The Wife's Tale in Aussie Readers

Apr 18, 2016 Brenda rated it it was amazing

Shelves: 2016-release, historical-fiction, arc, favourites, own-read, aussie-authors, read-on-kindle, net-galley

On the morning of her departure on a one month holiday with husband Tony, lawyer Liz Jones received a call from her boss Nick to call in – he had important business to discuss. Liz knew she should ignore him; after all the time with Tony was important now more than ever. But feeling she had time before the plane’s departure she did the right thing (by Nick anyway). Upon missing her plane and being unable to contact Tony, both then and in the days to follow, Liz departed Australia for the Isle of On the morning of her departure on a one month holiday with husband Tony, lawyer Liz Jones received a call from her boss Nick to call in – he had important business to discuss. Liz knew she should ignore him; after all the time with Tony was important now more than ever. But feeling she had time before the plane’s departure she did the right thing (by Nick anyway). Upon missing her plane and being unable to contact Tony, both then and in the days to follow, Liz departed Australia for the Isle of Wight to do Nick’s bidding at the beautiful old home of Seagrove.

As Liz began to know the current inhabitants of Seagrove – Lord Theo Nash, his sister Gemma and daughter Maddie, plus the Jacksons who worked in the house and grounds, she also came up against the formidable Valerie, Theo’s fiancé. But her involvement in the research of a bygone era fascinated Liz – the life of Lady Delany Nash and the notorious court case which had shocked London and surrounds in the 1780s captured her. Liz knew she had to investigate every inch of this woman’s life – after all Delany was directly involved in Seagrove and what had happened.

As Liz read the journals written by Delany, she felt herself drawn deeply into the time and era of the Nash family. She was shocked at how Delany was treated; horrified by the actions of her husband. But with Nick’s continued instructions, Liz was torn – she no longer felt she could do what he wanted her to; her reason for being at Seagrove had changed. What was she to do? Liz’s thoughts kept returning to Delany and her plight of long ago – she needed to find out what had happened…

Wow! What an absolutely amazing novel The Wife’s Tale by Aussie author Christine Wells has turned out to be! I loved it and can say without doubt it is the best historical fiction novel I have read in a very long time. Beautifully written, the characters are so well crafted that I felt I knew them all. I felt a deep empathy for Delany Nash, and was completely immersed in the lives of the current Nash family at Seagrove as well as Liz's. The Wife’s Tale is a fascinating and intriguing novel which I have no hesitation in recommending highly – I’ll be looking for more from this author.

With thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this copy to read in exchange for my honest review.
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May 23, 2016 Kate Forsyth rated it really liked it

Shelves: parallel-narratives, australian

The Wife’s Tale is a dual timeline novel that alternates between the point-of-view of Liz Jones, a young Australian lawyer whose ambition and drive to succeed have put her marriage at risk, and Delany Nash, who was at the centre of an infamous scandal in the 1780s. Most of the action is centred on Seagrove, a grand old house on the Isle of Wight, as Liz becomes fascinated with Delany’s story and begins to dig deeper. However, the secrets she uncovers puts at risk her newfound relationship with t ...more

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Apr 13, 2016 Helen rated it it was amazing

I have been looking forward to this book and can I say WOW what a fabulous story it is, this is a book that is moving and enchanting as we slip from today in Brisbane Australia back to an eighteenth century estate Seagrove on The Isle of Wight for a story that I will not forget.

Were do I begin there are so many fabulous characters in this story Liz the lawyer sent by her boss Nick to investigate the family and do her best so Nick can buy the estate Theo the current Lord Nash who is a quiet lands ...more

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Sep 20, 2024 Melinda rated it it was ok

This was an ok read. It started off really well but I found myself enjoying the Delaney/past sections more than the Liz/now sections. In fact Liz just annoyed me. A workaholic lawyer with a fair few issues in her personal life… I would have thought she’d be more polished, but she came off as some sort of g’day mate larrikin. And I didn’t like her lack of integrity getting all that info sort of on the fly. Suffice to say I didn’t love the ending either…. Maybe I’ll try reading this again later an ...more

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