The Woman Before Wallis by Bryn Turnbull is a close up look at Lady Thelma Furness, the long-time mistress of the ill-fated Prince of Wales BEFORE Wallis Simpson. I also took a close look at her sister, Gloria Vanderbilt, the mother of the Gloria with whom we are familiar. It is a shocking look at the lives of the movers and shakers of high society in the 1920s and 30s...the way they dressed and the homes they lived in. It is, in part, the story of a custody battle waged over a child and against a child. It shows a pampered and immature prince who probably saved his people from a terrible king by abdicating. The Woman Before Wallis definitely a peek into history.

Turnbull has written an excellent novel, fairly accurate, and heart-breaking. The sadness begins with the parents of Thelma and Gloria Morgan, who used their children instead of loving them. She has portrayed broken lives with clarity and openness, doing a wonderful job of showing their humanity with compassion and not judgment. Although the story often times disintegrates into lists of names, it reflects a dissolute portion of society and the repercussions of the lifestyle. I enjoyed it and recommend it.

I was invited to read a free ARC of the Woman Before Wallis by Netgalley in exchange for a fair and honest review. All opinions and interpretations contained herein are solely my own. #netgalley #thewomanbeforewallis

The Woman Before Wallis was a story that I really wanted to like. I am a fan of the royals and normally enjoy stories about the wealthy. The premise of the story about the woman Edward, the assumed future king had in his life prior to Wallis Simpson sounded like something I could jump right into. This time however I found that the story held no interest for me. I found myself disliking all of the characters and with the number of characters it was hard to keep track of who was who. The dual timelines only hurt, not help this story. I was unable to complete it.

If you're a fan of British royalty, this historical fiction novel is perfect for you. The story follows Thelma Furness, the woman who was in love with Edward Prince of Wales before the famous Wallis Simpson.

Thelma's twin sister is Gloria Vanderbilt and their bond is really fun to read. I was really invested and interested in Gloria's storyline. I would love a spin off of her story and how she joined the Vanderbilt family.

Thelma is such a strong woman so I connected with her right away.

This book jumps around to various periods, but I didn't find it confusing. The scandal and drama keeps you engage though out the book.

You won't regret adding this to your TBR, especially if you're a fan of The Crown! I have already sent my copy to my sister-in-law, I know she'll love it too.

While much has been written about Wallis Simpson and Gloria Vanderbilt, this is the first I have found about Gloria Vanderbilt's twin sister Thelma Morgan Furness. Before the notorious Mrs. Simpson, Lady Furness was the woman entranced Edward, Prince of Wales. She was also the identical twin sister to Gloria Vanderbilt, and the two maintain an unbreakable bond through all of their ups and downs. This was a fascinating book, well written and researched. It will be a great book for fans of historical fiction as well of fans of the time period and the royals. A great choice for book clubs!

While I’m not typically a huge modern British royalty fan (i.e. I don’t follow the tabloids on what the present day royals are doing – example: Megan Markle), I’ve always found the idea that Prince Edward abdicated to marry American divorcee Wallis Simpson rather fascinating. However, since I don’t know much about the British royalty, I had know idea that there was another woman before Wallis Simpson! I love when historical fiction surprises me.

I enjoyed this historical fiction novel! Perhaps not an all time favorite but still a fascinating one. I appreciated the research that went into the novel and how it still retained a solid plot without becoming bogged down by historical detail.

The characters were sympathetic and the writing easy to get into. My only complaint is the switching of story-lines, which sometimes became confusing as to which era the reader was in. Despite this hang up, I did enjoy the story line of Thelma and her sister, Gloria. I was intrigued by the story and characters but did find myself putting it down from time to time. I think this might speak more to my reading mood than the book itself.

I'll admit I read a bit before starting this book to make sense of the title. Essentially, this book is mostly about Thelma Morgan's life. Thelma was the girlfriend of The Prince of Wales for several years, until he started dating Wallis Simpson (which was the basis for some of my confusion - I didn't know this story before, and Wallis was a woman). So we read a lot about Thelma, her relationship with the Prince, and her twin sister Gloria.

