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Husbands & Lovers

Written by: Beatriz Williams
Narrated by: Helen Laser, Caroline Hewitt
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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
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What the critics say

“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

What listeners say about Husbands & Lovers

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Rich character development

the character development, the performance, and the content far surpassed my expectations of this book. I had originally purchased it thinking it was going to be fluffy and easy. while it's easy, the characters, and the stories that are interwoven made this one of the best books I've listened to all year.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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Loved it.

I kind of needed this. My last few books had me in a bit of a hangover. This one pulled me out of it. Narrated perfectly, the storylines were beautifully woven, and the very last, somewhat unexpected, sentence gave me tears of joy.

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  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
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    2 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars

Confusing narration

I didn’t love this book. I was expecting something a bit more deep and nuanced with much more character development. It’s really quite cringy at times. I was not all that invested in the love stories because I feel like I didn’t really ‘know’ the characters. Completely disliked Mallory from the beginning. I don’t know one mother that would not explore EVERY option should their child need it to live and thrive. And the fact that she constantly discussed Monk in front of her ‘fatherless’ child was annoying. I preferred the other story line, however the narrator’s accents were completely distracting. And the fact that the characters thought in an English accents yet when they spoke they spoke with a British and French accent was incredibly annoying. This was a big miss for me. I have had the pleasure of reading some very character rich novels lately and this fell short.

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  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
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Hannah

I skipped all the chapters about Mallory after the first two and listened only to Hannah’s story.

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