mother’s thumb meant Janie was forced to follow the rules of the upper class, leaving her frustrated and constrained.
But Janie really stepped up when she discovered her brother was dead. She wasn’t willing to be left in the dark. She broke the rules and went in search of the truth – even if it was complex and messy. Janie is an inspiration for women who are told all their lives that they are too much of this or not enough that. You must be true to who you are, even if it is “too much” for some people.
The English Wife is the perfect book for anyone looking to sink their teeth into a book full of family secrets, affairs, murder, love and the search for the truth.
The English Wife Rating: ★★★★★
In its simplest form, this is a story about Annabelle and Bayard Van Duyvil. On the surface, they live a charmed life. He’s the golden heir to a wealthy New York family and she’s a (supposed) heiress to a well-off London Lord. During a ball at their country home, Bayard is discovered murdered and Annabelle is missing, presumed drowned. The locals are in an uproar and everyone has one question: who killed Bayard?
Enter Janie, Bayard’s little sister. Thought of as a plain spinster by the upper class and her family, Janie will do anything to find out what happened to her brother and his wife, even if that means making an unlikely alliance with a New York reporter.
This book took me by surprise. I liked the concept of it, but I wasn’t sure if I would enjoy a who-done-it. The English Wife proved to be more than a murderous mystery. I was hooked from the first page.
One of the things I enjoyed most was how Willig proved my predictions wrong. I thought I knew what caused the strain between Bayard and Annabelle, and who murdered Bayard, but Willig surprised me (in a good way).
Although their marriage wasn’t perfect, it’s clear Annabelle and Bayard loved each other. I really appreciated Willig’s ability to show the complexities of marriage, especially between two people who tend to keep secrets. Ultimately it was their secrets that lead to their demise. If Bayard had told Annabelle he ways gay from the beginning, and if Annabelle had revealed her true identity from the start, things may have turned out very different for this young couple.
Although Annabelle holds a place in my heart, it’s Janie who stole the show for me. Janie did her best to be the kind of woman her mother wanted her to be, but she never seemed to measure up to Mrs. Van Duyvil. Living under her mother’s thumb meant Janie was forced to follow the rules of the upper class, leaving her frustrated and constrained.
But Janie really stepped up when she discovered her brother was dead. She wasn’t willing to be left in the dark. She broke the rules and went in search of the truth – even if it was complex and messy. Janie is an inspiration for women who are told all their lives that they are too much of this or not enough that. You must be true to who you are, even if it is “too much” for some people.
The English Wife is the perfect book for anyone looking to sink their teeth into a book full of family secrets, affairs, murder, love and the search for the truth.
The English Wife Rating: ★★★★★