Amazon
US $3.03
Amazon
CA n/a
Family drama /
LGBT
1950s
World War II is
over, and life is slowly returning to normal. For Adette Salazar, normal means
finding a job with which to support herself and her ailing Uncle Harold, and
she is therefore delighted when she is offered the position as assistant to
famous writer Dahlia Frobisher. Well, delighted is not really an emotion Adette
is familiar with: this is a woman who exercises control in all things, an
observer rather than a participant in life. There are reasons for this, of
course, and C.M. Blackwood skilfully inserts bits and pieces of Adette’s
backstory, thereby increasing the intrigue that surrounds this beautiful and
dark-skinned woman.
Where Adette is
dark and reserved, Dahlia Frobisher is all sun and light — on the outside. Yet
another complicated character, Dahlia carries her own secrets, her own burdens
of guilt. At times, blonde and elegant Dahlia comes across as a female version
of the enigmatic Great Gatsby. Ms Blackwood even succeeds in creating the
illusion that this book will be about Dahlia’s secrets, when in fact it is
Adette’s past, her physical and mental scars, that will shape the story.
Two strong and
lonely women meet. A tentative friendship blossoms into something more. Adette
has spent most of her life shying away from any truly serious relationship,
realising that permanent intimacy will at some point require her to share the
truth — a truth she prefers not to think about. So when friendship becomes
love, Adette is incapable of handling the resulting emotions and flees. Whether
Dahlia finds it in her to go after her is up to each reader to find out for
themselves.
Ms Blackwood
weaves a gripping story set against a time when women are beginning to come
into their own. Neither Dahlia nor Adette are dependent on a man for their
survival, but in the big, big world a man’s word still carries much more weight
than that of a mere woman, no matter how obnoxious the man may be. Dahlia
understands the rules of the game and conforms — to a point. Adette has moments
when she doesn’t.
Ms Blackwood is
an accomplished writer. Her prose flows beautifully throughout, her characters
grow out of the page and the historical background is brought to elegant life.
The end result is an engrossing read, warmly recommended to all who enjoy
romance with depth and a dash of darkness.
© Anna Belfrage
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