Review: The Woman Before Wallis by Bryn Turnbull

As the title suggests, before Wallis Simpson there was someone else whom Edward, Prince of Wales, was involved with. Her name was Thelma Morgan, the sister of Gloria Morgan Vanderbilt. Because I wasn’t familiar with her story and how she factored into the prince’s life, I was eager to learn about her. Unfortunately, her story fell completely flat for me. I’m not sure if she was purposely written as a droll, sort of uninteresting character because she was that way in life, but I just did not care about her one way or the other. I was much more interested in Gloria’s story. That being said, the book was well written and I care enough to finish and see how Wallis swept into Edward and Thelma’s relationship and turning his head towards her. This is Bryn Turnbull’s first novel and I will definitely be reading what she publishes next.

Reasons I liked this book:

Extra info on a subject I’ve always found fascinating.

Dual timeline format, both told by Thelma.

Gorgeous cover!

Who doesn’t love a bit of royal intrigue?

Book quote: “Thelma watched the prince with interest. He was younger than she expected; she knew he was in his thirties, but the prince looked almost boyish, his expression youthful yet weary at the same time. She was surprised at his height: she had imagined him tall, as she pictured all public figures, but he was just a shade taller than Thelma and exceedingly slim. Exceptionally handsome, too: impeccable and fine featured, his hand darting, almost compulsively, to his bow tie as he spoke.”

Rating: 3 stars

Similar books you might enjoy: Wallis, a Novel by Anne Edwards, The Golden Prince by Rebecca Dean.

Thank you Mira/HarperCollins Canada for a copy of this book. Thoughts are my own.

#indigoemployee

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