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3.76 AVERAGE
3.76 AVERAGE
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Fascinating. Does anyone know if Laura Bush is on Goodreads so I can friend her and see what she thought of it? ;)
I wish I could read it again for the first time! Loved it. My one complaint is, why can't it be set it Texas? And why doesn't she have twins? Not sure I get that. I suppose there are some elements of each of the Bush twins, and of Chelsea in Ellie, but I don't know why the plot couldn't have held a little truer to Laura's real life.
Wow what a novel it’s everything you want a book to be- complicated, multi generational, opulent and w a side of truth. This text toes close enough to the truth to be believable. I loved it the marriage the families everything.
I am the last person who would be interested in Laura Bush per se, but for some reason, I was really drawn into this book. I felt I got to know Alice/Laura well, although it helped to think of her as fictional Alice, rather than as real Laura. She was more sympathetic as a fictional character because I have a hard time reconciling that I ultimately liked the woman who was married to George Bush. I think that's a testament to a well-written book.
This book was intriguing, but I didn't love it. I struggled to remain engaged. In some ways, this book is too long. However, I enjoyed Sittenfeld's writing style and her conceptualization of the Bush White House.
American Wife is the story of Alice Blackwell, wife, mother and First Lady of the United States. Author Curtis Sittenfeld follows Alice from her young days of first love in Wisconsin, through unimaginable tragedy, and into her later years as the wife of a screw up in a very political family.
American Wife was a well-written story that gives the plausible scenario of how a small-town, school librarian can become the First Lady of the United States. Sittenfeld is masterful when writing relateable characters and both Alice and her husband Charlie are relateable, even as they take on one of the highest profile careers in the world. Sittenfeld doesn't shy away from character flaws and insecurities, she attacks them head on and even highlights them. There were so many parts of this book that I connected with... but for whatever reason it just couldn't hold my interest for too long.
Because I had such a visceral reaction to Sittenfeld's writing in the past, I might have been expecting too much out of American Wife. The author came onto my radar with Prep, an intensely realistic look at a teenager coming up through her high school years in a prep-school environment. The earlier Sittenfeld works had more to do with high school or a focus on college and just after, American Wife is a slight departure from her earlier books. I'm left wondering if I prefer Sittenfeld's characters in their younger years rather than in mid to late life. Still, I enjoyed the story, connected with the characters, and the pace wasn't bad at all - it just wasn't one of my favorites.
Curtis Sittenfeld has a great track record with me so far and I will most certainly read her again in the future, American Wife was more an 'okay' book rather than a 'good' or 'great' one but I'd still urge you to pick it up if it interests you and give it a shot. Sittenfeld is a fantastic author and all of her published work is at least worth a try in my opinion.
American Wife was a well-written story that gives the plausible scenario of how a small-town, school librarian can become the First Lady of the United States. Sittenfeld is masterful when writing relateable characters and both Alice and her husband Charlie are relateable, even as they take on one of the highest profile careers in the world. Sittenfeld doesn't shy away from character flaws and insecurities, she attacks them head on and even highlights them. There were so many parts of this book that I connected with... but for whatever reason it just couldn't hold my interest for too long.
Because I had such a visceral reaction to Sittenfeld's writing in the past, I might have been expecting too much out of American Wife. The author came onto my radar with Prep, an intensely realistic look at a teenager coming up through her high school years in a prep-school environment. The earlier Sittenfeld works had more to do with high school or a focus on college and just after, American Wife is a slight departure from her earlier books. I'm left wondering if I prefer Sittenfeld's characters in their younger years rather than in mid to late life. Still, I enjoyed the story, connected with the characters, and the pace wasn't bad at all - it just wasn't one of my favorites.
Curtis Sittenfeld has a great track record with me so far and I will most certainly read her again in the future, American Wife was more an 'okay' book rather than a 'good' or 'great' one but I'd still urge you to pick it up if it interests you and give it a shot. Sittenfeld is a fantastic author and all of her published work is at least worth a try in my opinion.
This is an extremely well-written and insightful book, which kept me interested from beginning to end. The main character IS Laura Bush, though its not. And my only problem with the book was that I kept picturing Laura Bush as I read it. That aside, it certainly gives a different picture of "fame" than I had considered before. Additionally, I thought that the portrayal of marriage as a long series of compromises was spot on.
fast-paced
It was slow going for me to get into this one as it is not plot driven. I loved how she explored what it means to be married to someone when you hold divergent viewpoints. How far can a marriage stretch to accommodate difference? What are the bonds that hold two people together? Beyond a look into their marriage, it challenged me to think about what assumptions I make about people in the limelight. Overall, a fascinating read.
My biggest complaint is the way the abortion plotline resolved in a neat way instead of allowing us to see how Alice would handle the fallout. I was so intrigued by the lead-up and was disappointed in its resolution.
My biggest complaint is the way the abortion plotline resolved in a neat way instead of allowing us to see how Alice would handle the fallout. I was so intrigued by the lead-up and was disappointed in its resolution.