Cover Image: The English Wife

The English Wife

Pub Date:   |   Archive Date:

Member Reviews

The English Wife, written by a new author to this reader, is a lovely historical romance. The story transitioned a bit slow for me in the beginning but gradually picked up pace and my attention. The only drawback that irritated me a bit was the prgression of the story toggling back and forth through time periods which had me confused at times. The scenic locations of this story is during WWII and the Year 2001 where if you are the reader, you are getting a view of both eras in history, that as I've mentioned can be sometimes confusing.

I thought the characters were interesting and the different settings were depicted well as some historicals do if the are well written in the book. This story did not excite me as much as I thought it would, however is was just average to this reader.

Thank you Netgalley and Harper Collins for this ARC in exchange for my fair and honest review. Opinions and thoughts expressed in this review are completely my own.

Was this review helpful?

This is a lovely and well-written book with interesting characters and plot line. The author shifted seamlessly from one timeframe to another. It's a gripping story with a surprising ending.

Was this review helpful?

This book is told in multiple timelines. Sometimes it works and sometimes it does not. This is a mixed bag of WWII England, 9/11 and 10 years after 9/11 in Tippy's Tickle, Newfoundland.

I liked this story of Sophie, Ellie, Sam, Becca and a host of others. I did really enjoy the characters in this book and I thoroughly enjoyed the books setting. I removed a star because the flow of the story with the alternating chapters just seemed a bit off.

Many thanks to Netgalley and One More Chapter for this advanced readers copy. This book is due to release in June 2020.

Was this review helpful?

This book will transport you back in time and hold onto you until you become one with the time period. Fantastic writing style and will keep you hooked until the very last page.

Was this review helpful?

Holy Cow.

This book was....intense, a roller coaster, Crazy. It's a great book, despite being one that jumps from one time frame to another. In the case of this story, it was not only needed, but well executed and dramatic. I'm not one who tears up at books much, but this one was captivating and moving, and I could not put it down. My kids got to have a free time day so I could read uninterrupted! :-)

Well done! This book is a must read for any fan of historical fiction.

Was this review helpful?

A charming story of one family throughout the 20th century whose decisions, deceits, and struggles defines who they are and who they were to each other. A self-discovery on one hand, for more than one character, and a historical account of the world through the family’s eyes on the other. I found myself invested in the characters, rooting for some, annoyed with others, as Chinn painted such a clear picture of them. The plot jumps through time on different threads but everything comes together as it should. I truly enjoyed this one.

Was this review helpful?

A really good read set mainly on the Newfoundland coast. One major place is called Tippy's Tickle which amused me but tickle is a word for cove I understand. Think we should adopt that here. It would make tourism after lockdown much more interesting!

Anyway I digress. This novel is lovely and a nice slow build which I needed. It looks at two sisters and their families and the way tragedy and misunderstanding can have an affect on life.

The two sisters lives go in two very different directions and the way they cope with this and what happens next is a real brilliance of the story. The use of dual time lines and two very different locations works well. This is a novel that slowly builds and then slowly draws you in until you are heavily invested.
!

Was this review helpful?

A triple time-slip story it was an interesting read. It switches between England WW2 era and Newfoundland 9/11, then Newfoundland post WW2 and Newfoundland 9/11, and finally Newfoundland post WW2 and Newfoundland 10 years after 9/11. It was an interesting look at family dynamics, choices, secrets, and how everything is intertwined and effects events and people's lives, even 60+ years later. Sophie is forced to land in Gander Newfoundland after the 9/11 attacks and chooses to look-up family that lives further up the coast, thus leading the reader on a journey about events that shaped the lives and attitudes of her mother and aunt and ultimately her life and the life and attitude of her cousin. both a beautiful and sad story.
Received this book as an advance copy. All the opinions are my own.

Was this review helpful?

Told in a split story version of WWII and Sept. 2001, readers are sent back and forth. Sometimes it was disjointed going back and forth. The author then progresses into the future within each split story. The characters were interesting and the settings were depicted quite well. The author chose two extraordinary historical backgrounds to frame the story.

Was this review helpful?

I wanted to like this a lot more. Sometimes writing in different time lines works but not this time. Ellie lives in Tippy's Tickle, Newfoundland. One day her niece, Sophie, shows up after her plane had to land in Gander due to the attacks of 9/11. The story jumps back and forth in time between Ellie in England during the war, 2001 when Sophie shows up and 2011 when Sophie comes back. Each story individually was interesting, the characters were pretty well done and the scenery came to life. The problem was the chapters were so short, only a couple of pages at times, and just as you were getting the feel of what was happening you are jolted into a new timeline. At one point 8 chapters were devoted to 16 Sept 2001 interspersed with a timeline of Sept 1942 to Dec 1943. One of those chapters is about a character eating lunch in a cave. I felt like the author wrote the two different times lines and then picked one from pile A and one from pile B.

Was this review helpful?

This story revolves around family secrets and life in a remote community. For "The English Wife" of the title a move from genteel Norwich to post-war Newfoundland comes as a bit of a shock, especially as she doesn't get along with her mother-in-law. This is a land where life, and the weather, are tough so it is good to have the support of family and friends. How these people survive, their lives and loves, and the future generations, make for an interesting and different book. Recommended.

Was this review helpful?

I really wanted to like this book, but I struggled to finish it. The story was a little slow and laboured.

Was this review helpful?

With thanks to netgalley for an early copy in return for an honest review
First time reading this Author
Found it took me an age to get into the book but on the whole a good read and would recommend.

Was this review helpful?

This book is a bit of a slow burner. I enjoyed it once I got into it, but it took me a while and I had to really persevere.

This is a family historical saga, told over three different points in time. I liked most of the characters but I can’t say I was desperately keen on any particular one. I found the authors writing style quite simplistic and I’d have like more detail in some parts (eg, the aftermath of the terrorist attack) especially when dealing with emotional events.

All told this was a satisfactory book and I’m sure it will do well on publication. Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for my copy of this book.

Was this review helpful?

Loved the book,especially the flashbacks made the story really interesting, loved the strong characters and their stories.Recommend it to all my friends,

Was this review helpful?

I think this book pulled at me more than I thought it would because I moved across the Atlantic on my own. I felt like the title character, I went through some of the same stresses. This isn't a typical historical novel but very good and very well written.

Was this review helpful?

The story of a family, in 1940’s England and in 2000’s Newfoundland. Ellie is a young lady in 1940, just beginning a new job and dealing with World War II. She meets a soldier from Newfoundland while she is engaged to her life-long friend, George. The future story begins on 9/11, 2001. Ellie had an estranged sister, Dottie, that lived back in England . Her adult daughter, Sophie, is on a flight to NY City that is diverted to Newfoundland because of 9/11. Sophie meets a biker, Sam, and the story begins. The book moves from present to past in each chapter. I never have been a fan of books written this way and it holds true for this one. I think the continuity of the story is out of sync this way and the reader loses any momentum gained in interest along the way. It also makes the characters more one-dimensional and shallow. The results are characters that the reader cannot identify with or even care about.

Was this review helpful?

The English Wife is a seamlessly woven dual storyline novel set at the end of World War II and the aftermath of 9/11. Powerfully told and moving -- wonderful characterizations!

Was this review helpful?

A book that drew me in from the first pages.The characters come alive so well written fans of historic fiction will be love this story.An author to follow a book I will be recommending.#netgalley#harpercollinsuk.

Was this review helpful?

This book took me a bit to get into but once I did, I couldn’t put it down. It was not your typical historical novel and I think that’s what I loved about it. Great book!

Was this review helpful?