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The Shadow Wife
Book by Eden, Dorothy
390 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 1967
3 people are currently reading
108 people want to read
About the author
Dorothy Eden
95 books167 followersAka Mary Paradise.
Dorothy Eden was born in 1912 in New Zealand and died in 1982. She moved to England in 1954 after taking a trip around the world and falling in love with the country. She was best known for her many mystery and romance books as well as short stories that were published in periodicals. As a novelist, Dorothy Eden was renowned for her ability to create fear and suspense. This earned her many devoted readers throughout her lifetime.
Dorothy Eden was born in 1912 in New Zealand and died in 1982. She moved to England in 1954 after taking a trip around the world and falling in love with the country. She was best known for her many mystery and romance books as well as short stories that were published in periodicals. As a novelist, Dorothy Eden was renowned for her ability to create fear and suspense. This earned her many devoted readers throughout her lifetime.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 33 reviews
November 19, 2016
This hilariously bad book gets two stars only because I was too curious about the ending to DNF it. Written in 1967, it is terribly dated in its gender roles and sexual attitudes. It takes the form of a woman’s recollection of terrible events that befell her a few years earlier when she met a rich, handsome, romantic stranger and was so desperate to avoid being a pathetic old maid at the age of 26 that she demanded he marry her rather than just engaging in a love affair. After all, she was already damaged goods from an earlier love affair where (gasp) her lover had refused to marry her after stringing her along. From all her dark hints, I expected that she’d been imprisoned and tortured in the dungeons. It turned out, however, that Then, to make sure you understand what a villain he really is, it turns out that he But not to worry, she finds hope of happiness in the end, when
This book serves as a good moral lesson on the dangers of impulsive commitments, not because of the heroine’s sufferings, but because I picked it up on impulse from my library’s donation gimmie shelves. And oh boy, did I pay for it.
I read this book for Task the Second: The Silent Nights (Read a book set in one of the Nordic countries, where winter nights are long!) in the Twelve Tasks of the Festive Season challenge. Although it takes place across several countries, the bulk of the action is in Denmark, and in Otto’s home manor house castle on the island of Samsø, and is in the spring, where apparently, the days are very long instead of the long winter nights.
This book serves as a good moral lesson on the dangers of impulsive commitments, not because of the heroine’s sufferings, but because I picked it up on impulse from my library’s donation gimmie shelves. And oh boy, did I pay for it.
I read this book for Task the Second: The Silent Nights (Read a book set in one of the Nordic countries, where winter nights are long!) in the Twelve Tasks of the Festive Season challenge. Although it takes place across several countries, the bulk of the action is in Denmark, and in Otto’s home manor house castle on the island of Samsø, and is in the spring, where apparently, the days are very long instead of the long winter nights.
June 24, 2010
Ugh.
This has got to be one of the dumbest gothics I've ever read. Terribly dated and antiquated, the entire plot (if one dare call it a plot) hinges on:
Circa-1969 pre-marital sex/secretshack-up wedding (gasp, didn't they hear about Woodstock?).
Epilepsy (apparently worse then leprosy, Ebola Zaire and genital warts, doncha know?).
The Gestapo (don't ask, it's too stupid for words. Let's just say Hitler would cringe with embarrassment).
A 46 year old Danish mamas-boy (wow, who knew they're not all Italian?).
If by some strange alignment of the stars the above diverse and sundry plot threads sound appealing and interesting to you, please accept my abject apologies for making this POS book sound more appealing then it is.
This has got to be one of the dumbest gothics I've ever read. Terribly dated and antiquated, the entire plot (if one dare call it a plot) hinges on:
Circa-1969 pre-marital sex/secret
Epilepsy (apparently worse then leprosy, Ebola Zaire and genital warts, doncha know?).
The Gestapo (don't ask, it's too stupid for words. Let's just say Hitler would cringe with embarrassment).
A 46 year old Danish mamas-boy (wow, who knew they're not all Italian?).
If by some strange alignment of the stars the above diverse and sundry plot threads sound appealing and interesting to you, please accept my abject apologies for making this POS book sound more appealing then it is.
