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    The Ashford Affair: A Novel
    The Ashford Affair: A Novel
    The Ashford Affair: A Novel
    Audiobook13 hours

    The Ashford Affair: A Novel

    Written by Lauren Willig

    Narrated by Nicola Barber

    4/5

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    About this audiobook

    From New York Times bestselling author Lauren Willig comes The Ashford Affair, a riveting novel about two women in different eras, and on different continents, who are connected by one deeply buried secret.

    A New York Times best seller!

    As a lawyer in a large Manhattan firm, just shy of making partner, Clementine Evans has finally achieved almost everything she's been working towards—but now she's not sure it's enough. Her long hours have led to a broken engagement and, suddenly single at thirty-four, she feels her messy life crumbling around her. But when the family gathers for her grandmother Addie's ninety-ninth birthday, a relative lets slip hints about a long-buried family secret, leading Clemmie on a journey into the past that could change everything. . . .

    Growing up at Ashford Park in the early twentieth century, Addie has never quite belonged. When her parents passed away, she was taken into the grand English house by her aristocratic aunt and uncle, and raised side-by-side with her beautiful and outgoing cousin, Bea. Though they are as different as night and day, Addie and Bea are closer than sisters, through relationships and challenges, and a war that changes the face of Europe irrevocably. But what happens when something finally comes along that can't be shared? When the love of sisterhood is tested by a bond that's even stronger?

    From the inner circles of British society to the skyscrapers of Manhattan and the red-dirt hills of Kenya, the never-told secrets of a woman and a family unfurl.

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherMacmillan Audio
    Release dateApr 9, 2013
    ISBN9781427232779
    Author

    Lauren Willig

    Lauren Willig is a New York Times and USA Today bestselling author. An alumna of Yale University, she has a graduate degree in history from Harvard and a J.D. from Harvard Law School. She lives in New York City.

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    Reviews for The Ashford Affair

