I was somewhat surprised by the responses. On the whole, the Desert Girls were not great fans. The problem most of the readers had with the book was that they felt that it was a little cliched, a little too simple, a little too surface... not to mention depressing.
BUT.
The readers also felt that the book served as a good reminder for those of us in marriages (more than half) and a sense of camaraderie for those no longer in marriages or in marriages struggling.
It was kind of cute, it was kind of endearing, and it offered a very REAL view into a type of life. The author is a good story teller and a good writer, but the characters simply weren't terribly endearing. And it is *noteworthy* how well Gideon employed texts, facebook entries, emails, chats, and common dialogue without the story being weighed down or annoying. Her style certainly warrants more attention in future books.
Also, the topic is interesting -- a woman involves herself in a study about 21st century marriage and, through the course of the study, finds herself questioning her own life, marriage and family. But the problem is, ultimately, the characters are a little lost in the grandness of the situation.
There was the main character -- Wife 22 herself. She seemed to be rather selfish and self-obsessed person, a fact not lost on her supposed best friend, to the point of missing some rather big markers about the situation she has embroiled herself in. Her husband seems to be an oblivious, also selfish, unaware, dishonest, but seemingly "good person." Her children are precocious and selfish... and yeah, there was a whole lot of selfishness.
I don't believe any of the Desert Girls would recommend NOT reading the book, but we would say, go ahead, it's simple, it's a beach read, and most importantly, know what you're getting into. We don't want to add spoilers here... but we're happy to share the spoilers if you're sure you want to hear them (just send us an email or post a comment!)
<<note: I had an ARC copy of the book, but the rest of the Desert Girls bought/rented/borrowed their own copies>>
I finally read this, albeit after the group met to discuss it ha ha. I read it mostly on airplanes and in the airport while traveling. I would say that it was fine for that kind of a book-- "beach read" or "airplane read," for entertainment value. It is a quick read which for the most part kept my interest, but I agree with the apparent consensus of the group that it is superficial and rather cliched.
ReplyDeleteSure, there are some good lessons in there for people who are married but that's pretty much because it's the tired-and-true story of a middle-aged woman who has been married for a long time and is bored with it. It DID include a new twist-- social networking and email communication, etc., which I thought was important because that is how people communicate these days and I don't know why more books haven't explored this theme and medium. At the same time, I think this twist could have been included while also having a more solid story line and better developed characters, all of which seemed to fall by the wayside, sacrificed for the sake of the technology inclusion.
I was disappointed with the characters because they had strong potential but the author seemed to forget all about them with her attempt to splatter electronic communication all throughout the book. I mean I guess that goes to show that one of the dangers of getting so caught up in technology and the Internet world is that you forget about your own family and the down to earth relationships you have in real life. So perhaps it was intentional but still, the kids are brought up in the beginning but then forgotten about until mid-way through the book when the daughter starts having all these issues and I as a reader was left thinking, "Um, I would CARE more if I had learned more about this along the way." I also think that is a remark on modern society though (or maybe it has always been this way)-- the teenaged kids are in their own world, the parents are in their own world, and it's hard for the two worlds to intersect and create meaningful connections.
I did think the main character was selfish but relatable... I would say she's a spot-on caricature of a privileged, middle-aged American woman, so, the character was true to type. I don't agree that the husband seemed selfish or clueless-- to me he was just a normal guy, doing his thing, but also in his own unique way, which was pretty cool. I thought his character could have been explored more, like all the other characters, but from what I saw of him, he just seemed like an average or better-than-average dude. Yes his career was in crises but whose isn't these days? I don't really blame him for his career malaise and I think he was taking actions to shake things up and create radical change-- which I guess the main character was also doing in her own way, although I was not nearly as sympathetic to her, and she seemed a lot more passive while the husband seemed a lot more active.
There's something else I want to say about this book but I think even hinting at it would be too much of a spoiler, so, I'll stop here. Those are my (very late) two cents. In general I do not think anyone will miss anything if they DON'T read this book, but if they do, they will probably be entertained for a few hours, and then go "meh" and move on with their lives. ;) It's not earth-shattering nor, in my opinion, is it very well-written or well-plotted, but it does have some remarks to make on the status of modern American marriages.
Thanks Anita for your comments!
DeleteYes, I want a spoiler. What is the 'twist' at the end of the book?
ReplyDeleteJanet - please email me at desertgirlsbooks at gmail and I'll respond w/ that spoiler -- don't want to put on website ;)
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