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A review by gwalt118
The Summer Wives by Beatriz Williams
3.0
I enjoyed this book, but I didn't love it as much as I thought I would based on the jacket description.
The first half of the novel is, for lack of a better word, quite boring. Nothing much happens and there is a lot of unnecessary description. I typically like descriptive writing, especially in historical fiction, but Williams doesn't differ her writing style, syntax, or diction enough for her multiple descriptions to be captivating.
I would encourage readers to stick with it, though, because the second half (especially the last third) of the book is quite good and compelling. Williams starts to fill in the gaps, relationships develop, and characters finally take action.
Underlying this novel, there is a statement about class and the haves vs. the have-nots on the island. That aspect of the novel seemed a bit fantastical. Isobel's character essentially morphs into two people, which I found very annoying. The Countess seems like a figment of one's imagination and is portrayed as a fringe character despite the fact that she has a tremendous effect on the trajectory of multiple other characters' lives.
The ending saves this novel. I loved the ending, and I don't say that very often. Things are not wrapped up in a tidy bow and not everyone is happy when the novel ends. It's quite realistic in that way.
The novel leaves itself open to companion works - not necessarily sequels, but perhaps the story told from different individual's viewpoints, namely Joseph and Isobel. I wonder if Williams did this intentionally... we'll have to wait and see.
The first half of the novel is, for lack of a better word, quite boring. Nothing much happens and there is a lot of unnecessary description. I typically like descriptive writing, especially in historical fiction, but Williams doesn't differ her writing style, syntax, or diction enough for her multiple descriptions to be captivating.
I would encourage readers to stick with it, though, because the second half (especially the last third) of the book is quite good and compelling. Williams starts to fill in the gaps, relationships develop, and characters finally take action.
Underlying this novel, there is a statement about class and the haves vs. the have-nots on the island. That aspect of the novel seemed a bit fantastical. Isobel's character essentially morphs into two people, which I found very annoying. The Countess seems like a figment of one's imagination and is portrayed as a fringe character despite the fact that she has a tremendous effect on the trajectory of multiple other characters' lives.
The ending saves this novel. I loved the ending, and I don't say that very often. Things are not wrapped up in a tidy bow and not everyone is happy when the novel ends. It's quite realistic in that way.
The novel leaves itself open to companion works - not necessarily sequels, but perhaps the story told from different individual's viewpoints, namely Joseph and Isobel. I wonder if Williams did this intentionally... we'll have to wait and see.