Another Woman's Husband, book review

Another Woman's Husband by Gill Paul
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

4.5

Certainly the royal family and loyalists to the crown easily focus on the connection between Wallis Simpson and Princess Diana, but even this anglophile neglected to think much about it. This novel, spectacularly written, makes a fictional connection between the two women in a unique as only Gill Paul does.

The point of view switches back and forth between Mary, a dear and life-long friend of Wallis Simpson, and Rachel, a woman who was physically at the scene of Diana's ill fate in that Parisian tunnel. We gradually gain access to the vulnerabilities of all women (as well as the men, but they're certainly not the focus) involved in this web of insecurity.

It's such a pleasure to read another book by this author because I know I can rely on a character driven story that shows rather than tells. Her language is perfectly lush and descriptive, but only in ways that add to the reader's understanding of the plot and characters.

As I always hope to do (and occasionally achieve) when I pick up a book, I learned about life from this book. (view spoiler)[ I was nervous that I was in the midst of reading another diatribe about how women are superior to men and how we've been pushed down for centuries, blah blah. While there is plenty of truth to be explored in that anger, it's boring and so shortsighted for hope for change. Gratefully, Paul is more intelligent than to settle on a simple objective like that.

These characters truly bleed. They have real reasoning for their decisions that supports their mistakes, over-corrections, and needs for forgiveness. Most characters learn that they need to rely on someone else. The one character who doesn't seem to learn that quite perfectly is the one who teaches the audience through example. (hide spoiler)]

What a pleasure to read. I'm thrilled to have found this author after she's already produced so many books I can buy and read!

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