∎ Read The Secret Life of Violet Grant Beatriz Williams 0884662035156 Books

The Secret Life of Violet Grant Beatriz Williams 0884662035156 Books

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The Secret Life of Violet Grant Beatriz Williams 0884662035156 Books

Such a fun book! It was recommended to me by a friend, and surprisingly it was cheaper for me to buy the paperback through Amazon than to download the Kindle version. This turned out to be a good thing, since I have lent it out to multiple friends now!
The main character is so incredibly likeable and sassy, I knew I was going to enjoy this book from the first few pages onward. It didn't disappoint.
As I get older and grumpier, I have less tolerance for bad writing. This is well-written but not stuffy.
This would be a fantastic summer beach or pool read. Or a vacation read. Or a stuck in the house on a drizzly day read.
Went from this to two other Beatriz Williams books that follow the other two sisters. Also enjoyable!


Tags : The Secret Life of Violet Grant [Beatriz Williams] on Amazon.com. *FREE* shipping on qualifying offers. Defying the privilege of her 1960s Fifth Avenue family to pursue a job with a style magazine, recent college graduate Vivian Schuyler discovers a secret about an aunt she never knew who at the dawn of World War I fled her oppressive marriage to pursue anaudacious goal.,Beatriz Williams,The Secret Life of Violet Grant,G.P. Putnam's Sons,0399162178,Romance - Historical - General,Aunts;Fiction.,Family secrets;Fiction.,Nieces;Fiction.,AMERICAN HISTORICAL FICTION,AMERICAN LIGHT ROMANTIC FICTION,Aunts,FICTION Historical General,FICTION Romance General,FICTION Romance Historical General,Family secrets,Fiction,Fiction-Romance,GENERAL,General Adult,Nieces,RomanceHistorical,Romance: Historical,United States

The Secret Life of Violet Grant Beatriz Williams 0884662035156 Books Reviews

I'm very picky about the books I pick up to read. It must have a great "voice" from the author, and the story needs to really grab me. I don't believe reviews, for the most part, so maybe mine will not be believable either. This is my second Beatriz Williams book, and I couldn't put it down. Couldn't wait to get back to the book, to find out what happened! There is a lot of sex in this book, but it's very tenderly done, and the general story line and mystery are not about the intimacy, really. I tried to follow clues all along the way, and even kept notes! Loved it, and great ending!
The Secret Life of Violet Grant was one of this summer's books that I was most excited about…mostly because I think Williams’ last book, A Hundred Summers, is the most perfect beach book I’ve ever read (yes, really!). While I didn’t love Violet Grant quite as much as I loved A Hundred Summers (that’s a tall order!), I liked it about as much as one can like something without using the word “love”.

For those who have read A Hundred Summers, prepare yourselves for the fact that Violet Grant is quite a different book. The story is told in alternating perspectives (a bit of a trend these days!) Violet’s from 1912 through 1914 and Vivian’s in 1964. Violet’s chapters feel like true historical fiction with the backdrop of World War I and Violet’s career as an atomic physicist (rare and somewhat scandalous for a female in those days). They reminded me of Fall of Giants and Winter of the World (the first two books of Ken Follett’s Century trilogy)…a very good thing!

Vivian’s chapters read like chick lit and are more reminiscent of A Hundred Summers…especially since the Schuylers are relatives of Lily Greenwald from Summers! Lily and Nick and Cousin Julie make some fun cameos in Vivian’s quest for answers about Violet’s life. And, the family scandal that made Summers so deliciously juicy resurfaces here as Vivian digs deeper into Violet’s life (I mean, what’s more scandalous than a NYC blueblood running off to Europe to pursue her career, only to marry her professor, then disappear with her lover following her husband’s murder?!). Don’t worry, that was not a spoiler…that’s just the start of things! The one thing about Vivian’s chapters that bugged me initially was her dialogue…it was over the top in a “darling, I am beautiful and blue blooded and can do anything I want and get away with it” sort of way. As the book went on, I got used to it and it didn’t bother me so much.

Violet and Vivian are strong female characters that I completely respected. They’re both smart, brash, courageous, and daring…but in very different ways. Vivian will try any imaginable trick to get what she wants (in a humorous, frivolous way) and Violet will sacrifice almost anything to get what she wants (in a deadly serious way). Imagine what you could get if you combined these two! And, the difference in characters carried over into the feeling you got when reading their respective chapters. I loved the balance of switching back and forth from the frivolousness of Vivian to the seriousness of Violet.

Finally, I thought the ending seemed abrupt and random…until I read the “Aftermath” chapter, which closed the book in a thrilling and appropriate way.

The Secret Life of Violet Grant would make a great beach read.

For more reviews, check out my blog, Sarah's Book Shelves.
I loved, loved, loved this book!
I am a huge fan of the shifting plot lines that plunge me back and forth over time and place. I know that some readers don't like that structure, but for me, it nearly always helps me turn the pages.
In TSLOVG I found myself dying to get back to 1914 where Violet is struggling to kick down the walls of her suffocating marriage. All the while I'm anticipating diving forward to 1964 where Vivian (Violet's descendent) is thrust head-first into the mystery of her family's hidden past. I mean there's a mystery package in this novel--Williams had me at mystery package.
The tone of this is fun and Vivian's voice (along with her love interest) reminds me of old Maryilyn Monroe-type movie banter. The rhythm and pace also reminds me of Dorothy Parker's short story style--just witty and snappy. This is a perfect read--fast and fun, flavored with romance and history! Give it a try if you like or don't mind dualing plot line structures in fiction!
Just finished A Hundred Summers and loved it, but really did not like this book at all. Of the two characters Vivian (present) and Violet (past) I could not stand the Vivian character and her storyline and I skimmed through all of her chapters as fast as I could turn the pages. I enjoyed the Violet character and her storyline but it was pretty predictable. Since this book was titled the Secret Life of Violet Grant I wish the whole book had been about her. There seemed to be no real point in the present Vivian character and her lifestyle and life choices were laughable. Overall I have to say I do not recommend this book. I can't understand all the rave reviews.
This is my first read of Beatriz Williams . Recommended by a friend, it tasted like a total chick book. The main character grabbed me so fast that I didn't have strength to resist. I felt so intrigued with the second main and then so energized by the quick back and forth pace between the two that I decided 5 chapters in that I really liked this chick's books. Two things about the writing style drew me all the way in one was the sex, only a woman could get it all in without any smut. Then there is the spareness of description of place so that the author puts you in scene with the use of objects and particular items to set the scene in stead of elaborate description of atmosphere. Nothing gets in the way of efficient story telling. Well almost--- there are some suspicious plot points that get thrown about a bit too Trumpishly. But we forgive for the sake of getting to the payoff swiftly. A good read, a great ride, terrific fun.
Such a fun book! It was recommended to me by a friend, and surprisingly it was cheaper for me to buy the paperback through than to download the version. This turned out to be a good thing, since I have lent it out to multiple friends now!
The main character is so incredibly likeable and sassy, I knew I was going to enjoy this book from the first few pages onward. It didn't disappoint.
As I get older and grumpier, I have less tolerance for bad writing. This is well-written but not stuffy.
This would be a fantastic summer beach or pool read. Or a vacation read. Or a stuck in the house on a drizzly day read.
Went from this to two other Beatriz Williams books that follow the other two sisters. Also enjoyable!