Reviewed by: Pete Barber
Genre: Women’s Fiction.
Approximate word count: 30-35,000 words
Availability
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Author:
Grace Wen writes women's fiction and romance. She finds people
fascinating and loves to ask her characters nosy questions to avoid being a
real-life busybody. An Imperfect Wife,
her debut women's fiction novella, won the runner-up spot for Love Romances
Cafe's 2011 Best Contemporary Book.
Grace lives in southeastern Michigan with two neurotic but cute
cats. When she's not writing, she's usually reading, cooking, or training for
her next half marathon
Description:
Nicole and
Josh met at college in Troy, NY. They fell in love and got married and lived the
Troy small-town life for fifteen years. After a long period of unemployment,
Josh lands a high-powered job, but it means moving away from their friends and
families. Nicole decides to be a supportive wife and gives up her career.
However, living as an overly ambitious executive’s wife in suburbia is tougher
than she imagined.
Appraisal:
The writing
is tight, the pacing fast, even though there’s not a lot of action as would be
expected with this genre. Nicole struggles when she is relegated by Josh’s
obsessive work ethic to the second most important thing in his life. These
challenges are reflective, I think, of many real world situations. She is tempted
by Josh’s handsome boss, more because he pays attention to her than because of
his looks. Although he is pretty dishy. :)
Much of the
story is spent inside Nicole’s head as the author examines the conflict between
her duty and obligations as a wife, and her yearning for attention and love. I
thought the author handled this well, although I wouldn’t have complained if
there’d been a bit more depth to the characters. I did feel I was told a lot of
how they felt, and there was plenty of room for showing their conflicts. The
outcome was realistic rather than a happily-ever-after fairy-tale (as would be
expected in a romance).
I’ve read a
few novels in the genre, and I do struggle somewhat with the incessant circling
thoughts that flood the female lead’s mind. I couldn’t remain sane if I was bombarded
with that much self-doubt. That’s not a criticism. It’s expected in Women’s
Fiction, and it’s natural that I struggle to empathize fully. To paraphrase
Tammy Wynette, “After all I’m just a man.”
Format/Typo Issues:
Too few to
mention.
Rating: **** Four stars
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