A New England Affair by Steven Carroll

This is a luminous and beautifully written novel about Emily Hale and her love for 'Boston Tom', i.e. the famous poet T.S. Eliot.  This is part of a series about the couple by Steven Carroll and this one is just as good as the one I read years ago.

Tom and Emily famously enacted a scene from Jane Austen in the early twentieth century  and fell in love,  but Tom went to England and suddenly married someone else without even telling Emily. The marriage was extremely unhappy to say the least and Tom and Emily started meeting again secretly in England and the USA.

By Thomas Stearns Eliot with his sister and his cousin by Lady Ottoline Morrell.jpg: Lady Ottoline Morrell (1873–1938)derivative work: Octave.H - Thomas Stearns Eliot with his sister and his cousin by Lady Ottoline Morrell.jpg, Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=7748785

Steven Carroll has created a deeply sympathetic character in Emily, who struggles with her love for Tom, wondering if there is 'some flaw in the crystal'.  Now a drama teacher, she looks back on her life recalling their love affair and trying to come to terms with her situation and why she never gave up on him.  Is she partly at fault for not taking the leap when they first seemed destined for marriage? 

This book is rather deep and profound, and Carroll uses 'stream of consciousness' writing much of the time, so it isn't really a good idea to read it as an ebook. I strongly suggest that you buy the book!

I received this free ebook from Net Galley in return for an honest review.

EDITION	Paperback
ISBN	9781460751091
PRICE	$29.99 (AUD)