Sandy M’s review of While We Were Watching Downton Abbey by Wendy Wax
Contemporary Women’s Fiction published by Berkley 2 Apr 13
I’ve read a few Wendy Wax books in the past and always enjoyed them. So though this is an older title of hers, it is the title itself that intrigued me – I was one of those glomming every episode of Downton Abbey during its heyday. So to visit this era again from a totally different perspective called to me.
We meet Samantha, Claire, and Brooke, all residents of The Alexander in Atlanta. They are all at different stages of their lives, and through the concierge of the apartment building, little by little we learn about those lives and the women who will grow and develop lasting friendships through a TV show.
There is plenty of heartache and eventually laughter and warmth as we root and cheer, then boo, each of the characters, including charming and funny secondary characters, throughout. Having long-time friendships of my own, I thoroughly enjoyed seeing these three women bond over the course of their coming of age, of sorts, to land in a place where they are once again happy and eager to move forward.
If you watched Downton Abbey, it’s fun getting to know a few of those characters all over again. I have a feeling a re-watch of the series is in my future. If you’ve neither read this book nor watched the series, I strongly urge you to do both. You won’t be disappointed.
Grade: A
Summary:
When the concierge of The Alexander, a historic Atlanta apartment building, invites his fellow residents to join him for weekly screenings of Downton Abbey, four very different people find themselves connecting with the addictive drama, and—even more unexpectedly—with each other…
Samantha Davis married young and for the wrong reason: the security of old Atlanta money—for herself and for her orphaned brother and sister. She never expected her marriage to be complicated by love and compromised by a shattering family betrayal.
Claire Walker is now an empty nester and struggling author who left her home in the suburbs for the old world charm of The Alexander, and for a new and productive life. But she soon wonders if clinging to old dreams can be more destructive than having no dreams at all.
And then there’s Brooke MacKenzie, a woman in constant battle with her faithless ex-husband. She’s just starting to realize that it’s time to take a deep breath and come to terms with the fact that her life is not the fairy tale she thought it would be.
For Samantha, Claire, Brooke—and Edward, who arranges the weekly gatherings—it will be a season of surprises as they forge a bond that will sustain them through some of life’s hardest moments—all of it reflected in the unfolding drama, comedy, and convergent lives of Downton Abbey.
Read an excerpt.