July 25, 2018
(7/6/12) Just on Ch2 and already an absurd story: Used by a former lover, she’s stupid enough to continue to contemplate being used again by a NEW man—a STRANGER who’s obsessive about getting her in the sack and about siring more children—and she’s actually serious about MARRYING the weirdo. Her desire for no more shacking up is all fine and dandy—in fact, I applaud it, but WHY in the world would any sane girl want (voluntarily) to enter into “forever” with THIS whacko?
My Review (spoiler alert!)—Finished with story. Yuck. The heroine, Louise (English spelling, birth name)/Luise (Danish pronunciation of her husband’s that just sticks) Amberley, was a supreme dope, who deserved every ounce of drama and fear and whatever else that she got.
I had the mystery figured out early on and only finished reading the book to find out if Dorothy Eden would end it as I suspected; she did.
The book cover claims this is a Romance. It’s not; there’s no romance at all—just a very foolish woman making a rash of really dumb choices, which all turn out to be monumental mistakes. For instance, shaking up with a man for three years on the ASSUMPTION that, eventually, it’ll end in marriage. Then there’s rebounding with a total stranger you meet thousands of miles away from home on a business trip. Followed by agreeing to stay an extra week at said stranger’s expense, even though, this time, you’ve made it clear “no sex until there’s a ring on my finger,” figuring twisting his arm into marriage will make all your other stupid errors all right.
All this is what Louise does. She’s employed as a travel writer for a London newspaper and is on such a trip in Majorca when she accidentally stumbles across Otto Winther’s path. The man’s 47 to her 26, big and strong and very blond (he’s Danish, of course). He claims to be there as a balm to his wife’s death a year ago, wanting to get back in with the living. He also tells her he’s out looking for a wife, and, very honest about it, too, he tells her he’s out looking for an heir—a son! Even though he already has a son (Niels, 21) and a daughter (Dinna, 17). Otto proposes she stay in Spain an extra week at his expense, so they can get to know each other, and she does. After the week’s up, Louise tells him they should go back home and commence a snail-mail correspondence so as to get to know each other better. They do this, and, eventually, Otto tells her he wants to marry her so “come to Denmark for six weeks because you have to be in the country for that time before you can legally marry,” which is exactly what she does. During her first night there, Otto takes her to the opera where they run into a friend of his (only Otto pulls her away from the man before Louise can really say “nice to meet you”) and then yanks her into the darkened theater so that they won’t meet up with his brother, Erik, whom Otto happens to spy down the hall during intermission. Louise is shocked and concerned: “Don’t you want people to know me? Are you ashamed of me?” He, of course, has an excuse (“I’m not close to my womanizing brother,” who happens to be ten years his junior—can we say “love interest!”?), which, of course, she swallows. Fast-forward to the end of the six weeks: Otto manages to get her to a small seafaring town where he just happens to decide on a quickie wedding with locals as witnesses and a local priest to officiate. Though she’s surprised and a bit upset at the notion, Louise, the brilliant idiot she is, agrees. Oddly enough, Otto ushers her straight into their suite and commences the lovemaking and then, in the morning, Louise finds her husband twitching on the floor. He never told her he was epileptic. (Huh. Imagine that! A man she barely knew, who was always rather evasive about every detail of his life, didn’t tell her about his physical ailment!) However, good old upstanding Otto laughs it off and then, instead of finally taking her home to meet his family (of whom she knows he’s not really fond, especially his children—and especially his son), he suggests a honeymoon tour of Norway and Sweden. Does she complain? No, of course not! The foolish woman gives in and, during the trip, realizes she’s pregnant. About six weeks. So what happens next? Kind, loving, and warm Otto Winther says, “Let’s go home now, and, oh, let’s pretend we’re not already married (because my family won’t like our not having had a church wedding) and then get married again! Won’t that be fun!” And if you guessed that Louise is shaken and suspicious but caves anyway, you’re right.
On the ferry to the island his family lives on, she bumps into his brother, Erik, and, after learning Otto had run into him inside the boat and doesn’t even mention her existence except as a “friend,” tells Erik she’s his fiancée, and further learns that Otto Winther is one Count Otto with a castle on this island (after he told her he was a mere farmer (who just made a good income off his produce, she assumed, because he spent a lot of money))!
