THE FOUR MS. BRADWELLS BY MEG WAITE CLAYTON

 *With Ingrid's blessing, I am trying out a review style that is used at The Blue Bookcase

 

Published:  2011

It's about four women, the Ms. Bradwells, that meet at law school about 25 years ago.  Present time, Betts has been nominated for the Supreme Court and things are moving along swimmingly until she is asked what she knows about a death that occurred in 1982 at a house in which she was a weekend guest.  The rest of the story is a reunion of sorts of the four Ms. Bradwells who were all present on that fateful weekend.  It becomes a bit of a locked room mystery (although not quite) flashing back to 1982 and forward again to present time until the mystery is solved and the women agree on how to tell the story to the press.  It's also a book about mothers: Mothers here, mothers there, mothers everywhere. 

I thought the story was rich.  The four Ms. Bradwells were all strong and well-written characters.  I was able to relate to much of what was being said. I loved the island setting.   I think it would have been neat to have the locked room mystery more developed so that as a reader I could have been freer to form my own conclusion. This book has sort of sealed the deal for me with mixed narration , chapter by chapter (I lack the proper literary term).  I have been seeing it in a lot of new fiction.  I am a person who reads with a few minutes here and there and maybe for 30 minutes at lunch time and bed time.  Each women telling her part of the story from one chapter to the next, quite frankly, left me truly confused at times.  Does anyone know why this mixed narration has become so popular? 

Reading Recommendation:  It is a great story about relationships and bonds that we form in the beginning of adult life sustaining us through the ages and mothers (who doesn't like to read a good mother story?).  The writing is good, the characters are very real 50-somethings, the setting is peaceful - it is a good book.  I take full blame for the confusion that I felt with the narration. 

Favorite Excerpt:  "Every child imagines her mother loves her doesn't she?  Every mother imagines she loves her child.  So how is it that we cross over from love to something more... complex?  Is anything more complex than love?"

My Rating: