The Runaway Wife by Rosie Clarke
Published: 1st February 2018
Publisher: Aria
Pages: 426
Available in Paperback and on Kindle
Rating: 5/5
Blurb
Love, marriage, obsession, betrayal and
treachery in 1920s London – a powerful and gritty saga perfect for fans of
Kitty Neale, Josephine Cox and Rosie Goodwin.
The hedonism of London in the roaring '20s is a
world away from Annabel Tarleton's ordinary country existence. Until a chance
meeting with the charming Richard Fortescue at a society ball changes her life
for ever.
Swept off her feet by the dashing Richard, and
his renowned fortune, Annabel soon realises that all that glitters isn't gold.
Her bid for freedom has come at a terrible price and she finds herself trapped
inside a marriage that behind closed doors is cruel and brutal.
Annabel has no choice but to flee, and will do
everything to save herself, and her unborn baby, from destitution. But the very
rich and very powerful expect to get what they want – and Richard wants only
one thing – Annabel...
Review
The Runaway Wife was a book which I was really looking
forward to reading. Firstly because it’s written by Rosie Clarke who is fast
becoming one of my favourite authors in the saga genre and secondly it was set
in the 1920s and 1930s a period of history I love reading about for all the
glitz and glamour. It’s a book which didn’t disappoint and was devoured in just
a couple of days as I tend to get lost in Ms. Clarke’s writing.
Annabel and her family are feeling the pressure of money
troubles after their father lost most of their money in bad investments during
the stock market crash. They still have their home but its at the point of
falling down around them. Annabel is a woman with intelligence, tenacity and
charm longs to go out into the world and find a job. But her mother has other
ideas Annabel must marry well like her brother Ben and secure some money for
the family, Annabel has too much of a sense of duty to disobey her mother. Which is how she finds herself married to
Richard Hansen, instead of the man she has fallen in love with working class Paul
Keifer, a printer. Richard is a man who
is rich, handsome and completely charming on the outside, much approved by
Annabel’s mother. Alone in their marriage Annabel soon learns Richard is a
cruel and violent man who will stop at nothing to get his own way. Fearing for
her own life Annabel decides she’s had enough and runs away…after all any life
is better than one with Richard.
Annabel is a great character, she hard-working, honest and has
any easy nature which seems to put those around totally at ease and I loved how
much she changed throughout the novel. At the beginning she has her hopes and dreams
but ultimately is controlled by her mother. After her marriage to Richard
begins to go wrong she grows in independence and is determined to make her own decisions
about her future.
I found The Runaway Wife to be a realistic and well-rounded
portrayal of life in the roaring twenties. Every detail has been thought of and
described from the glamourous costumes and hairstyles of the rich and famous to
the everyday details of making the families bread on the farm. Written at a
time when society was beginning to be more equal with the rich people facing
the losses of the stock market and women demanding their right to vote this was
a very exciting and uneasy time in history and I think Rosie Clarke has managed
to capture this atmosphere perfectly in her novel. It’s a book which brings together all classes
of people with this well written and gripping story. I loved that is was a bit
grittier than your usual saga featuring some more unpleasant aspects of life.
I really enjoyed The Runaway Wife and think anyone who has
an interest in this period in history will enjoy this book. Thank you to Rosie Clarke for writing another
brilliant story and thank you to the publishers Aria for inviting me to be part
of the blog tour.
No comments:
Post a Comment