thebooktrail88's review against another edition
5.0
Wow wow and wow again. How have I not heard of this true life story before? Wallis simpson and Princess Diana are such iconic figures but Wallis's childhood and life up until and after she married the king of England is utterly fascinating! With a brilliant touch of phrase and a deft touch of historical intrigue and creative flourish, the period and the people come to life from the page. I half expect the finished book to have gilded pages and be displayed in the shops on a velvet cushion.
The stories of both Diana in 1997 and Wallis Simpson in 1911 are stories you might think you know but I had no idea of the link! A mystery hidden in plain sight! A puzzle solved across the years! Some of it might be fictionalised of course but I can't say anything else other than read this with your mouth wide open like I did. It plays out like a film in your mind with classical music mixing with the jazz of the 1920s.
The historical research must have taken ages - as although the book is written with a light and deft touch, you're sure that beneath the velvet there's some history stuffed in there - making it a very comfortable, enticing read with a glorious mix of facts and intrigue.
Gill has taken me to some amazing places and moments in time - Elizabeth and Richard Burton's affair on set of Cleopatra in Italy, the Titanic in the middle of the Atlantic ocean and even the middle of the Crimea with Florence Nightingale. This HAS to be an epic film or at least given to those who want to relive history - Gill has such a skill, I half expected to wake up this morning clutching a bracelet or facing a portrait picture on my wall (when you read the book you'll see why)
Stunning! Out in two weeks. Put it on your list now. And buy that red velvet cushion in preparation.
The stories of both Diana in 1997 and Wallis Simpson in 1911 are stories you might think you know but I had no idea of the link! A mystery hidden in plain sight! A puzzle solved across the years! Some of it might be fictionalised of course but I can't say anything else other than read this with your mouth wide open like I did. It plays out like a film in your mind with classical music mixing with the jazz of the 1920s.
The historical research must have taken ages - as although the book is written with a light and deft touch, you're sure that beneath the velvet there's some history stuffed in there - making it a very comfortable, enticing read with a glorious mix of facts and intrigue.
Gill has taken me to some amazing places and moments in time - Elizabeth and Richard Burton's affair on set of Cleopatra in Italy, the Titanic in the middle of the Atlantic ocean and even the middle of the Crimea with Florence Nightingale. This HAS to be an epic film or at least given to those who want to relive history - Gill has such a skill, I half expected to wake up this morning clutching a bracelet or facing a portrait picture on my wall (when you read the book you'll see why)
Stunning! Out in two weeks. Put it on your list now. And buy that red velvet cushion in preparation.
keepingyouonread's review against another edition
3.0
I really wish I could do half stars because I am very torn to rate this a 3 or 4 star. I liked the middle of the story but felt the beginning and end dragged a bit. This is a quick and easy read taking place in two time periods - one in the early 1900-1940s and the other immediately after Princess Diana’s death.
charmedonex's review against another edition
3.0
3.5 stars. It was very entertaining (dual timelines as per the norm over the last few years). The last 20% was a bit of a bore but overall, a good read.
missmac_'s review against another edition
emotional
informative
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
4.0
daybreak1012's review against another edition
2.0
I looked forward to picking up this book, but couldn't ever seem to fully engage. While I have enjoyed many television drama series focused on the British monarchy and aristocracy, I have never found myself excessively taken with it. It's interesting to me and the history is fascinating, but I've never been obsessed with it to the point of following every detail. This book might possibly have hooked me more if I were more consumed by it.
What I liked about Another Woman's Husband:
The peek into an earlier era - I do love to learn more about how things were in other times. Seeing how society operated and what the customs were fascinates me. The character of people doesn't ever seem to change that much, but what is deemed acceptable by societal standards has gone through many evolutions over time.
What I didn't care for:
The characters - I either didn't care about them or straight up didn't like them. Nearly every last one of them. (I did really like Eleanor and Ralph Hargreaves.) Some were too prone to being doormats, while others had zero moral compass at all.
A serial lack of respect for marriage - It touched nearly every character to some extent. And worse, it almost seemed a glorification of it.
The writing style just didn't seem to click for me - I can't put my finger on what exactly didn't work for me. I don't mind dual timelines, typically, but this one just read like to two separate book manuscripts fell on the floor together and found themselves printed as one. While there was an occasional fragment of detail that would appear in both storylines and there was some resolution uniting them toward the end, mostly they just told two different series of events.
This was my first venture into a book by Ms Paul, and while many seem to love her works, I don't feel inclined to delve into a second book. Perhaps her style just isn't meant for me, though I appear to be somewhat of a minority here.
