The Shadow Queen

June 4, 2012
Dean’s mechanical retread of Wallis Simpson’s life focuses on the famous divorcée prior to her relationship with King Edward. This unusual choice offers an opportunity to unpack Wallis’s transformation into the kind of woman who could sway a king to abdicate, but the book consists mostly of biographical recitation. Wallis is a disaster from the get-go: her father’s early death and her mother’s immaturity make Wallis a charity case, dependent on her wealthy uncle’s capricious cruelty. When Wallis’s personality does emerge, it is in unpleasant ways: demanding her uncle finance her debutante season, and courting friendships solely to get closer to Edward. When WWI derails her debutante season and her beau marries her best friend, Wallis weds an abusive pilot. Dean (The Palace Circle) spends an exhausting amount of time recounting Wallis’s childhood and first marriage, which leaves her rushing through the divorce, Wallis’s time in China, an affair, and her second marriage. When Wallis finally captures Edward’s attention at the end of the novel, it is the sad triumph of predator over prey. Agent: Sheila Crowley, Curtis Brown.

March 15, 2012

Dean here fictionalizes the life of Wallis Simpson, the poor American girl taken in by rich relatives who set her sights on British society and then the soon-to-be king. In the process, Dean digs into the rumors swirling around Simpson, e.g., was she a lesbian? A KGB agent? Lots of interest in Simpson right now; publishing this May, noted historian Juliet Nicholson's Abdication will also feature the duchess.

Copyright 2012 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

July 1, 2012
Despite the title, the bulk of this fictional biography of Wallis Simpson, the woman who would be queen, predates her relationship with King Edward VIII. Although Simpson's story is compelling, it is hard to whip up any sympathy for her fictional counterpart, painted by Dean as a world-class schemer and dreamer. Still, it is fun to imagine what circumstances catapulted this supporting player firmly onto center stage. Edward remains a peripheral figure, lingering on the fringes of the conclusion, which may frustrate readers who want a rehash of the infamous royal crisis. Interest in Wallis has been revived by the recent release of W.E., the film version of her life directed by Madonna, so expect moderate demand for this retelling of her early life.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2012, American Library Association.)