Woman in Red

Nine years ago Alice Kessler's oldest son, David, was killed by a drunk driver, Owen White. Mr. White was the patriarch of the richest and most influential family on Gray's Island, Washington. The criminal trial led to a not-guilty verdict and Alice, stunned by the jury's decision, was overcome with grief and rage as she aimed her car at Owen as he left the courthouse. After nine years in jail for attempted murder, Alice has returned to the island where Owen White lives in a wheelchair but is now the mayor and controls much of the business, politics and police force. Alice hopes to reconnect with her youngest son, Jeremy, who is now a teenager and not very welcoming to a mother who he sees as someone who willingly left him behind.

Also show more returning to the island is Colin McGinty, the grandson of the late William McGinty a world-renowned artist. Colin is battling his own demons as an alcoholic who left his high-powered law firm in New York City to deal with his grandfather's property. Colin's wife, Nadine, was killed on 9/11 and he found himself increasingly turning to alcohol to help with his grief. Now, 10 months sober, Colin hopes to begin a simpler life on Gray's Island with an oyster farm. He crosses paths with Alice when her son, Jeremy, is accused of rape and she pleads with Colin to help her prove his innocence. Against his better judgment, Colin agrees to help as he fights a growing attraction to Alice.

The story includes the romance between William McGinty and Eleanor Styles, Alice's grandmother, in 1942. Eleanor had married Joe Styles after becoming pregnant by Lowell White, the rich playboy on Gray's Island. Although she learned to love Joe in her own fashion, when he left to fight the War in Europe she found her affections turning toward the unhappily married William. He fell desperately in love with Eleanor and she was the inspiration for his painting "Woman in Red". Eleanor, William, Colin and Alice all have stories that intersect during the course of the book.

I found this book fairly tedious until about halfway through. Alice and Colin are interesting characters who are both looking to start a new life on Gray's Island. I feel that the Jeremy rape storyline was very poorly developed and that detracted from the story quite a bit. It was an ok book, but not a favorite by any means. show less

Woman in Red is not chicklit, not by a long shot. It's too serious, too self-aware, and--let's face it--far too well-written. Still, the term melodrama is never far from one's mind when one is reading Woman in Red. It's like a Lifetime Movie Network movie, but one of the really good ones (yes, they exist). It has class, it has style, and if the coincidences may pile up a little too thick and fast for some, tough. Go read Austen. Oh, wait, Austen's full of melodramatic coincidence, too...

Woman in Red begins with a prologue nine years prior to the main events of the story. As it opens, we're at Alice Kessler's side as she awaits sentencing in the trial of the drunk driver who killed her young son, David. Owen White, a prominent--and show more rich--member of the community is acquited on all counts, and as she is leaving the courthouse with her other son, Jeremy, Alice plows him down with her car.

We meet her again nine years later, after her parole, as she's arriving via ferry to Gray's Island, her home town and the place where both her son Jeremy and the now paralyzed Owen White live. At the same time we meet--as does Alice--Colin McGinty, recovering alcoholic, 9/11 widower, disgraced former prosecuter of the City of New York, and grandson of the recently deceased William McGinty, painter of the famous portrait called--you got it--Woman in Red.

Eventually, of course, circumstances will bring these two wounded, suffering, but noble people together, and that story is rich. Alice's son Jeremy is accused of a rape he didn't commit, Alice convinces Colin to take up the law again to defend him, and their connection grows even stronger. But wait, there's more. Colin learns that Alice is the granddaughter of the woman in red painted by his grandfather.

There is a parallel narrative set during World War II, following the stories of Eleanor, the woman in red, and William, the artist who painted her. If the nefarious Owen White's equally nefarious father is brought into this narrative in a key role, so much the better.

Yes, Woman in Red is a melodrama, a contrived story full of coincidence. It's also beautifully written, with characters, including an ex-con friend of Alice's, an African American queen named Calpernia who drops in to liven up white-bread small-town America, who are deeply and deftly drawn. There are even good dog characters, always a plus in any book. show less

This book was actually pretty good! I usually dislike contemporary books a great deal, but this one was really well written. Although there was a love triangle (well, two to be more specific), I enjoyed it and thought that it (the love triangles) made sense given the circumstances present for the characters.

The pacing was really well done and was a huge part of why I enjoyed this book. No part seemed to drag at all.

One thing that kind of put me off though is the 1943 sections of the story. I don't see why they were required to be there at all. Although they were interesting, they didn't really have a part in the story other than giving background on characters that weren't even "players" in the main story lines.

