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There are currently 20 member reviews
for Wife 22
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Dawn C. (Meridian, ID)
Wife 22 by Melanie Gideon
Alice Buckle is upon her tipping year, the year her mother died at the age of 45. As Alice is looking online one day she gets invited into a marital research study online. She decides to do it and is assigned her online pen name Wife 22. Through answering the study questions she is reminded of her early dating/parenting/marital times with her husband William. All is not well in the marriage and the online researcher becomes her new best friend, a kind of therapy. I found this book to be very entertaining, and enjoyed being reminded of some of my own early experiences with my husband. I highly recommend this book to any woman who has been married for any length of time.
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Sheila S. (Supply, NC)
Wife 22
I loved Wife 22. The main character, Alice Buckle, is a gem. Her character is revealed through her Facebook posts, her Twitter comments, her Google searches, and foremost through her email answers to an on-line survey on marriage in the 21st century. What an ingenious use of our reliance on social media. Alice is endearingly funny in her relationships, whether it is agonizing over her 12 year old son's sexuality or her teen aged daughter's possible bulimia. She is also wistful in looking back at the early stages of her relationship with her husband and wondering whether they have lost each other. There are some hilarious scenes, including shopping for feminine hygiene products with her daughter and staging a 3rd grade production of Charlotte's Web. The dialogue throughout is clever and funny. In fact, the whole book is incredibly funny but also very thought-provoking. Melanie Gideon has created a wonderful book. I'm already looking forward to her next one.
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Gayle M. (Billerica, MA)
Heartwarming story about the middle part of our lives
Once I started reading this book, I could not put it down. It's heartwarming, funny, poignant and honest. The book follows Alice, as she tries to navigate that period of life after newlywed and before retirement. The real strength of the book is the characters. You feel like you know, or are, these people. You are invested in what happens to them. I also enjoyed the format of the book, as it jumped from Alice's responses to the Research Questions, to Facebook to narrative. It was a nice touch. Overall I give this book a big thumbs up.
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Kim L. (cary, IL)
Looking for love
This book held my attention. I felt that the main character was well developed and likeable. I wish that the main character's husband had been more developed. I didn't feel that I really understood him. He felt sort of vanilla or bland to me.
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Gary R. (bolingbrook, IL)
Wife 22
OK, I'm a guy reading, what I heard called chic lit? Being married over that 20 year mark, this book really opened my eyes. It made me think about how we both can, over time, take each other for granted; and how little things people do can drive others crazy. Very good read, went fast. Really enjoyed the writing style. Come on guys, pick this up, worth the time. Next time I hear those little words, turn over your snoring, I'll think of Alice!
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Marjorie W. (Bonita Springs, FL)
Wife 22
I was not disappointed in Wife 22. I read the review by Jennifer Hershey before I started the story and was surprised that I, too, found the story a mix of humor and sadness. Enjoyed the little twist at the end; not quite what was expected. If one is looking for a light read - this is it.
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Mary M. (Beverly Hills, FL)
Funny, earthy, tender
This novel is a moving and creative look at the journey of one woman, and her family, to try to get back to the connections that made them a family in the first place. Alice Buckle is nearing 45, with a part-time job, two teenage children and a husband she seems to have lost touch with, and he with her, along the way. One day, a message arrives in her overflowing email in-box that shakes up her life and sets her on a path she had not expected.
The story of her and her family's attempt at a reconnection is told wittily and truthfully. The format is somewhat unusual, in that Alice and her family and friends are already fully "connected", so much of the story is not told descriptively, but through texting, e-mail, IMs, and Facebook chats. It's laugh-out-loud funny in places, and I had to reach for a tissue other times. The ending is satisfying - not giving away any plot spoilers here - though many readers will probably see it coming, as I did.
Fans of Jennifer Weiner will be happy with this book. Also, any reader who likes a well-rounded, intelligent, funny, and very real protagonist, whom you root for all the way.
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