Husbands & Lovers

A Novel

By: Beatriz Williams

Narrated by: Helen Laser, Caroline Hewitt

Length: 12 hrs and 31 mins

Publisher's summary

Two women—separated by decades and continents, and united by an exotic family heirloom—reclaim secrets and lost loves in this sweeping novel from the New York Times bestselling author of The Summer Wives.

“My favorite kind of page-turner—unputdownable!”—Martha Hall Kelly, author of The Golden Doves

New England, 2022. Three years ago, single mother Mallory Dunne received the telephone call every parent dreads—her ten-year-old son, Sam, had been airlifted from summer camp with acute poisoning from a toxic death cap mushroom, leaving him fighting for his life. Now, searching for the donor kidney that will give her son a chance for a normal life, Mallory’s forced to confront two harrowing secrets from her past: her mother’s adoption from an infamous Irish orphanage in 1952, and her own all-consuming summer romance fourteen years earlier with her childhood best friend, Monk Adams—one of the world’s most beloved singer-songwriters—a fairy tale cut short by a devastating betrayal.

Cairo, 1951. After suffering tragedy beyond comprehension in the war, Hungarian refugee Hannah Ainsworth has forged a respectable new life for herself—marriage to a wealthy British diplomat with a coveted posting in glamorous Cairo. But a fateful encounter with the enigmatic manager of a hotel bristling with spies leads to a passionate affair that will reawaken Hannah’s longing for everything she once lost. As revolution simmers in the Egyptian streets, a pregnant Hannah finds herself snared in a game of intrigue between two men . . . and an act of sacrifice that will echo down the generations.

Timeless and bittersweet, Husbands & Lovers takes listeners on an unforgettable journey of heartbreak and redemption, from the revolutionary fires of midcentury Egypt to the moneyed beaches of contemporary New England. Acclaimed author Beatriz Williams has written a poignant and beautifully voiced novel of deeply human characters entangled by morally complex issues—of privilege, class, and the female experience—inside worlds brought shimmeringly to life.

©2024 Beatriz Williams (P)2024 Random House Audio

Critic reviews

“I loved Husbands & Lovers and devoured it in one delicious gulp. I was so invested in Mallory and Monk. It’s my favorite kind of page-turner—unputdownable!”—Martha Hall Kelly, New York Times bestselling author of The Golden Doves

“The masterful Williams spins a story that spans continents and eras, and it takes readers on a page-turning ride encompassing intoxicating youthful romance, forbidden wartime love, betrayal, espionage, life-eroding secrets, and a mother’s boundless love for her child. Reminding us of the interconnectivity of the past and present and the enduring power of love, Husbands & Lovers is stunning.”—Marie Benedict, New York Times bestselling co-author of The Personal Librarian

“From sunny Cape Cod beaches to 1950s Cairo, I loved being immersed in the lives and loves of Beatriz Williams’s complex characters. This novel has it all: a single mother with a secret, a passionate affair against the backdrop of World War Two, and a child so wonderful (and in so much danger) that I stayed up until three in the morning to make sure he would survive. This is sweeping, sumptuous, and utterly enthralling.”—Amanda Eyre Ward, New York Times bestselling author of The Jetsetters

Add it to your list!

Loved how the two stories blended back and forth. Excitement, laughter, love, tears, some history!!

Didn’t see that coming!

Took a second to keep switching decades, but once I got into the rhythm all the stories wove together beautifully. Great love story of passion and sacrifice.

Love the twist

Narrator had a bit of a news reporter voice at times for the character Mallory. Book was still amazing!

Fun

An easy and fun listen. Great for summer. Sometimes it’s a bit hard to follow as there are different characters in different eras and the transition isn’t always smooth when going back and forth on time, but it’s easy enough to get an understanding of what’s taking place.

Well written, dual timeline

It was a story of love loss and family history. Love loss and reconnection. This book is definitely worth a listen. I will definitely read from this author again.

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Love the alternating POVs and storyline. I couldn't get enough of this story and the characters.

A few strategic twists make this a favorite!

Beatriz Williams weaves an intricate story of women, loves and losses. It was excellent! I loved finding the answers to my questions as the story slowly untraveled. I have read all of her works, and I think this has become my favorite.

Good story but….

It was hard to follow the way it left off and picked back up from past to present. I liked the story but I was lost often and there were parts that I never quite grasped because of the way it was put together. I think maybe if it was an ebook or paperback it would have been easier because I could have scrolled back to the previous chapters to remember the details. Overall it was good and kept my attention. I just felt frustrated several times that I couldn’t keep up with the flip flopping. I like books where the past meets the present/future…it was just the way this book did it felt like it jumped around too much - without enough of a marker to refresh the memory. Honestly I think it was the editing that was the problem- not the writing. This was my first book by this author and I’m going to try another.

Good but…

Good story with great character development. But as someone from Cape Cod the mispronunciations and geographical errors were frustrating.

Completely Bingeworthy

I’m a long time fan of Beatriz Williams. I particularly enjoy her mid-20th century/modern dual period novels and “Husbands and Lovers” is no exception. I was enthralled by the plot and Williams is one the rare authors who can truly keep me guessing about where the characters are going to end up. At times I was more interested in Mallory’s story than Hannah’s, which I found a little difficult to follow since it bounced back and forth a bit. To be honest, Hannah’s story really deserves a standalone novel. It is certainly complex enough! At times, I felt like it was too glossed over to allow for full character development. The ending being what it was, I do wonder if there will be another book in the future featuring Hannah.
I would totally read it even though I generally have WWII fatigue.
I definitely recommend “Husbands and Lovers” which will appeal to both historic fiction and women’s fiction fans.