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3.76 AVERAGE
3.76 AVERAGE
My reaction was only slightly better than to Prep, the last Curtis Sittenfeld book I read; parts of it I really liked and identified with, and then parts of it made no sense to me at all. I thought she overemphasized much of the sex, as well.
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
A phenomenal read that was beautiful, thoughtful, devastating, delicate, immersive. Absolutely loved Alice and she was so special to me. I had heard good things and none of them even prepared me for how much I’d love this book!
American Wife is Alice Blackwell's life story. From her heartbreaking tragedy as a teenage girl to her role as first lady we become intimately connected with her. It's an expanded look at what it's like to grown up and find yourself as the first lady of the United States of America. Her story is loosely based on that of real first lady, Laura Bush. The story is split up into 4 sections, her childhood, early adulthood as a librarian, married life and motherhood, and life as the first lady.
I really really really enjoyed this book. I was a little uncertain how I would like the time jumps between the sections but I think they worked out beautifully allowing enough time to pass that a whole new set of elements could be introduced into the story without making the reader feel like they have missed a whole chapter.
I found this book really fascinating to read. Knowing that I would get to read a fictional character's life story, ending with her being the first lady definitely sounded interesting and it was. I knew it would be fulfilling to experience someone's life alongside them and she turned out to be a great character I could relate to. I felt like I was Alice's friend that she told all her secrets to throughout her life. It's very rare to get such a great character study such as this.
I will admit the first half of the book was my favorite, probably because I can identify with her at that age. Though I've grown up in a different generation it was interesting to think about maybe this is what it was like for my mom to grow up.
I definitely became more sympathetic towards the idea that the first lady is separate then the president himself. I also liked the idea of their political differences.
I really really really enjoyed this book. I was a little uncertain how I would like the time jumps between the sections but I think they worked out beautifully allowing enough time to pass that a whole new set of elements could be introduced into the story without making the reader feel like they have missed a whole chapter.
I found this book really fascinating to read. Knowing that I would get to read a fictional character's life story, ending with her being the first lady definitely sounded interesting and it was. I knew it would be fulfilling to experience someone's life alongside them and she turned out to be a great character I could relate to. I felt like I was Alice's friend that she told all her secrets to throughout her life. It's very rare to get such a great character study such as this.
I will admit the first half of the book was my favorite, probably because I can identify with her at that age. Though I've grown up in a different generation it was interesting to think about maybe this is what it was like for my mom to grow up.
I definitely became more sympathetic towards the idea that the first lady is separate then the president himself. I also liked the idea of their political differences.
I've wanted to read this book for years, but I just couldn't get into it. Loosely based on the life of Laura Bush, this fictional story follows the making of a First Lady.
I listened to the audiobook and found the explicit sex scenes to be plentiful and the main character to be someone I couldn't bring myself to care about, even though we have a career in common: school/children's librarian. There was something about the portions of the books written about her experience as a school librarian that just felt phony to me. I put the book down, maybe to try another title by this author in the future.
Recommended for fans of literary fiction with a little scandal.
I listened to the audiobook and found the explicit sex scenes to be plentiful and the main character to be someone I couldn't bring myself to care about, even though we have a career in common: school/children's librarian. There was something about the portions of the books written about her experience as a school librarian that just felt phony to me. I put the book down, maybe to try another title by this author in the future.
Recommended for fans of literary fiction with a little scandal.
emotional
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
reflective
sad
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
reflective
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
challenging
emotional
informative
reflective
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Got tired of it towards the end