sreed151 's review for:

American Wife by Curtis Sittenfeld

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I really enjoyed this, and it actually made me cry twice towards the end. I felt that I knew the main character so well. I found "Prep" well written but very cold and clinical, so not enjoyable even though I admired Sittenfeld's craft. This was the opposite, so warm and human and accepting of everyone's faults. I still do not feel like I "know" Laura Bush -- nor do I feel that I understand the choices that the Laura Bush character made in this book -- but that's ok. That's not why I chose to read this book. I do feel like I've read a remarkable piece of American fiction. I have to say that this one of the few books that I did not find to be lacking in the face of an onslaught of critical praise. It does live up to its reputation.