High society, a sex scandal and murder may be an over done storyline but Beatriz Williams in The Secret Life of Violet Grant adds in some original plot twists that really spices things up! This is historical fiction,pre-conceived WWI at its best!
Beatriz Williams starts with dual era's; 1964 with the Vietnam War, and the age of awareness and female empowerment , and the Edwardian era, the time just prior to WWI. The latter era had many similarities for women's rights as did the 60's. Sprinkle in a high society family scandal and the quest to learn the truth about the mystery, a modern 60s career woman who shares many traits with her black sheep family member, and the intrigue that surrounded Europe just prior to when Austria declared war in the Balkans, Beatriz Williams created a fascinating story that captured my attention from page 1.
The depth of personality Ms. Williams revealed in her characters was magnificent, a true work of art. I loved the snarkiness of her main character Vivien, especially as she refused to quietly acquiesce to her family's and society's trappings. Vivien is a woman we all can cheer on! And then there is Violet Grant, who is the subject of all this mystery. A woman trying to make a name for herself in a mens world of atomic physics, holding her own with the likes of Einstein and his colleagues. I was mesmerized!
I also loved the romance, the struggle to open yourself up and trust a man when everything around you is screaming that he can't be trusted. But they say the heart wants what the heart wants and that is certainly a theme in The Secret Life of Violet Grant! And just when you think that all the characters are about to get their happily ever after, Beatriz drops a plot bomb on us , that has us catching our breath. I about came out of my chair, and I know I scared the dogs when I screamed "No" at just that spot!
Along with the scientific race to split the atom, Beatriz includes military and civilian spies and double agents to the mix. The pre-war espionage, the sex scandle, murder, and escape from Germany before the war starts, sure got the adrenaline flowing. I really couldn't put this book down. I am not sure Ms Williams can top this book ! But I have wishlisted her next in the series already and I am willing to give her the benefit of the doubt!
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Popular Highlights in this book
At nineteen—at any age—innocence doesn’t know its own power. To know that power, after all, is to lose it.Highlighted by 195 Kindle readers- “Darling, she was my sister. My older sister, Violet. A scientist. She murdered her husband in Berlin in 1914 and ran off with her lover, and nobody’s heard from her since.”Highlighted by 194 Kindle readers
- “Because it’s life, Vivian. It’s just life, we’re all out for ourselves. It’s the only way you make it through to the end. You get lucky sometimes, that’s all, and you enjoy it while it lasts.”Highlighted by 135 Kindle readers
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This novel has cemented my "fan" status
Dear Ms. Williams–After finishing your novel The Secret Life of Violet Grant, I felt the need to apologize to you. Well, actually the apology is directed to Violet and Vivian, but surely you can pass it along for me? You see, I stopped by my local library to pick this book up that had been on hold for me(when it had first come out in hardcover), only to find a pile with my name on it, all with the dreaded “2 weeks, no renewal” stickers in plain view. By the time I got to yours there remained but two days. Two days! I shudder now to think that I started, got as far as the introduction to Violet and Lionel in that sexily darkened lab in Berlin, and then…gasp…returned it. Why? For no other reason than the long waiting list. Call it guilt, I suppose, but as far as I had gotten I wasn’t quite sure it would be worth the daily fines to keep it hostage.Was I ever wrong.Having just finished The Secret Life of Violet Grant in paperback(signed in gold ink by you when you were at RJ Julia) I can honestly and with no hesitation say it is one of my favorite novels–ever. That is not a title I bestow lightly, but in this case, well-deserved. Alternating chapters from Vivian’s 1960’s Manhattan to Violet’s pre-WWI Germany were brilliantly done. I had absolutely no problem knowing, whenever I grabbed the book to read a page, where I was and with which character. The only problem I did encounter, however, was deciding who I liked best, Vivian and her wit or Violet and her perseverance.And let us not forget their men! The hot Doctor Paul for Vivian and the darkly mysterious Lionel for Violet–WOW. Relationships come and go, start and stop, but the heat, yes, it remains. Which is another reason why I end up with no favorite person in this brilliant novel; I simply love them all. Except for Walter of course…Thank you again for writing The Secret Life of Violet Grant, and thank you for creating such rich and dynamic characters. I am off now, in search of my own long-lost valise…Sherri Ashburner
Top reviews from other countries
Peter Pazul
Quand l’amour « fait au moins trois petits tours mais ne s’en va pas »
Reviewed in France on November 1, 2021
Marie
Spannend / gerade gekauft .....Es muss Englisch sein !!
Reviewed in Germany on July 25, 2021
Amazon Customer
Funny and at the same time, beautiful
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on August 9, 2018
