The Care and Feeding of Waspish Widows

Feminine Pursuits

By: Olivia Waite

Narrated by: Morag Sims

Length: 9 hrs and 50 mins

Publisher's summary

When Agatha Griffin finds a colony of bees in her warehouse, it’s the not-so-perfect ending to a not-so-perfect week. Busy trying to keep her printing business afloat amid rising taxes and the suppression of radical printers like her son, the last thing the widow wants is to be the victim of 1,000 bees. But when a beautiful beekeeper arrives to take care of the pests, Agatha may be in danger of being stung by something far more dangerous....

Penelope Flood exists between two worlds in her small seaside town, the society of rich landowners and the tradesfolk. Soon, tensions boil over when the formerly exiled queen arrives on England’s shores - and when Penelope’s long-absent husband returns to Melliton, she once again finds herself torn, between her burgeoning love for Agatha and her loyalty to the man who once gave her refuge.

As Penelope finally discovers her true place, Agatha must learn to accept the changing world in front of her. But will these longing hearts settle for a safe but stale existence, or will they learn to fight for the future they most desire?

©2020 Olivia Waite (P)2020 HarperAudio

Wonderful Romance Brilliantly Written

If Virginia Woolf had felt more liberated from her time, this is a story she might have written. A tribute to the actual author and the Audible narrator! Poetic, nuanced, complex, in a word- captivating!!

Great writing

The historical detail about beekeeping, printmaking, and the nuances of the politics & national mood in this part of the 19th century — absolutely fascinating! Clearly a well researched book. To top it all off the love story is both believable and enchanting. Definitely recommend this book!

Adorable Romance, Great Narrator

This is a fantastic book with a bit of a slow burn romance but once they realize it they make up for lost time. The characters are all well written and well rounded.

The narrator is just fabulous. I was really able to enjoy the book because the narration was so good, it didn't distract and I could always tell who was talking when.

Delightful and Poetic! Simply Wonderful!

What a wonderful story that was well written and brilliantly narrated. Waite delivers another clever and thoroughly entertaining story. Morag Sims performs wonderfully and captures the scenes and emotions expertly. Well done!

Throughly Delightful

The story line was intriguing and entertaining, keeping my attention riveted. Each character was well developed and it was as if I knew them personally. The twist and turns were so much like real life. Morag Sims is a wonderful narrator and her ability to distinguish the voices of characters helps give them added depth. Overall one of my favorite books. I throughly enjoy Olivia Waite’s books and look forward to the next one!

A just okay follow-up to Celestial Mechanics

This one I'm ambivalent about. I was excited to listen after being a big fan of The Lady's Guide to Celestial Mechanics, and though there were some real positives with it, the experience was still just "meh" for me. I enjoyed that one of the main characters, Agatha Griffin (first introduced in Mechanics) ran a printing business in London owned exclusively by her after the death of her husband. Certainly unusual in the late 1700s. There was also a well-known lesbian couple in the community that people more or less tolerated because they had their own wealth. There is also a historical reference to Queen Caroline of Brunswick, married to King George IV who tried to divorce her and introduced a bill to be able to do so. He was so loathed he had to withdraw it when there was an uprising by the people. The second main character, Penelope Flood, lives in a smaller wealthy community outside London, and spends much of her time as a beekeeper. They meet when Agatha has an issue with a large number of bees who decide to take up residence in one of her printing warehouses.
This is a very slow-moving, very involved story. Adding to the mix is Agatha's son and the object of his affection trying to find their way in the world, Penelope's unconventional marriage, and how women in general navigate life in a time that is not kind to them or their rights.
The romance also moves at a snail's pace, but once it arrives, it advances to the bedroom at lightning speed. I found that a bit abrupt, and was even more surprised/skeptical by what happened with their second encounter. It's much hotter than I expected and although I am a big fan of that in general, in this story it felt out of place. They also called each other by their last names, which somehow felt less intimate to me. I think there was just too much going on in the story to invest in just them.The narration was good and although there were several interesting things going on, I found it all just okay.

No, couldn’t finish this one...

I think that most WLW should take place in modern life, because very few writers can revive a classic period...