    4/5

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    • 3/5
      I am not a fan of Willig's Napoleon-era mysteries, but this novel I found fun to read. Set in Kenya in 1926 and New York in 1999, it tells the story of a woman's marriage and the strange way it came about in the wilds of an African safari. The social norms of 1926- after the first World War which changed the world- love betrayed and secrets kept are the focus of the story.
    • 5/5
      If you’re familiar with Lauren Willig’s books, then you know she often combines narratives from the past with the present. The Ashford Affair isn’t any different and incorporates the narratives of both Clementine (in the present) and Addie’s (the past). This is Addie’s story, but in many ways, it’s also Clementine’s. Clementine is on journey to realize what truly matters in life.Clementine Evans arrives late to her grandmother’s birthday celebration and is surprised when her grandmother calls her Bea. She asks her mother about Bea, but doesn’t get a direct answer. In fact, Clementine asks around and slowly a family secret is unearthed. Bea was a cousin of Granny Addie and through a series of flashbacks we’re told Addie’s story. Addie comes to live with the Earl of Ashford following the death of her parents. On her first night she’s befriended by one of the Earl’s daughters, Beatrice; Bea takes Addie under her wing and both become fast friends. As the narrative progresses, we see Addie grow up and on the night of the Earl’s eldest daughter’s presentation to society, Bea and Addie decide to view the ball in progress. Unfortunately, Bea brings along a pet mouse and accidentally lets go of it and Addie afraid it will be trampled to death goes to rescue Binky. Lucky for Binky she’s saved by a young man and Addie is instantly smitten. The next day, they run into each other and he introduces himself as Fredrick. Addie never forgets him and when she runs into him several years later she’s surprised and happy he remembers her. Fredrick and Addie spend time together attending a series of lectures and musical concerts and she introduces him to Bea. Addie is heartbroken when Frederick marries Bea and she goes on with her life as best she can. Five years later, she’s asked to visit to Kenya and putting her feelings aside for Fredrick she decides to visit. The Ashford Affair is a beautiful story about a love between two people and the heartache that comes with having to live with one’s mistakes.In terms of characterization, we have rich strong characters, but admit I wish we had more of Fredrick’s perspective. Especially when he’s trying to come to terms with what to do with Addie before he marries Bea. I would have loved to have read something about his thoughts of Addie in Kenya with him and Bea or what he was thinking when her visit was announced. Bea comes off as a spoiled bitch. I realize she’s a woman trapped in a world that is changing around her and she’s unsure of how to proceed. The year she was presented to society, she was the débutante of the year and highly sought after. As a daughter of an earl, she was brought up with the expectation of marrying into the aristocracy and not having to make her own way. I keep thinking about Bea and as much as I want to judge her and hate for what she ends up doing, I can’t because in the end, she made the ultimate sacrifice. Fredrick once accused her of being jealous of Addie and I have to agree with his assessment, but for Bea, the jealously wasn’t that Fredrick was interested in Addie. It was the fact Addie was going to leave her and have a happy life, while Bea remained miserable. As for our present day characters, it’s interesting how much Anna resembled Bea in her personality and her life choices; whereas Marjorie took after Addie. Clementine is a hybrid of the both women; having Bea’s features and Addie’s drive for success. Fans of historical fiction are in for a real treat as Willig does a great job incorporating life in England before the First World War to how everyone adapts to the changing world afterwards. We go from soirees to the heat in Kenya. Willig gives us rich descriptions and when Addie complains of the heat and her sweat stained dress, you can vividly picture it. The Ashford Affair is well written and the only real complaint I have is that, it ended way too quickly. Then again I read this in less than two days. As for the mystery surrounding the family secret, I do wish Willig would have focused on a few key scenes. That being the photographs Clementine finds, but in the end Addie and Bea are allowed to keep their secrets. It’s because of that, I’ll let the past stay shrouded in mystery.If you only read a few books a year, this is one book you have to read. If you’re looking into trying a new genre or are in a reading funk, pick up The Ashford Affair. To say I loved it is an understatement because I more than loved it. It’s a beautiful story and I’m not ashamed to say I broke down into tears more than once. This is one book I’ll be rereading more than once.
    • 5/5
      Loved the reunions over the decades , especially the last
    • 4/5
      Thought provoking and evocative. This book is heavier and darker than the author's Pink series, but that's not a complaint. I liked the parallel-ness of the two storylines.
    • 4/5