Well, Louise’s life falls apart steadily after she arrives. Big surprise. There’s mystery surrounding everyone and everything in Otto’s life. His former wife didn’t die but six months ago (he claimed a year). He never uses his title and seems to have no friends anywhere, and people seem to recoil when “Count Otto” is mentioned. And, after Louise and he have a car accident and she loses their baby, Otto tells her there will be no wedding. When she tries to tell everyone that they’re already married, Otto claims she’s delusional. So, she sets out to prove the wedding and learns that it was a farce. And the mysteries about why he hates his son and desires nothing more than siring another? He learned his wife, Cristina, had an affair, so Niels is another man’s child. And the reason why he doesn’t use his title? He, Count Otto, was a known traitor and Nazi sympathizer in Denmark and aided in the deaths of at least two of the Danish Resistance fighters—and everyone in Denmark has a very long memory.
By the end, all the other little mysteries are sewn up, Otto commits suicide (instead of facing his punishment as a wanted traitor (thanks to Louise, the dope, who tips him off that he’s being hunted)), and Louise ends up with Erik.
Again: yuck!
Grade: F
My Review (spoiler alert!)—Finished with story. Yuck. The heroine, Louise (English spelling, birth name)/Luise (Danish pronunciation of her husband’s that just sticks) Amberley, was a supreme dope, who deserved every ounce of drama and fear and whatever else that she got.
I had the mystery figured out early on and only finished reading the book to find out if Dorothy Eden would end it as I suspected; she did.
The book cover claims this is a Romance. It’s not; there’s no romance at all—just a very foolish woman making a rash of really dumb choices, which all turn out to be monumental mistakes. For instance, shaking up with a man for three years on the ASSUMPTION that, eventually, it’ll end in marriage. Then there’s rebounding with a total stranger you meet thousands of miles away from home on a business trip. Followed by agreeing to stay an extra week at said stranger’s expense, even though, this time, you’ve made it clear “no sex until there’s a ring on my finger,” figuring twisting his arm into marriage will make all your other stupid errors all right.
All this is what Louise does. She’s employed as a travel writer for a London newspaper and is on such a trip in Majorca when she accidentally stumbles across Otto Winther’s path. The man’s 47 to her 26, big and strong and very blond (he’s Danish, of course). He claims to be there as a balm to his wife’s death a year ago, wanting to get back in with the living. He also tells her he’s out looking for a wife, and, very honest about it, too, he tells her he’s out looking for an heir—a son! Even though he already has a son (Niels, 21) and a daughter (Dinna, 17). Otto proposes she stay in Spain an extra week at his expense, so they can get to know each other, and she does. After the week’s up, Louise tells him they should go back home and commence a snail-mail correspondence so as to get to know each other better. They do this, and, eventually, Otto tells her he wants to marry her so “come to Denmark for six weeks because you have to be in the country for that time before you can legally marry,” which is exactly what she does. During her first night there, Otto takes her to the opera where they run into a friend of his (only Otto pulls her away from the man before Louise can really say “nice to meet you”) and then yanks her into the darkened theater so that they won’t meet up with his brother, Erik, whom Otto happens to spy down the hall during intermission. Louise is shocked and concerned: “Don’t you want people to know me? Are you ashamed of me?” He, of course, has an excuse (“I’m not close to my womanizing brother,” who happens to be ten years his junior—can we say “love interest!”?), which, of course, she swallows. Fast-forward to the end of the six weeks: Otto manages to get her to a small seafaring town where he just happens to decide on a quickie wedding with locals as witnesses and a local priest to officiate. Though she’s surprised and a bit upset at the notion, Louise, the brilliant idiot she is, agrees. Oddly enough, Otto ushers her straight into their suite and commences the lovemaking and then, in the morning, Louise finds her husband twitching on the floor. He never told her he was epileptic. (Huh. Imagine that! A man she barely knew, who was always rather evasive about every detail of his life, didn’t tell her about his physical ailment!) However, good old upstanding Otto laughs it off and then, instead of finally taking her home to meet his family (of whom she knows he’s not really fond, especially his children—and especially his son), he suggests a honeymoon tour of Norway and Sweden. Does she complain? No, of course not! The foolish woman gives in and, during the trip, realizes she’s pregnant. About six weeks. So what happens next? Kind, loving, and warm Otto Winther says, “Let’s go home now, and, oh, let’s pretend we’re not already married (because my family won’t like our not having had a church wedding) and then get married again! Won’t that be fun!” And if you guessed that Louise is shaken and suspicious but caves anyway, you’re right.
