Mrs. Endicott’s Splendid Adventure DEALS
Rhys Bowen’s latest novel, Mrs. Endicott’s Splendid Adventure, is not your usual wartime drama, nor is it a rom-com about middle-aged liberation dressed in vintage lace. Instead, it lands confidently somewhere between Downton Abbey and a quiet glass of sherry laced with gunpowder.
Set in the precarious calm of 1938 England, this historical fiction gem (coming August 2025 from Lake Union Publishing) introduces us to Eleanor Endicott, Ellie for short, who is about to be unceremoniously evicted from both her marriage and her emotional comfort zone.
What starts as a genteel breakfast in the English countryside quickly turns into the emotional equivalent of a torpedo: Lionel, Ellie’s insufferably pompous banker husband, wants a divorce.
What follows isn’t just a story of heartbreak, but of remarkable rebirth. Rhys Bowen, a beloved author with dozens of award-winning titles, brings her signature blend of wit, grace, and female fortitude to bear on a story that is less about endings and more about glorious, late-blooming beginnings.
Mrs. Endicott’s Splendid Adventure Summary
Set in Surrey on the brink of World War II, Mrs. Endicott’s Splendid Adventure follows Eleanor “Ellie” Endicott, a 50-something Englishwoman who has played the good wife for far too long. When her husband Lionel drops the news of an affair and his desire to replace Ellie with a younger, blander Michelle, Ellie doesn’t crumble. She seethes. She simmers. And then she schemes.
Refusing to fade into the background of a marriage gone stale, Ellie negotiates not only a fair divorce settlement (with a delightful bit of legal trickery) but also sets her sights on something far more daring than vengeance: freedom.
With her trusted cleaning lady Mavis by her side, and a surprise companion in the form of the imperious but secretly tender Miss Smith-Humphries, Ellie sets off for the French Riviera. The novel traverses themes of identity, friendship, aging, and the terrifying thrill of starting over, all while Europe itself teeters on the edge of collapse.
But instead of focusing on bombs and spies, Bowen keeps her lens tightly fixed on the quiet revolution of one woman reclaiming her life.
Strengths
Fierce Femininity and Understated Brilliance
There is something undeniably satisfying about watching a woman politely burn down the polite prison she’s lived in for three decades. Bowen’s greatest strength in this novel is her deft characterization of Ellie, not as a stock “wronged woman” or a caricature of midlife crisis, but as a layered, funny, resilient individual rediscovering her own edges.
The dialogue sparkles with passive-aggressive British charm:
Now I suppose I’ll have to go and find my blasted slippers.
and Ellie’s internal voice evolves beautifully from self-effacing to boldly assertive
And she’d done it. She’d outsmarted Lionel. Now all she had to think about was where she wanted to go and what she wanted to do.
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Pacing
The pacing is unexpectedly nimble for a book with no murders, spies, or royal intrigues (though Bowen is a veteran of all three). Each chapter builds with subtle tension, and the stakes feel deeply personal yet resonant.
Supporting Cast
The supporting cast is another triumph: Mavis, the cleaning lady with Cockney grit, offers humor and grounded wisdom, while Miss Smith-Humphries, stuffy on the outside, brave on the inside, is a walking lesson in second chances. Even Lionel, the would-be villain, is too pompous to hate entirely. Bowen balances satire with sincerity, and her prose dances lightly even when the topics grow heavy.
Readers looking for something quietly radical, full of intelligence and emotional maturity, will find this an immensely rewarding read.
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Weakness
A Risk-Averse Arc (But Forgivably So)
For all its wit and quiet bravery, the novel sometimes veers into the safe zone. Ellie’s “splendid adventure” may be internally transformative, but the external plot rarely throws her into real peril or social upheaval. The tension around Hitler’s looming invasion feels more like background noise than a palpable threat, which may frustrate readers hoping for more historical bite.
Additionally, the book’s final chapters lean a little too neatly into resolution. Ellie, Mavis, and Miss Smith-Humphries are wonderfully drawn, but their arcs conclude with a bit of a bow, and not the complicated, frayed ribbon one might expect from such a radical reimagining of identity. Still, these are mild criticisms of a novel that never pretends to be a thriller. It is, instead, a portrait of courage in teacup doses, and perhaps that’s what makes it quietly revolutionary.
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At its core, Mrs. Endicott’s Splendid Adventure is a story about ownership: of property, of narrative, of self. Ellie’s journey forces us to question how much of our lives are shaped by others’ expectations, and what it means to step outside that mold at an age when society quietly expects you to shrink.
Bowen doesn’t shout these themes: she lets them simmer. That subtlety is powerful. There are also gentle but important class commentaries: Ellie and Mavis, despite their differences, form a friendship rooted in mutual respect and resilience.
Another striking takeaway is the way the novel treats aging. Rather than cast it as an endpoint, Bowen uses it as a gateway. Ellie isn’t “starting over” because she failed: she’s beginning something new because she finally can. The Riviera is less a location than a metaphor for possibilities still unclaimed. For women of all ages, this book whispers something that feels like rebellion: You’re not too old. You never were.
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For Anyone Who’s Ever Wondered “Is This All There Is?”
Mrs. Endicott’s Splendid Adventure is a quiet marvel of reinvention fiction, a genre we didn’t know we needed more of until now. With graceful prose, sharp humor, and just enough bite, Rhys Bowen invites readers into a story that feels both classic and subversive. It’s a must-read for fans of historical fiction who are tired of only reading about kings and killers, and instead want to explore the radical act of a woman choosing herself.
If you loved The Paris Library, Lessons in Chemistry, or even Bowen’s own The Venice Sketchbook, this will feel like home. Grab your wide-brimmed hat and your heart, because Ellie Endicott’s about to take you somewhere splendid.
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The Review
Mrs. Endicott’s Splendid Adventure
With graceful prose, sharp humor, and just enough bite, Rhys Bowen invites readers into a story that feels both classic and subversive.
PROS
- Rich, emotionally intelligent female friendships
- Elegant, witty prose with charming, layered dialogue
- Subtle, resonant themes of freedom, identity, and reinvention
CONS
- Final chapters resolve too cleanly, missing some narrative tension
- Limited external conflict—stakes feel mostly internal
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