      Using a similar past-present device employed in her Pink Carnation series, Willig explores family relations, in particular the relationships of mothers and daughters. Upon the death of her grandmother Addie, Clemmie, a driven attorney, discovers that her family ties were not as they appeared. The narrative goes between Addie's life including her love for Frederick and their Kenyan coffee plantation, and Clemmie's life as she grieves Addie's death while coming to accept her own choices.
    • 5/5
      What an amazing story! I was swept into reading about the lives of two women—grandmother and granddaughter—told in parallel in this sweeping epoch. This is a story with life-changing secrets but, ultimately, lasting love.Clemmie Evans is a workaholic lawyer whose concentration on her job and her desire to make partner have cost her a fiancé and contact with her family. She was raised by her mother and her grandmother and grandfather after her parents divorced. She has two older brothers who were adult and married before she was born. Her childhood was spent with her Granny Addie and her mother. Her grandmother was her role model in many ways. She had a loving, successful marriage and she and her husband had built a large, successful business on their Kenyan coffee plantation.When she comes to her beloved Granny Addie's 99th birthday party (an hour late because of work), she is surprised to see how feeble she is. She also runs into Jon Schwartz. Jon was one of her Aunt Anna's step-children from one of her many marriages. The two met when they were young children and had a childhood rivalry about just about everything. But when they met in Rome, when Clemmie was 21, things changed and the rivalry turned into a quick romance. However, nothing came of it then, Clemmie went off to law school and into her hectic working life and Jon went on the graduate school and marriage to Caitlin. Now Jon is back in New York and in the middle of a divorce. Clemmie has to go to London on some legal business but is called home when her grandmother dies. She learns that Granny Addie was not her grandmother but was her grandfather's second wife. There are all sorts of secrets that have been kept from her. Her world is rocked and then rocked again when she is denied a partnership in the firm by a petty superior. She becomes determined to find out about her grandmother. Jon, being a historian of modern British history, knew about Addie's secret but hadn't told Clemmie either which was still another thing that upsets her equilibrium.The parallel story is that of Addie. Addie is orphaned as a small child and taken in by her father's aristocratic brother and his wife. She is brought to Ashford and dumped in the nursery with the three daughters of the house. The middle daughter and the one nearest in age to Addie—Bea—befriends her. They become closer than sisters even though they aren't very much alike. Bea is a social butterfly who will be the Debutante of the Decade; Addie is the poor orphaned cousin. Bea will marry a Marquess because he is the best catch of the season; Addie will become friends with Frederick who is back from World War I and looking for a way to block the horrible memories that came home with him. Bea and Addie's friendship is almost irretrievably broken when Bea and Frederick have an affair and Bea becomes pregnant. The Marquess, who has been busy having affairs of his own, divorces Bea. In the middle of a major scandal in which Bea's family disowns her and tosses Addie into the street, Bea and Frederick marry and leave England for Kenya and a coffee plantation. Addie manages to find a job and start to rebuild her life. Time passes. When Bea sends a letter telling Addie that she needs her, Addie travels to Kenya. When she arrives she finds that Bea and Frederick are at odds. Frederick is happy running his coffee plantation and raising their two girls but Bea is unhappy and discontented. She is drinking too much, partying too much, and having too many affairs. Worst of all, Addie and Frederick fall back in love despite Addie's best intentions. Frederick is more than willing to divorce Bea so that he and Addie can be together. Before he can, though, the group goes on safari and Bea disappears. Did she run off? Was she murdered by her husband or one of her lovers? Was she killed by animals?Both story-lines were filled with real, well-rounded people who were easy to care about. The writing was engaging. I enjoyed seeing England at the time when so many social standards were changing. I could feel for Bea caught between the mores of her aristocratic past and the realities of the roaring twenties and the aftermath of World War I even though I really didn't like her careless and self-centered actions. I could also identify with Clemmie's sense of betrayal that her beloved grandmother or her mother and aunt had never told her about the tangled past they had lived. Readers of family stories and historical fiction will find a lot to enjoy in this title. I recommend it.
    • 5/5
      Borrowed from Betty Ann Wardman, who bought this when we heard the author speak at a Moveable Feast, this book had many twists that kept me interested until the very end. Willig's phrasing was clever and I thoroughly enjoyed the story told in two different eras and different continents, the current day protagonist being the granddaughter of the earlier one.
    • 5/5
      The title says it all. What could be worse than the horrors a family hides from their friends and neighbors? This short story is well written and disturbing to read. The family is the heart of true horror and this story captures that truth in a most awesome way! A great read!

