Define Books During American Wife
| Original Title: | American Wife |
| ISBN: | 1400064759 (ISBN13: 9781400064755) |
| Edition Language: | English |
| Characters: | Alice Lindgren |
| Literary Awards: | Orange Prize Nominee for Fiction Longlist (2009) |
Curtis Sittenfeld
Hardcover | Pages: 555 pages Rating: 3.74 | 49061 Users | 6128 Reviews
Representaion Toward Books American Wife
On what might become one of the most significant days in her husband's presidency, Alice Blackwell considers the strange and unlikely path that has led her to the White House–-and the repercussions of a life lived, as she puts it, “almost in opposition to itself.”A kind, bookish only child born in the 1940s, Alice learned the virtues of politeness early on from her stolid parents and small Wisconsin hometown. But a tragic accident when she was seventeen shattered her identity and made her understand the fragility of life and the tenuousness of luck. So more than a decade later, when she meets boisterous, charismatic Charlie Blackwell, she hardly gives him a second look: She is serious and thoughtful, and he would rather crack a joke than offer a real insight; he is the wealthy son of a bastion family of the Republican party, and she is a school librarian and registered Democrat. Comfortable in her quiet and unassuming life, she feels inured to his charms. And then, much to her surprise, Alice falls for Charlie.
As Alice learns to make her way amid the clannish energy and smug confidence of the Blackwell family, navigating the strange rituals of their country club and summer estate, she remains uneasy with her newfound good fortune. And when Charlie eventually becomes President, Alice is thrust into a position she did not seek–one of power and influence, privilege and responsibility.
As Charlie’s tumultuous and controversial second term in the White House wears on, Alice must face contradictions years in the making: How can she both love and fundamentally disagree with her husband? How complicit has she been in the trajectory of her own life? What should she do when her private beliefs run against her public persona?
In Alice Blackwell, New York Times bestselling author Curtis Sittenfeld has created her most dynamic and complex heroine yet. American Wife is a gorgeously written novel that weaves class, wealth, race, and the exigencies of fate into a brilliant tapestry–-a novel in which the unexpected becomes inevitable, and the pleasures and pain of intimacy and love are laid bare.
Declare Based On Books American Wife
| Title | : | American Wife |
| Author | : | Curtis Sittenfeld |
| Book Format | : | Hardcover |
| Book Edition | : | First Edition |
| Pages | : | Pages: 555 pages |
| Published | : | September 2nd 2008 by Random House |
| Categories | : | Fiction. Historical. Historical Fiction. Womens Fiction. Chick Lit. Politics |
Rating Based On Books American Wife
Ratings: 3.74 From 49061 Users | 6128 ReviewsCrit Based On Books American Wife
Book on CD performed by Kimberly FarrFrom the book jacket On what might have been one of the most significant days in her husbands presidency, Alice Blackwell considers the strange and unlikely path that has led her to the White House and the repercussions of a life lived, as she puts it, almost in opposition to itself.My reactionsI was expecting a somewhat light look at a fictional first lady. What I got was every so much more a nuanced, complex portrait of a woman who did not seek butAmerican Wife is the best thing I have read in a very long time. I picked this book up from my local library in a moment of desperation when I had nothing else to read. I was about to pass on it when two of my holds came in, but I am so glad I cracked the front cover, because I was immediately and hopelessly hooked. American Wife offers an intimate fictional peek into the marriage of George W. and Laura Bush. Full disclosure: I am in the camp that considers George W. Bush to be among the worst
The first 439 pages of this novel merit 5 stars. Alas! When our American wife makes it to the White House, the story falls flat on its face.Anyway, this is the engrossing (and somewhat trashy) tale of Alice Lindgren Blackwell, future first lady. Growing up in a small Wisconsin town, Alice has a good life. She is an only child who lives with her mother, father, and grandmother. Her father has a job at the bank, her mother is the perfect housewife, and her grandmother is an eccentric intellectual.
Wow. One of the best books I've read this year.Just forget what you might have heard about this book being a mirror of the life of Laura Bush (it is, but ...), it's really about the life of one woman, and purely on its own merits as a novel, its moving, thoughtful and wonderfully wrought. The author gives Alice (and Charlie) complexity, hopes and fears and lives, even if their lives (in the White House and before and after) arent like ours. She empathetically details the burdens and isolation
Karma♥Bites ^.~ wrote: "Especially eloquent review, Caroline Sounds like an amazing book--off to locate copy :)Hope you & yours are well. *hug*"
To say that I'm not a GWB (and Laura) fan is an understatement, so I wasn't sure how I would feel about this book. I've never been one who could admire Laura while disliking her husband, and for many of the same reasons covered in the book. And after having read AMERICAN WIFE, if one can assume it has any accuracy as to Mrs. Bush, I still don't know that I LIKE her or admire her, but I found her story incredibly interesting. The novel itself is well-written, and quite a page turner. I'm anxious
The life of former First Lady Laura Bush might not sound like promising material, but this fictional autobiography delights. When shy librarian Alice falls for Charlie, heir of the Blackwell political dynasty, private tragedies from her past − and her disagreement with her husbands policies − threaten to emerge. Its delicious fun to spot Bush family and administration members in this roman à clef. The well-drawn characters defy caricatures of a conniving presidential idiot and his meek, silent
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