The Ashford Affair by Lauren WilligMy rating: 4 of 5 stars
Tale of two cousins--one rich, pampered, beautiful, confident; the other rich, less pampered, less beautiful, insecure and the poor relation, reluctantly taken in. Close as sisters and yet Bea, the daughter of the house, definitely the leader and dominant cousin to Adeline, known as Addie. The girls come of age in the post-war 20's in England but time and circumstances takes Bea to Kenya and a coffee plantation and marriage to Frederick, whom they both love. Addie, turned out on her own, makes a life for herself in London.
In 2000, New York City, Clementine, Addie's grand-daughter makes her way as a 30 something lawyer, working her tail off to become partner in her firm. Her mother Marjorie and her Aunt Anna are another set of sisters in a new age. Family secrets have created a distance between the women and a definite difference in their life choices. Grammy Addie's ( a name that is repeated ad nauseum throughout the book) demise opens the can of worms that will reveal Bea's death, Anna's reasons for lack of children and headlong multiple marriages, Frederick's role in all their lives and Clemmie's long-time relationship with Jon, Anna's foster son.
Interesting portrait of pre-war and post-war aristocracy in Britain and how some members adapt or don't to the changes of 20th Century high society throughout the world.
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