      I was given this book by GoodReads.
    • 4/5
      A sweeping story that drifts between 1999 and the years just after WWII, with a few stops before and in between, and journeys from London to Kenya to New York, examining love, family, friendship, and deeply buried secrets. Highly recommended to everybody who likes books that work in multiple timelines.
    • 3/5
      I expected a lot more from this book, esp after reading all of the glowing reviews.
      The story flip flops between two different generations. The grandmother's story begins in England in the early 1900s and moves to Kenya in the 1920s. The grand-daughter's story takes place in 1999-2000, in New York.
      I loved the earlier part of the story, the author evoked the sights and sounds of Kenya so beautifully that I could just picture myself there. Unfortunately there wasn't enough of the Kenyan storyline, which resulted in the lower satisfaction rating.
      Too much of the book is focused on the grand-daughter's story, she being a self-centered, uninteresting workaholic. The author also introduced another storyline about a potential drug company scandal but then did not follow through on this. More editing on this book was needed before it went to print.
      For secrets & lies stories that shift between the past & present, I prefer the writings of Kate Morton or Kimberley Freeman.
    • 4/5
      Having enjoyed Willig's first novel, The Secret History of the Pink Carnation, so when I was asked to review her newest release, I said yes. This stand alone novel is very different from the Pink Carnation. The Ashford Affair takes itself much more seriously than the Pink Carnation, leaning more towards the literary fiction rather than Willig's usual romance.

