Wallis: A Novel

by Anne Edwards

What was it about Wallis Simpson that made Edward VIII give up his throne?

The twice-married Southern Belle was neither rich nor beautiful.

Yet somehow, she managed to capture the heart of a British king.

Was Wallis just a proud and wildly ambitious manipulator, willing to use the men she loved as stepping stones to riches and success?

Or was she a courageous and sympathetic survivor, bravely struggling for self-esteem and the world’s respect?

More than anything Wallis, Duchess of Windsor, was an unforgettable heroine.

Marriage at eighteen, as a vivacious Southern belle, taught her what it is to be an abused wife; her second marriage, to the oh-so-English Ernest Simpson, saved her from her extraordinary past and led her to an even more extraordinary future.

But the Baltimore Belle has a battle ahead of her.

Not only does Wallis have to contend with the icy reception of some of the prince’s inner circle and the increasing press frenzy, but she has to win the trust of the British people in a society where divorce is frowned upon.

And when George V dies and the prince becomes King, the love that the young monarch feels for Wallis creates a constitutional crisis, urging him to make a decision which will change the course of British history.

Far more than a portrait, more telling than a biography, ‘Wallis: The Novel’ brings Wallis Warfield Spencer Simpson, Duchess of Windsor, vividly to life.

A gripping work of historical fiction of an enigmatic and mysterious American woman breaking into the British limelight.

Praise for Anne Edwards:

‘Perceptive and well researched, Wallis is a compelling and fascinating read about the controversial woman who rocked the throne of England.’ — Barbara Taylor Bradford.

Wallis is Anne Edwards's seventh novel, her first in over fifteen years during which time she has been acclaimed all over the world for her biographies, including 'Matriarch: Queen Mary', 'House of Windsor' and 'Royal Sisters: Queen Elizabeth II and Princess Margaret'.

Endeavour Press is the UK’s leading independent digital publisher. For more information on our titles please sign up to our newsletter at www.endeavourpress.com. Each week you will receive updates on free and discounted ebooks. Follow us on Twitter: @EndeavourPress and on Facebook via http://on.fb.me/1HweQV7. We are always interested in hearing from our readers. Endeavour Press believes that the future is now.

Genres: Historical Fiction, Fiction, Novels

480 pages, Kindle Edition

First published April 1, 1991

Reviews

[*TUDOR^QUEEN* · Rating 5 out of 5]

NetGalley provided me this book file in return for my fair and honest review.

I've always yearned to delve deeper into the life of Wallis Simpson, and this epic reckoning of her life was glorious to read. It cleverly begins with a volatile evening in her disastrous first marriage to Win Spencer. The juicy details offered on the front end lured me into the epic journey of Wallis's life that comprises this book. It reverts back to Wallis's childhood and closes on the cusp of her marriage to David Windsor. The time period shuffles throughout the book, but weaves Wallis's story in such a wonderful and cohesive way.

The author's writing style reminds me of Philippa Gregory's novels about the Tudor dynasty. Like Gregory, Anne Edwards takes the known facts and mixes it with a healthy dose of poetic license to whisk away the reader with an immensely palatable story. Some biographies can be dry and schoolbook-like no matter how interesting the life, but Ms. Edward's writing craft carried me away through an amazing life's journey. It was a true joy to read.

[Barb · Rating 2 out of 5]

I read somewhere about Edward VIII's abdication from the throne of England so that he could marry, American divorcee, Wallis Simpson back in the 1930s and I was curious to know more of their story, specifically his feelings about leaving the monarchy.

This is a novelization, with ascribed motivations and dialogue and honestly a lot of it is really unflattering to Wallis Simpson. I'll be the first one to tell you that I'm pretty well out of touch with popular culture these days, I "un-plugged" when my daughter was born, nearly nine years ago, but I was never one to read People magazine or pay a whole lot of attention to the personal affairs of the rich and famous. So, quite a lot of this made me cringe. For some reason when I read about the affairs of Kings who are long since dead I don't think twice about whose business it is to know what happened in their private lives, it just doesn't seem to be an issue. But when the events are of a more current nature for some reason it feels different to me.

I thought Wallis Simpson had a pretty interesting life before she ever met the Prince of Wales. I found her childhood and early years interesting and learning about her upbringing helped give some insight and perspective to her personality and behavior. I thought the relationship she had with her Uncle was particularly sad. Even so, she still comes off as a complete gold-digger and I wondered if she was ever satisfied with her life even after she married the King.

I would have appreciated an author's note and a source or two for the various bombs that Anne Edwards drops in her version of this story. She makes very specific references to the Prince of Wales' anatomy, as well as his sexual difficulty and sterility. She also makes mention of a nanny who sexually abused him when he was two or three years old. I know it's a novelization and the author has poetic license but still I would have liked a note to say what was fabricated and what was based in fact.

[Linda Lipko · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a novel, and while the author did a lot of research, it is frustrating to try to sort the story from fact. But, frustration aside, there is no doubt that Wallis Simpson was a woman who was one who went after, and succeeded in getting what she wanted. Charming, classy, alluring, boastful, she succeeded in allowing the man next in line for the throne of England to abdicate and live a life of ostracization.

