Two writers compete for the chance to tell the larger-than-life story of an heiress with more than a few plot twists up her sleeve in this dazzling and sweeping new novel from Emily Henry.
When Margaret Ives, the famously reclusive heiress, invites eternal optimist Alice Scott to the balmy Little Crescent Island, Alice knows this is it: her big break. And even more rare: a chance to impress her family with a Serious Publication.
The catch? Pulitzer-prize winning human thundercloud, Hayden Anderson, is sure of the same thing.
The proposal? A one-month trial period to unearth the truth behind one of the most scandalous families of the 20th Century, after which she’ll choose who’ll tell her story.
The problem? Margaret is only giving each of them tantalising pieces. Pieces they can’t put together because of an ironclad NDA and an inconvenient yearning pulsing between them every time they’re in the same room.
And it’s becoming abundantly clear that their story – just like the tale Margaret’s spinning – could be a mystery, tragedy, or love ballad … depending on who’s telling it.
Review: This is just the second book I have read from Emily Henry. Having absolutely loved her last book, Funny Story, I was interested to see how this one compared. Like the last book, this one certainly has an eye-catching cover that depicts the characters and setting of the story within.
The story involves rich heiress and artist Margaret Ives, now in her eighties, who mysteriously disappeared from public life twenty years ago. She has contacted journalist Alice Scott with a view to writing her memoirs. Alice, keen to prove to her family that she is a serious writer, turns up at Margaret’s house in Little Crescent Island in Georgia, only to find that she is to compete with another writer for the job. To her dismay, Alice finds that not only is Hayden Anderson a writer, he is a Pulitzer Prize winning writer. Margaret sets the pair the task of learning about her history during the course of a month of meetings with her and then presenting her with their plans for a book. She also makes each of them sign a non-disclosure agreement so they can’t even compare notes. While learning about Margaret’s family’s rise to fame and scandalous past, Alice and Hayden, at first unhappy about the situation, gradually become closer and aware of a growing romantic attraction. They can’t discuss what Margaret is telling each of them individually, but are unprepared for what is eventually unearthed.
I thought that this was a very different kind of story from the last book I read from this author and not quite what I was expecting. Again, it is a romance, but the interactions between Alice and Hayden are almost lost amongst the details of Margaret’s family history from the early 1800s onwards, which took up most of the pages. Interesting though Margaret’s story is, and it does fit the title of the book, I don’t think the book itself can be called a romance, especially given the nature of the Ives family’s past. However, the writing is top notch and the Ives family story is well told; shocking in all the right places with a good twist near the end. There are also details of Alice’s and Hayden’s backgrounds which emerge as they get to know each other. Alice also turned out to be quite a detective, cracking open a big secret being hidden by Margaret. I think a reader just looking for a romance might be disappointed in this book, although I can recommend the Ives family saga for those seeking a dramatic story.
To order your copy now, just click here!
No comments:
Post a Comment