      The publisher's blurb connects this novel to Out of Africa and Downton Abbey. I have to say that I found the similarities between Downton Abbey and this novel a bit too distracting. It wasn't until the novel pulled out of the Downton Abbey shadow, that I really began to enjoy The Ashford Affair. As with her Pink Carnation novels, Willig goes into great detail of her historical settings and I enjoyed the images that she painted in my mind....the feeling that I was in a 1920's era club or exploring Kenya in the mid 1920's.

      While I did not particularly like the main characters, with their multiple flaws, I did find each of them interesting enough to continue reading. At times, it was a little predictable, yet I still had a hard time putting the book down. Willig's writing and plot was just that compelling. As a historian myself, I particularly enjoyed how Willig was able to bring to the reader a personal understanding of darker wild side of the 20's and post WWI era.
    • 4/5
      Although this book is very different from author Willig's previous Pink Carnation books, the dual storyline scenario remains. The story flip flops between modern day events in Manhattan with Clemmie and the series of events that happened in the 1920s between the beautiful Beatrice and the less prepossessing Addie, Clemmie's grandmother. There is a mystery of what became of Beatrice, who married and was banished to Africa and then disappears there. What happened to her and how did Addie wind up with Beatrice's husband? And what about the children? I found the story a bit slow at first but then after the second half of the book it really picked up and I found it hard to put down. I really wanted to find out what the truth was behind the events that slowly unfold in Africa. But alas I found the big finale and the big secret a bit anti-climatic. Still I enjoyed it though I found it very similar to a Kate Morton novel. Coincidentally, while reading The Ashford Affair, I was listening to one of Morton's books simultaneously on audio. (See review below). I must admit, I found Willig's novel much more riveting though there was a certain something lacking. Neither Clemmie nor Addie really won me over and frankly, I found Beatrice the only really interesting character in the book. Clemmie's budding romance with her distant step-cousin didn't sit well with me, and I was actually rooting for her to wind up with the Englishman! Oh well...
    • 4/5
      I won The Ashford Affair via Goodreads First Reads giveaway. With appreciation to the author and Goodreads for the opportunity. I have not read any previous novels by Lauren Willig and will start by stating that I am a new fan of her writing.

      The book finds us following three generations of Clemmie Evans' family across the continents, throughout the eras and with much drama and tragedy. The author introduces us to the many characters by pacing between the generations by alternating chapters. The saga is told through the eyes of the various family members, allowing the reader to absorb their lived experience, be in the moment of their circumstance and feel the deep rooted connections as they present themselves along the way. The social scandals of the past, continue to haunt family members in the present day. The author's descriptions of the settings and the felt emotions of the characters is exceptional. I could feel the characters' internal turmoil and see their surroundings as they would have witnessed. Willig captured the essence of living within the circles of the social elite and the great lengths families will go to maintain their status. In turn, sharing what one feels as a social outcast, the outsider looking in. I had moments of love and disdain towards the characters within the novel for their choices and actions. The dynamics between Addie and Bea, Aunt Anna and Marjorie, Frederick and Marcus, Clemmie and Jon all mini-dramas pulled into one grand story.

