Ratings2
Average rating2.5
Superbly done...Another winner' Sunday TelegraphAmerica, 1959. With two young children she adores, loving parents back in London, and an admired husband, Charlie, working at the British embassy in Washington, the world seems an effervescent place of parties, jazz and family happiness to Mary van der Linden. But the Eisenhower years are ending, and 1960 brings the presidential battle between two ambitious senators: John Kennedy and Richard Nixon. But when Frank, an American newspaper reporter, enters their lives Mary embarks on a passionate affair, all the while knowing that in the end she must confront an impossible decision.
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After reading [b:On Green Dolphin Street 7479 On Green Dolphin Street Sebastian Faulks https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1391619787l/7479.SY75.jpg 941638]. I committed to read everything [a:Sebastian Faulks 4229 Sebastian Faulks https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1506626382p2/4229.jpg] has ever written. It was THAT good. I'm not so sure it was the story itself as much as the atmosphere and time period it evoked. It did that so well. I was just a kid when the Kennedy/Nixon campaign for president took place, but I was surprised how much this book made me remember. Also, the overlooked aspect of that race was the lingering effects of WWII and the McCarthy era on the outcome.To be truthful, I'm not overly fond of stories where a wife cheats on her husband (or vice versa.) But, I got the impression that Mary really did need to be with Frank, not Charlie. And vice versa. I thought this topic was handled well by Faulks and the ultimate ending appropriate too.Now, I'm reading [b:Birdsong: A Novel of Love and War 6259 Birdsong A Novel of Love and War Sebastian Faulks https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1349952101l/6259.SY75.jpg 1093016]. It has the same “why did I start reading this” beginning until at some point, I'm so sucked in I can't put it down. Excellent writing!