"American Wife" by
Curtis Sittenfeld (Random House, 9781400064755, $26.00)
Marketing Curtis Sittenfeld's books is a rewarding job. There are more than
one-million copies in print of "Prep," her first novel, and "Man of My
Dreams," her second. Her third novel, "American Wife," is an imagined life
of Laura Bush.
Sittenfeld's narrative is inspired by certain public events form the life of
the first lady: the fatal accident she caused in her teen years; her early
years with her parents; their modest means and small-town lives; her
husband's alcohol addiction and recovery.
From her job as a public school librarian, then adapting to life in a large
powerful family, then on through the intimate details of blossoming love and
early years of marriage and motherhood, Alice Blackwell is a woman we like.
We admire her tenacity and suffer-no-fools mentality. She works hard, she
does the right thing, and she's gracious and kind. Alice loves her husband,
and she's very smart, knowing full-well when it is that she is compromised.
Her husband is lucky. Not only is Alice attractive and a good sport, she
lends him credibility he lacks before he knew her. As their marriage matures
and the years pass, a compromises Mrs. Blackwell makes for her husband out
measure the pleasures she finds in her financially-secure and public life.
The real lives that form "American Wife" lure readers, hook them like a fish
on a line. But the lasting impression and success of this novel is due to
Curtis Sittenfeld's remarkable storytelling.
Review by
Sarah Bagby,
September 11, 2008
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