On the ferry to the island his family lives on, she bumps into his brother, Erik, and, after learning Otto had run into him inside the boat and doesn’t even mention her existence except as a “friend,” tells Erik she’s his fiancée, and further learns that Otto Winther is one Count Otto with a castle on this island (after he told her he was a mere farmer (who just made a good income off his produce, she assumed, because he spent a lot of money))!
Well, Louise’s life falls apart steadily after she arrives. Big surprise. There’s mystery surrounding everyone and everything in Otto’s life. His former wife didn’t die but six months ago (he claimed a year). He never uses his title and seems to have no friends anywhere, and people seem to recoil when “Count Otto” is mentioned. And, after Louise and he have a car accident and she loses their baby, Otto tells her there will be no wedding. When she tries to tell everyone that they’re already married, Otto claims she’s delusional. So, she sets out to prove the wedding and learns that it was a farce. And the mysteries about why he hates his son and desires nothing more than siring another? He learned his wife, Cristina, had an affair, so Niels is another man’s child. And the reason why he doesn’t use his title? He, Count Otto, was a known traitor and Nazi sympathizer in Denmark and aided in the deaths of at least two of the Danish Resistance fighters—and everyone in Denmark has a very long memory.
By the end, all the other little mysteries are sewn up, Otto commits suicide (instead of facing his punishment as a wanted traitor (thanks to Louise, the dope, who tips him off that he’s being hunted)), and Louise ends up with Erik.
Again: yuck!
Grade: F
August 1, 2015
A novel about a woman who, while on a newspaper assignment in Italy, meets a handsome, mysterious Dane and marries him without knowing much about him--which might prove to be a bad thing. 1967.
I think I'm abandoning this one. It wasn't bad, it just had too much foreshadowing and the action severely stalled out. One of those plots that stall so much, you find yourself losing interest in the characters. More die-hard Dorothy Eden or gothic romance fans might make it through this, but as they say, life's too short...you know?
If you have your heart set on trying a Dorothy Eden novel, I'd recommend An Important Family. It's the first of hers I've successfully made it through yet. And it's great! Review here.
For recommendations of obscure but wonderful vintage books: Another Look Book
I think I'm abandoning this one. It wasn't bad, it just had too much foreshadowing and the action severely stalled out. One of those plots that stall so much, you find yourself losing interest in the characters. More die-hard Dorothy Eden or gothic romance fans might make it through this, but as they say, life's too short...you know?
If you have your heart set on trying a Dorothy Eden novel, I'd recommend An Important Family. It's the first of hers I've successfully made it through yet. And it's great! Review here.
For recommendations of obscure but wonderful vintage books: Another Look Book
August 23, 2016
Just finished this Dorothy Eden gothic, THE SHADOW WIFE. It was kind of crazy, but I ended up really enjoying it.
For one thing, it was set in Denmark and Eden's description of the country was amazing! Also, this book had one of those love to hate villains, who was all sorts of sly and sexy. The heroine was nicely developed and not a namby pamby little thing. In fact, she had her nasty moments, but that made her more interesting. Some dated attitudes on relationships and such, but that's to be expected when a book is this old. There were also some truly scary moments, when it felt like the heroine was up a creek, but she never gave up on saving herself or proving that she was not insane.
So, sexy, cunning villain, smart, independent heroine, great setting, big old castle like house, and enough scares to keep it interesting. All in all, just what I want from a gothic romance. If you find it in the wild, I'd give this one a shot...
For one thing, it was set in Denmark and Eden's description of the country was amazing! Also, this book had one of those love to hate villains, who was all sorts of sly and sexy. The heroine was nicely developed and not a namby pamby little thing. In fact, she had her nasty moments, but that made her more interesting. Some dated attitudes on relationships and such, but that's to be expected when a book is this old. There were also some truly scary moments, when it felt like the heroine was up a creek, but she never gave up on saving herself or proving that she was not insane.
