From New York Times bestselling author, Lauren Willig, comes this scandalous novel set in the Gilded Age, full of family secrets, affairs, and even murder.Annabelle and Bayard Van Duyvil live a charmed life in New York: he’s the scion of an old Knickerbocker family, she grew up in a Tudor manor in England, they had a whirlwind romance in London, they have three year old twins on whom they dote, … three year old twins on whom they dote, and he’s recreated her family home on the banks of the Hudson and renamed it Illyria. Yes, there are rumors that she’s having an affair with the architect, but rumors are rumors and people will gossip. But then Bayard is found dead with a knife in his chest on the night of their Twelfth Night Ball, Annabelle goes missing, presumed drowned, and the papers go mad. Bay’s sister, Janie, forms an unlikely alliance with a reporter to uncover the truth, convinced that Bay would never have killed his wife, that it must be a third party, but the more she learns about her brother and his wife, the more everything she thought she knew about them starts to unravel. Who were her brother and his wife, really? And why did her brother die with the name George on his lips?
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One of my favorite reads this year. I love gothic novels and this one has it all. It’s a perfect escape from the here and now into the another time and place.
Gilded Age historical fiction from the author of the romantic Regency spy series about the Pink Carnation. Lots of family secrets and unexpected plot twists, with a romantic subplot. I gobbled this book in one evening.
The English Wife is the perfect read for a cold, stormy winter evening. Lauren Willig effortlessly blends the elements of suspense, intrigue and romance throughout the novel. I enjoyed the characters, the references to Shakespeare’s Twelfth Night and the author’s subtle commentary on the social standards of the day.
The first chapter in this mysterious, gothic drama draws the reader into the story immediately. The novel’s hero, Bay Van Duyvil, is murdered and his wife, Annabelle is presumed dead. The murders take place during a Twelfth Night masked ball at the couple’s home located on the banks of the Hudson River. Bay and Annabelle were murdered while their guests were dancing and drinking champagne.
The dual narrative technique enables the author to bring the characters of Bay and Annabelle Van Duyvil to life. Understanding the couple’s romance is important to the plot and each chapter devoted to them adds depth to the intriguing storyline. I adored Bay and Annabelle and their devotion to each other. Janie Van Duyvil’s desire for the truth about her brother’s murder moves the present day storyline forward.
Janie forges a secret alliance with reporter James Burke to see past the scandal and piece together what happened to her brother. This act of courage drew me into the story as the aristocracy did not socialize outside of their social class. I enjoyed that Janie remained steadfast in her pursuit of the truth despite the disapproval from her domineering mother. As Burke uncovers secrets from the past, Janie starts to unravel her brother and sister-in-law’s complicated history. Janie’s self -confidence grows during the novel and I love that she was able to finally stand up to her mother.
The pacing of The English Wife is superb. The last few chapters of this classic gothic whodunit are filled with suspense and intrigue as each character and their truth is unmasked. The tension in these plot driven chapters was heightened because the main characters were snowed in at Bay and Annabelle’s empty gothic style home during a blizzard. It’s freezing inside the home because there is no coal and the main characters—all of the murder suspects—are forced to spend time together in one small room. Burke arrives with surprising new information about one of the suspects….this information changes the course of the story. These chapters kept me guessing and reading past my bedtime! The conclusion is fabulous! I must admit I did not see the big reveal—I had someone else pegged as the murderer.
If you are looking for a suspenseful mystery with intriguing characters, you will love this page turner!
Very good book and I really enjoy this author
This well-written book was packed with intrigue and life in the 1890’s. Plot twists and in-depth characters saturate the book which is complemented with a world of beautiful words and phrases. This author is now on my list of favorites.
If you’re looking for a soap opera, this is for you. If you want a mystery – in any sense of the word- skip this book!
Some unexpected plot twists kept me guessing. Good character building.
My first reaction was that in looking for seemed to be a decent mystery I’d stumbled into a romantic soap opera. Some of that stuck with me throughout, but I couldn’t stop because I really wanted to know “who dun it.” It turned out I’d found an excellent, well written period piece describing a long-ago America, the direct descendent of the British class system in Dutch New York. It is peopled with interesting characters and a plot with a nice twist. And, I now know who dun it. Good read.
Couldn’t put it down. Fast paced with clue popping up all over.
This book is a slow burn. You know that something is up and every time you think you have figured out the twists- another pops up. I enjoyed this book- it wasn’t action packed or steamy, but it was a thinking person’s mystery. Nothing was black or white. The characters were multidimensional and not always likable. This is a book that made me think of the complexities of being human. It was also well written, as are all Willig’s books.
THE ENGLISH WIFE is an atmospheric, instantly absorbing page-turner. Lauren Willig delivers a richly detailed, expertly plotted novel that will instantly transport you back in time. THE ENGLISH WIFE has it all ~ an intriguing mystery, a love affair for the ages and secrets worth dying for.
A superb read. I am now looking at reading other books by this excellent author.
“The English Wife” is a like a finely woven piece of antique lace—delicate and intricate at the same time. Lauren Willig spins an intriguing mystery steeped in secrets and the morés of another time. The beautiful writing and attention to detail capture the reader’s attention from the first page. Willig is an author of tremendous skill and imagination.
The English Wife is a new novel by Lauren Willig that takes us back in time to 1899. Annabelle Van Duyuil and her husband, Bayard (Bay) are holding a Twelfth Night Ball at their newly finished home Illyria. Later that evening, Bay is found stabbed to death in the folly and his sister, Janie catches a glimpse of Annabelle in the river. It is believed that Bay pushed Annabelle into the river and then killed himself. Annabelle’s body, though, is not found. There had been rumors swirling around society that Annabelle had been having an affair with the architect of Illyria. Janie does not believe the rumors and wants to discover what really happened that night at the ball. She knows that her mother would never hire a detective, so Janie seeks out assistance from reporter, James Burke. The pair delve into Annabelle and Bay’s lives seeking answers. The more Janie learns, the more she realizes how little she knew about her brother and his wife. Did one of their secrets get them killed? And why did Bay die with saying the name George?
The English Wife sounded like such a great book. A Gilded Age story with scandals, secrets and murder. The final product, though, was like being stuck in rush hour traffic. You move forward very, very slowly. The pace was slow, and the dialogue was awkward. There were a couple of good sections, but they were few (and did not make up for the rest of the book). There are numerous characters (with very similar names) and background stories on each of them. The book is written with one chapter in present time and the next chapter takes you back when Bay met Georgie. There are detailed descriptions of homes (inside and out), clothing, art, and plays (many discussions on Shakespeare plays). The author did capture the lifestyle of the rich living in 1899. The only likeable character is the reporter, James Burke. I quickly tired of Janie (whiny) and her overbearing, dominating mother. The author should have given Janie a strong backbone and a curious nature. Instead, she retreats into the wallpaper (very much the wallflower). There is a lot of repetition in the book. The mystery plays out slowly over the course of the novel and the reveal is anticlimactic. The identity of the killer was no surprise. The ending was disappointing with many threads left dangling. The author was attempting to capture the era with the writing style, but it comes across as contrived. The connections to the play Twelfth Night are apparent (for those who have read or seen Shakespeare’s play). The English Wife had potential, but it was not achieved. I found it a tedious book to read and I want the hours I spent reading it back.