Books & Java

The Widow Waltz

by Sally Koslow  

 

Synopsis:

 

Georgia Waltz has things many people only dream of: a plush Manhattan apartment overlooking Central Park, a Hamptons beach house, valuable jewels and art, two bright daughters, and a husband she adores, even after decades of marriage. It’s only when Ben suddenly drops dead from a massive coronary while training for the New York City Marathon that Georgia discovers her husband—a successful lawyer—has left them nearly penniless. Their wonderland was built on lies.
     
As the family attorney scours emptied bank accounts, Georgia must not only look for a way to support her family, she needs to face the revelation that Ben was not the perfect husband he appeared to be, just as her daughters—now ensconced back at home with secrets of their own—have to accept that they may not be returning to their lives in Paris and at Stanford subsidized by the Bank of Mom and Dad. As she uncovers hidden resilience, Georgia’s sudden midlife shift forces her to consider who she is and what she truly values. That Georgia may also find new love in the land of Spanx and stretch marks surprises everyone—most of all, her.

Sally Koslow’s fourth novel is deftly told through the alternating viewpoints of her remarkable female protagonists as they plumb for the grit required to reinvent their lives. Inspiring, funny, and deeply satisfying, The Widow Waltz explores in a profound way the bonds between mothers and daughters, belligerent siblings, skittish lovers, and bitter rivals as they discover the power of forgiveness, and healing, all while asking, "What is family, really?"

My Review:

I loved this book, the storyline, the writer's style and just absolutely everything about The Widow Waltz. As young women, we never stop to think that our life may not turn out to be just like you imagined it in the naïveté of youth. In the case of Georgia Silver-Waltz the reality of life and her happiness come to a crossroads when her husband of 25 years dies unexpectedly. Accustomed to living the life of a well-to-do Manhattanite she is unpleasantly shocked to find that when Ben died he had exhausted all of their savings and assets. Now, she has to not only reconstruct her life as a widow but solve the mystery of where their savings have gone and worst of all who this man she loved and she felt she knew so well was really the man she thought she knew so well. In the process, she is also playing the supportive mother to her two twenty-something daughters - one smart but scattered and the other not-so-smart but loving and considerate. However; both are lost and grieving the loss of their father and the possibility that the life of financial comfort has come to an end at their young ages. One, even dealing with an unplanned pregnancy.

I felt this book gave me a very intimate view in the lives of the Manhattanite elite with whom I would think I would have nothing in common. Yet, I found Georgia's realizations, disappointments, insecurities to be relatable if not some the same I have myself felt. Excellent read!