Husbands & Lovers

✮✮✮✮

Nov 25

Husbands & Lovers - Liz Beatriz Williams

my review : ✮✮✮✮

Part historical fiction, part romance, this incredible book was on my mind NONSTOP. This story is told via two alternating timelines: 2022 Cape Cod and 1950s Egypt. The present-day story made the book easy to get sucked into, and the historical fiction element made it utterly fascinating.

I find the official synopsis riddled with spoilers! I’ll keep it brief and spoiler-free: Our present-day story follows Mallory Dunne as she tries to find a kidney donor for her son and is forced to confront her epic (and butterfly-inducing) summer romance from decades earlier. In 1950s Egypt, we meet Hannah Ainsworth, a Hungarian refugee and wife to a wealthy British diplomat, as she embarks on a life-changing affair.

I knew embarrassingly little about Cairo and the unrest in the 1950s and found this book to be totally fascinating. The present-day love story was totally heartbreaking, hopeful, and bitingly funny at times. Please check trigger warnings as some tough subject matters are discussed in this book.

This is the first Beatriz Williams book I’ve read, and it will not be my last. Which of her books should I read next?

Best paired with a gin & tonic (Hannah is always indulging in them!), swipe to see how I love mine. I am obviously an amateur and my recipe is probably offensive to anyone with a background in mixology!!