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Book Summary and Reviews of The Third Wife by Lisa Jewell

The Third Wife by Lisa Jewell

The Third Wife

by Lisa Jewell

  • Critics' Consensus (5):
  • Readers' Rating (2):
  • Published:
  • Jun 2015, 352 pages
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About this book

Book Summary

For fans of Liane Moriarty and Jojo Moyes comes a riveting family drama with a dark mystery at its core, from the internationally bestselling author of The House We Grew Up In.

In the early hours of a summer morning, a young woman steps into the path of an oncoming bus. A tragic accident? Or suicide?

At the center of this puzzle is Adrian Wolfe, a successful architect and grief-stricken widower, who, a year after his third wife's death, begins to investigate the cause. As Adrian looks back on their brief but seemingly happy marriage, disturbing secrets begin to surface. The divorces from his two previous wives had been amicable, or so it seemed; his children, all five of them, were resilient as ever, or so he thought. But something, or someone, must have pushed Maya over the edge…

With psychological nuance that gets into the heart of its characters, The Third Wife is a gripping story about a man seeking the truth behind his seemingly perfect marriage and the broken pieces left behind.

Please be aware that this discussion may contain spoilers!

You can see the full discussion in our legacy forum here. This discussion will contain spoilers!

Some of the recent comments posted about The Third Wife:

A study found that the more divorces and remarriages a child lives through, the more likely he is to divorce and the more failed marriages he'll experience as an adult. Do you see this as the future of the children in this novel?
That old expression "a child lives what he learns" is unfortunately often true and Adrian's children were all troubled and hiding their feelings in one way or another. The examples they saw of what a marriage is certainly won't help them to have ... - candaceb

Did you feel that Maya was a sympathetic character?
I did not find her sympathetic and felt that she helped to create her own role in the family. I don't remember enough about her background to determine if she could have been more assertive on her role as the current wife. I should certainly have ... - Peggy H

Do you think Maya's death was accidental or suicide?
Have to agree also. I feel as if it was an accident. Although she had made her decision to leave Adrian and move on...she was not a very strong person nor a very secure person. Her infatuation with Adrian when she first met him, her relationship with... - joang

How would you describe Cat's relationship with Adrian?
I would describe Cat's and Adrian's relationship as very immature. She was supposedly one of his eldest children, but really acted more childish than Pearl, who was at least a decade younger than her. Adrian and her met for lunch weekly, so you would... - dlpiano

How would you write the post-epilogue narrative?
The way Adrian reacted to Abby when he delivered the cat, there is no doubt that his wandering eye will never stop. He may insert him back in Caroline's house and even marry her, but it is hard to believe he will be able to resist the temptation to ... - dorinned

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Reviews

Media Reviews

"Taut pacing and complicated characters shape this rich examination of the modern family." – Kirkus

"As in The House We Grew Up In (2014), Jewell excels at juggling multiple perspectives to slowly peel back the layers of supposed domestic bliss." - Booklist

"Lisa Jewell presents us with yet another emotionally intelligent, brilliantly plotted and beautifully written examination of a very modern family that will keep you gripped to the end... Take this to the beach, or indeed anywhere – I promise you won't regret it." – Daily Mail (London)

This information about The Third Wife was first featured in "The BookBrowse Review" - BookBrowse's membership magazine, and in our weekly "Publishing This Week" newsletter. Publication information is for the USA, and (unless stated otherwise) represents the first print edition. The reviews are necessarily limited to those that were available to us ahead of publication. If you are the publisher or author and feel that they do not properly reflect the range of media opinion now available, send us a message with the mainstream reviews that you would like to see added.

Any "Author Information" displayed below reflects the author's biography at the time this particular book was published.

Reader Reviews

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Techeditor

The best kind of mystery
THE THIRD WIFE is the best kind of mystery; it involves three mysteries: who is writing horrible letters to Maya, did Maya kill herself or was her death an accident, and who is the woman who seems to be stalking Adrian?

Maya is Adrian's third wife. The book begins with her death when she is hit by a bus (which would be an odd choice for suicide, in my opinion).

Before Maya, though, Adrian had two children with his first wife and three more with his second. They have all been getting along and getting together for holidays and vacations. They still do after Maya becomes the third wife. They all appear to love her. Then Maya begins receiving horrible letters with details that only someone from the family could know. Did this lead to her death?

Then a woman pretends to want Maya's cat after she has died. For a while she keeps reappearing and seems to be a stalker. But she suddenly stops. Adrian searches for her, hoping to get answers.

Lisa Jewell wrote THE THIRD WIFE a decade ago. I was lucky to have found it. You'll enjoy this one as much as you do her later books.

karnab

The Third Wife
A dark, psychological thriller makes this well-written book a page turner. Is this blended family a truly remarkable unit or do the family members harbor grudges against each other to the extent that the newest member of the family commits suicide or is murdered? Adrian Wolfe distraught over his wife's death examines his life and that of his "families" in the hopes of finding the answer.

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Author Information

Lisa Jewell Author Biography

Photo: Lucinda Chua

Lisa Jewell is the internationally bestselling author of sixteen novels, including the New York Times bestseller Then She Was Gone, as well as I Found You, The Girls in the Garden, and The House We Grew Up In. Her debut novel, Ralph's Party, was an instant Sunday Times (London) bestseller, and more recently her books have become #1 bestsellers in Canada and the UK. In total, her novels have sold over 2 million copies across the English speaking world. Her work has also been translated into sixteen languages. Lisa lives in London with her husband and their two daughters.

Link to Lisa Jewell's Website

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