RATING: VERY GOOD
SPOILERS!!!
In the prologue we see the culmination of Eve’s and Myles’s love/lust. It is after their moment of passion that Myles tells her about Celeste’s work offer in New York, and they are to move to America in February. Eve is upset, but they agree that they can still email each other, and Myles promises that he will come to England whenever he can.
When Myles tells Rose about the end of his lease and his plans for America, the woman can’t help but ask about Eve. Myles is surprised, and then Rose admits that she knew what was going on between them even before he and Eve knew themselves. Myles tells her everything, and Rose even explains about her love for Henry. After their confessions, what Rose tells him is that life is short, and one has to consider our options and make the decision that makes us feel happier. I understand that Rose wants to live the love she felt for Henry vicariously through Myles and Eve, but I can understand why the couple can’t ignore their own families.
Myles leaves for New York, and then the saddest thing happens. Rose is looking after her garden when she falls down the stairs leading to the garden. Her body hits the railings, and she dies. I am so sorry that she died. I loved her!!! It is Eve, who finds her. I think that Rose’s death hit her hard, and in a way she realised how ephemeral life is. Besides, all she wants is to be comforted, and Andrew fails to do so. When Eve calls Myles, he tells her that there won’t be anything that stops him from being at the funeral.
Eve is up for a surprise. Rose’s solicitor calls her to inform her that Rose has left her the house and her money, and there is something else. The money that Henry bequeathed her decades ago has not been touched and produced interest. What Rose decided is that these money should go to both Eve and Myles. Eve is flabbergasted, and she remembers the day that Rose was away and she had to wait for her in Myles’s flat, so she guesses that it was that day when Rose went to the solicitor to have her will drawn up. It is also surprising because Rose hadn’t known Myles for long, and Eve wonders why Rose wanted to leave these money to the two of them.
Myles comes to Rose’s funeral, and for Eve it is a bit unnerving as Andrew is also there. The day he arrives they have time to speak, but other than that, they don’t have the opportunity to spend time together as Myles is flying back the following day.
Then the novel moves forward in time. It is a year later, and Myles is still disenchanted with his life. He thought that the move to America would be good, but Celeste is as absent as always. He still calls Eve, but their conversations are about mundane things. Myles has just finished his book about his famous detective, who he decides to kill in this last book. His agent wants him to come to England and discuss his plans for the next book.
As it is a last-minute arrangement, Myles decides to give Eve a surprise. He knows that she has been quite vague in her conversations on the phone, but soon he finds out why. When she goes to find her in her company, she is told that Eve resigned months ago. When he calls her, urging her to tell her where she was, Eve finally explains herself. We learn that shortly after Rose’s funeral, Eve felt upset and furious all the time. Then she had realised that she didn’t love Andrew, and the last straw was when he continued with his gigs, not counting with her. So she told him that she wanted to go and stop living with him. They had a divorce, and the worst moment was when she had to tell Jodie, her daughter, but Jodie is understanding. What happens next is that Eve sells the house she owned with Andrew and also the one belonging to Rose, and using the money Rose left her, she buys a cottage in Wales, and it is there where she creates her own company. She sews and makes toys, which she sells on the Internet.
We know that Eve didn’t tell Myles any of this because she didn’t want her new circumstances to force him to make a decision, which he had to make himself. Now that he is in England and knows the truth, he rushes to Wales and is waiting for Eve while she is going for a walk. In the epilogue we see that Eve and Myles are together. Myles is writing, and we learn that he plans to write their story and when he goes back to America, he will tell Celeste about Eve and he will try to make the usual arrangements for him to see the children as often as possible.
I loved the book. It is so emotional. I especially liked the story about Rose, and when she died, I was actually tearful. The only flaw I find in the book is that Rose’s decision to leave that money to Myles is a bit rash, especially as when she had the will drawn up, she couldn’t be sure about what was going on between Myles and Eve. Actually, at the time Eve hardly knew Myles, so how was Rose to know that they will eventually have an affair? Apart from this, I loved it!!!
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