Clare Ashton

Clo leads a loveless life as an escort for older women. Laura is locked in a safe marriage, but longs to break out and find the parents she never met. Two women enter the lives of these friends and Clo and Laura's secrets, and those of the generation before, begin to unravel.Set in London and Oxfordshire, After Mrs Hamilton is an intricate tale of secrets, obsession and betrayal.

After Mrs Hamilton

Tess

2022 re-read: Still the best. 🌟

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 This book was captivating from the start, and ended like a fireworks finale. It's definitely one of the most skillfully written books i've read this year. You learn about one character at a time, and when that character is revisited, you acquire more pieces to the puzzle of their lives and family. For a good part of the book, i found myself having to go back and re-read what i knew of each character up to that point, and i admit i had a difficult time keeping track of whose mother did what, and who knew them or someone they knew up to that point. It got a little complicated for a while... but man was it worth keeping track of once all of the pieces started falling into place! The fact that the author had the imagination and skill to balance all of these little interwoven stories, fascinated me. I find myself having moments where i'll be thinking of the story and another revelation dawns on me; like "oh my god, that was from when she was a kid! AHA!" I have already read it a second time, just to appreciate all of the sly groundwork and clues that were layered throughout.

Several touchy taboo subjects were broached; which, if they were in the description, i might not have read the book. But they were handled so well that you couldn't help but relate to each character as if you were feeling what they felt, struggling with the same passion and turmoil that they were. And when shocking facts started arising, i doubt anyone can help but saying "Oh.my.god..."

It also contained a few hot scenes that were not just sex, but pure passion and emotion. When Clo is on her knees sobbing, leading into one of the most emotional sex scenes, i just had chills. And in another scene, the author even made a full out fist fight seem hot and passionate. (...or maybe it was just me)

The author gets 6 stars for developing characters that oozed personality and emotion.
She gets another 6 for the amazing plot.
There were either no typos, or i was too into the story to notice.
And finally, the ending gets a surprising 5 stars from me. Surprising, because i usually don't like abrupt endings. But this is the only story i can actually say, i'm glad she did not revisit the relationships in the future. One particular relationship, deserved it's privacy and tact. I wish them well, but i don't want to know. Read this book and see what you think. And it's sure to do just that: make you think.

warning: do not read other reviews that hint at spoilers. Knowing certain things in advance would greatly take away from this story. Just read the book.

Carol Bailey

This is the second book that I have read written by Clare Ashton and I was not disappointed. 

This story which is really two possible three stories that are interrelated, are an amazing example of how people’s lives intersect and the far reaching ripple effect actions and decisions can have. The main characters are Clo, Laura and Susan. I found Laura and Susan’s stories interesting primarily in how it related to Clo. Ultimately, for me the most interesting storyline was Clo’s it was both compelling and often gut wrenching. 

At one point there was a sentence that described Clo’s state of mine after a particularly difficult scene: “She was revolted by her own body and hunched her shoulders around her head, and wished she could shake it off and shed the repellent skin.”

There were so many moments in this story where I was able to relate to Clo’s state of mind that I felt compelled to finish the story while hoping throughout that there would be a happy ending for her. This was a very good read.

After Mrs Hamilton

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