      There were many unexpected moments to keep the reader guessing, keep the pages turning in an attempt to solve the family secrets. My one criticism is that the last few chapters felt rushed and could have been established in greater detail to wrap things up. I recommend this book to anyone who has an interest in social history, family drama and romance. I was thoroughly enraptured!
    • 3/5
      Willig branches out from her highly enjoyable Pink Carnation series in this historical fiction novel set in England and Kenya. The book is not part of a series, but a standalone novel that revolves around Addie and her granddaughter Clemmie, two strong women thwarted in love. The book jumps from the beginning to the end of the century, alternating between Addie and Clemmie's perspectives. Actually, the book uses another perspective as well, that of Bea, a third strong and willful woman. The story weaves their lives together, and addresses not only love, but also complex family ties and upheavals in history.
    • 4/5
      Told in alternating chapters, this is the story of Addie, the poor orphan cousin who comes to live at her uncle's estate in England and becomes like a sister to Bea, the middle daughter, and also the story of her granddaughter, Clemmie, a hardworking lawyer who hopes to become a partner at her firm in New York City. As each woman's life unfolds, we find Clemmie doesn't know her grandmother all that well despite having lived with her for many years. I'm a huge fan of Ms. Willig. This is an excellent read. There's romance, intrigues, and all the glitter of Edwardian England aristocracy mixed with the more prosaic life of a woman struggling in a man's world in the late 1990s. The settings go from post WWI war London to the coffee plantations of Kenya. The history is enthralling, and the relationships of the characters is complex. I did feel the ending was a little rushed as Clemmie and Jon solve the mystery of Granny Addie fairly neatly, but all in all, this is an excellent read.
    • 3/5
      Enjoyable but predictable.
    • 4/5
      I wish there had been a little more Addie and a little less Clemmie, along with a little more England and Africa and a little less New York. I loved thinking about the time periods/locations these women spanned.
    • 5/5
      My rating: 5 of 5 starsThe Ashford Affair is a St Martin's Press publication. The book is scheduled for an April 2013 release.Our story bounces back and forth between 1999 New York and 1926 Kenya. There is a backstory that begins in 1906 when Addie is sent to live with her Uncle Charles and Aunt Vera in London after the death of her parents. Addie grows up alongside her cousin Bea. The two of them are very close, like sisters. Bea is a beautiful debutante and Addie is just her poor relation cousin, so their lives will be very different in adulthood. Bea does as her mother expects her to and married a Marquis. Addie is an idealist hoping to one day become a novelist.Addie and Bea's background sets up the story as Bea finds herself involved the worst scandal imaginable for those times. She leaves London and lives in Kenya. Several years later Addie finds herself at a crossroads in her life. She has been proposed to and is planning on marriage, but before she settles into married life, she just has to see Bea... and Bea's husband Franklin. The story fast forwards to 1999 when Addie's granddaughter, Clemmie has arrived for Addie's 99th birthday celebration. We meet Clemmie's mother and Aunt and other family members. If you have been paying attention, you will be struck immediately with a sense of foreboding. It is obvious that things in 1999 are not like you would expect them to be. Clemmie is a lawyer working herself to the bone in hopes of making partner. She has just broken things off with her fiance and is feeling a little off her game. Then she is informed that Addie is in the hospital and it doesn't look good. These events set in motion a startling series of revelations and questions for Clemmie. The multilayered story of Bea and Addie and Franklin, the deep emotional saga of love and heartbreak , the 1920's in London and the stark contrast of life in Kenya is wonderfully woven. Bea had everything and nothing. As for Clemmie, she has to work through her own mess of a life and come to terms with her changing idea of family and what is important in life. For those who recognize the name Lauren Willig as a mystery author, you will find this one is not her usual fare. This is one part historical fiction, one part family drama/saga, one part romance, and only a little bit of mystery. A completely absorbing tale I found myself really caught up in. This one is hard to put down. A really feel good ending and a Happily ever after too. I loved it. This book will appeal readers of all the generes mentioned above. One of the best I've read in awhile. Highly recommend! Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC
    • 4/5
      I have read a few books from the author's Pink Carnation series and greatly enjoyed them. The Ashford Affair is more serious, though still connects past events with a current protagonist. In the present, we have Clementine Evans, called Clemmie (don't like that nickname at all) a lawyer working all hours to make partner and neglecting her family, especially her grandmother, Addie who's memory and health are failing. In the past, we have Addie as a child, orphaned and living with her aunt and uncle and clearly treated as the poor relation. Addie would be miserable if not for the company of her cousin, Bea. Addie grows up in pre-WWI, but becomes an adult after the war. We meet Addie as an adult, on her way to visit her cousin Bea in Kenya, and then flashing back to her childhood.There are a lot of family secrets, both past and present. There is romance, of course, but not nearly so light as the Pink Carnation romances.I enjoyed reading this historical fiction work and enjoyed Addie's story very much. I had a hard time warming up to Clemmie as she seemed unable to handle her own life choices. But overall, an enjoyable and interesting read. Highly recommended.
    • 5/5
      Clementine Evans discovers a secret about Addie, her grandmother, age 99, that sets Clemmie’s world tumbling. A work-addicted Manhattan lawyer, Clemmie decides she must know the truth about Addie. Addie’s story leads to Ashford, the family estate in Britain, and to Kenya, where Addie’s cousin with whom she group up, Bea, once lived with her husband. Clemmie is aided by her eight-times-married Aunt Anna’s stepson, Jon. The two have had a love-hate relationship since childhood, but Jon has been the one who has actually asked questions and listed to answers about Anna’s family, including Addie, even though he is not a blood relative. As in the Pink Carnation series, Ms. Willig moves effortlessly between historical eras -- from 1990s New York, where Clemmie’s journey of discovery is set, to the 1920s, when Addie’s story peaks, to tell her wonderful tale. I loved Lauren Willig’s Pink Carnation series opener, it was one of my all-time favorite books. To be truthful, though, I stopped reading them after the third book. A few weeks ago Lauren was at my public library, where I bought this book, a stand-alone. (BTW: She is a lovely presenter, very gracious and personable.) The Ashford Affair will be a big hit with Pink Carnation fans and, I hope, will bring the author a slew of new fans. I hope there are more stand-alones from this terrific author! The Ashford Affair is one of my new favorites.
