4 Stars from me
This book is a step aside from my usual genre, in a way. Albeit it was a crime/psychological thriller but it was set in the 1920s and was inspired by a true crime,
Essentially, a story as old as time, which follows a man, his wife and his mistress. But Other Women is so much more than that as Emma Flint tells the story from the POV of the two woman, both of whom have a strong voice in this book.
In an unusual turn of events, I found myself feeling quite sorry for the mistress in this story – I was annoyed with her for falling for the sleezy and obvious charm of Tom and I wanted to not be on her side but as the story went on I grew increasingly bad for her. In fact my overriding memory of this book is one of sadness for Beatrice Cade and the life that women like her had in those times. And knowing that the story was inspired by a true crime made this all the more true.
As well as being a classic love triangle, Other Women provides a social commentary on the harsh and disrespectful treatment of unmarried women – and this added to the overall sense of sadness that I felt from this tawdry tale.
My thanks to the author, NetGalley and Pan Macmillan for an ARC in return for an honest review.
Blurb: It is 1923 and a country is in mourning. Thousands of husbands, fathers, sons and sweethearts were lost in the war, millions more returned home wounded and forever changed.
Beatrice Cade is an orphan, unmarried and childless. After her brother’s death, she decides to make a new life for herself. She takes a room in a Bloomsbury ladies’ club and a job in the City. But just when her new world is starting to take shape, a fleeting encounter threatens to ruin everything.
Kate Ryan is an ordinary wife and mother. Since the end of the war, she has managed to build an enviable life with her husband and young daughter. From the outside, they seem like a normal, happy family. But when two policemen knock on Kate’s door and jeopardize the facade Kate has created, she knows what she has to do to protect the people she loves. And suddenly, two women who never should have met are connected for ever . . .
Read and Rated 