Husbands & Lovers

By Beatriz Williams

Book Overview

Two women--separated by decades and continents, and united by an exotic family heirloom--reclaim secrets and lost loves in this sweeping novel from the New York Times bestselling author of The Summer Wives.

"My favorite kind of page-turner--unputdownable "--Martha Hall Kelly, author of The Golden Doves

New England, 2022. Three years ago, single mother Mallory Dunne received the telephone call every parent dreads--her ten-year-old son, Sam, had been airlifted from summer camp with acute poisoning from a toxic death cap mushroom, leaving him fighting for his life. Now, searching for the donor kidney that will give her son a chance for a normal life, Mallory's forced to confront two harrowing secrets from her past: her mother's adoption from an infamous Irish orphanage in 1952, and her own all-consuming summer romance fourteen years earlier with her childhood best friend, Monk Adams-- one of the world's most beloved singer-songwriters--a fairy tale cut short by a devastating betrayal.

Cairo, 1951. After suffering tragedy beyond comprehension in the war, Hungarian refugee Hannah Ainsworth has forged a respectable new life for herself--marriage to a wealthy British diplomat with a coveted posting in glamorous Cairo. But a fateful encounter with the enigmatic manager of a hotel bristling with spies leads to a passionate affair that will reawaken Hannah's longing for everything she once lost. As revolution simmers in the Egyptian streets, a pregnant Hannah finds herself snared in a game of intrigue between two men . . . and an act of sacrifice that will echo down the generations.

Timeless and bittersweet, Husbands & Lovers takes readers on an unforgettable journey of heartbreak and redemption, from the revolutionary fires of midcentury Egypt to the moneyed beaches of contemporary New England. Acclaimed author Beatriz Williams has written a poignant and beautifully voiced novel of deeply human characters entangled by morally complex issues--of privilege, class, and the female experience--inside worlds brought shimmeringly to life.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0593724224
• ISBN13: 9780593724224
• Release Date: June 2024
• Publisher: Ballantine Books
• Length: 368 Pages
• Weight: 1.38 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.4" x 6.2" x 9.3"

Customer Reviews

3.5 stars

HUSBANDS & LOVERS by Beatrice Williams Based on the cover you’d think this was a run of the mill easy, summer read, but it’s more than that. This story has depth and a cast of well-crafted, multifaceted characters. Set in 1950s Cairo, Egypt and present day/2022 New England (with flashbacks to 2008) this story took me on an emotional journey. Mallory Dunne‘s storyline was the one that held my interest best. While it started off slow, by the midway point I was pretty invested in her relationship with Monk Adams despite not liking Mallory as a character or her lack of (realistic) parenting skills. Was this totally predictable? Yes. But I enjoyed it for what it was; an easy, palate cleanser type read. Rating: 3.5/5 ⭐️