The Woman Before Wallis: A Novel of Windsors, Vanderbilts, and Royal Scandal by Bryn Turnbull
My rating: 3 of 5 stars
Thank you to the publisher, MIRA Books, for providing me with an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.
The Gist
Give me stories about the nobility. Give me stories set in London, the countryside or with a Mediterranean flair. Give me complex characters that try to make their way through life without losing hope. Give me all that and I am yours as a loyal reader.
I thought this book would totally be my cup of tea. I imagined myself tearing through its digital pages, not paying attention to much else until I finished it.
Alas, I imagined incorrectly. Now, I’m sad. I’m very warm in this persistent heat wave we are having and sad, which is not a good combination.
On top of that, this story has left me without the satisfying feeling a good summer read usually does.
Let’s dive into the particulars. Shall we?
The Details
The protagonist confused me. I sort of understand why she sometimes acted the way she did.
I also understand that the author tried to capture the social norms of the late 1920’s and early 1930’s, which, generally speaking, didn’t do women and their rights any favours.
That doesn’t excuse the lack of personality. As the protagonist, Thelma should be able to convey more than just a giggle here and there, act indignant when social protocol calls for it and spend a lot of time judging her own actions, but then going through with them anyway.
Many opportunities in the story offered great chances for an in-depth look into her character and her personality traits, but she stayed elusive throughout the story. I found that very unfortunate.
The male characters were awful. This may again be partly, because the author wanted to portray the social roles and relationships standards of the 20’s and 30’s. However, if the reader already has to deal with a flat and one-dimensional protagonist, throwing a handful of chauvinistic men into the mix just makes for a less than joyful reading experience.
I usually don’t comment on the formatting of the ARCs I read, since I know these are ARCs and still have to go through the final polish before there are ready for publication. In this case, I wasn’t sure, if the jumps in time were due to the unpolished nature of the ARC or the writing style.
The story jumped a lot. One paragraph mentions dinner plans the protagonist has that evening. The very next paragraph can jump up to a couple of weeks ahead in time. It was very confusing and threw me out of the flow of the story.
I had to stop, backtrack and double check to make sure I hadn’t skipped a page by accident. Since this occurred throughout the entire book, it is evident that this was part of the writing style.
Other than that, I enjoyed the author’s writing. It was quite beautiful and very skilled in describing the landscape and creating the mood that fit the scene.
The Verdict
Overall, I thought I was going to enjoy this story a lot more than I did. Historical fiction novels are usually my cup of tea, but this one just didn’t hit the spot.
The title threw me off as well. Why was the word “scandal” used in the title when this is evidently the story of an extramarital affair?
I know. Back then an affair was a great scandal, especially when the Royal Family is involved.
Things have changed, though, and this should be reflected in the word choice for the title.
I’m not saying this, because I was hungry for some juicy gossip, like an attention-craving desperate housewife. I was just thrown by the title and the unfolding plot.
I can definitely see, why other readers enjoyed this story and I’m glad they did. Unfortunately, it just wasn’t for me.
I would recommend it, to readers looking for a quiet read, curled up on the sofa.
About the Author
Bryn Turnbull is a writer of historical fiction with a penchant for fountain pens and antique furniture. Equipped with a Master of Letters in Creative Writing from the University of St. Andrews, a Master of Professional Communication from Ryerson University, and a Bachelor’s
degree in English Literature from McGill University, Bryn focuses on finding the stories of women found within the cracks of the historical record. When she’s not writing, Bryn can be found exploring new coffee shops, spending time with her family in cottage country, or traveling.
She lives in Toronto, and can generally be found with a book in hand.
