A chance meeting in St. James's Park begins young Lorna and Matt's intense relationship. Wholly in love, they leave London for a cottage in a rural Somerset village. Their intimate life together--Matt's woodcarving, Lorna's self-discovery, their new baby, Molly--is shattered with the arrival of World War II. In 1960s London, Molly happens upon a forgotten newspaper and a seemingly small moment that leads to her first job and, eventually, a pregnancy by a wealthy man who wants to marry her but whom she does not love. Thirty years later, Ruth, who has always considered her existence a peculiar accident, questions her own marriage and begins a journey that takes her back to 1941, and a redefinition of herself and of love.

This book reminded me of the sweeping World War II sagas of Rosamund Pilcher, but lacking Pilcher's gripping plot development and enjoyable characters. I found this book to be aimless and ultimately dull, not to mention completely unsurprising. Perhaps this latter facet is the appeal of Lively, whose work is new to me. But if I'm going to engage in escapist reading, I hope for a little more bite to keep me tuned in and Consequences had little to offer except a light, shallow tale of three women with light, shallow personalities. But it should be noted that the audiobook reader, Josephine Bailey, was not to blame in the least. I could listen to her all day and will look for her books in the future.