Author: Brenda Janowitz
Series: None
Publication Date: February 1, 2022
Publisher: Graydon House
Pages: 384
Obtained: publisher via NetGalley
Genre: Contemporary Fiction, Historical Fiction
Rating: 5/5
Bottom Line: Some mystery but mainly a story about family, love and forgiveness
Grab, Just get it at the library, or Remove from your TBR list? Grab
Summary: In 1978, Lizzie Morgan and Ritchie Schneider embark on a whirlwind romance on the bright beaches and glamorous yachts of Long Island. Over the years, their relationship has its share of ups and downs, including a nine-month hiatus that ends with a stunning eleven-carat ring—one that looks just like the diamond Richard Burton gifted Liz Taylor after their own separation. Like the famous couple, despite the drama that would unfold throughout the Schneiders’ marriage, the ring would be there as a symbol of their love…until it wasn't. Decades later, when the lost ring unexpectedly resurfaces, the Schneiders’ three children gather under one roof for the first time in years, eager to get their hands on this beloved, expensive reminder of their departed parents. But determining the fate of the heirloom is no simple task, unearthing old wounds and heartaches the siblings can't ignore. And when the ring reveals a secret that challenges everything they thought they knew about their parents’ epic love story, they’ll have to decide whether to move forward as a family or let the ring break them once and for all. ~amazon.com
Review: If you haven't read Brenda Janowitz' previous books, well you've been missing out. For me The Liz Taylor Ring is her best to date; her writing just keeps getting better. This novel focuses on the Schneider siblings and how their lives shift due to the contents of a mysterious lock box. Each of them have their own agenda for the family heirloom; Abby - Wants to keep it to add to her collection of diamond armor; Nathan - Wants to keep it as a reminder of his parents love story & Courtney - Wants to sell it so she can get rid of her debts and start over.
Of course it is never so easy as to figure out what happens to the diamond. We learn about the history of the it through flashbacks of Lizzie and Ritchie's relationship. To say it was a roller coaster, is to put in mildly. Much like the relationship of Liz Taylor & Richard Burton, Lizzie and Ritchie have their ups and downs but only because of Ritchie's gambling issue. Ritchie never met a card game he could resist or a casino, which leads him into some pretty big problems. Lizzie turns a blind eye until she really can't anymore because she's blinded by love/infatuation. She had her eyes set on Ritchie for so long and gave up so much to be with him that she ignores all the red flags.
The brief time they are apart has a profound affect on Addy and Nathan. It colors their relationships and who they end up marrying. For Courtney who came when Addy and Nathan were older, she saw a different version of her parents.
I loved how Ms. Janowitz weaved in Liz Taylor and Richard Burton's love story with Lizzie and Ritchie's and the similarities between them (and the differences). This is what she's good at though, taking a famous person or persons and interjecting their story into her novels but in a way that makes complete sense. There are a couple shoes that drop during the course of the novel but just add more to the family lore and history.
The Liz Taylor Ring is a story about family, love, loss and heritage.
No comments:
Post a Comment