Tiny Little Thing by Beatriz Williams – a Review

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Description:
In the summer of 1966, Christina Hardcastle—“Tiny” to her illustrious family—stands on the brink of a breathtaking future. Of the three Schuyler sisters, she’s the one raised to marry a man destined for leadership, and with her elegance and impeccable style, she presents a perfect camera-ready image in the dawning age of television politics. Together she and her husband, Frank, make the ultimate power couple: intelligent, rich, and impossibly attractive. It seems nothing can stop Frank from rising to national office, and he’s got his sights set on a senate seat in November.
 
But as the season gets underway at the family estate on Cape Cod, three unwelcome visitors appear in Tiny’s perfect life: her volatile sister Pepper, an envelope containing incriminating photographs, and the intimidating figure of Frank’s cousin Vietnam-war hero Caspian, who knows more about Tiny’s rich inner life than anyone else. As she struggles to maintain the glossy façade on which the Hardcastle family’s ambitions are built, Tiny begins to suspect that Frank is hiding a reckless entanglement of his own…one that may unravel both her own ordered life and her husband’s promising career

Review:

Tiny Little Thing by Beatriz Williams is a contemporary story of politics and power with an old time rich family that is filled with deceit, lies and betrayals. It is the story of a woman in the center of it all, who beneath it all, is not what everyone wants her to be. Tiny Little Thing takes place in 1966, with flashbacks to 1964.

Christina (Tiny) Hardcastle is beautiful, elegant and the perfect wife for a man who plans to run for president one day. Tiny is not happy in her life with the Hardcastles, not to mention what is expected of her. We feel Tiny’s inner turmoil, while she watches her husband, Frank, looking suave and handsome on television honoring his cousin being award the medal of honor. Tiny is coming off a miscarriage, and is home with Grandmother Hardcastle, who is annoying with her snarky commentary. Tiny finds herself fighting to stay in control, as her dissatisfaction in her life grows.

The flashbacks to 1964 is before Tiny married Frank. While engaged, she meets Caspian, a war veteran in a coffee shop, and slowly they build a friendship and romance that makes her unsure if she is marrying the right person. But Tiny knows her family and the Hardcastles expect her to marry Frank and help him in his career. Caspian though, makes her happy, allows her to dance, her favorite hobby and takes pictures of her. Caspian has to go back to his army base, and might be gone for a long time. This will push Tiny to marry Frank, and become the rich powerful attractive couple that will win the public’s attention.

In present time, the war veteran cousin who Frank honors is in fact Caspian, which will make a difficult reunion for both Tiny and Caspian. As Tiny is pushed to help Frank’s campaign, she begins to discover that Frank maybe cheating on her.

What follows is an interesting and very well written story of a woman in the midst of a powerful family that will stop at nothing to protect their own, especially one that is destined to rise in the political world.   The early part of the story was a bit slow, giving us a look at what Tiny was truly all about. But as we got further in, it became an exciting story to see what would happen. Will Tiny stay with Frank and help his Career? Will she give in to her love of Caspian?

When secrets are revealed, the danger escalates for Tiny, with powerful forces determined to stop her from making the wrong decision, which could take away her life as she knows it. Beatriz Williams has created a group of interesting characters, especially Tiny, as well as her sister Pepper, who I thought was great. It was Pepper who did bring some humor into this story, as well as playing an exciting part in the final 1/3 of the book. This story proves that not all is what you see, nothing is perfect. Tiny Little Thing was an excellent story that will open your eyes to the political world of the rich and powerful.

Reviewed by Barb

Copy provided by Publisher