If Prince Edward truly wanted the life of King of England is up for speculation. Thus, despite the pressure, in the end perhaps too much is blamed on Wallis, and not enough on the Duke of Windsor.

The author depicts Wallis as some one who had a young life for which she could be pitied. A mother who loved Wallis, but simply could not get her life together, flitting from one place to another, with many men to use her, she clearly was not a role model. Wallis' Aunt seemed to be the one who provided some semblance of stability.

While Wallis was portrayed as someone who had a rough and tumble life, it was also clear that she used anyone in her path who could provide social entry into the highest classes.

Twice divorced, with a checkered past when she met Edward (David), he fell in love with this strong, attractive woman. He gave up a throne; she died alone.

Worth reading, as long as you understand this is a novel and not a biography.

[Anastaciaknits]

Overall, I was very disappointed with this book.

Wallis is written very one-sided - she's a shallow gold-digger and not much else. No one has just one side to them. The book isn't well-researched at all, there are a lot of historical inaccuracies (that I looked up just to make sure it wasn't me who was wrong, and I don't mean I did my research on the internet). There are some details in the book about Edward the III that are fascinating, but I'm pretty sure they are entirely made up, but who's to know because there is no author's note informing us of this fact - perhaps acceptable when this book was first published, but not in today's book world.

I also found the book dragged throughout the first half - it was all I could do to read the long, long pages of Wallis' childhood and the drama she lived through. There is no doubt Wallis led an interesting life, but we aren't reviewing Wallis' life here, we are reviewing a historical fiction book that had too much imagination, not enough facts, and definitely was lacking in setting the scene so you felt like you were in another world.

[Megan · Rating 3 out of 5]

It's hard to cheer for this "heroine" -- she's so self involved she sees nothing else. But the story is interesting and the fact that it's a part of history makes it become more fascinating. There are a lot of books out there on Wallis and I'd like to read more, and wonder which comes closer to the truth.

[Dianne · Rating 1 out of 5]

I've always been fascinated with Wallis Warfield Simpson. It seems you'd have to be a spectacular kind of woman for a man to abdicate the throne of England for you. I'd like to know what makes her tick, what her motives were, how she so completely enthralled the King that duty and service to his country took second place to her.

Unfortunately, this book didn't do that for me. It is fiction, so bare facts, dates, and places would naturally be filled out with made-up dialogue and thoughts that may or may not have actually ever been in her head. It's always weird reading fictional biographies: you have no idea what to believe and what to ignore.

In this one I'd have to say the author doesn't much like Mrs Simpson. She's painted as a social climber, gold-digger, promiscuous, incapable of deep relationships, and all 'round not very nice person. I think we are meant to have some sympathy for her in light of the difficult life she had growing up, but it's hard to feel sorry for someone who used everyone she knew for what they could do for her. She asked relatives for money constantly and was usually accommodated. When she was being introspective, she didn't see herself as promiscuous, yet she slept with five other men while she was still married. And she was quite disapproving of adultery on a philosophical level, which makes you wonder just how in touch with her own reality she actually was.

The Wallis Simpson of this novel is not likable at all. And who knows, maybe this author got it right and Mrs. Simpson really didn't have any redeeming qualities. Because it's fiction, it's impossible to know what's real and what isn't.

I think I'll try a biography or two and see what they have to say about her, but as far as this one goes, I can't recommend it. There were too many things that didn't make sense (like it being emphasized that she was completely broke, then the next thing you know she's buying a ticket to sail across the pacific ocean from China to California with no mention of where the money came from), and too many times she got whatever she wanted because things just kept falling into her lap. And truly, could anybody really be as shallow as the woman portrayed here? Come to think of it, I don't think I found a character to admire in the entire book.

Disappointing, unbelievable, and even boring at times, this one only gets a 1 out of 5 from me.

[Jennifer · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a weird novel to read. Because it's telling the story of an actual person, there wasn't really a plot, per se. I thought of it more as an essay in which someone was trying to show me the evidence throughout Wallis' life that she was always working towards to being a person of social importance. It was written well and flowed.

I have questions about the accuracy of the novel. There's no bibliography at the end or even an author's note citing books & resources which helped her write this or set the scene geographically or temporally. (I find this common in historical fiction, even when there aren't individual citations.) I'm assuming this is a novel and not a biography because the author fabricated Wallis' thoughts and private conversations but it would be have been nice to know what was public record and what Ms. Edwards invented.

Overall, it was an interesting read and I don't regret the time spend.

[John · Rating 2 out of 5]

My second book by this author and the second 2 stars. No more Anne Edwards for me. Same problem as first, too much uninteresting information. I know this was a novel as the title states but the author or publisher pushed it as an almost bio. So much information was so made up in my opinion, hated it. Of course I should point out that I have never had any interest in the whole Wallis affair.