What I liked about Another Woman's Husband:
The peek into an earlier era - I do love to learn more about how things were in other times. Seeing how society operated and what the customs were fascinates me. The character of people doesn't ever seem to change that much, but what is deemed acceptable by societal standards has gone through many evolutions over time.
What I didn't care for:
The characters - I either didn't care about them or straight up didn't like them. Nearly every last one of them. (I did really like Eleanor and Ralph Hargreaves.) Some were too prone to being doormats, while others had zero moral compass at all.
A serial lack of respect for marriage - It touched nearly every character to some extent. And worse, it almost seemed a glorification of it.
The writing style just didn't seem to click for me - I can't put my finger on what exactly didn't work for me. I don't mind dual timelines, typically, but this one just read like to two separate book manuscripts fell on the floor together and found themselves printed as one. While there was an occasional fragment of detail that would appear in both storylines and there was some resolution uniting them toward the end, mostly they just told two different series of events.
This was my first venture into a book by Ms Paul, and while many seem to love her works, I don't feel inclined to delve into a second book. Perhaps her style just isn't meant for me, though I appear to be somewhat of a minority here.
diannel_04's review against another edition
5.0
Gill Paul has become one of my favourite writer's. In this book for the historical sections she takes the story of Wallis' Simpson's lifelong friendship with Mary Kirk and weaves a wonderful tale. The modern part of the story centers around Rachel and Alex who happen to be in a taxi that comes upon the scene of Princess Diana's car crash. Alexis a documentary filmmaker who gets slightly obsessed but it all works out.
I have read three of Ms. Paul's books and loved every one of them. I started this one yesterday afternoon and it is now 3 am. I read 439 in one day. I don't think that has ever happened before but I just couldn't stop. I can't wait to read more.
I have read three of Ms. Paul's books and loved every one of them. I started this one yesterday afternoon and it is now 3 am. I read 439 in one day. I don't think that has ever happened before but I just couldn't stop. I can't wait to read more.
sharondblk's review against another edition
2.0
I stayed up late last night, because it was either power through to the finish or just give up. There was not a lot I liked about this book – it had two time lines, one which moved through 30 years, and one which covered three months, which gave the book an odd rhythm.
The author made up things and overlaid them over history, which is a technique that had been used by many authors, but in this case it just felt false. Mainly thought, I started noticing odd things the author wrote, and then I couldn’t stop. Things like:
"Wallis was wearing a blue wool suit with chalk stripes and a matching trilby. It could have been a man's office wear but for the tiny waist, the padded shoulders, the long slim skirt and the jaunty angle of the hat."
So, it was not at all like a man's suit at all really.
And when Rachel is cooking a stew it lists all the ingredients, and states that she will put the beans in later. Why? What does this bizarre detail add to the book? At one point Rachel one of the main characters is tipsy after a couple of drinks because, the book says, she’s not much of a drinker. And yet she’s drinking in every second scene, including ordering a jug of mojitos, complaining that her partner doesn’t top up her vodka tonic while she is cooking dinner, and a bottle of champagne on a flight from Paris – its a one hour flight.
The main issue was that I didn’t like any of the characters – seriously, if you sleep with another woman’s husband, I don’t think how she treats him has anything to do with it – you are not blameless. And the main couple in the modern day timeline are just nasty to each other. So, generally a frustrating book, because it is almost a good read, but the unlikability of all the characters, and the lack of internal consistency, and the ending, made it less than satisfactory. Even the things that are taken directly from real life feel fake. Maybe it was the author trying to tie the fiction and facts together that doesn’t work well?
It did make me interested in that bit of history, and I read a Wikipedia article about Wallis Simpson, so that's a positive thing.
I was given a free ARC from NetGalley and this is my (obviously) honest review.
The author made up things and overlaid them over history, which is a technique that had been used by many authors, but in this case it just felt false. Mainly thought, I started noticing odd things the author wrote, and then I couldn’t stop. Things like:
"Wallis was wearing a blue wool suit with chalk stripes and a matching trilby. It could have been a man's office wear but for the tiny waist, the padded shoulders, the long slim skirt and the jaunty angle of the hat."
So, it was not at all like a man's suit at all really.
And when Rachel is cooking a stew it lists all the ingredients, and states that she will put the beans in later. Why? What does this bizarre detail add to the book? At one point Rachel one of the main characters is tipsy after a couple of drinks because, the book says, she’s not much of a drinker. And yet she’s drinking in every second scene, including ordering a jug of mojitos, complaining that her partner doesn’t top up her vodka tonic while she is cooking dinner, and a bottle of champagne on a flight from Paris – its a one hour flight.
