I purchased this book for my own collection. I borrowed the audiobook from the library.
Publisher: Ballantine Books / Random House Audio
Published: June 25, 2024
Summary:
Two women—separated by decades and continents, and united by an exotic family heirloom—reclaim secrets and lost loves in this sweeping novel from the New York Times bestselling author of The Summer Wives.
New England, 2022. Three years ago, single mother Mallory Dunne received the telephone call every parent dreads—her ten-year-old son, Sam, had been airlifted from summer camp with acute poisoning from a toxic death cap mushroom, leaving him fighting for his life. Now, searching for the donor kidney that will give her son a chance for a normal life, Mallory’s forced to confront two harrowing secrets from her past: her mother’s adoption from an infamous Irish orphanage in 1952, and her own all-consuming summer romance fourteen years earlier with her childhood best friend, Monk Adams—one of the world’s most beloved singer-songwriters—a fairy tale cut short by a devastating betrayal.
Cairo, 1951. After suffering tragedy beyond comprehension in the war, Hungarian refugee Hannah Ainsworth has forged a respectable new life for herself—marriage to a wealthy British diplomat with a coveted posting in glamorous Cairo. But a fateful encounter with the enigmatic manager of a hotel bristling with spies leads to a passionate affair that will reawaken Hannah’s longing for everything she once lost. As revolution simmers in the Egyptian streets, a pregnant Hannah finds herself snared in a game of intrigue between two men . . . and an act of sacrifice that will echo down the generations.
Timeless and bittersweet, Husbands & Lovers takes listeners on an unforgettable journey of heartbreak and redemption, from the revolutionary fires of midcentury Egypt to the moneyed beaches of contemporary New England. Acclaimed author Beatriz Williams has written a poignant and beautifully voiced novel of deeply human characters entangled by morally complex issues—of privilege, class, and the female experience—inside worlds brought shimmeringly to life.
My thoughts:
It’s no surprise that I am incredibly fond of Beatriz Williams and her amazing books. I’ve read almost all of them and I love the way she blends historical fiction with amazing characters and fantastic writing to give you such addicting reads. And best of all is how she always manages to weave in Easter Eggs in all her books.
Once again we find ourselves back on Winthrop Island, where some of her previous books have been set. This is just the ideal location for a summery read, and I love that while we may see familiar characters and a familiar location, each story is just so different. This time we have two women, separated by decades and continents, united by a mysterious family heirloom. How amazing does that sound?
As always, I was equally captivated by both, or shall I say three, timelines. Again, with this author, I find that to always to be the case. She just writes the best characters, so compelling that I can’t wait to spend time with them, not to mention all the witty dialog that we get throughout. And then there’s the historical aspects that are deftly woven throughout the story. We are taken to Cairo in the 1950s with Hannah, and then we are in the present with Mallory as she navigates health issues with her son, as well as flashbacks to her love affair with Monk in 2008.
This story explores love in its many forms as well as loss and resilience. It brings to life two strong, complex women who must overcome and persevere despite remarkable trauma. I found myself rooting for them as I would a friend or relative…that’s how real they felt to me. Another winner by such a talented and must-read author!
Audio thoughts:
I listened to this one and loved the two narrators. Helen Laser and Caroline Hewitt do an outstanding job bringing the characters to life, infusing just the right emotion and tone to suit the story.
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