• Paperback: 360 pages
• Publisher: iUniverse (June 11, 2009)
• ISBN-10: 1440133336
• Source: Author

It has been two years since the horrific accident that killed Brian Weller’s three-year-old son and left his wife in an irreversible  coma. He’s lost everything, including his will to write.  Brian is the author of best selling thrillers and has been in a writing slump since the accident.

One morning, he receives an email from Joanna, an artist from Boston he’d been in a “relationship” with fifteen years earlier.  His feelings are torn: guilt for the feelings he still has for Joanna and anger due to the way the relationship ended.  He ultimately decides to do a book tour in Boston so he can be reunited.

When he arrives in Boston his feelings for Joanna are instantly resurrected. The only thing standing between the love he has for Joanna is the same thing that prevented their relationship in the past: her husband.  Brian has been through a tremendous amount of loss in the past few years and he vows to stop at nothing to make up for the love lost.

I have to give Walker huge kudos for this one.  Long time readers of Jenn’s Bookshelves know that I do not read romances. However, when I read the synopsis, I felt drawn to this one. Imagine a love so strong that it stands the test of time!  Walker does an excellent job of providing background on the characters and how their lives become intertwined. He uses flashbacks to introduce the reader to the young Brian and Joanna in the 1990s, detailing how they met and the secret romance they shared. The story then returns to the present, to a love rekindled.

My only problem with the book is Joanna’s apparent indifference to the affair she had with Brian.  She didn’t appear to feel guilty at all.  Granted, her husband was a power-hungry business man, but it is very evident he loved her.  This one flaw doesn’t really change my opinion of the book.  Overall, the characters were well developed and obviously flawed. And while I didn’t completely agree with the decisions they made, I was able to connect with them as a reader.  Also, I’m a huge fan of the cover.  While the object don’t really mean anything in the beginning, by the end of the book they represent key aspects of the novel. In the end, I do highly recommend reading this one.

Henry Oades, his wife Margaret, and his children move to New Zealand temorarily after Henry obtains an esteemed accounting position there.  It’s the 19th century, so the sea-based journey there was long and arduous, but Henry assures Margaret that the stay will be temporary.  Their stay near a close when Margaret and the children are abducted by natives and their family home is set aflame.  After months and months of desperately searching for his family, Henry believes them to be dead.  Unable to continue living in New Zealand, he packs up what is left of his life and moves to California. 

He soon meets Nancy, a young pregnant widow.  They marry, and start a new life together on a dairy farm. Unbeknownst to Henry, his Margaret and his children are still alive.  Six years after their presumed death, they make the long journey to America and arrive on his doorstep.  Henry attempts to do the “right thing” and serves as husband to both women, and a father to his children. It doesn’t take long for the local Daughters of Decency to catch wind of this living situation, and the entire Oades family must face the consequences.

The Wives of Henry Oades is based on a true 19th century bigamy case. Moran does an outstanding job of describing the terror and emotion each of the characters went through at each stage of the novel.  My heart broke when it was assumed the family was dead and then soared when I realized they were still alive. I couldn’t help but feel for both wives.  I can’t imagine how it would feel to finally find the husband you’ve been separated from for several years, only to find that he had remarried.  I was angered when Henry realized Margaret was still alive.  In one sense, I felt he should have divorced Nancy and reclaim his original family.  But then I began to feel for Nancy as well, a completely innocent victim.  She’s already lost one husband and now she risked losing another.  

Moran has built extremely well-developed and strong characters, my favorite being Margaret.  She is completely selfless.  She leaves her parents to journey to New Zealand to be with her husband.  When she and the children are abducted she stops at nothing to insure their safety.  And when she is reunited with her husband, and his new wife, her feelings are once again pushed to the side. Her mission is to provide a home, and a father, to her children and she will give up nearly everything to accomplish this.

The Wives of Henry Oades is an outstanding piece of debut fiction and would make an excellent pick for a book group.  So many themes are covered, including love, loss, & loyalty. I can’t recommend this book enough; I enjoyed every aspect of it. It was definitely a page-turner, I couldn’t bare to step away from it for any extended period of time.  It’s a book that will stay with you long after you turn the last page.

Johanna’s website, which features the ‘story behind the story’:  http://www.johannamoran.com/

Interview and Reader’s Guide:
http://www.johannamoran.com/ReadersGuide.html

Thank you to TLC Book Tours for giving me the opportunity to participate in this tour.  Be sure to check out some of the tour stops coming up:

Tuesday, February 23rd:  The 3 R’s Blog

Wednesday, February 24th:  Savvy Verse and Wit

Thursday, February 25th:  It’s All About Books

Friday, February 26th:  Thoughts of an Evil Overlord

Monday, March 1st:  Rundpinne

Tuesday, March 2nd:  Peeking Between the Pages

Wednesday, March 3rd:  A High and Hidden Place

Thursday, March 4th:  The Literate Housewife Review

Friday, March 5th:  Stephanie’s Confessions of a Book-aholic

Monday, March 8th:  Bibliofreak

Tuesday, March 9th: A Lifetime of Books

Wednesday, March 10th:  Starting Fresh

Thanks to the publisher, I have one copy of The Wives of Henry Oades to give away.  This contest is available to US/Canadian residents only.  The book will be sent directly by the publisher.  Winners will be announced Monday, March 1st.  To be entered, please fill out the form below.