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Good Husbands by Cate Ray

Good Husbands

A Novel

by Cate Ray

  • Readers' Rating (26):
  • Published:
  • Jun 2022, 352 pages
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There are currently 26 reader reviews for Good Husbands
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Edie M. (Kennett Square, PA)

decisions, decisions!
What to do? Three women receive a letter from a dying woman who is accusing their husbands of a terrible deed.

Many twists and turns keep you guessing as these three strangers balance the truth and their own futures.

Good for discussions in book clubs
Carol N. (San Jose, CA)

What's the right thing to do?????
Three wives, Jessica, Stephanie, and Priyanka, each of them enjoying an apparently happy marriage until they each receive a letter that changes her life forever. This letter accuses, two decades ago, all three husbands of committing a group sexual assault. Should they ignore this letter, assume it is a hoax or try to find the truth behind this alarming accusation? Never having met each other, these women meet and group together to find answers.

These three women, each in their own way, handled this heinous situation. Honestly, I have no idea what I would do if presented with the same situation. I enjoyed this fast paced book and feel that it definitely would make for interesting book club discussions such as, "What would you do " or better yet, "What is the right thing to do?"

I must admit I think its ending is a bit weak and unclear, left me wandering what the last two pages meant.
Janis H. (Willow Street, PA)

They played; they paid
Although the plot of Good Husbands reminds me of a few movies and books, Cate Ray works wonders with what happens when a buried and secret life is unearthed in a letter written by a dying woman to the wives of three men thirty years after their cruel and inhumane deed. The plot took about seventy pages to totally capture my interest because each of the three women's background stories is told in alternating chapters. As the wives become more involved in the discovery of their husband's sins, a diary of the victim is found and its contents revealed. From that point I could not close the cover of the book. How her characters agonize with the devastating and disgusting allegations of the victim is very compelling.

What kept me moving so quickly through the pages was how Ray had her characters think about the crime the husbands committed. Were they too young too realize their game was as harmful as the victim perceived? Did their belief that they moved beyond their early twenties and created good homes for their families justify their actions of the past. Through the female characters' thoughts Ray presents a good case for the plight that females face when confronted with sexual assaults and harassment.

Don't pass on this book. I think it will make for an interesting discussion among close friends and age appropriate book clubs.
Lois B. (Eden, VT)

A Letter Arrives
A letter arrives that changes the lives of three women. What would you do? It's a moral and heartbreaking decision. Good plot; good character development. Will look for more from this author.
Vicky R. (Roswell, GA)

Thought provoking
This would make an excellent Book Club selection: members would love debating the pros and cons of this story. Characters were real enough and I enjoyed the storyline.
Marybeth T. (Bellingham, WA)

Thought Provoking
I liked the book. It was fast paced and I enjoyed having three POV's. It took me quite awhile to like a couple of the characters but I liked the backstories it's very thought provoking and I'll be thinking about this for a while. The only real issue I had was the last two pages made no sense to me.
Barbara L. (Novato, CA)

Good Husbands
The premise of this novel had me intrigued from the start. Three women receive
identical letters from a stranger accusing their respective husbands of committing sexual assault over 20 years ago.
The story evolves as each woman has to decide for herself what to do about this information. This could be a great book club selection engendering interesting discussion of "What would I do?" Or maybe more importantly "What is the right thing to do?"
I enjoyed getting to know each character as the plot developed . My only criticism is that I would have liked more depth in the development of these three wives' "before" story" to understand what led them to the choices that they made.
susan

who's to blame -
This is a case of he said she said. 3 women, having nothing in common and don't know each other, receive a letter accusing their husbands of a sexual assault that took place over 2 decades ago. Do they ignore the letter - assume it is a prank - or or attempt to find the truth behind this heinous accusation? The novel has a very interesting premise but it's a long story with a disappointing ending. the book could have been 100 pages shorter

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