Review: While We Were Watching Downton Abbey by Wendy Wax

Although Wendy Wax has written at least eight previous novels, While We Were Watching Downton Abbey was my first experience with her work. As you know, I am often a bad match for contemporary women's fiction, but I couldn't resist a book that made reference to the wonderful Masterpiece television series.

As it turns out, you don't have to be a Downton Abbey fan to understand the novel. In fact, you needn't have watched even one episode to enjoy the story, which centers around three women living in the Alexander, a high-class Atlantic apartment building, who bond after they join a buildingwide weekly viewing of the television series.

On the surface, Claire, Brook, and Samantha have very little in common except their address. Claire is a single mother, empty-nester, and published author who quit her job and moved out of the suburbs to focus fully on writing her second Highland historical romance; unfortunately, she is spending more time at the park than in front of her laptop. Brook is a newly divorced mother of two young daughters who is still trying to adjust to her altered circumstances while her ex-husband is quickly moving on to his second marriage. Samantha, childless, lives in the penthouse with her seemingly perfect (and rich!) husband. Yet looks can deceive, and there seems to be trouble in paradise.

While We Were Watching Downton Abbey explores the women's relationships within their families and among themselves. Each woman has different needs and strengths, bringing something unique to the friendship and promoting the idea that women share commonalities that span gaps in money and social status. The principal themes of the novel are friendship, loyalty, self-discovery, and self-acceptance.

Although two of the women have man troubles, Claire is a beacon for readers who don't pin their happiness and success on having a romantic relationship or a model marriage. In addition, the secondary characters, including some men, are so well developed that it's easy to get a feel for life in the Alexander.

Yes, the overarching plot of the novel is predictable, but there were enough surprises and lots of good humor to keep me connected to While We Were Watching Downton Abbey. As I mentioned in my review of Dorothea Benton Frank's The Last Original Wife on Tuesday, I like books that mix humor with more serious issues, and I'm adding Wendy Wax to my list of authors who do this well.

I listened to the unabridged audio edition (Penguin Audio; 10 hr, 24 min) read by the fantastic Orlagh Cassidy. For my review of her Earphones Award-winning performance, check out AudioFile magazine. This is one of the best audiobooks I've listened to this year, and I urge you to find a copy and get listening.

Published by Penguin USA / Berkley Trade, 2013
ISBN-13: 9780425263310
Rating: A (audio edition)
Source: review (audio) (see review policy)
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