The promise

This book tells the story of a famous pianist who was forced to leave her profession and her entire life behind because of a scandal. She was having an affair with her cousin's husband. However, rumors as they were, for the most part, the tales about her deed were exaggerated.
Now, being a woman, in the beginning of the 20th century, she, of course bore the heavier weight of the scandal. The man made excuses, ignored her, moved on, and no one blamed him.
After every door closes in her face, even her mother's, she finds refuge by Oscar Williams's side, a recently widowed man and her childhood friend who had a huge crush on her for a huge while, before moving from Ohio (where they both shared their childhood) to Galveston - Texas. And so she marries him.
Introduced into this new life, a life she finds primitive, she faces a lot of challenges between coping, leaving her past behind, and trying to give this man who she did not love as much as he deserves, thinking that he did not know about her past. but he did, and still took her in.
The housekeeper was an old friend of his dead wife, and she promised to take care of his 5 year-old son. However, as time flew past, she started developing feelings towards her employer; feelings she was forced to suppress because of the arrival of this new wife of his. A wife she finds very sophisticated and highborn, as opposed to her hardworking family. And so she keeps her distance.
However, a storm comes one day and tests both of these women.
I cannot say much more.
The ending, oh my god. I teared up. I couldn't.
This was one of the best books I have read this year. The writing was beautiful. It flowed excellently. I was never ever left bored out. The story never ever ever dragged on. There was the perfect amount of everything. Of description. Of feelings, both positive and negative. Of story telling. It was perfect. I loved it.
I totally recommend.
Very nice book.

A disgraced woman, with no other options, agrees to marry an old suitor who has recently become a widower. She arrives in Galveston in August of 1900.

You know what's coming, don't you?

An emotional story, more powerful than a Category 5 hurricane. Oh, and that's in this tale, too, if you didn't know.