I have always been intrigued by the royal family, and I find history interesting, and the older I get the more I enjoy reading novels that are based on historical people and events. I love novels that “teach” me about history without my feeling as though I’ve sat through a dry lecture, and I especially love the novels that pique my interest enough to make me go off and read more on various subjects. This novel definitely made me do that!
The first thing I had to “research” was about Gloria Vanderbilt. Now, I know I’m going to be aging myself here a bit, but I associate Gloria Vanderbilt with blue jeans (what can I say, I’m an 80’s child and they were the thing when I was in high school …). So, when Gloria Vanderbilt was introduced at the beginning of this novel as Thelma’s twin sister, I was very confused. Math is definitely not my strongest subject, but even I knew that the Gloria Vanderbilt I knew about couldn’t possibly be the same person …. and she wasn’t. Gloria Vanderbilt, who is the twin sister to “The Woman Before Wallis” is the mother of the Gloria Vanderbilt (referred to throughout the novel as “Little Gloria”) most of us would think of.
Although this novel is about the love affair between Lady Thelma {Morgan} Furness and David, Prince of Wales (later King Edward VIII), a lot of the story revolves around her sister Gloria’s custody battle over “Little Gloria” — which again led me to read all sorts of interesting things to learn more! You may wonder how that all ties together to tell how Wallis Simpson ended up being the Duchess of Windsor … I’ll let you read the book to find out.
I listened to this book through the Hoopla app. The audiobook was very well done.
Title: The Woman Before Wallis: A Novel of Windors, Vanderbilts and Royal Scandal
Author: Bryn Turnbull
Genre: Historical Fiction
Publisher: MIRA
Release Date: July 21, 2020
Format: Hardcover, Trade Paperback, eBook, eAudio
Pages: 384 Pages
In the summer of 1926, when Thelma Morgan marries Viscount Duke Furness after a whirlwind romance, she’s immersed in a gilded world of extraordinary wealth and privilege. For Thelma, the daughter of an American diplomat, her new life as a member of the British aristocracy is like a fairy tale—even more so when her husband introduces her to Edward, Prince of Wales.
In a twist of fate, her marriage to Duke leads her to fall headlong into a love affair with Edward. But happiness is fleeting, and their love is threatened when Thelma’s sister, Gloria Morgan Vanderbilt, becomes embroiled in a scandal with far-reaching implications. As Thelma sails to New York to support Gloria, she leaves Edward in the hands of her trusted friend Wallis, never imagining the consequences that will follow.