Most of the action in Vincenzi's 1994 novel takes place over the course of 24 hours, revealing all sorts of intriguing liasons and family secrets along the way. The story opens on beautiful Cressida Forrest's much anticipated wedding day. She is seemingly looking forward to her marriage to Oliver Bergin, a handsome young doctor from a very wealthy and controlling family, but as the big day dawns her sister Harriet discovers that Cressida has mysteriously disappeared, taking her wedding dress with her and apparently leaving no clue as to her intentions. What I found most interesting about "Another Woman" is the layer upon layer of intertwined relationships, infidelities, and disfunctions among the various characters that are slowly exposed as the search for Cressida progresses. These families have some really BIG issues!
I did have a problem keeping track of all of the characters most of the way through the novel, so I would recommend making some notes at the start. Gynecologist James Forrest and his uninteresting wife, Maggie, are parents to twenty-something Harriet, a successful clothing designer on the verge of bankruptcy, and bride Cressida, the golden girl who is loved by everyone for her goodness and beauty. Alistair and his wife Susie, who is also James' true love and longtime paramour, are the parents of 4 children, including Rufus, who bears a noticable resemblance to James. Susie is currently going through a health-related crisis and Rufus is in love with super model Ottoline Mills, who shares a hidden connection with James. Mungo, friend to Rufus and Oliver, is the son of James' best friend Theo, a five-times married millionaire (his current wife is called Sasha) with close connections to both Harriet and Cressida. Mungo is in love with an older single mother named Alice. Merlin is a quirky octogenarian, a close family friend who has travled the world, sometimes taking young Harriet on his exotic adventures. Janine is French and is a close family friend, Cressida's goddmother, and an investor in Harriet's failing business. I think that covers most of the major characters!
"Another Woman" will definitely hold your interest from beginning to end (509 pages!) as the web of secrets surrounding James' and Susie's families begins to unravel. The end is not unsatisfying, but, honestly, Vincenzi could have kept on writing a bit more. I'd love find out what happens to the younger generation. I would also like to know more definitively what the title means. I believe that it refers to Cressida and the fact that she is not what she appears to be. She is, in fact, a completely different woman from what everyone who knew her believed her to be.
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