The characters themselves show more were quite enjoyable and their circumstances seemed very realistic. I liked getting to see their reactions to death (in the case of Alice), false accusations (in the case of Jeremy), and rebuilding after the matter. show less

This is a multi-generational story with two timelines. It is easy to follow the two time periods and see how the story fits together, even though the characters themselves never know.

Alice Kessler is a strong woman who is dealing with one of the worst things that can happen to a mother. She sees her young son hit and killed by a drunk driver while he is riding his bike. She then witnesses the driver get off without even a slap on the wrist. Of course the fact that he is wealthy and one of the pillars of the community help with that. As she is leaving the trial, she sees the driver walking with his wife and loses control, running him down and injuring him so that he ends up in a wheelchair. She ends up in prison for nine years.

Nine show more years later, Alice is released from prison and heads home to Grays Island, Washington. To some she is a pariah, others try to help her. It is not easy and her son wants nothing to do with her. The story is about family, forgiveness, making things right and power. There is alcohol addiction discussed, rape, peer pressure and making the right decisions. Colin McGuinty has come to the island after the death of his grandfather, an artist. He is trying to make a new life for himself and is actually in the same boat as Alice to some degree. The second story line takes place in the 1940s. It is the story of Alice's grandmother, Eleanor and Colin's grandfather. Again, a strong woman trying to do right by her daughter, Lucy, while her husband is off fighting in the war.

This story has wonderful characters. There stories are real and are shared with the reader that you get to know them well. The setting of a small town on a small Island shows how people take sides, and power coupled with money runs the town. I really enjoyed both story lines as well as the unexpected twists that this family takes. I enjoyed Eileen Goudge's writing style. She was very descriptive and the text flowed very nicely. I am so glad I finally read this book. show less

This book was actually pretty good! I usually dislike contemporary books a great deal, but this one was really well written. Although there was a love triangle (well, two to be more specific), I enjoyed it and thought that it (the love triangles) made sense given the circumstances present for the characters.

The pacing was really well done and was a huge part of why I enjoyed this book. No part seemed to drag at all.

One thing that kind of put me off though is the 1943 sections of the story. I don't see why they were required to be there at all. Although they were interesting, they didn't really have a part in the story other than giving background on characters that weren't even "players" in the main story lines.

The characters themselves show more were quite enjoyable and their circumstances seemed very realistic. I liked getting to see their reactions to death (in the case of Alice), false accusations (in the case of Jeremy), and rebuilding after the matter. show less

No matter how hard you try, people hold the past against you. When Alice Kessler stepped off the ferry, she could feel the ill will. It penetrated her skin, like the chilling fingers of the relentless wind.

Grays Island, located in Puget Sound, Washington, held many wonderful recollections for Alice. But they were overshadowed by dark, vivid memories, full of pain, anger, and injustice. One desperate act had left her young son, Jeremy, without his mother. That was nine years ago. The complete emptiness she felt was devastating, like the fear now pumping through her heart. Slowly she climbed the hill, seeking refuge from the cold and her fears. Questions assaulted her mind. Will Jeremy, now a teenager, even talk to her? Could they start show more over? Where should she begin?

Being open and honest with her family was a hard choice for Alice. A few relations attempted to hide their feelings, some pretend it never happened, others honestly want to help. Can she regain a place of belonging, or will she be labeled an outcast forever?

It was bad enough to have the whole town against her, but when Jeremy is swept into the drama, it is overwhelming. Falsely charged with a criminal offence, the powers of the past swoop down like a vulture, threatening his future. In the midst of her struggles she finds support in unlikely persons, but dare she trust a stranger? Offers of help sound innocent enough, but what underlying agendas go unspoken?

Sometimes, there are just no breaks. Unlikely chances often become the threads, on which the future hangs. Will Alice seize the moment, or will she play it safe? Does she have enough confidence to rise against the town’s powers, or will they pull her down?

When the past and the present entwine, forbidden secrets are reveled. Will they transform the future or just add to the pain?

Lady in Red is a sensitive yet harsh look into the lives of those who have struck out. But back at the plate once again, it is still the top of the ninth. show less

This book was actually pretty good! I usually dislike contemporary books a great deal, but this one was really well written. Although there was a love triangle (well, two to be more specific), I enjoyed it and thought that it (the love triangles) made sense given the circumstances present for the characters.

The pacing was really well done and was a huge part of why I enjoyed this book. No part seemed to drag at all.

One thing that kind of put me off though is the 1943 sections of the story. I don't see why they were required to be there at all. Although they were interesting, they didn't really have a part in the story other than giving background on characters that weren't even "players" in the main story lines.

The characters themselves show more were quite enjoyable and their circumstances seemed very realistic. I liked getting to see their reactions to death (in the case of Alice), false accusations (in the case of Jeremy), and rebuilding after the matter. show less