A Friend of the Family

October 16, 2006
In this sequel to First Friends, British author Willet revisits the lives of Cassandra Wivenhoe and Kate Webster, one-time boarding school buddies who later become military wives. But the best part of the novel involves these characters only tangentially. Instead, in the early chapters, Willet focuses on their friend Felicity Mainwaring, who, upon the death of her husband, assumes that her long-time lover, George Lampeter, will now marry her. But George instead chooses to wed the much younger and sweeter Thea Barrable. The story of how Felicity tries to thwart the marriage, and how Thea fights to save it, makes for engrossing reading as their three-way dance comes to a shocking conclusion. But the plot slackens when the doings of other characters, including Cass and Kate, dominate. This is one of Willett's early books, being published in the United States for the first time, and includes beautiful descriptions of the countryside in Devon. It's a shame that the book peters out in the middle, but the strong first half makes it worth picking up.

October 9, 2006
In this sequel to First Friends, British author Willet revisits the lives of Cassandra Wivenhoe and Kate Webster, one-time boarding school buddies who later become military wives. But the best part of the novel involves these characters only tangentially. Instead, in the early chapters, Willet focuses on their friend Felicity Mainwaring, who, upon the death of her husband, assumes that her long-time lover, George Lampeter, will now marry her. But George instead chooses to wed the much younger and sweeter Thea Barrable. The story of how Felicity tries to thwart the marriage, and how Thea fights to save it, makes for engrossing reading as their three-way dance comes to a shocking conclusion. But the plot slackens when the doings of other characters, including Cass and Kate, dominate. This is one of Willett's early books, being published in the United States for the first time, and includes beautiful descriptions of the countryside in Devon. It's a shame that the book peters out in the middle, but the strong first half makes it worth picking up.

Copyright 2006 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

September 15, 2006
Although Kate Webster and Cass Wivenhoe, characters from Willett's earlier novel " First Friends "(2006), reappear in this expansive tale of family and friendship, love, and loss set on the rambling moors of England, the story really belongs to Felicity Mainwaring, Thea Lampeter, and Polly Wickam, three women whose approach to life couldn't be more dissimilar yet who find themselves thrown together through dramatically sinuous circumstances. Recently widowed, Felicity is now free to legitimize her lifelong affair with George Lampeter, or would be if George hadn't helplessly fallen in love with Thea, a vibrantly determined woman some 20 years younger than Felicity. While Felicity conspires to destroy their marriage and win George back, Thea's friend, Polly, finds her own desultory marriage to Paul coming to an end and must reevaluate her future. As Thea brings Polly into her circle of friends and family, Felicity finds and loses a love of her own. Unanticipated plot twists, winsome characters, and a beguiling setting unite in Willett's captivating comedy of manners.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2006, American Library Association.)