The main issue was that I didn’t like any of the characters – seriously, if you sleep with another woman’s husband, I don’t think how she treats him has anything to do with it – you are not blameless. And the main couple in the modern day timeline are just nasty to each other. So, generally a frustrating book, because it is almost a good read, but the unlikability of all the characters, and the lack of internal consistency, and the ending, made it less than satisfactory. Even the things that are taken directly from real life feel fake. Maybe it was the author trying to tie the fiction and facts together that doesn’t work well?
It did make me interested in that bit of history, and I read a Wikipedia article about Wallis Simpson, so that's a positive thing.
I was given a free ARC from NetGalley and this is my (obviously) honest review.
snazzybooks's review against another edition
4.0
Book reviews on www.snazzybooks.com
I didn't read up much about this novel before I started it, and I'm so glad I didn't. It really surprised me - both in the plot (I'd forgotten that one of the narratives is set just after Diana's death in 1997, but find the entire subject so interesting) and the way certain parts seemed unconnected but then came together in unexpected ways.
I loved reading both timeframes; the 1997 narrative is something I can very vaguely remember happening - I was only 7 at the time, but remember where I was at the time as I remember my grandparents and parents being so shocked. It was so interesting to read about - both the parts that were fact, and those that the author fabricated to great effect (And still, despite some exaggeration in some aspects - which the author explains at the end - it's still completely believable!). I also really enjoyed reading the 1911 timeframe, as that's a fascinating era to me and always so shocking as it reinforces how different life was back then, especially for women.
The main female characters in Another Woman's Husband are interesting and likeable, though some of the people around them are definitely not nice people! I felt that Gill Paul did a great job of evoking a real sense of time and place in both storylines. Although it's not a jam-packed, action-adventure storyline, I still found it gripping; it's a very well-written, intriguing novel which I'd definitely recommend!
Many thanks to Headline Review and Netgalley for providing a copy of this novel on which I chose to write an honest and unbiased review.
I didn't read up much about this novel before I started it, and I'm so glad I didn't. It really surprised me - both in the plot (I'd forgotten that one of the narratives is set just after Diana's death in 1997, but find the entire subject so interesting) and the way certain parts seemed unconnected but then came together in unexpected ways.
I loved reading both timeframes; the 1997 narrative is something I can very vaguely remember happening - I was only 7 at the time, but remember where I was at the time as I remember my grandparents and parents being so shocked. It was so interesting to read about - both the parts that were fact, and those that the author fabricated to great effect (And still, despite some exaggeration in some aspects - which the author explains at the end - it's still completely believable!). I also really enjoyed reading the 1911 timeframe, as that's a fascinating era to me and always so shocking as it reinforces how different life was back then, especially for women.
The main female characters in Another Woman's Husband are interesting and likeable, though some of the people around them are definitely not nice people! I felt that Gill Paul did a great job of evoking a real sense of time and place in both storylines. Although it's not a jam-packed, action-adventure storyline, I still found it gripping; it's a very well-written, intriguing novel which I'd definitely recommend!
Many thanks to Headline Review and Netgalley for providing a copy of this novel on which I chose to write an honest and unbiased review.
alliecat's review against another edition
3.0
Torn between 3 & 4 stars. The 1920s-1940s storyline of the book is totally intriguing, and the 1997 storyline is interesting, but the latter feels almost unnecessary, and gets a bit annoying.
u311082's review against another edition
3.0
The stories of Wallis Simpson and her good friend Mary Kirk are interwoven in this novel with Princess Diana's untimely death and a London woman who happens to be in France with her fiance at the time of the crash.
The most compelling part of story is the relationship between Wallis and Mary, who meet when they are at school and remain in each other's lives through many upheavals and challenges. The link between Wallis and Princess Diana is tenuous. I had the feeling she was brought into the story as a type of homage.
Rachel, the London woman, who is one of the first on the scene after the crash in the Paris tunnel, is also a character I found puzzling. While her experiences reflect the grief and confusion experienced by British people after Princess Diana's death, she seemed incongruous. The part of the story based on real people and events is far more believable than Rachel's story. However, it's an entertaining read about some very interesting women in history.
The most compelling part of story is the relationship between Wallis and Mary, who meet when they are at school and remain in each other's lives through many upheavals and challenges. The link between Wallis and Princess Diana is tenuous. I had the feeling she was brought into the story as a type of homage.
Rachel, the London woman, who is one of the first on the scene after the crash in the Paris tunnel, is also a character I found puzzling. While her experiences reflect the grief and confusion experienced by British people after Princess Diana's death, she seemed incongruous. The part of the story based on real people and events is far more believable than Rachel's story. However, it's an entertaining read about some very interesting women in history.