Surrey, England, 1938. After thirty devoted years of marriage, Ellie Endicott is blindsided by her husband’s appeal for divorce. It’s Ellie’s opportunity for change too. The unfaithful cad can have the house. She’s taking the Bentley. Ellie, her housekeeper Mavis, and her elderly friend Dora - each needing escape - impulsively head for parts unknown in the South of France.
With the Rhône surging beside them, they have nowhere to be and everywhere to go. Until the Bentley breaks down in the inviting fishing hamlet of Saint Benet. Here, Ellie rents an abandoned villa in the hills, makes wonderful friends among the villagers, and finds herself drawn to Nico, a handsome and enigmatic fisherman. As for unexpected destinations, the simple paradise of Saint Benet is perfect. But fates soon change when the threat of war encroaches.
Ellie’s second act in life is just beginning—and becoming an adventure she never expected.
Eddie Endicott, recently divorced - a scandalous status for a woman in that age - finds herself searching for meaning and freedom in a time that offered little of either to women. Her journey takes her to a fictional village on the French coast, it's a great setting, it is charming and made me want to visit. There, she reconnects with herself and builds new bonds with Dora and Mavis, two women also quietly pushing back against the roles society has forced upon them.
Mrs. Endicott's Splendid Adventure is a story of friendship, trust and self discovery. It explores the lingering effects of the war with sensitivity. The war years, with it's historical context help shape the characters’ choices, relationships and courage to change. While the pacing was a tad slow and some resolutions a bit too neat, the novel’s heart lies in its depiction of women taking charge of their lives, often for the first time, highlighting it's not too late to go after what you want in life.
