Of course, Annabelle replies that her lineage goes back to the Magna Carta. I put in the quote of her telling Annabelle that her heritage went back to Revolutionary times to prove how important her family was. She represented the old New York attitude.

She was only concerned with the lineage, money, and power. LW: She was cold, controlling, impersonal, and distant. Van Duyvil reminded me of the stepmother in Cinderella? This is how they gained power and control over their lives as well as over a society that wanted to regulate them to the domestic sphere.ĮC: The mother, Mrs. On the other hand, they could volunteer in charitable organizations as my character Janie did. Women in the upper-class circle did not go out and work. Their duty was to preside over the home and only yielded power in the social arena. LW: Women were supposed to not deal with the harsh realities of the world and were never supposed to be involved with politics.

I wrote into the plot how one of my characters, Anne, Bay’s cousin, got a scandalous divorce and based it on Alva. She actually got a divorce when it was not well received for women. LW: She was a trendsetter who had this famous ball, considered the embodiment of New York social life. They did not want to accept them, but imitated them to keep up.ĮC: You include real life people like Alva Vanderbilt? The “old” Dutch families looked down on the nouveau as flashy. There was this culture clash between New Yorkers of Dutch descent and the new money that came after the Civil War. Lauren Willig: I am interested in the fundamental conflicts of the Gilded Age. As rumors swirl Janie, decides to work with a reporter, Burke, to save the reputation of her brother and sister-in-law to uncover the truth. There is Bay’s cousin Anne, who could be having an affair, his sister Janie who found the body, his mother who is omnipresent, and his wife Georgie who has disappeared. The story should remind readers of the Clue Game with an abundance of suspects and motives. Bayard is discovered with a dagger in his chest, while Annabelle appears to have drowned in the Hudson. Their supposed whirlwind romance is shattered at the opening of their Twelfth Night Ball to highlight the new manor. Bayard, the son of a Knickerbocker prominent family returns after a three-year absence with his English wife, Annabelle aka Georgie. The Gilded Age is highlighted between the years 1894 in England to 1899 in New York. This historical crime fiction novel involves murder, scandals, and secrets. It is a refreshing change from all the recent Gone Girl look alikes, and instead is part mystery, part love story, and part family drama. The English Wife by Lauren Willig is full of intrigue and suspense.

The english wife lauren willig