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jujelly's review against another edition
5.0
this was absolutely beautiful. it was heartbreaking, in a way that left me with heavy sorrow rather than pain and tears. this is just, i dont even know what to say. but this deserves a 5 star, because of how much it moved and stilled me at the same time. my heart feels squeezed but not choked, at the same time i feel so fulfilled. i dont know, this brings lots of feelings. woah
sausome's review against another edition
4.0
Jack Jemc's writing is so incredible. This is the third book by the author that I've read, and I am continually awed by the author's power over the written word. This was a brief but intense book about a marriage through they eyes of a husband struggling to understand his very strange wife. She seems to swing wildly between emotions and needs and boundaries, and all we know is that he quietly weathers the storm until one day she is simply gone. I think, ultimately, she (known to is readers as only "my wife") is something akin to a wild stallion, untamable, but still the husband tries to "keep" her. She cannot always explain her emotions or reasons for things, and becomes exasperated when her husband has a constant need to understand every aspect of her. Similar to the story of the woman with the ribbon tied round her throat, who asks only that her husband never ask her to remove it.
Some exemplary quotes:
p. 1 "My wife climbed stairs like a bull, but she descended them like a Duchamp painting, all blurred angles and motion."
p. 7 "My wife was willowy. Not willowy in the way people commonly think of the word, but in a weeping willow sort of way. My wife was narrow. Her shoulders lacked breadth. There was a weight and direction to her slenderness. My wife's body was an arrow. There wasn't much to her, but what was there seemed to move towards the earth. The gravity of my wife could be overwhelming."
p. 19 "She'd misunderstood. She thought my wife was saying he was an enigma.
My wife hadn't intended to pay him such a compliment.
My wife had lost to a man obsessed with fitting himself into his own picture frame.
My wife said, "The only story I could tell that afternoon was ultimately about myself."
"Tricky bastard." My wife laughed, defeated."
Some exemplary quotes:
p. 1 "My wife climbed stairs like a bull, but she descended them like a Duchamp painting, all blurred angles and motion."
p. 7 "My wife was willowy. Not willowy in the way people commonly think of the word, but in a weeping willow sort of way. My wife was narrow. Her shoulders lacked breadth. There was a weight and direction to her slenderness. My wife's body was an arrow. There wasn't much to her, but what was there seemed to move towards the earth. The gravity of my wife could be overwhelming."
p. 19 "She'd misunderstood. She thought my wife was saying he was an enigma.
My wife hadn't intended to pay him such a compliment.
My wife had lost to a man obsessed with fitting himself into his own picture frame.
My wife said, "The only story I could tell that afternoon was ultimately about myself."
"Tricky bastard." My wife laughed, defeated."
polythenesam's review against another edition
dark
emotional
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
divinesprout's review
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
chelsearaak's review against another edition
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
isaa23's review against another edition
1.0
This must really not be my book...
Apart from the fact I didn't like the quirkiness of the wife, portraying her as this mystical creature (and not really a sympathetic one at that), the fact that there were so many hints at possible plot-twists that never came, the constant referring to her as 'my wife', the total lack of action,... It was a non-story, more like a description of amount-to-nothing events, that I could have done without.
I could have done without the entire 'story'. Not just disappointed with the ending, or the pace with which the story started. It's the complete lack of deeper story, the complete lack of tension that made me feel the story never even started. I forced myself to the end though, hoping it would be one hell of a plot-twist ending turning every negative feeling upside down, making it at least somewhat worth it. But, nothing...
I absolutely love reading and barely give a book under 4 stars, so I am really disappointed. Maybe I'm missing the bigger picture, or maybe this is just not my book.
Apart from the fact I didn't like the quirkiness of the wife, portraying her as this mystical creature (and not really a sympathetic one at that), the fact that there were so many hints at possible plot-twists that never came, the constant referring to her as 'my wife', the total lack of action,... It was a non-story, more like a description of amount-to-nothing events, that I could have done without.
I could have done without the entire 'story'. Not just disappointed with the ending, or the pace with which the story started. It's the complete lack of deeper story, the complete lack of tension that made me feel the story never even started. I forced myself to the end though, hoping it would be one hell of a plot-twist ending turning every negative feeling upside down, making it at least somewhat worth it. But, nothing...
I absolutely love reading and barely give a book under 4 stars, so I am really disappointed. Maybe I'm missing the bigger picture, or maybe this is just not my book.
a_pilgrim's review against another edition
4.0
"I assume the you that was mine, will never be anyone else's."
My Only Wife by Jac Jemc is well-written. Interesting, Heartbreaking and also touching!
"She was MY ONLY WIFE and I accepted her for all that she was, all quirks, all inconsistencies and unexpected preferences."
It's a love story, a 'true love' story. It is about a husband who loves and adores his wife - his only wife! There is a lot of depth and meaning, in his love for her.
"I miss you. I`ve found bruises under my skin, now, weeks after you`ve gone missing, that stagnate and wait for you to heal them to a clean clarity of flesh. I am furious and I still love you."
My Only Wife, I will always LOVE YOU!
My Only Wife by Jac Jemc is well-written. Interesting, Heartbreaking and also touching!
"She was MY ONLY WIFE and I accepted her for all that she was, all quirks, all inconsistencies and unexpected preferences."
It's a love story, a 'true love' story. It is about a husband who loves and adores his wife - his only wife! There is a lot of depth and meaning, in his love for her.
"I miss you. I`ve found bruises under my skin, now, weeks after you`ve gone missing, that stagnate and wait for you to heal them to a clean clarity of flesh. I am furious and I still love you."
My Only Wife, I will always LOVE YOU!
atenderwitch's review
emotional
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0