When a historical fiction book sends me to doing further research on the characters, I know it's good. I was definitely searching and reading other articles about Thelma Morgan, Duke Furness, Gloria Vanderbilt and Wallis Simpson by the time I was half way through this book. The author of The Woman Before Wallis says she moved a few dates to help the story flow, but the essence of the story was the way things really happened.

I was fascinated to learn more about a family and time I'd heard little about before. It was easy to feel understanding toward the Morgan twins and the choices they made. The overlap between the rich and powerful Vanderbilts and the English royal family was interesting.

Overall, I'd give this book 4 out of 5 stars. Sometimes I forget how much I generally enjoy historical fiction. This book was a great reminder.

I couldn’t get into this story. I really love all things royal family, but I found there to be too many characters in this book to keep them straight. The story wasn’t gripping enough to me, it was a DNF for me, unfortunately.

Oh, those poor little rich girls who thought they’d snared Prince Edward before Wallis came along. Lots of gossip, how could there not be, and of course delicious scandal. Its an easy book to read and we all know how this ends.

My love of British royalty is old news. Earlier in the month I read, The Heir Affair, about the fictional modern-day travails of a newly married Prince of Wales and his American bride. I loved it and am happy to be back today with historical fiction about the real royal family. Bryn Turnbull’s The Woman Before Wallis is the best of both worlds—scandal encompassing the royals and America’s wealthy commoners. At the heart of the novel is Thelma Morgan, the young woman who captured the heart of the Prince of Wales—despite being married and American.

Thelma was the daughter of a diplomat, raised to be cultured and to marry a rich man. In 1922, at age seventeen she did, but the lavish life she and her husband loved rapidly decimated his inheritance. With no money, the glow quickly wore off the marriage and by nineteen she was divorced and penniless.

What Thelma did have was a family connection that anyone who’s ever indulged in a fascination with high society will recognize. Thelma’s twin sister, Gloria, married Reginald Vanderbilt, catapulting her to the highest echelons of NY society and money. Thelma stays with them in Paris to recover and to find her next husband. Little more than a year after her divorce, she marries Lord Furness, a man twice her age, whose shipping business makes him one of the richest men in the world.

Thelma’s life now is not just wealth, it’s aristocracy. She’s presented at Court and attends social events for British and European royals. She also learns the rules of marriage to powerful men—there is nothing to be done about the mistresses except ignore them and carry on. Unlike America, divorce is not an option. She decides this can go both ways and when Edward, the Prince of Wales, shows interest in her, she reciprocates and they embark on a four-year affair.

Much like the sisters themselves, The Woman Before Wallis, intertwines Thelma and Gloria’s lives. As Thelma adjusts to aristocratic life, Reggie Vanderbilt dies. He leaves his young daughter, Little Gloria, well provided for, but has so much debt that his wife, Gloria, is broke. At twenty she’s not old enough to be trustee for her daughter’s estate so must live with the child on an income provided by appointed guardians. The situation soon becomes American tabloid history as one of the most vicious, highly publicized custody battles in the world. Thelma’s love for her sister propels her back across the ocean to be Gloria’s side as every aspect of her personal life is brought to light. It also takes her away from Edward.

Setting aside the gossipy, tawdry side of wealthy people behaving badly, The Woman Before Wallis is riveting for its glimpse into the different attitudes and games played by both rich and royal. Thelma is able to carry on with Edward even with her husband’s knowledge because he’s the future king. At the same time, the novel (and the real events it’s based on) prove that what’s given can be taken away just as quickly. A love Thelma believes to be invincible crumbles when there’s any chance of embarrassment for the royal family. Which is pretty damn funny, when you consider the consequences of Edward’s next relationship.

I always enjoy reading how the other half really lives, but what doesn’t work for me is bad writing and that can happen in novels on sensational subjects. Thankfully, The Woman Before Wallis is a sharp, tightly told story of twins who, before they even reached 21, were married off to older men and became mothers. Living with extraordinary wealth and privilege, but also far beyond their emotional maturity. The tale of Thelma and Gloria is exciting and enjoyable for readers, but the reality of life in the public eye and what they lived through is less fun and more exhausting.

I’ve been reading some wonderful stories based on history lately, so I was excited to read and review this one. And for those of us who appreciate beautiful book covers, this book was screaming for that very reason to be opened.

