BookBrowse Reviews A Certain Age by Beatriz Williams

BookBrowse:

High-society glamor, intrigue and nasty goings-on occupy center stage in this absorbing novel set in the Jazz Age.

Lovers of high-society gossip, there's a new set of players in town. A good 20 out of 23 of our First Impression reviewers loved A Certain Age enough to recommend it heartily with a 4 or 5 rating. Here's why:

The novel is beautifully evocative…

As in all of Beatriz William's novels you are transported and immersed in the period, this one being the Roaring '20s (see Beyond the Book). The war is over and new industries are springing up, machines and airplanes are rapidly evolving and inventors are making more money than they ever dreamed. The "New Money" and the "Old Money" crowd come together in this wonderful novel where you can feel the heat, smell the cigarette smoke and hear the jazz band as you sip your first cocktail (Sharon R).

The writing and characterization are beautifully executed…

Love and scandal among the upper classes is always fascinating, the writing is excellent and the author keeps several surprises to throw to you at the end. Highly recommended (Dorothy M). A Certain Age is delightful with the style and vernacular of the rat-a-tat-tat dialogue of '40s movies. The characters are well-written and I especially liked that each of the characters presents an individual point of view (Shirley P). The story contrasts the old and new and is carried along by a suspenseful murder trial and surprising twists and turns. The gossip column articles interspersed throughout the novel add background as well as a genuine feel for the era, and the quotes heading the chapters are a hoot (Leslie D).

The novel might be a tad predictable...

This wasn't a great read for me. While the plot is interesting, I feel like it is almost one stock story, full of familiar themes and tropes. It is a very well-written book, but predictable and familiar too (Alissa C).

...but it's more than a beach read

A Certain Age is not a deep, demanding read, but the romantic intrigues worked for me and the mystery line added just the right degree of complexity. Is it "the perfect summer beach read," which is the way it was described before I decided to read it. Maybe, but that doesn't mean the reader won't enjoy it at other times. I almost passed it up because of the "summer beach read" description, and that would have been my loss (Marianne D).

Readers recommend it to…

I absolutely loved this book and highly recommend it to historical fiction lovers, romance believers and mystery-solvers alike (Sharon R). A great vacation read, because the characters and plot are easy to follow, in spite of the twists and turns (Eileen F).

This review was originally published in The BookBrowse Review in July 2016, and has been updated for the January 2017 edition. Click here to go to this issue.