Monday, January 23, 2012

The Affair-Alicia Clifford

The Affair


Alicia Clifford

St. Martin's, Mar 132012, $25.99

ISBN: 9780312376277



Famous author Celia Bayley received critical and fan accolades for her poignant passionate look into human relationships. She came from an upper middle class background, married World War II hero Frederick as a teen back sixty-five years ago in 1944 and raised three successful children with a happy home. Now the extended family gathers for her funeral.



Newspaper profile author Jenny Granger asks Celia’s children if she can write the family sanctioned biography of the great late writer. They allow her access to Celia’s diaries, notebooks and letters. They shock the reporter and the deceased’s loved ones as they paint a different picture of her. Naive Cecila’s love match with over a decade older Frederick was a sham as he broke her heart early on, but for the sake of her children and 1950s culture created the facade of a happy home. Even more stunning is years later the sophisticated Celia met the grand passion of her life who was not Frederick.



The Affair is a stunning character study as Celia made a sacrificing choice for the sake of her children. Incredibly profound, fans will ponder whether destroying a legend with the truth will set everyone free when already knowing the truth sets everyone somewhat free. As each of her loved ones (and the author) looks inside their hearts and souls, they wonder what happiness means to them and whether they have what they desire in their respective relationships. The Affair is a thought provoking winner that will have reader doing the same inner SWOT analysis of what we want in our lives.



Harriet Klausner



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