But when I opened the book and started reading, I was slightly disappointed that the writing didn’t pull me into the story. In fact, I read the first 8 or 9 pages twice, hoping the reason it wasn’t too clear was that I’d been distracted the first time through. Nope. It wasn’t inviting me to continue turning pages.

As I continued to read I came across a few areas that felt a bit long and drawn out. And as I mentioned, the flow and sequencing sometimes felt abrupt and confusing.

But on the flip side, parts of the story completely captured my interest. And if you’re a fan of history, this information makes for an exciting story. I had very little previous information about Thelma, which helped hold my interest.

For me, perhaps my concern regarding the book was more about the presentation than the content.

The story starts with Thelma rushing to her sister’s side during a 1934 trial. Throughout the book, it jumps to various periods of her life. Eventually, we come to the place that Thelma and David are discussed. I’d say that’s what most of us are familiar with.

My Final Thought

I would give this book a try if historical fiction and this period interests you.

From my blog: Always With a Book:

It's no secret that I am a huge fan of anything to do with the royals. I love watching The Crown, so when I saw this book, I knew I just had to read it and I'm so glad I did. It was so fascinating and has me yearning to read more on what I've learned here!

I will admit, one of the things that first attracted me to this book is that Wallis's name is in the title. I'm quite fascinated by her and David's story, but this book is all about the woman who comes before her who I knew nothing about. This is why I love reading historical fiction - I feel like I learned so much here. Thelma Morgan is such a fascinating woman in her own right, without her getting tied up in the custody hearing for her sister's child and being involved with Edward, the Prince of Wales. Little did Thelma know that it would be her own actions that would push Wallis and Edward together in the end.

This book is filled with scandal and drama and intrigue and it kept me engaged throughout the entire book. Because I've watched The Crown, I know all about David's abdication of the throne but I didn't realize he was involved with another divorced woman prior to Wallis. This book gives such insight into that and so much more. These characters come to life on the pages and I never felt that this book at any point becomes too bogged down. It moves along from the past, where we learn Thelma's backstory to the present where Thelma is helping Gloria with the custody case. I was equally invested in both story lines.

I haven't read much about the Vanderbilt family, so I wasn't aware of the connection between them and the monarchy, but I definitely plan on doing some digging and reading up on them. And this is why I love reading historical fiction. It always leaves me wanting to know more.

I really enjoyed this book. It is the author's debut novel and I for one will certainly be keeping an eye out to see what she writes next!

The Woman Before Wallis is a sweeping account of the woman Prince Edward loved before Wallis. I have always been fascinated with Prince Edward and Wallis' story but knew little about the time before they met. I was pulled into the story from the first page. I loved this story of Thelma and Prince Edward! I also enjoyed the back story of Gloria Vanderbilt's custody trial. This is a must read for historical fiction lovers! What a fabulous debut from Bryn Turnball! I'm looking forward to reading what she writes next!

Title: The Woman Before Wallis
Author: Bryn Turnbull
Genre: Historical fiction
Rating: 4.5 out of 5

In the summer of 1926, when Thelma Morgan marries Viscount Duke Furness after a whirlwind romance, she’s immersed in a gilded world of extraordinary wealth and privilege. For Thelma, the daughter of an American diplomat, her new life as a member of the British aristocracy is like a fairy tale—even more so when her husband introduces her to Edward, Prince of Wales.

In a twist of fate, her marriage to Duke leads her to fall headlong into a love affair with Edward. But happiness is fleeting, and their love is threatened when Thelma’s sister, Gloria Morgan Vanderbilt, becomes embroiled in a scandal with far-reaching implications. As Thelma sails to New York to support Gloria, she leaves Edward in the hands of her trusted friend Wallis, never imagining the consequences that will follow.

This was such an excellent read! I was engrossed from the very first page and couldn’t stop reading! Thelma was an incredible character, and if I’ve ever known anything about the facts this novel is based on, I’ve totally forgotten them, so everything was fresh and new.

The life of wealth and privilege Thelma marries into is a bit mind-blowing—as are her wealthy new friends’ morals, but I enjoyed reading about the glitz and the glamour—and the royalty, even though the prince was a bit disappointing (His behavior, I mean. Not very princely when he dropped Thelma for Wallis.)

