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Amy P. (Boulder City, NV)
The Women of a Gilded Age
A cast of characters of privilege and wealth, whether born into or married into; I found the societal decadence of the gilded age unsettling, but more so the lengths these people went to maintain social appearances. That said, I loved the writing! I believe this book to be well researched and the story just flows! Ms Turnbull's writing transported me back to the times and places, and gave me a little more insight to the story we all thought knew. I loved the details, politics, and ultimately the insight into the human need for love, acceptance and survival. Recommending this to my book club when published!
Florence K. (Northridge, CA)
Money and Happiness Don't Always Coincide
A glimpse into the life styles of the "other half" - the rich and famous - lived in the 1930's comprises the essence of this book. While the world was wallowing in the Great Depression, these characters were taking luxurious and leisurely trips, had servants to do their bidding, partying and drinking. The Woman in the title was Lady Thelma Morgan Furness, a twice-divorced socialite who captured the fancy of the playboy Prince of Wales with whom she carried on a torrid relationship. It makes one wonder how the course of history would have changed if Edward VIII had not abdicated the throne to marry Wallis Simpson who was a friend of Thelma Furness. The book is well written, well researched, and a very good product from a debut author.
Dorothy H. (Folsom, CA)
"Royal" Historical Fiction
I liked the book, easy to read and will be a great Book Club selection. I learned about Thelma Morgan (Gloria Vanderbilt twin sister) who is the woman before Wallis Simpson who later married Prince of Wales after he renounced the Crown.
Lots of scandal involving the Prince of Wales , wealthy titled English and Vanderbilt's. Back story to the major trial of Gloria Vanderbilt trying to obtain full custody of her daughter also named Gloria Vanderbilt.
Rebecca H. (Bolton, CT)
The Woman Before Wallis
"A Novel of Windsors, Vanderbilts, and Royal Scandal"—thus reads the subtitle of Bryn Turnbull's new novel The Woman Before Wallis. The period of European and American history between the wars, especially the mid-twenties to late thirties, is one which retains its fascination for many of us. Mix in the private lives of the rich, famous, and aristocratic, and you have a novel with all the right ingredients!
Bryn Turnbull's characters have depth and credibility, and her research into the real people they are based upon seems solid. The story jumps between timelines a bit, so the reader must pay attention to the chapter headings, but the story flows well as the main character progresses from her young, naïve self to an older woman who has suffered betrayal but still retains a bit of her youthful romanticism.
I thoroughly enjoyed the novel, which is by turns humorous, surprising, tender, and sad.
Corrie S. (Denver, CO)
The Woman Before Wallis
This book was okay.
It was nice to see Thelma Morgan get her own story (I recently watched a documentary about the Windsors during this time period and she wasn't even mentioned) and it was well-written, but for some reason, I didn't quite connect with the characters. I didn't find Thelma all that relatable and found some of her choices and behavior unconvincing. I can imagine that trying to get inside the head of a real person and then write a story around actual events could be difficult, but it just fell flat for me. I was hoping that the book would focus more on her relationship with Wallis and how she was supplanted by her in David's affections, but the book didn't really delve into that. I think one's enjoyment of this book will depend on what you expect to get from it.
Jana G. (Houston, TX)
A Decent Summer Read
Exploring the backgrounds of famous people is always interesting and sometimes inspiring. I was not necessarily inspired by this book. It did shed additional light on English royalty, specifically the Prince of Wales, which I think most of us already suspected. I did not know as much about the Vanderbilts and the custody battle for Gloria Vanderbilt.
Samantha H. (Golden, CO)
Interesting story, not much depth
I enjoyed following the story of Thelma and her sister. The subject was new to me, I didn't know much about the Morgans, Vanderbilts and Windsors. I felt that switching the time line in alternating chapters did not add anything to the progression of the plot. I was disappointed that there wasn't much character development. At the end, I still don't feel like I know Thelma (or any of the characters very well)
Lynne Z. (San Francisco, CA)
Enough of the rich and the royal
The only reason The Woman Before Wallis receives a 3-star rating is that I feel Bryn Turnbull is a good writer. She tells an interesting story, but I don't think it should be billed as "the true story". I was put off by the imagined conversations and contrived coincidences that were used to pull the plot along. I like historical fiction and realize that authors take license with the facts, but this seemed over the top. The main characters were spoiled, shallow and unappealing. I was interested in the relationship between Thelma and Prince Edward (David), but the breakup was never really explained in the detail that was given to other important parts of the story. Why did David marry Wallis (also a divorcee), but not Thelma? Was Thelma aware of David's pro-Nazi sentiments before the war? In comparison, I felt that the TV series, The Crown did a much better job of describing both the rich and the royal.