    • 5/5
      I don't usually like romances or anything without aliens or dragons, but this book is amazing. It could legitimately be termed straight-up historical fiction, but there are enough romantic elements to be fulfilling, too. The history is well-drawn and natural, not strained or so overly-detailed that it's distracting. The characters are realistic - varied and unpredictable, yet consistent in their own ways. Individuals. And I have to mention that each character is seen differently by every other character, adding another layer to the realism that really makes it seem like real people with real lives.The writing is glorious and yet it keeps you moving from page to page without delay. What really impressed me most was Willig's skill in choosing where to move from time period to time period, where to drop in a revelation at just the exact moment and when to hold off, keeping you at the edge of your seat. It feels like an effortless book, yet it must have taken unbelievable care to create.I read the first 50 pages one day, then the entire rest of the book in one sitting the next. Marvelous.(Also, I should mention that it's not rapey in the slightest. Not sexist. Remarkable statement for a romance novel and a welcome breath of air.)
    • 5/5
      Lauren Willig is awesome! The Ashford Affair is a standalone novel outside of the Pink Carnation series and it is amazing. Ashford is quite different from the Carnation series. It has a lot more depth and meaning and takes more “thinking” to read than her previous stories, but is well worth it. The novel is filled with complex relationships, family drama (which everyone can relate to at a certain point), and mystery (even when I thought I had everything figured out, another twist would pop up!).Ashford tells the tale of the confusing, heartbreaking, but oh-so-necessary transformation of two women from two different generations and lifestyles, Addie and Clemmie, from their follow-the-leader personalities to independent and confident ways. Addie is from 1920’s England when times were different, there were society rules to follow and women were supposed to be okay with whatever they were told to do and be. As a young girl Addie is thrown into a life of rules and formality after she is sent to live with her aunt and uncle at Ashford when her parents are killed in a tragic accident. Bea, Addie’s gorgeous yet wild and reckless cousin, takes her under her wing and tries to mold Addie, but how can Addie step out on her own? And when Addie finally finds a man she might love, will Bea let her make her own decision? Then there is the story of Clemmie in modern day New York City. Her transformation must come in another form. She’s been tied to work and school for as long as she can remember. Doing whatever she’s been told by her bosses; staying late, working holidays, throwing away relationships, but for what purpose? Is having a successful career more important than finding love and having lasting relationships? Or is there a happy medium?
    • 3/5
      Author loyalty persuaded me to download Lauren Willig's new novel at a slightly steeper price, because I did enjoy (most of) her Pink Carnation series, but I found her break from Regency fluff to be sadly uninspired. I recognised Eloise Kelly in Clemmie, Colin Selwick in Tony, and the whole past and present narrative set-up was similarly tried and tested. Nothing wrong with that, but The Ashford Affair is lacking the lightness/sense of humour which makes the Pink Carnation books work (for me). Both the 1920s chapters and the 1990s counterpart are just chock-full of angst, which doesn't sit well with Willig's style.Although the story was well-paced, and Willig makes the character of Bea both mysterious and sympathetic, I don't think there was enough fictional padding to do justice to the real life story of Idina Sackville, the 'Bolter' referred to in Nancy Mitford's novel. The bare bones of Bea's story are so directly inspired by Lady Idina's forceful personality and extraordinary life that all Lauren Willig really added was the limp counterpart of cousin Addie and a modern perspective of past events via Chick Lit Clemmie. An intriguing introduction to the real life 'Bolter', but nothing original.
    • 4/5
      Clemmie (Clementine) Evans is a hard-working woman. She's dedicated seven years of her life to the law-firm of Cromwell, Polk & Moore and is the fast-track (if seven years is considered fast) to be considered a junior partner. Clemmie has no social life to speak of and has recently broken up with her fiancé. She does, however, make time to attend her grandmother's ninety-ninth birthday party. One little slip of the tongue sets off an investigation into her family's past.Adeline (Addie) Gillecotte was orphaned at age six and sent to live with her father's half-brother, the current Earl of Ashford, and his family at Ashford Park. She is quickly befriended by her cousin Bea and the two become as close as sisters. Bea grows up to be "the debutante of the decade," marries the Marquess Rivesdale and goes off to London taking Addie with her. Unfortunately Bea quickly becomes bored with her life, especially since her husband is prone to go off to the country with his mistress. In an effort to make her husband jealous she embarks on an affair with Addie's friend, Frederick Desborough . . . an affair that ends one marriage and quickly forces her into another. Frederick and Bea leave England behind and travel to Kenya where disaster strikes and changes the Desborough family forever.Ms. Willig has provided another great read that blends contemporary and historical storylines. The past is presented as Addie's story from 1906 through the late 1920s. Addie's life with her uncles and cousins wasn't necessarily a hard life, but she never quite fit in at Ashford Park. She strives to make a life for herself in London after Bea's disastrous affair, and eventually finds gainful employment and a beau. Both Addie and Bea's lives are changed in Kenya. Clemmie is on a quest to find out just what happened to her grandparents in Africa, and ultimately discovers what she wants from life. I found The Ashford Affair to be a fast-paced and engaging read. Ms. Willig drew me in from the very first page and held my attention to the end. The Ashford Affair provides a tantalizing blend of family drama, romance, and intrigue and is the perfect read for a springtime weekend read.
    • 5/5
      Clementine, for me, was a tough character to like so I was much happier when the author was going back in the past to show the development of the story. Good listening material, read by Nicola Barber.
    • 4/5
      Weaving in and out of time, the story of Clemmie (in 1999) and her Granny Addie (in the early 1900s) and Addie's beloved cousin Bea. A convoluted tale of a complicated and unhappy family, with a mystery woven in.
    • 4/5
      While I did enjoy this and I do not regret reading it, I got really tired of Clemmie's SHOCK AND HORROR at everything involving her family. It got very overwrought and tiring, especially when there really wasn't anything too shocking and horrifying. If some of her family members can "get over" the hurts of the past (don't want to reveal too much), then Clemmie certainly can. And of course the romance was entirely contrived.