Wife 22 by Melanie Gideon

The Group met and discussed Wife 22 by Melanie Gideon around mid-July.

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>>

Iron House by John Hart

We were all given the choice between Iron House and Last Child and everyone started with Iron House.  I say started with because after reading Iron House, many of the girls are ready to read Last Child.

The Group comments, as a whole:
- a fast read
- "How are you not done?! I couldn't put it down!"
- very entertaining
- "Oh! He's a lawyer! No wonder!" (that was a compliment :))
- "How did you find this? I've never even heard of him! It was really good!"
- "How many books has he written?"
- "The Last Child is even better!"

Overall, the group was very pleased with the book and, as I said, many are ready to read The Last Child.  The pace was great and we felt that he moved the story along quickly.  One member did not love the beginning, but by page 30 or 40, was wrapped up in the plot, the characters, and the story.

Without offering any spoilers:  It's about a career killer who attempts to "go straight" for his love and his baby.  Unfortunately, his past life has no interest in letting their golden killer walk away and he is chased while the people that he loves are put in grave danger, all of their lives being upended and, in some ways, completely destroyed.  There are twists and turns along the way, keeping the story interesting and the reader reading.

Many agreed that, once reading, it was difficult to put the book down.

Overall, the group was PLEASED! And would recommend to anyone who likes a good story, a good thriller, a Grisham/King (mild) story.

Night Road by Kristin Hannah

As stated before, we received this book as part of a promotional giveaway on Reading Group Guides.  Personally, I was a little hesitant to read another Kristin Hannah, because I had not been in love with Firefly Lane.  However, not only was I very pleasantly surprised, many of the Desert Girls were similarly so.


The night before book group, I received a couple emails:
"I was reading it last night I realized it was 3 am and I should try to stop reading it and get some sleep!"


"It wasn't great literature, but it made me very nostalgic!"


And during our meeting, there was more of the same.  One read it in one day, another over the course of a weekend, and I read it on the plane on my way to Wisconsin.  One thing is certain:  It's a quick read!


It also made many of us feel nostalgic.  Not because any or all of us could *relate,* but because, as most of us are in our early 30s, it made us remember high school, first loves, first best friends, parties, and the sheer amount of unsafe behavior we all engaged in!


Many of us also happen to be lawyers, and while we understand Ms. Hannah used the assistance of a lawyer in writing that portion of the book, many of us were skeptical... "lawyers aren't really like that!"  ;)  Some are.


Overall, we thought the book was a great quick read, a beach read, an airplane read, a vacation read.  We *thoroughly* enjoyed it, as a whole, and felt really happy about having won it for our group.


Let's see, a short synopsis of the book:  Lexi has a difficult past, but she's a good girl.  When she is taken in by an aunt previously unknown at 14, she is grateful but still guarded.  She is brought back to an island on the western coast and surrounded by the affluent.  She is a hard worker, a good girl, and honest.  Her best friend is Mia, a shy, very wealthy, very unique and spirited girl whose twin brother, Zach, is Mr. Popular, but also a wonderful high school kid.  Zach and Lexi have an immediate attraction to one another, but because Zach cares deeply about his twin Mia, because Lexi is Mia's best friend, and because the last time Zach dated Mia's best friend, Mia lost her only friend, Zach and Lexi stay far away from one another, until their senior year.  One night, Lexi nearly kisses Zach in a haze, and from that point forward, the two of them are inseparable.  While Mia is upset and hesitant at first, and while Mia and Zach's helicopter mom Jude is very wary of the development, it goes well for the year.  Final week of high school, tragedy strikes.  I am not into spoilers, so I won't say what, but I was pleased because it was predictable with a twist.  I like twists.  The remainder of the book deals with the repercussions of the failings of each of the characters.


My thoughts:  Hannah has delivered an emotional, insightful page-turner.  She has a gift of portraying the personalities, characters, and emotions of teenagers, mothers, and others.  She presented a relatively plausible scenario addressing pain, heartache, love, and forgiveness.  I was most impressed by Hannah's willingness to portray such an unpleasant and continuing depression, anger, and sadness.  It was down, dark, blue, and yet there was always that light -- you could see it just in the distance.  I don't tend to like tear-jerkers, I don't like being emotionally manipulated, and I tend not to love what I dub "dramas" because I find that they are generally either poorly written or poorly told and, instead, merely indulgent of the author.  I really enjoyed Hannah's Night Road because it was well told, well written, and did not feel like the author merely indulging in herself.  It was a story, from beginning to end.  I recommend, definitely to people who like "Fiction and Literature" (drama ;)).