Historical gothic mystery thriller and domestic drama.
All things Gilded Age are popular now, and this book seems like it could fit alongside some of the current offerings on television and in novels. In this book, a young, married woman confronts her terrible marriage and the betrayals of her husband in a most desperate way.
Millie Turner is wealthy and was given Rose Briar Hall, a white marble mansion on the North Shore of Long Island, by her father. Married to Charles, a stockbroker, she's giving the party of the season when a scandal changes everything. Now shunned and in isolation, Millie navigates her memories through a haze that makes her husband question her sanity.
Are you like me? I just go nuts when I read stories of women threatened to be institutionalized for "hysteria" and because their husbands want rid of them? I spent much of the book railing against the injustices perpetrated on women of that age at the hands of the men whom they trusted and loved. Millie was stronger than most, but she did have the emotional support of a better man. Many reminders in this novel of how far women have come since 1900 but still so far to go. Some sex scenes I could have lived without, but overall, a nice period piece.
I listened to the audiobook while following along in the e-book ARC (both provided by the publisher) and enjoyed the experience. I did like the narrator, Sofia Willingham, well enough though as is typical, the voices tend to all sound alike though she made some effort to change it up a bit. It would be so much better if the audio featured both male and female vocals.
This is a standalone and is not part of any series.
Genre - historical, mystery, subjugation of women, Gilded Age
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