So, sexy, cunning villain, smart, independent heroine, great setting, big old castle like house, and enough scares to keep it interesting. All in all, just what I want from a gothic romance. If you find it in the wild, I'd give this one a shot...
April 29, 2013
Typically, I enjoy the cheesy melodrama in Gothic novels (considering the phrase "Gothic novel" is almost synonymous with "over-the-top drama") but the plot of this novel was a bit too much for me.
Not only did I find the characters to be rather absurd, I feel as though the author tried to stick in as many dumb, unoriginal plot twists as she could think of. None of the "twists" were entirely shocking, nor were they that entertaining.
One element of this story I did enjoy: the vivid descriptions of Denmark. I'm now tempted to badger my husband until he agrees to me on a trip to Copenhagen.
Despite my dislike of this novel, I'll make sure to check out other works by Dorothy Eden. Surely not all of her writing is this bad, yeah?
Not only did I find the characters to be rather absurd, I feel as though the author tried to stick in as many dumb, unoriginal plot twists as she could think of. None of the "twists" were entirely shocking, nor were they that entertaining.
One element of this story I did enjoy: the vivid descriptions of Denmark. I'm now tempted to badger my husband until he agrees to me on a trip to Copenhagen.
Despite my dislike of this novel, I'll make sure to check out other works by Dorothy Eden. Surely not all of her writing is this bad, yeah?
February 14, 2009
This was kind of an escape romance/mystery novel. Not much substance but kind of intriguing and a quick read.
January 27, 2013
Dated and a pretty silly plot, but basically well written, and even if you have to suspend your critical faculties for a short while, quite a soothing sort of read.
November 1, 2014
I loved this books so much, that I bought all books of the writer
April 16, 2015
Eden is a master of mysterious romance stories. Her heroines are not the insipid girls of some of the genre and the plot is more complicated and surprising too.
July 16, 2023
I found the 1968 Fawcett Crest paperback of Dorothy Eden's "The Shadow Wife" at my local used bookstore. It was $1.00 (the published price in 1968 was 75 cents) so for curiosity sake, I picked it up.
At 192 pages, it is a very quick read. I don't remember Eden's "Winterwood" being quite so eye-roll inducing but maybe I was read that book way too fast. Anyway, "The Shadow Wife" starts with a woman narrator sharing that she is writing an autobiography because she's been through an unbelievable experience.
And it is pretty unbelievable. The exact year is hard to pindown, but given the ages of the characters in relation to the World War II, I'd say it is early 60s. Maybe 1966 at latest.
Louise Amberley is an Englishwoman. She's twenty-six and works as a travel writer for a newspaper. When in Majorca for her job, she meets Otto Winther, who is twenty years her senior. He is a Dane. He's very forward with her and while she has some misgivings, she spends time with him because he's so charming, big and blond and maybe rich too.
Louise admits to the reader that her last relationship ended because her boyfriend found her "too intensely devoted" aka "I was hoping for marriage; he was not." Now, she's devoted to her career and she's not into having an affair. Yes, she's attracted to Otto, but not enough to have a holiday fling.
Still, they spend time together and he charms her. When she goes back to London, he lovebombs her and basically, talks her into to coming to Denmark so she can stay for 6 months and then they can lawfully get married.
So she goes. And he doesn't take her to his home called Maaneborg. Red flag warnings flashing that she blithely ignores and then they get married at some small fishing village called Dragor.
Do they finally go back to his home? No. Instead, he takes on a honeymoon trip. When he finally decides to take her to his home, she suspects she is pregnant. He was kind of pushy about fertility prospects when they were in the first week of meeting each other in Majorca, but she was in such a heightened storm of being charmed and being cautious that it breezes by her.
While on the ferry to Maaneborg, Louise, now Luise, meets Erik, the brother who is 10 years younger than Otto and 10 years older than her. A convenient plot point to remember, but at this point, the surprise for Luise is that Otto doesn't introduce her as 'his wife'. He introduces her as his fiancee.
