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Book Review: The Secret Wife by Gill Paul




How many times have we heard that Anastasia Romanov, the youngest daughter of Russia's last Czar survived the execution of her family during the Great War?

In The Secret Wife it was Tatiana who escaped execution by the Red Army.  She was secreted from their home/prison so she could meet with her lover, a young cavalry officer, to plan the escape of her entire family.  Everything went wrong.  

In 2016, an English journalist escapes to her mysterious grandfather's cabin in America after a difficult break up.  While renovating the cabin, she finds a spectacular jeweled pendant.  This prompts her search for the story of her ancestors.

We read this book in our local book club and it received mixed reviews.  My biggest concern was that the writing wasn't particularly . . . mature . . . elegant . . . I'm sure there is a better descriptor but it eludes me at the moment.

On the other hand, the story itself was very good.  I had no trouble reading it to the end. 

Try it for yourself and let me know what you think. 

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