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expatally's review against another edition
5.0
I love books by Jennifer Haigh! She always manages to pull me in from the beginning of the book!
mariesreads's review against another edition
3.0
I enjoyed this! Smooth, compelling writing, nicely drawn characters. It was a good decision to keep the focus on the wives, rather than Ken himself. Good tension in the storyline, too.
lhollis's review against another edition
4.0
Read the book. The author did a good job developing the characters. I enjoyed how the book evolved.
catherine_louise's review against another edition
2.0
The prose is good. It's easy to turn the page. The problem is that Jennifer Haigh thinks she is writing a wise and profound treatise about marriage (at least according to the ponderous author's note in my ebook edition, which describes Mrs. Kimble as a "meditation on marriage: why women hunger for it, what we're willing to sacrifice in order to have it") and this book is neither wise nor profound.
I loved Haigh's later book THE CONDITION and you can see some themes of that book—dealing with one's choices—in rudimentary form in this one. But this book is exceedingly mediocre.
I loved Haigh's later book THE CONDITION and you can see some themes of that book—dealing with one's choices—in rudimentary form in this one. But this book is exceedingly mediocre.
jlasch's review against another edition
3.0
I absolutely adored Jennifer Haigh's book Faith, so I was excited to read this book when I got to it on my list. While the story was interesting, I felt a little cheated because most of the main characters were not fully developed, so it was hard to understand what made them tick, especially Ken Kimble.
kgentry4's review against another edition
2.0
Ugh! This man drove me nuts! I'm too much of a character person, and he is just horrible. Sadly, he wasn't truly a main character and he still drove me crazy. But most of the others were also frustrating.
And the ending. Ugh! I hate unfinished stories. I don't want it left to my imagination, I want an ending.
All that said, I am sure a lot of people would enjoy this, so maybe you shouldn't take these things to heart unless you have the same pet peeves I do :)
Happy reading!
And the ending. Ugh! I hate unfinished stories. I don't want it left to my imagination, I want an ending.
All that said, I am sure a lot of people would enjoy this, so maybe you shouldn't take these things to heart unless you have the same pet peeves I do :)
Happy reading!
nixieknox's review against another edition
4.0
Great character development. What a despicable guy, and surprisingly likable women, considering the circumstances. Also the final third of the book was better than the beginning - usually happens the other way around and the plot fizzles, but not so with Jennifer Haigh. And I really loved how she wrapped up Birdie's story - probably my favorite part of the book. You were right, Rach!
marie_gg's review against another edition
3.0
I picked this book up at a Little Free Library, and it was compulsively readable. I did question the characters' motives throughout, though. Why did all these women fall in love with such a vacant, shallow man? How did he charm them all? He was like a chameleon, although a narcissistic one. Overall, the book just made me sad.
Birdie and Dinah, I could understand a bit more. Dinah had rarely experienced love in her life. But Joan? Why did she give up her independence, her successful career, and her sense of self to marry this awful man?
I like Jennifer Haigh's writing, and in the back of the book she said she identified with all the wives Mr. Kimble left behind, but she also identified with Mr. Kimble. I cannot relate to that statement at all. This man had absolutely no morals and no capacity for love.
I feel like I need to read an inspiring book next after this one!
Birdie and Dinah, I could understand a bit more. Dinah had rarely experienced love in her life. But Joan? Why did she give up her independence, her successful career, and her sense of self to marry this awful man?
I like Jennifer Haigh's writing, and in the back of the book she said she identified with all the wives Mr. Kimble left behind, but she also identified with Mr. Kimble. I cannot relate to that statement at all. This man had absolutely no morals and no capacity for love.
I feel like I need to read an inspiring book next after this one!