It goes downhill from there.
Or does it?
Now, I am one who can accept social behaviors if a book is contemporary to its time of writing. Luise's firm stance on not having sex outside of marriage is understandable. Her throwing caution to the wind to get married when there were obvious, glaring signs of trouble seemed a bit much. Also, I get that women got married younger, but in the mid-1960s, I don't think 26 was considered spinster range so that also seemed a bit odd.
However, the impact of the war with Germany and collaborating with the Germans still being in the minds of the Danish characters was interesting because it was written at a time when would have still been fresh in the minds of real life Danes (and Brits). Luise would have been a baby while the war was still going. Otto is a young and married to his first wife while Erik is about to enter his teens. So this aspect does have a certain ring of authenticity.
There are some nice twists in the plot and characterizations (other than Luise) with a straightforward writing style, but Luise is a hard sell of a main character. I can handle main characters who aren't likable but Luise is stubborn to the point of stupid. At first, her brittle steeliness is kind of refreshing, but as the story goes on, it just gets annoying. She's not naive. She's not a wilting flower. She's blunt, even forceful, but good grief, she does so many dumb things that my eyes were hurting from eye-rolling. If there is a reason for me to ding this story hard, it is Luise. She nearly deserves every bit of misery she encounters because she walks right into it even as she is being warned to stay away.
Also, the able-ist crap about epilepsy was gross and worth taking away one more star to end with a 1-star rating. I won't give the author the benefit of 'it was a different time' excuse because there is no excuse for it.
At 192 pages, it is a very quick read. I don't remember Eden's "Winterwood" being quite so eye-roll inducing but maybe I was read that book way too fast. Anyway, "The Shadow Wife" starts with a woman narrator sharing that she is writing an autobiography because she's been through an unbelievable experience.
And it is pretty unbelievable. The exact year is hard to pindown, but given the ages of the characters in relation to the World War II, I'd say it is early 60s. Maybe 1966 at latest.
Louise Amberley is an Englishwoman. She's twenty-six and works as a travel writer for a newspaper. When in Majorca for her job, she meets Otto Winther, who is twenty years her senior. He is a Dane. He's very forward with her and while she has some misgivings, she spends time with him because he's so charming, big and blond and maybe rich too.
Louise admits to the reader that her last relationship ended because her boyfriend found her "too intensely devoted" aka "I was hoping for marriage; he was not." Now, she's devoted to her career and she's not into having an affair. Yes, she's attracted to Otto, but not enough to have a holiday fling.
Still, they spend time together and he charms her. When she goes back to London, he lovebombs her and basically, talks her into to coming to Denmark so she can stay for 6 months and then they can lawfully get married.
So she goes. And he doesn't take her to his home called Maaneborg. Red flag warnings flashing that she blithely ignores and then they get married at some small fishing village called Dragor.
Do they finally go back to his home? No. Instead, he takes on a honeymoon trip. When he finally decides to take her to his home, she suspects she is pregnant. He was kind of pushy about fertility prospects when they were in the first week of meeting each other in Majorca, but she was in such a heightened storm of being charmed and being cautious that it breezes by her.
While on the ferry to Maaneborg, Louise, now Luise, meets Erik, the brother who is 10 years younger than Otto and 10 years older than her. A convenient plot point to remember, but at this point, the surprise for Luise is that Otto doesn't introduce her as 'his wife'. He introduces her as his fiancee.
It goes downhill from there.
Or does it?
Now, I am one who can accept social behaviors if a book is contemporary to its time of writing. Luise's firm stance on not having sex outside of marriage is understandable. Her throwing caution to the wind to get married when there were obvious, glaring signs of trouble seemed a bit much. Also, I get that women got married younger, but in the mid-1960s, I don't think 26 was considered spinster range so that also seemed a bit odd.
However, the impact of the war with Germany and collaborating with the Germans still being in the minds of the Danish characters was interesting because it was written at a time when would have still been fresh in the minds of real life Danes (and Brits). Luise would have been a baby while the war was still going. Otto is a young and married to his first wife while Erik is about to enter his teens. So this aspect does have a certain ring of authenticity.
