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3.76 AVERAGE
3.76 AVERAGE
challenging
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Pretty surprised I even picked this up, but I have to say that I loved it. Great writing. I did lose interest when they ended up in the White House, but before that, I couldn't put it down.
Probably not the best time to be reading this. Enjoyed it less than I think I might have at another time. It was an intriguing take on Laura Bush. But The Giving Tree? Really?
The Gist
American Wife is a fictionalized tale inspired by the life of former First Lady Laura Bush, told through the lens of Alice Blackwell, a reserved, bookish woman who finds herself at the center of American political power. Told in four parts, the novel traces Alice’s life from her quiet adolescence marked by tragedy, to her career as a librarian, her whirlwind romance with the charismatic (and privileged) Charlie Blackwell (aka George W. Bush) and eventually, her reluctant role as First Lady. It’s a story about identity, compromise, and the quiet complexities of a woman living in the shadow of her husband’s political ambition.
The Good
I really liked this one. Curtis Sittenfeld’s writing is sharp and thoughtful, and she has a real talent for building full, vivid characters—even the minor ones. Alice, her parents, her grandmother, Charlie, their daughter Ella, her sister-in-law, even the guy running Charlie’s campaign—they all felt fully realized and essential to the world of the story. And while I can imagine some readers might find Alice herself a little boring on the surface, I thought she was perfectly written. Her quiet introspection, her internal dilemmas, and the way she processed the world around her? That’s what made the book so compelling. Her inner life is where the novel truly shines.
The Bad
At times, I found myself comparing Alice and Charlie to their real-life counterparts—Laura and George W. Bush—which was a little distracting. I didn’t have many strong opinions about Laura, but I definitely had some about George W., and Charlie didn’t always line up with them. That’s not the author’s fault (and who knows how accurate my impressions even are), but it occasionally pulled me out of the story. Also, the final section—the White House years—felt a little underwhelming. After such rich storytelling throughout the earlier parts, it just didn’t land quite as strongly as I hoped.
The Bottom Line
A compelling, character-driven peek behind the curtain of American politics—quietly powerful and surprisingly empathetic, even if it pulls a few punches near the end.
American Wife is a fictionalized tale inspired by the life of former First Lady Laura Bush, told through the lens of Alice Blackwell, a reserved, bookish woman who finds herself at the center of American political power. Told in four parts, the novel traces Alice’s life from her quiet adolescence marked by tragedy, to her career as a librarian, her whirlwind romance with the charismatic (and privileged) Charlie Blackwell (aka George W. Bush) and eventually, her reluctant role as First Lady. It’s a story about identity, compromise, and the quiet complexities of a woman living in the shadow of her husband’s political ambition.
The Good
I really liked this one. Curtis Sittenfeld’s writing is sharp and thoughtful, and she has a real talent for building full, vivid characters—even the minor ones. Alice, her parents, her grandmother, Charlie, their daughter Ella, her sister-in-law, even the guy running Charlie’s campaign—they all felt fully realized and essential to the world of the story. And while I can imagine some readers might find Alice herself a little boring on the surface, I thought she was perfectly written. Her quiet introspection, her internal dilemmas, and the way she processed the world around her? That’s what made the book so compelling. Her inner life is where the novel truly shines.
The Bad
At times, I found myself comparing Alice and Charlie to their real-life counterparts—Laura and George W. Bush—which was a little distracting. I didn’t have many strong opinions about Laura, but I definitely had some about George W., and Charlie didn’t always line up with them. That’s not the author’s fault (and who knows how accurate my impressions even are), but it occasionally pulled me out of the story. Also, the final section—the White House years—felt a little underwhelming. After such rich storytelling throughout the earlier parts, it just didn’t land quite as strongly as I hoped.
The Bottom Line
A compelling, character-driven peek behind the curtain of American politics—quietly powerful and surprisingly empathetic, even if it pulls a few punches near the end.
reflective
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
challenging
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
slow-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:
No
emotional
funny
medium-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
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
informative
reflective
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
challenging
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I find it weird that it‘s about former First Lady Lauren Bush‘s life for no reason.