Author: Sally Koslow
Publisher: Viking Adult
Publication Date: May 27, 2014 (first published June 13, 2013)
ISBN: 9780670025640
Number of Pages: 352
How I Got It: from publisher
Format: paperback
Goodreads Summary:
Georgia Waltz has things many people only dream of: a plush Manhattan apartment overlooking Central Park, a Hamptons beach house, valuable jewels and art, two bright daughters, and a husband she adores, even after decades of marriage. It’s only when Ben suddenly drops dead from a massive coronary while training for the New York City Marathon that Georgia discovers her husband—a successful lawyer—has left them nearly penniless. Their wonderland was built on lies.
As the family attorney scours emptied bank accounts, Georgia must not only look for a way to support her family, she needs to face the revelation that Ben was not the perfect husband he appeared to be, just as her daughters—now ensconced back at home with secrets of their own—have to accept that they may not be returning to their lives in Paris and at Stanford subsidized by the Bank of Mom and Dad. As she uncovers hidden resilience, Georgia’s sudden midlife shift forces her to consider who she is and what she truly values. That Georgia may also find new love in the land of Spanx and stretch marks surprises everyone—most of all, her.
Sally Koslow’s fourth novel is deftly told through the alternating viewpoints of her remarkable female protagonists as they plumb for the grit required to reinvent their lives. Inspiring, funny, and deeply satisfying, The Widow Waltz explores in a profound way the bonds between mothers and daughters, belligerent siblings, skittish lovers, and bitter rivals as they discover the power of forgiveness, and healing, all while asking, "What is family, really?"
As the family attorney scours emptied bank accounts, Georgia must not only look for a way to support her family, she needs to face the revelation that Ben was not the perfect husband he appeared to be, just as her daughters—now ensconced back at home with secrets of their own—have to accept that they may not be returning to their lives in Paris and at Stanford subsidized by the Bank of Mom and Dad. As she uncovers hidden resilience, Georgia’s sudden midlife shift forces her to consider who she is and what she truly values. That Georgia may also find new love in the land of Spanx and stretch marks surprises everyone—most of all, her.
Sally Koslow’s fourth novel is deftly told through the alternating viewpoints of her remarkable female protagonists as they plumb for the grit required to reinvent their lives. Inspiring, funny, and deeply satisfying, The Widow Waltz explores in a profound way the bonds between mothers and daughters, belligerent siblings, skittish lovers, and bitter rivals as they discover the power of forgiveness, and healing, all while asking, "What is family, really?"
My Review:
This is a perfect summer read. The cover alone shows how great of a "beach book" this would be. After finding out that her recently deceased husband has failed to provide the financial security that he swore to her was in place for the care of her and their daughters after his death, Georgia Waltz must face reality. No more furs and fancy apartments in the city. Her daughters are now helping her to sell her prized antiques on E-bay and trying to gain their own personal footing as well. The two twenty-something sisters have always had a strained relationship and now they both find themselves needed by their mother while they each are facing major life decisions.
While the story grows out of Georgia's husband's death and "missing" finances, the set of characters and their actions are warm and funny. Georgia's brother and his partner provide great snarky commentary and her daughters are so different but each at the universal doorstep of true adulthood that any woman can relate to their confusion in some way.
I really enjoyed this book, especially after I had just come off a terrible streak of difficult and unfullfilling reads. Stick THE WIDOW WALTZ in your beach bag and you won't be sorry.
*** I received this book in exchange for an honest review, I was not compensated in any additonal manner. ***
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