Bryn Turnbull lives in Toronto. The Woman Before Wallis is her debut novel.

(Galley courtesy of Harlequin/MIRA in exchange for an honest review.)

The Woman Before Wallis is Thelma Furness. As the book opens, Thelma is married to her second husband and is having a public affair with the soon-to-be King Edward. She is called away to America to support her identical twin sister, Gloria Vanderbilt. Gloria is in the “Trial of the Century” to hold onto custody of her daughter, Gloria (later famous for her jeans).

While away, Edward starts frolicking with Thelma’s friend, Wallis Simpson. Wallis is also married forcing Edward to abdicate his crown to marry her.

The Woman Before Wallis is a largely unknown story that is extremely interesting. Everyone thinks earlier generations were staid and straight-laced. This tale proves differently. While the details within the book, like conversations and thoughts, are fictional, the overall plot is based on well-researched historical facts.

If you enjoy British or American royalty, you must read this compelling story. The rich really are different—regardless of their era. It’s the intelligent reader’s beach read. 4.5 stars rounded up to 5 stars!

Thanks to MIRA, Harlequin Books and NetGalley for a copy in exchange for my honest review.

Brynn Turnbull's debut novel, The Woman Before Wallis, gives us a fictional take on a fascinating real woman- Thelma Morgan, who became embroiled in not one, but two tabloid-worthy scandals. in the 1930s.



Thelma's first marriage was to an abusive man, and she divorced at a young age. She moved from New York to England where she caught the eye of Lord Marmaduke (Duke) Furness, and they soon married. While they had a loving relationship, Duke had a wandering eye, which Thelma was told she must just accept.



This bothered Thelma, but soon she gave birth to their son Tony and hoped that Duke would change his ways. His adult children from his first marriage came to respect Thelma, and Averill, the daughter, would seek out Thelma's advice.



When Thelma was introduced to David, the Prince of Wales and future King of Great Britain, David was captivated by her. She soon began spending time with him, and after awhile they began an affair. She believed if Duke could have affairs, she could as well.



Her relationship with David grew to love. She spent much of her free time with him, and when David showed up announced at Duke's home on Christmas Day, Duke became angered, and it was clear that Thelma and Duke's marriage was over.



David said that he wanted to marry Thelma, even though she was once divorced and now remarried, and an American citizen. Although Thelma knew marriage was impossible, she still loved David and wanted to believe in a future together.



Wallis and Ernest Simpson enter the picture at this point. They are Americans living in London, and Wallis befriends Thelma and her sister Gloria. The Simpsons are frequent guests of Thelma and David's, and when Thelma must go travel to America to help her sister in a custody battle for her young daughter, Thelma turns to Wallis to keep an eye on David while she is gone.



(We all know what happened next- David becomes enamored of Wallis, and gives up his throne as King of England to marry her, a twice divorced American. He and Wallis live out their years in exile.)



Thelma goes to America to help her twin sister Gloria in a nasty custody battle over her young daughter, Gloria Vanderbilt (future fashion jean designer and mother of Anderson Cooper). Gloria's former sister-in-law, Grace Vanderbilt Whitney, an uber-wealthy heiress, has petitioned for full custody of her niece, and Gloria and Thelma's mother has turned against her own daughter to side with Whitney (and the money).



They turned the young girl against her mother, and the custody trial became a grandstand event, with onlookers flocking to the courthouse to see the spectacle of rich people fighting over a young girl. (Many of us are familiar with the book Little Gloria, Happy At Last by Barbara Goldsmith about the court battle.)



I confess to not having known anything about Thelma Morgan, and I found her story and her proximity to two scandals fascinating. Rich people sure are different from the rest of us, and and their relationships to their young children differ greatly from today's helicopter parents.



If you are missing Netflix's The Crown like me, you will definitely want to read The Woman Before Wallis, and I would pair it with Beatriz Williams' novel, The Golden Hour, which takes place in Bermuda just before WWII where David and Wallis were sent to live. They'd make a great fictional double-feature about British royalty.