There are some nice twists in the plot and characterizations (other than Luise) with a straightforward writing style, but Luise is a hard sell of a main character. I can handle main characters who aren't likable but Luise is stubborn to the point of stupid. At first, her brittle steeliness is kind of refreshing, but as the story goes on, it just gets annoying. She's not naive. She's not a wilting flower. She's blunt, even forceful, but good grief, she does so many dumb things that my eyes were hurting from eye-rolling. If there is a reason for me to ding this story hard, it is Luise. She nearly deserves every bit of misery she encounters because she walks right into it even as she is being warned to stay away.
Also, the able-ist crap about epilepsy was gross and worth taking away one more star to end with a 1-star rating. I won't give the author the benefit of 'it was a different time' excuse because there is no excuse for it.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
June 6, 2022
I'm not sure I fully understood everything that happened even with the attempted plot-dump near the end.
I picked up this and The Pretty Ones at a used bookstore in Coombs last summer but only got around to reading them both this week. The Pretty Ones is by and large the better novel in all aspects: intrigue, suspense, mystery, and drama. It's only unfortunate that I read it first because it set my expectations too high for this; I would have assumed the difference of 10 years would make The Shadow Wife the superior novel, but maybe it was just that the author was running out of feasible plots by this point.
And despite being published by the same company/being similar editions, my copy of Shadow Wife had an introduction that spoiled something that doesn't happen until 2/3 of the way through while The Pretty Ones didn't. Perhaps being surprised by that reveal could have bumped this up to a 3 because I kept waiting for it occur, but it definitely couldn't have saved the incoherent explanation the characters try to give as the explanation for the overall mystery. The romance in this one was also much weaker than in The Pretty Ones, to the point where I was unsure that it was supposed to be a romance.
I picked up this and The Pretty Ones at a used bookstore in Coombs last summer but only got around to reading them both this week. The Pretty Ones is by and large the better novel in all aspects: intrigue, suspense, mystery, and drama. It's only unfortunate that I read it first because it set my expectations too high for this; I would have assumed the difference of 10 years would make The Shadow Wife the superior novel, but maybe it was just that the author was running out of feasible plots by this point.
And despite being published by the same company/being similar editions, my copy of Shadow Wife had an introduction that spoiled something that doesn't happen until 2/3 of the way through while The Pretty Ones didn't. Perhaps being surprised by that reveal could have bumped this up to a 3 because I kept waiting for it occur, but it definitely couldn't have saved the incoherent explanation the characters try to give as the explanation for the overall mystery. The romance in this one was also much weaker than in The Pretty Ones, to the point where I was unsure that it was supposed to be a romance.
April 30, 2025
Was really pleasantly surprised by this book—I don’t normally like older books but this one had me hooked! I liked the main character and the drama and tension kept me going, could not put this down! I finished it in 2 days. I would give this book 5 stars, but had to bump it down to 4 because the ending was a little too drawn out and lost a lot of steam for me and SPOILER:
I HATE that the heroine gave her psycho ex the chance to escape after gaslighting and treating her like trash and oh yeah was a NAZI SYMPATHIZER and she said she couldn’t bear to turn him in because they’d slept together…girl, what?!? He was/is an EVIL piece of shit, he DESERVED to be caught by the cops and yet she allowed him to escape to the woods so he could cowardly end his life and not have to face consequences for his heinous actions. SO infuriating.
Also she fell in love and ended up with her psycho ex-husbands brother which was a really weird twist. Lol I did really enjoy reading the book, just wish we would’ve gotten a more satisfying ending!
I HATE that the heroine gave her psycho ex the chance to escape after gaslighting and treating her like trash and oh yeah was a NAZI SYMPATHIZER and she said she couldn’t bear to turn him in because they’d slept together…girl, what?!? He was/is an EVIL piece of shit, he DESERVED to be caught by the cops and yet she allowed him to escape to the woods so he could cowardly end his life and not have to face consequences for his heinous actions. SO infuriating.
