Reviews

American Wife by Curtis Sittenfeld

laurennmiller's review against another edition

4.5

I thought this was fascinating. This book takes a concept I couldn’t quite understand at the outset (ie a first lady with conflicting political opinions than her husband, who may not have even voted for him) - but gives it a certain kind of sense when viewed through the lens of each individual decision that got her there. Many of the biographical facts are based on Laura Bush, who is not someone I knew much about, and the public record on her is rather dull and one-sided (something explicitly referenced in the book). I really appreciated the writing style, especially on the introspective parts, and those actually made much more sense when I got to the author’s biographical info at the end and learned Curtis Sittenfeld is a woman. I will definitely be seeking out more books by this author. 

tbartkey's review against another edition

4.0

First three sections were much better than the last, which seemed to be a very rushed way to pull together all the lose ends. An enjoyable read, but only because I refused to let my mind picture G.W. as Charlie.

booksconnectus's review against another edition

4.0

4.5
Audio
I loved everything about this book. Another audio I wished that I had read-although the audio was excellent. Now I want to go grab the Laura Bush biography off my library's shelf and see how true to her real life this book actually was. This was my first Sittenfeld book but I will read more after this one! History, fiction based on fact...important topics, hard choices. Definitely a great book to discuss.

cgrayson87's review against another edition

challenging emotional informative reflective slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

hellomalea's review against another edition

reflective slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.75

allisonwonderland17's review against another edition

reflective slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character

This was unexpected. I came in with zero expectations and, in the beginning, wasn’t sure how I felt about this novel. But it picks up only to somewhat let you down in the end. Maybe it’s the time we live in but I felt like we were building up to something high-stakes only for the book to end without getting there. Still, I enjoyed reading this book. 

rebread's review against another edition

informative reflective slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

traceyelder's review against another edition

4.0

I couldn't put this book down when I first started reading it, and it stayed that way for about the first 450 pages. The last 100 started to drag a bit, but I think it's only because I'd been reading the book a while and was eager for something new.

This is a fascinating character study of a woman much like former first lady Laura Bush (the book is loosely based on her life), and I loved reading the contradictions between her personal beliefs and feelings and her duties as a wife. This is a really interesting look at what's going on 'behind closed doors' - I couldn't help but wonder how similar this really was/is to the feelings Laura Bush had.

Overall, I loved the love story between Alice and Charlie, and the tragedy from her teens that shaped her life was sort of haunting.

Definitely recommend this book - as well as Sittenfeld's other wonderful novel, Prep!

rosieshackles's review against another edition

slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.5

laila4343's review against another edition

3.0

I really liked this book until about halfway through. Alice Lindgren is a very appealing character. I wish the book hadn't fallen apart as it headed into the alcoholism and political career of Charlie Blackwell. Oh well. I just had a hard time buying that such a smart, thoughtful woman would align herself with such a boorish boob. So either she's not as smart as we want her to be, or she's seriously misleading herself.