[Valerie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I came across this book from Anne Edwards at the same as watching the Netflix serie "The Crown". It provided me a good insight into the life of Wallis Simpson, the divorcee American, who Kind Edward VII married after abdicating from his throne. The book is easy and pleasant to read. It provides many details of Wallis' life and how she met her last husband. Unfortunately the book does not contain information on what are the historical elements and which ones are fictional.

[Carol · Rating 5 out of 5]

Factual and interesting.

The book charts the life of Wallis Warfield from a child and how she came into contact with Edward Prince of Wales and their love story ending with abdication as King to marry the woman he loved.

[Martha · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another "must read" if you are a fan of The Crown. After reading can see why she was so disliked by the royal family.

[OG · Rating 4 out of 5]

WALLIS: THE NOVEL by Anne Edwards was originally published in 1991 (re-released in November of 2015) and is the story of Bessie Wallis Warfield, better known as Wallis Simpson. The book begins with her childhood and takes the reader on an interesting journey until we ultimately see her become Duchess of Windsor. Unfortunately, that’s where the story ends. I was really looking forward to learning about her life after Edward – from what I understand it was a lonely period for her. Other than the disappointment with the ending, I enjoyed the book quite a lot. I’m not going to pretend I know it was completely factual because I don’t know a lot about Wallis or Edward. But, I was quite fascinated with the character of Wallis in this book. She knew what she wanted and went for it. More often than not, she got it, too. Despite the length of the book (Goodreads has it down at 432 pages), it was a quick and easy read. Anne Edwards usually writes biographies and I was worried that WALLIS may read like one, but I was pleasantly surprised. She captured the era and the woman perfectly, making the Duchess, I think, a sympathetic character.
With romance and intrigue and a strong female character, I give , WALLIS: THE NOVEL, a fictionalized look at Wallis Simpson’s rise up the social ladder, 4 stars ****
Link Text: Wallis: A Novel by Anne Edwards, review

[Verity W]

***Copy from NetGalley in return for an honest review****

I got this via NetGalley and after 75 pages knew it wasn't for me - I've read a lot of non fiction and fiction stuff about Wallis and the Windsors and this didn't grab me so in the interests of so many books, so little time I gave up. I'm not sure I'll ever love another Wallis-related book as much as I do Laurie Graham's Gone with the Windsors, so I'll go back and read that, rather than thinking about it whilst reading this! But just because it's not for me, doesn't mean it isn't good - I just have the humour and the smarts of GwtW as a benchmark.

It's not fair to grade a book I didn't finish - so I haven't.

[Debbie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Thank you to Netgalley for providing me with a free copy of this novel. It is a common dream to marry a king and live happily ever after. Wallis Simpson lived that dream. I have read two other books about the Duchess of Windsor. Neither were very satisfying. This fictionalized account of her life provided me with more insight than either of the nonfiction books I read. This book ends with her marriage to Edward. It details her rise up the social ladder from childhood. I found the parts that took place in China particularly interesting.

[Kimberlyn · Rating 2 out of 5]

A fictional account of Wallis Spencer Simpson from childhood to her relationship with King Edward III. The text is rather fast moving, despite the long length of th enovel. Wallis is depicted as a social-climber; at points, her move up the ladder is sickening. I even questioned if she loved the king at all. Had he been lesser of a man, I doubt she would have been associated with him. The love story fantasy is not there.

[Soozblooz · Rating 4 out of 5]

Engaging and lovely. Somehow the psychoanalyzing that would annoy me in anyone else's hands is deftly handled. It is a sympathetic portrait and taught me things about the monarchy I did not know. When Edward renounces the throne, you realize Wallis has unwittingly been trapped by her ambition, but you feel sad for everyone concerned: her husband, Edward and Wallis. No-one gets what he wanted or thought he wanted.

[Judith Kaufman · Rating 3 out of 5]

Did not care for the book. Really don't know what is true and what is fabricated. I know it's a novel, so not necessarily true. Wallis was selfish, a gold digger and not very nice. Don't know how she had any friends to "take her in" when she had difficulties in her life. Her second marriage was reasonably happy until she had the chance to meet the Prince.....
Whatever...would not recommend this book.

[Cece · Rating 2 out of 5]

I found more historical inaccuracies than I would have expected from this respected biographer. Not as bad as a Philippa Gregory massacre of history, but obvious enough that I was disappointed. Too many people know the facts. Poetic license has little room to wiggle in historic fiction, if your main characters are famous and their lives well-documented. It just looks sloppy.

[Vikki · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a fiction book about Wallis Simpson. King Edward VIII abdicated the throne for her. This book took a more sympatetic view than other books I've read about her. This book stated that she only wanted to be his mistress!

[Jackie Schnupp · Rating 4 out of 5]

If the research for this novel is even slightly factual, I learned a ton of interesting information from this one. Held my interest from the first page - who knew the royals were as kooky as the rest of us?

[Eileen Hall · Rating 4 out of 5]

A well researched fictional account of a strong woman who knew what she wanted and how to get it.
I was given a digital copy of this book by the publisher via Netgalley in return for an honest unbiased review.

[Judith · Rating 2 out of 5]

Writing was decent, just didn't like the character. Thought she was whiny and too dependent.