The Ashford Affair

By: Lauren Willig

Narrated by: Nicola Barber

Length: 13 hrs and 35 mins

Publisher's summary

From New York Times bestselling author Lauren Willig comes The Ashford Affair, a riveting novel about two women in different eras, and on different continents, who are connected by one deeply buried secret.

A New York Times best seller!

As a lawyer in a large Manhattan firm, just shy of making partner, Clementine Evans has finally achieved almost everything she's been working towards—but now she's not sure it's enough. Her long hours have led to a broken engagement and, suddenly single at thirty-four, she feels her messy life crumbling around her. But when the family gathers for her grandmother Addie's ninety-ninth birthday, a relative lets slip hints about a long-buried family secret, leading Clemmie on a journey into the past that could change everything. . . .

Growing up at Ashford Park in the early twentieth century, Addie has never quite belonged. When her parents passed away, she was taken into the grand English house by her aristocratic aunt and uncle, and raised side-by-side with her beautiful and outgoing cousin, Bea. Though they are as different as night and day, Addie and Bea are closer than sisters, through relationships and challenges, and a war that changes the face of Europe irrevocably. But what happens when something finally comes along that can't be shared? When the love of sisterhood is tested by a bond that's even stronger?

From the inner circles of British society to the skyscrapers of Manhattan and the red-dirt hills of Kenya, the never-told secrets of a woman and a family unfurl.

©2013 Lauren Willig (P)2013 Macmillan Audio

Critic reviews

“The Ashford Affair is a reader's treat, an artfully-woven saga that sweeps us into the lives of three generations of a family entangled in life-changing secrets. Lauren Willig spins a web of lust, power and loss, taking us from England to Kenya to New York, from World War I to today's modern world, posing a timeless question: what in our own family stories might surprise or shock – or change our lives – if we had access to the whispers from the past?” —Kate Alcott, New York Times bestselling author of The Dressmaker

“There are few authors who make you want to take a day off from life to devour their latest book, but Lauren Willig is one of them. The Ashford Affair is absolutely impossible to put down!” —Michelle Moran, bestselling author of Madame Tussaud

“Rich with detail and historical imagination, The Ashford Affair evokes the lives and passions of the interwar era with harrowing precision. The enthralling mystery kept me up late into the night, and the characters will remain with me forever. Lauren Willig has delivered a stunning masterpiece.” —Beatriz Williams, author of Overseas

Finally!

Would you listen to The Ashford Affair again? Why?

Yes. I really enjoyed this book. It was fun, romantic, sweet, and just plain lovely.

Any additional comments?

The narrator, who did have a great accent, and did lovely voices, kept whispering and I couldn't hear a lot of the book--having to rewind while I was in the car was annoying, and changing the volume up and down was really irritating. I couldn't decide if it was an editing problem or if it was the reading style. The volume of these books needs to stay at the same level throughout because we can't be distracted while we are driving! I ended up having to use my headphones, which is not ideal when in the car because I can't hear what else is going on (plus, on a two hour commute, having those things in my ears for that long is uncomfortable!)--and even then it didn't always work.

After Lauren Willig's previous, VERY disappointing book "Two L," I was SO HAPPY when "The Ashford Affair" proved to me, once again, that she's not just a flash in the pan.

I'd give this 4.5 if I could

I started out by giving this book a 5 star rating. I loved reading it. It was interesting, gripping, and the characters were intriguing - for the most part. I couldn't put the book down.

That being said, I deducted a star (it would have been half a star if that was available) because I found the ending lacking something. Nothing major, just a little disappointment that the strength of the story seemed to fade.

The premise was wonderful; the writing was superb. Nicola Barber did another great job with the narration except that she sometimes gave Clemmie too much of a baby voice. That may have been part of my disappointment in the ending of the book because it seems Clemmie's voice got worse then.

I liked this book a lot

Good book, blah narrator

Solid book overall. Interesting story. However, the characters lose depth on account of the narrator. The narrator's normal voice is fine, but her dialogue voice makes the women, who are supposed to be in their 20s and the 30s, sound like 16 year old girls. The men all sound one dimensional as well.

Still overall enjoyable, especially if you like the era.

A buried secret unravels the present

What did you love best about The Ashford Affair?

The changing society. How the life that the elite of society lived before World War I was shattered out of it's cozy cocoon by the reality of war, and how people adapted to the new world, or didn"t. Also, how do we cope in the present when our past is not as we always believed it to be.

Who was your favorite character and why?

Addy and Bea are the heart of this story, their complex relationship it's beat.

Which scene was your favorite?

No favorite scene, this is a story that unravels, like a scarf with a pulled thread.

Who was the most memorable character of The Ashford Affair and why?

The settings were characters. England, New York, and the majesty of Kenya in the 1920"s.

Any additional comments?

Listen to Lauren Willig's Pink Carnation series. This author is one of my go to's.

Decent story, rather tedious to listen to

Narration is painful to listen. Narrator makes the voice of the female protagonist, a strong and a accomplished Manhattan attorney, sound like an insecure 12-yr-old.

really quite a tail

the more I read the less I wanted to put it down. The last twist was really a surprise.

Ineresting story

An interesting story.
Going back and forth in time gets a little cumbersome at times
but, overall pretty Okay.

Napoleonic war stories are better

I love Willig's other books. This one, however, didn't do it for me. Too much romance, too little history.

The ending needed more.

The story was good, it kept me interested. Then when it got to the end I feel like it was a let down because nothing was really resolved. It was all hyped up and then it fizzled

Good, but....

I liked the concept and the narrator was very good. However, Clementine's chatacter was very immature and the narrator made her sound like a little girl. The dialogue between all of the other characters was interesting, but Clementine (at least via audiobook) sounded childlike and ridiculous.