The sibling rivalry between Georgia’s daughters, Nicola and Louise is an interesting dynamic which adds to the story. There is a start of a new romance for Georgia but it doesn’t detract from Georgia’s own journey towards creating a new life for herself. Usually the protagonist in this sort of story drifts into hysterics and waits for someone to rescue her but Georgia, though distressed and angry, is proactive and determined to move on. I thought Georgia responded to the crisis she was faced with poise and practicality. I also thought the characterisation was deft and for the most part, realistic. I appreciated Koslow’s dry sense of humour and natural dialogue. While there is nothing particularly original about the plot of The Widow Waltz, I thought it was a well crafted and evenly paced story. While Georgia’s lawyer searches for the missing funds, Georgia, Nicola and Louise are forced to let go of their driver and housekeeper and are reduced to selling their possessions on E-bay while trying to figure out what else Ben was hiding and what to do next.

When successful litigator Ben Silver suffers a fatal heart attack while training for the New York City Marathon, his wife of twenty something years, Georgia and their two daughters, are devastated but their grief turns to bewildered hurt when it is revealed that their expensive Upper East Side apartment and beach house in the Hamptons are mortgaged to the hilt, the girl’s trust funds have been drained and Georgia’s inherited property portfolio has been offloaded. Status: Read from June 13 to 14, 2013 - I own a copy (Courtesy the author)Ī light summer read, The Widow Waltz, Sally Koslow’s fourth novel, is an enjoyable novel about family, loss, independence and moving on.

The Widow Waltz by Sally Koslow