Sign up for our newsletters to receive our Best of 2024 ezine!

What readers think of A Certain Age, plus links to write your own review.

Summary |  Excerpt |  Reading Guide |  Reviews |  Beyond the book |  Read-Alikes |  Genres & Themes |  Author Bio

A Certain Age by Beatriz Williams

A Certain Age

A Novel

by Beatriz Williams
  • BookBrowse Review:
  • Critics' Consensus (4):
  • Readers' Rating (27):
  • First Published:
  • Jun 28, 2016, 336 pages
  • Paperback:
  • Jan 2017, 384 pages
  • Rate this book

About This Book

Reviews

Page 2 of 4
There are currently 27 reader reviews for A Certain Age
Order Reviews by:

Write your own review!

Eileen F. (Green Valley, AZ)

A Certain Age
This was my first Beatriz Williams book. I enjoy historical fiction. I was entertained by the 1920s era, the characters, the mystery, and the plot. A great vacation read, because the characters and plot were easy to follow, in spite of the twists and turns.
Sharon R. (Deerfield, IL)

A Modern Day Romance
As in all of Beatriz William's novels you are transported and immersed in the period, this one being the Roaring 20s.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" crowd 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. The characters are dressed in glitter, jet beads and lipstick. For the older crow it is a lark, a way of life and for the younger set it is a way to break free from the constraints of being poor, prim and proper. Morals and principles be damned, there is fun to be had, drinks to explore and men to meet. All of these themes, plus murder and adultery are included.

I absolutely loved this book and highly recommend it to historical fiction lovers, romance believers and mystery solvers alike.
Power Reviewer
Gail

A Certain Age
Beatriz Williams borrows freely from the opera Der Rosenkavalier while she modernizes the setting to 1920s Manhattan. On page one, she invites us to relax and read "in the comfort of our armchair," as we meet the cast of characters in her captivating, jazzy style of prose. Who would not want to know more about high society Mrs. Marshall of a Certain Age, the deliciously handsome Mr. Octavian Rofrano, the nouveau riche Patent King and his daughters? And the Trial of the Century? Carry on, Dear Reader! You're in for a treat!
Rebecca J. (Knoxville, TN)

A certain age
This historical novel was based on an opera with which I was unfamiliar, that said, A Certain Age was a compelling read about a murder trial and an unexplained disappearance of a family 20 years earlier. The strands of the story slowly came together in an intriguing way. Characterization was very strong with I, as the reader, feeling sympathy for both women and the man in the love triangle. Good depiction of the Roaring 20's. Great combo of history and romance!
Mary M. (Omaha, NE)

A Certain Age
I loved this book!!!! If you are a fan of Beatriz Williams you will love this book. If you are new to her you will become a fan after reading A Certain Age. Every character is real, you want to know more about them, even the worst ones have redeeming qualities. Hated for it to end but it does have the most perfect ending.
Joan W. (Orion, MI)

Great Read
Another great read from Beatriz Williams. Story of the Jazz Age - Theresa, Sophie and Octavian, a war pilot returned from the Great War. People with money who don't know what to do except party. Love and murder. She always puts in a twist or two in her stories. I love her books and enjoy every single one. Highly recommend this one as well. Can't wait for the next one!
Dorothy M. (Maynard, MA)

This book should definitely be in your beach bag
With a plot based on Richard Strauss's Der Rosenkavalier with a murder thrown in and set in NY during the early 1920's among the rich and well pedigreed, this is a delight. The soldiers are coming back from the war, airplanes are becoming a thing, jazz is the music of the day, speakeasies are making a mockery of prohibition and at least a few women are thinking there must be an alternative to looking for a man to take care of them. 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. Be sure to read the quotes before each chapter - they are a hoot.
Power Reviewer
Elizabeth of Silver's Reviews

A Certain Age
Falling in love with a younger man while you are still married and then having a younger woman come along wasn't the best thing to happen to Mrs. Theresa Marshall.

A CERTAIN AGE began with an excerpt from a murder trial then moved to alternating chapters and told of the life of high society and how they adapted social protocol to whatever they wanted.

We follow Mrs. Marshall, Mr. Marshall, Captain Rofrano, and Miss Fortescue in the scandalous antics they were all involved in. Decisions had to be made and?? Sophie Fortescue had the most difficult decision, even though her father was the one that would be making the decision about who she was to marry.

Ms. Williams again perfectly portrays the time period and how women in wealthy families really didn't have a choice about choosing their spouse. After the marriage proposal was made, an investigation into the Fortescue family adds another layer to the book. The Fortescues are not who they say they are, and a house that Mr. Rofrano grew up in was part of their secret.

Once the secret was revealed and Sophie Fortescue was more outspoken, the book heated up with an ending that was oh so good with an unexpected twist.

I enjoyed the characters, but Mrs. Marshall and Mr. Fortescue were my least favorites. Mr. Fortescue was too controlling, and Mrs. Marshall was too sneaky for me.

A CERTAIN AGE was beautifully written as all of Ms. Williams’ books even though it took me a while to get connected, but it was still enjoyable.

The book's cover is stunning, and the book is patterned after an opera titled Der Rosenkavalie.

Beyond the Book:
  The Jazz Age: A Quick Tour

Top Picks

  • Book Jacket: Small Rain
    Small Rain
    by Garth Greenwell
    At the beginning of Garth Greenwell's novel Small Rain, the protagonist, an unnamed poet in his ...
  • Book Jacket: Daughters of Shandong
    Daughters of Shandong
    by Eve J. Chung
    Daughters of Shandong is the debut novel of Eve J. Chung, a human rights lawyer living in New York. ...
  • Book Jacket: The Women
    The Women
    by Kristin Hannah
    Kristin Hannah's latest historical epic, The Women, is a story of how a war shaped a generation ...
  • Book Jacket: The Wide Wide Sea
    The Wide Wide Sea
    by Hampton Sides
    By 1775, 48-year-old Captain James Cook had completed two highly successful voyages of discovery and...

BookBrowse Book Club

Book Jacket
In Our Midst
by Nancy Jensen
In Our Midst follows a German immigrant family’s fight for freedom after their internment post–Pearl Harbor.
Who Said...

Who dares to teach must never cease to learn.

Click Here to find out who said this, as well as discovering other famous literary quotes!

Wordplay

Big Holiday Wordplay 2024

Enter Now

Your guide toexceptional          books

BookBrowse seeks out and recommends the best in contemporary fiction and nonfiction—books that not only engage and entertain but also deepen our understanding of ourselves and the world around us.