Publication information is for the USA, and (unless stated otherwise) represents the first print edition. One beginning in 1900 tells the story of Elfriede von Kleist, a young wife and mother who has been sent to a mental clinic in Switzerland because of severe postpartum depression.

However, hisAn LGBTQ+ relationship is very subtly hinted at between a couple characters, as if to allow those readers so inclined to pretend it doesn't exist. It is forbidden to copy anything for publication elsewhere without written permission from the copyright holder. After all, American readers have an insatiable appetite for news of the Duke and Duchess of Windsor, that infamous couple posted to this colonial backwater during World War II after their marriage nearly brought the British monarchy to its knees.

The slow weaving of Elfriede and Lulu may feel meandering for a while, I thought the latter half started to drag a bit but it was still curiously interesting to see how the author ultimately ended up placing all the characters to culminate in the ending. I love Beatriz Williams and many of her books have become some of my favorite historical fiction novels. Williams illuminates the story with exotic locales and bygone ambiance, and seduces with the irresistible Windsors. Two women, so different on the outside, but so deeply intense on the inside, tell their tales in alternating timelines.

World War I plays a part in Elfriede's story, affecting her life's course and World War II obviously plays a big part in Lulu's story. There’s another storyline in the book from the early 1900s with Elfriede, a German Baroness who suffers from post-partum depression.

Join our community to get personalised book suggestions, extracts straight to your inbox, 10% off RRPs, and to change children’s lives. I read a biography on her not that long ago and they are both fascinating people although not so much in a good way. If you need a memory jog, that was when the Duke and Duchess of Windsor were living in the Bahamas (The Duke – former King Edward VIII of England – was Governor of the Bahamas). The ending was rushed and key emotional moments were crammed, taking away from the reader from getting time to digest and deliver a bigger impact on key moments.Williams illuminates the story with exotic locales and bygone ambience, and seduces with the irresistible Windsors. Even though the book fell a little flat when it came down to some of the historical fiction elements of the story, I still would recommend reading this if you have enjoyed other books by the author.