Also she fell in love and ended up with her psycho ex-husbands brother which was a really weird twist. Lol I did really enjoy reading the book, just wish we would’ve gotten a more satisfying ending!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
September 5, 2024
This is most definently not a romance. The main character makes a lot of stupid decisions that get her where she is, but just because she's dumb doesn't mean you need to give this book a 1 star review 😭. Give it a chance for yourself, please, and see if you like it. I personally enjoyed the book, and it was a quick and easy read. Also, yes, there is some "outdated" language and culture displayed in the book, but that doesn't make it bad. It was written in the 60s. If that type of thing makes you that uncomfortable/ mad, then I don't know what to say. One look at the age of the book should tell you what you're getting yourself into.
February 14, 2018
Ever since the Brontes, women narrators have been falling for mysterious unknowable men with disturbing gothic Pasts, and either loving it, or regretting it terribly. It would be telling to say how this one ends up. The appealing, of two minds about the whole thing narration probably means you will want to finish this one, if you start. But the plot is predictable and relys on a loathsome stereotype about disability, so maybe stay away, and pick out a good detective book instead.
August 11, 2020
Another solid Gothic romance from Eden. The contemporary (for when it was published--1967) setting and mindset is extremely dated for modern readers, but if you keep that in mind and not judge it against how people think/live fifty+ years later, it isn't as jarring. Enjoyed the Denmark setting--a new one for me--along with where it began, on an island South of Spain.
June 6, 2021
A good old-fashioned murder mystery i enjoyed over the period of a week. Nothing startling, but an easy read stirring a few memories of daydreams I had as a youngster, being kidnapped by a handsome man and taken to live in his castle. NOT that thats what this story is really about, but, just READ IT.
June 8, 2023
Louise meets otto and is soon swept up in a whirlwind marriage. But he is not what he seems. When they get to his family home all sorts of mysterious things start to happen. And she is forced to question everything. An old fashioned story - written in 60s it still has Dorothy's unique style of intriguing mystery, with a shock at the end (shocking for the era it was written)
December 1, 2024
Weird gothic romance with textbook gaslighting. But somehow fun to read and completely entertaining in its unreality. The plot was easy to guess and the characters are ridiculous. The heroine needs some serious talking to about her lack of backbone. But still..enjoyable. Strange.
January 25, 2026
To me, this had that haunting gothic feel of REBECCA—the fear and mystery throughout that kept me turning pages. Parts of it were easily figured out and I’m still not sure how I feel about the ending. However, I really enjoyed this older book.
September 1, 2018
Very good mystery! I give it four stars.
February 19, 2019
สำหรับเราเรื่องนี้ค่อนข้างเป็นเรื่องที่ลึกลับ ซับซ้อน น่าติดตามไปตลอดทั้งเรื่อง บอกตามตรงว่าเราตามความคิดตัวละครไม่ทันเลย และหลงรักอาอีริคค่ะ
June 24, 2022
i really enjoyed it!! truly gothic...
February 7, 2021
A Gothic story. A “Pauline in Peril” kind of story. Some women will probably enjoy it. Definitely not for men.
September 8, 2018
I've just finished reading this for the second time and it is one of the best Dorothy Eden books I've ever read. It had been such a long time since my first read and, although some of it came back to me as I was reading, I couldn't remember every detail and how it ended. The suspense kept me up several nights until after midnight. A very satisfying read for mystery lovers and Dorothy Eden fans. I tend to like the ones she wrote in the 1960s and 1970s and those that are set in that time period. My copy was checked out at the local library, so I will be on the hunt for a hardback of my own.
October 9, 2014
A really Disappointing Read. Not one of eden's best work. The Location in the novel is Denmark and you get to know Danish Customs and Traditions. The mystery as such isn't that compelling. There is some information about a genetic disease and also some of danish history regarding Jews and nazis. The main lead Luis seems to fall in and out of love very easily. In the ending she easily moves from the Count to his brother.
June 13, 2014
As I was reading this story, and it talked about a reporter having to mail her stories to her editor, I had to turn to the front of the book to see the publish year--1967! The story was a different twist on a romance novel. It did have one thing I love in a story, and that is the big finish or "ah-ha" moment at the end. This story delivered on that; otherwise, just OK for me. 5 out of 10 on this one.
September 13, 2010
First Classic that I read.
Read
August 18, 2010was terrible finished on the way back from holiday and throught it in a road side trash NO stars
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