When I first walked into the library seeking my first pile of summer books I was ecstatic to see a new Lauren Willig out. When I realized it was not a Pink Carnation novel I was confused, simply because I didn't know there was another novel in the works. At first I was a little hesitant, but Willig came through. Her voice is delightful as always. The humor and lightness of the Pink Carnation series is still present, but in a different form. 
 Much like the Pink Carnation series, this novel moves back and forth through time. However, in the Ashford Affair we are mostly following one family rather than someone doing dissertation research. The parallels of the format hit home a little better in this novel. Switching back and forth between Addie and Clemmie, they are often dealing with similar thematic issues. With Pink Carnation it is generally used a bit more to build suspense, or play with information that has been/is about to be revealed. 
 I was extremely interested seeing the different sides or interpretations of Addie as seen through the different people in her life. We see a little bit of it with Clemmie's Aunt Anna. There were many things in the "present" timeline in regards to Addie that were never really explored. For instance, there was a nugget thrown out about something Addie had said to Jon that was never really adequately addressed. Additionally we only got to see her speak in the "present" once, something interesting considering we see so many things from her point-of-view in the past. Of course, the "present" is Clemmie's rodeo, and much of plot is about her attempting to reconcile this new information with her own portrait of her grandmother. 
 This idea of learning more about the generations before us, and how steeped in mystery our own family histories can be, is really interesting. This book may have found me at a good time. I have spent the last year pondering my own grandparents, how little I actually know about their lives. 
 I'm not exactly sure what I'm supposed to walk away with. The book attempts to force Clemmie to look at her life in a completely new way, but I'm not sure what her exact transformation is. Additionally, I'm not clear on Addie. I'm fine with walking away with her as a complicated character. But I'm not really sure what exactly I'm supposed to walk away with period. 
 It's a fun ride though. Willig's voice is smooth and enjoyable as always, making it a pleasure to read. Additionally, anyone that throws in a Stoppard reference is A-OK by me. 
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