Reviews - The Wives | The StoryGraph

411 reviews for:

Even though my military spouse experience has been drastically different, there was a lot to connect with during this read. There were some parts I physically could not read, especially due to some recent events in my life, but overall this was exceptionally written and fascinating. The military life is not easy, but it creates some extraordinary moments for connecting with others. This book did a great job of highlighting that.

stephanieyarbrough's review against another edition

2.0

emotional hopeful reflective slow-paced

msmit76's review

3.0

emotional informative inspiring slow-paced

jade1984's review against another edition

3.0

emotional hopeful reflective sad slow-paced

emilyloomiscole's review

4.0

An inside look at the Army’s Special Ops through the eyes of one [reluctant] wife. It was a combination of fascinating and horrifying; an excellent read into the tremendously challenging lives of army wives.

tansofbooks's review

4.0

emotional informative reflective tense medium-paced

I got this memoir from the wife of an Army Ranger from Book of the Month last year bc I was interested in the perspective of a military wife. (My husband is in the Navy Reserve following a 12-year active duty Navy aviation career.)

If you look at the reviews for this book, you may see that many career military wives have some strong opinions about the author’s POV, which I can understand. But, I actually really enjoyed it. For a couple of reasons:

I identified with a lot of the author’s experiences and a sense of feeling sort of like an anomaly and an outsider in the military world- tho not all for the same reasons as the author. For me, I came into the picture after my husband’s life on active duty and only (knock on wood, so far) navigated one deployment at the very start of our relationship. So, I’ve always felt like a “sort-of” Navy wife. I enjoyed reading a story from someone else who also felt a bit older than other wives, from another world, and unsure of expectations.
Whether it’s a community of military wives or mom friends or a work family- I am a huge believer in this being essential for connection, happiness and, sometimes, just getting thru life’s hardest moments. I loved reading about the way the wives organically become found family as a part of their need to navigate the challenges of this life.

So, for me- I really enjoyed this. Will it stick with me for the long run? That’s to be determined. Do I recommend this to everyone? Probably not.

I guess I recommend this to anyone who is interested in getting a glimpse into another way of life, is curious about military life- especially from a special ops perspective- or who loves any kind of memoir. But, keep in mind, it’s one person’s experience and not a definitive guide to the life of a military spouse.