Bryn Turnbull did a excellent job on writing this story! I knew some of the history about Edward and Wallis but didn't know the before story! What a difference it makes when you do know the whole story. The research on the book was fantastic and the way he describes all of the characters,you will know all of them and then you can figure out the rest,on who you like or don't or feel sorry for. So many emotions that goes along with these characters and he brings them to life right in front of you. Rejection,love,adultery,passion are just a few of the emotions these characters go through. You decide on what's what and who you cheer for or boo for.This is real life,real people real events,read and learn what became history for England! Received from Net Gallery,thank you so very much!

Even if I found some parts quite enjoyable I couldn't connect to the story that fell flat.
Not my cup of tea.
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine.

Turnbull did an amazing job transporting me to the 1920's and I was captivated by the opulent world Thelma lives in. Even if this had been a purely fiction novel I would have been swept away by all the drama, romance and suspense. The fact that this entire story is based on historical events made this book that much more incredible. I have only read Tudor historical fiction before so I was not familiar at all with the scandal of Wallis Simpson. The whole concept of this book is fabulous including the genius of the title. This story is entirely told from the perspective of Thelma Furness and yet we know the whole way through that she will eventually be the mistress to the future King and then lose that relationship to her friend, Wallis Simpson. It was a bold choice to let the reader know all of that going into the book, although, maybe not so bold if you are already familiar with this part of history. 

Thelma Furness is a fascinating person in history and I am in awe of everything that she went through and overcame. We also get to see quite a lot of her twin sister Gloria Vanderbilt's life and she was equally as captivating. Turnbull does a great job of doing a deep dive into these characters and we see them dealing with all sorts of losses, triumphs, difficulties and "improper" relationships. There were so many times during the course of this story that my heart broke for both Thelma and Gloria. I was rooting for these characters so much, which is sort of ridiculous since their story has already happened, but I couldn't help my strong emotional connection to them. I feel like any woman will recognize a part of themselves in either Thelma or Gloria. 

Another incredible aspect of this novel is the way that it is formatted. We meet Thelma the night she meets her second husband and we follow that timeline all the way up through the majority of her relationship with Prince Edward. The other timeline that is interspersed throughout the story is one that follows Thelma as she is traveling to support her sister who is in the middle of one of America's most infamous custody battles. The suspense of watching the custody battle unfold was clever since it kept the story barreling forward at a high speed. The only downside to this book is that I started to crave more of the custody battle storyline and wasn't as enthralled with parts of Thelma and Edward's relationship as I once was. Which might also be because we know that it doesn't work out so I was trying not to get too invested in their love story. 

This story is full of complex emotions and uncomfortable moments. I am so grateful to Turnbull for writing this story because I discovered two strong women that I admire so much. I'm pretty sure this is Turnbull's debut novel which is incredible if true.

A huge thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for providing me with an ARC of this title in exchange for an hnest review.

I had no idea that Prince Edward, Duke of Windsor was such a rebel. I had no idea that having a diplomat as a father granted you access to the glittering world of the Vanderbilts. This story absolutely fascinated me. The main charcter of the story has been painted by historians as a grasping socialite who leveraged her tenuous connections and beauty to survive. Long before the rise of the paparazzi culture, her name was synonymous with scandal.

Wallis Simpson was not the first divorcee to catch the eye of the prince. As the sister of Gloria Morgan Vanderbilt, Thelma was not a stranger to the lures of the polo set. When Edward singles her out, she becomes the paramour of the moody prince, spending less and less time with her husband. The extramarital affair is not uncommon in the social circles she moves in, and does not irreparably damage her reputation.

When a tragic death leaves her sister Gloria in an untenable situation, she vows to support her twin. As the world is rocked by a court battle that aired all of the tawdry laundry of the upper class, Thelma becomes a liability to the pristine outward appearance of the royal family. Wallis Simpson supplants Thelma in Edward's affections.

You won't regret picking up this tightly woven expose of the world of wealth and privilege in Depression-era America, or its sympathetic treatment of a family that was villainized by the press of the time.

This is definitely one of the better written historical fictions. I love reading about the monarchy but had never read anything about Lady Furness, her life with David the future king of England and her twin sister Gloria Vanderbilt Sr.'s taudry life. Not much has been discussed about her, she unwittingly introduced Wallis to David! Intriguing and sucks you in immediately, if you like historical fiction don't pass this one up.