After the fire

I'm an avid reader of Belva Plain's books, and After The Fire is just another one of her masterpieces. I really don't understand how anyone who've read this book can think otherwise.

This is the story of the marriage of Hyacinth and Gerald. Hyacinth is a romantic, naïve, young artist who believes in true love and in the integrity of Gerald; her new husband fresh out of medical school. Gerald has big plans for the future and a need for the society that Hyacinth's family can provide. Hyacinth's needs are those of any wide-eyed young girl who has lived in the shadow of a beautiful mother. She needs only the true love that she doesn't believe she truly deserves. The reader enters Hyacinth's world, feels her trust in the man she loves, and lives her heartbreak as the marriage slowly dissolves, taking her children with it in an ugly divorce based on blackmail. We follow Hyacinth as she finds the courage to make her way alone, while grieving for her children and for the comfort and warmth of the home she had made with them. Her intense love for Gerald turns to hate and to a fierce determination to get her children back. In After the Fire, Belva Plain skillfully weaves the tendrils of suspense in a story filled with joy, betrayal, sadness, and ultimate victory!

When Hyacinth meets her future husband (soon to be a successful doctor) Gerald, her mother doesn't trust him. As time goes by he charms everyone. A fire leads to blackmail, divorce, and the issue of custody. Arnie, the partner to Gerald in their medical practice tries to make everyone happy. But does he have a motive for this. This was an excellent book I could not put down. I loved it.

Another Winner for Belva. The characters are real and you will both laugh and cry. The story is believable. You will not be able to put it down.