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A review by novella42
The Work Wife by Alison B. Hart
emotional
reflective
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
I devoured this in a day, staying up late to finish, even though I didn't expect to like it in the first place (I'm more of a genre fiction gal). I found certain elements very true to my experience years ago of being someone's people-pleasing personal assistant. "You're only ever as good as your last pat on the head." Oof.
I was impressed with the way Hart captured each person's internal insecurities and contrasted those with the opinions of other characters. She seems to have a wonderful grasp of the gulf of difference between how we see ourselves and how others see us, and I think that's one reason this book kept me up at night. I wanted to know how it turned out, of course, but I r ally wanted to know what they all thought of each other by the end. And of themselves.
A very satisfying read. I have a writer friend who is burning out as a PA to a jerk in Hollywood, and I cannot tell you how much I want to mail a copy of this book to her with the note "You are a human who deserves empathy and a humane work environment where your own creative voice can shine." I might actually do just that.
Maybe a lot more of us need to hear a story like this, than we think.
Update to add: Half a year later, I'm upgrading this to a full five stars because it stayed with me and I keep recommending it to people. Also, I just stumbled across a Tumblr thread about the relationship between famous male film directors and their female editor counterparts. It talked about Marcia Lucas, George Lucas' ex-wife, who was one of the co-editors of A New Hope and the rest of the trilogy. Some believe her editing skills are a huge part of the reason Star Wars worked in the first place. It's been making me think a lot about the character in this book. While The Work Wife can't be said to be based on a true story, it clearly comes close. I'm even more impressed with the author, now.
(Source: https://fandomshatewomen.tumblr.com/post/669852239376089088/bitchthefuck1-iwilleatyourenglish)
I was impressed with the way Hart captured each person's internal insecurities and contrasted those with the opinions of other characters. She seems to have a wonderful grasp of the gulf of difference between how we see ourselves and how others see us, and I think that's one reason this book kept me up at night. I wanted to know how it turned out, of course, but I r ally wanted to know what they all thought of each other by the end. And of themselves.
A very satisfying read. I have a writer friend who is burning out as a PA to a jerk in Hollywood, and I cannot tell you how much I want to mail a copy of this book to her with the note "You are a human who deserves empathy and a humane work environment where your own creative voice can shine." I might actually do just that.
Maybe a lot more of us need to hear a story like this, than we think.
Update to add: Half a year later, I'm upgrading this to a full five stars because it stayed with me and I keep recommending it to people. Also, I just stumbled across a Tumblr thread about the relationship between famous male film directors and their female editor counterparts. It talked about Marcia Lucas, George Lucas' ex-wife, who was one of the co-editors of A New Hope and the rest of the trilogy. Some believe her editing skills are a huge part of the reason Star Wars worked in the first place. It's been making me think a lot about the character in this book. While The Work Wife can't be said to be based on a true story, it clearly comes close. I'm even more impressed with the author, now.
(Source: https://fandomshatewomen.tumblr.com/post/669852239376089088/bitchthefuck1-iwilleatyourenglish)
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual harassment, Addiction, Cancer, Emotional abuse, Medical content, Racism, Sexual assault, and Terminal illness
Moderate: Cursing, Sexism, Chronic illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Sexual assault, Sexual harassment, Gaslighting, Misogyny, and Classism
Minor: Infertility and Death of parent