Author: Suzanne Rindell
Publication Date: 28 July 2020
Publisher: G.P. Putnam’s Sons
Page Count: 432
Reading Method: Digital ARC
Synopsis:
San Francisco, 1906. Violet is one of three people grateful for the destruction of the big earthquake. It leaves her and her two best friends unexpectedly wealthy–if the secret that binds them together stays buried beneath the rubble. Fearing discovery, the women strike out on their own, and orphaned, wallflower Violet reinvents herself.
When a whirlwind romance with the city’s most eligible widower, Harry Carlyle, lands her in a luxurious mansion as the second Mrs. Carlyle, it seems like her dreams of happiness and love have come true. But all is not right in the Carlyle home, and Violet soon finds herself trapped by the lingering specter of the first Mrs. Carlyle, and by the inescapable secrets of her own violent history.
Review:
This story is truly a journey and feels like it follows a lifetime. It feels as though Rindell has packed a lifetime in this beautiful and haunting book.
The story revolves around the life of Violet, an orphan with a bit of a sketchy history. Violet is prone to spells where she blacks out and can’t remember committing awful acts – like burning down the orphanage. Following the burning of the orphanage, Violet, Flossie, and Cora set out together into San Francisco. But when tragedy strikes, along with the earthquake, the girls are forced to separate in order to keep their secret.
Violet becomes a shop girl and falls in love with Harry Carlyle, a wealthy bachelor with a mysterious past. After their marriage, Violet moves into the mansion – but all is not what it seems. The staff have it out for her, there are mysterious noises in the night, and Violet fears she is descending into madness. She calls on her friends Flossie and Cora (who have come back into her life through coincidence) to help her.
Honestly, this book was madness. I had no idea what was going on with the house and the previous Mrs. Carlyle. Everything was so shrouded in mystery, but contained just enough clues and intrigue to keep me interested. I would have to say the writing in this book was quite masterful. There is such slow, deliberate character development it feels as though we are truly growing with these characters over many years. And the way the mis-directions are sprinkled throughout was just perfect. At the end you sit there thinking “ah yes, that makes perfect sense. Why did I not see this coming?”
It truly was a wonderful read and I need to immediately search out more works by Rindell.
You can purchase a copy of The Two Mrs. Carlyles here (amazon) or here (book depository).
Learn more about the author here.
