Rating: 
Summary: Great First Novel
Review: The story of Mrs. Kimble is a creative concept, leading us into the lives of 3 women who at different times were married to the same man. Broken into 3 sections, representing each of his wives, the reader gets to meet and despise the man who is Ken Kimble. It is interesting to see how the same man relates as a husband to three very different yet similarily seduced women.At the onset, Ken Kimble seems like a caring, sensitive man, tapping in to each wives weaknesses, saying the things that comfort them and reel them in. Then after marriage, he becomes distant, selfish, deceitful. Jennifer Haigh does a great job of portraying women in all forms-weak, pathetic, vulnerable, strong, resilient. Her cast of characters, both the wives as well as the children who result from his trilogy of marriages are strong, well-defined characters. The writing of this novel is excellent-the pages will fly by in one sitting. Mrs. Kimble has a creative plot and solid writing. I look forward to more from Jennifer Haigh.
Rating: 
Summary: Stupid Women
Review: While I thoroughly enjoyed "Mrs. Kimble" it was clearly a paeon to the stupidity of women. Ken Kimble had disgusting table maners and he was a bad lover...as still they kept coming!
Rating:
Summary: A wise and insightful debut novel
Review: Be notified: You may very well read MRS. KIMBLE in a single sitting, so be careful when you pick up this book. It's difficult to put down. This is a fascinating character study of three women who make the same mistake of marrying the same man, a debonair opportunist named Ken Kimble. Each woman comes from a different time and place, yet the author is able to so wholly imagine their lives that by the end of the novel you will feel know them as well as your oldest friend. That this is a debut novel is hard to believe, given the author's extraordinary facility with language and her wisdom into the far reaches of women's souls.
Rating:
Summary: A book that I could barely put down that made me think
Review: Admittedly, "Mrs. Kimble" isn't a perfect book. As I read it, I wanted more explanation at the same time realizing that one of the strengths of the book is its ambiguity. Because Haigh leaves actions and personalities (especially Ken Kimble's) open to interpretation, the reader is able to make the sometimes seemingly distant story more personal. The beginning was rather slow, I think because Birdie is the first character we meet. She is also (apart from Ken Kimble) the character we know the least about. As a character she doesn't change much, though the reader does get a sort of resolution to her story in the end. As we learn about each of the Mrs. Kimbles, we find each one to be more sympathetic and dynamic. Joan, the second wife, was to me the most sympathetic because I think we get to know her best, in terms of her fears and vulnerabilities. However, I rooted most for Dinah. She is unique, not only in being the last and youngest Mrs. Kimble, but because she realized the truth about her life and marriage, and was able to act on it more than either Birdie or Joan. It is reasonable, however, to assume that Joan learned some version of the truth about her life with Kimble, but we never really know if she acted on that realization. In fact, it is probably safe to assume that she did not. Prior to reading "Mrs. Kimble", I read a blurb that mentioned that its style allowed the reader to observe how each Mrs. Kimble aided in their own deception about their husband. I think this is also a strength of the book, but really only apparent in Joan and Dinah's stories. Probably the greatest strength of the book is the often irritating ambiguity of Ken Kimble. We know very little about him and, in fact, he doesn't even have much dialogue. We see him almost entirely through his wives' thoughts and memories of him. As a result, we're able to learn more about the nature and character of his wives because our knowledge of him is through them.
Rating:
Summary: A RIVETING PSYCHOLOGICAL STUDY
Review: An ingenious look at the life of a conman, "Mrs. Kimble" sketches the details of the devious Ken Kimble through the eyes of his three consecutive wives. Over the span of twenty-five years, the infamous husband goes from choir director to drifter to real estate agent, acquiring a new spouse with each new identity. Haigh's storytelling skills will draw you in and leave you mesmerized. And, her well-drawn characters will have you rooting for each of the three Mrs. Kimbles in turn. An interesting psychological study, "Mrs. Kimble" also offers great fodder for book group discussions. How do we define our identities in relation to our spouses? Why are so many women attracted to "the wrong kind" of men? In the end, the author offers an uplifting message about the strength of family, in all its convoluted forms.
Rating:
Summary: Brilliant and then some
Review: The honest and pure nature of this writing will render you helpless. You will have no choice but to submit to the energy of this prose. Haigh's writing is so powerful it is, frankly, unsettling. How can she know so much about the things we wish to keep unknown? The things we spend our entire lives hiding or wondering about. Haigh simply slips insider our soul and lays it out before us. Please allow me to say, "Wow." You'll do the same.
Rating:
Summary: AN ABSOLUTE DELIGHTFUL READ
Review: What a wonderful novel! This is some of the best character development I have seen in some time. A great study in the relationship between men and women seen through different eyes and backgrounds. Wonderful story line addressing three women and their marrage to one man. That is scary, as we all know individuals like the characters found in this book! This is one of those novel I will have to reread in the near future simply for the joy of it. Keep up the good work Ms Haigh and lets have some more!
Rating:
Summary: Absolutely LOVED it!
Review: I couldn't put this book down -- and not only is it a page-turner, it's a WELL-WRITTEN page turner. Ms. Haigh is a master of descriptive detail -- yet she doesn't waste a word. Every detail is important and reveals something about a character -- unlike some authors who feel compelled to recite pages of mundane details that serve no purpose. I've been so disappointed by so many "hot" books lately (like Alexander McCall Smith's, or "The Jane Austen Book Club"), that it's great to find one that deserves its reputation! I can't wait to read Ms. Haigh's latest.
Rating:
Summary: I couldn't put it down!
Review: I read this book nearly in one evening because I couldn't put it down!!! I thought this book was excellent. The editor's review states that there are holes in this book and that we never understand how Kimble became a jerk, how smart Joan could fall for him, or why Dinah stays with him. This is the stuff of life. We don't often understand the people around us and this makes the book, the story, and the people in it all the more real and poignant.
Thanks Jennifer Haigh for an awesome book. Keep them coming!
Rating:
Summary: Wow
Review: I finished this book in two nights and then looked at the cover for several minutes reflecting over the experience. The book is that good.
Ken Kimble weaves his way through three marriages and God knows how many other women by his chameleon-like charm. He can be all things to all people and is just what the three women - Birdie, Joan and Dinah - who take on his last name need. The women are flawed in their own ways... one with such low self-esteem she just wants a husband, she doesn't care that he's a cheating schmuck. One who is surviving breast cancer and believes herself running out of time and one with a facial scar that's haunted her all her life. He preys on their desire to have a husband and a family.
It's an AMAZING book. The way the characters weave in and out of each others lives, and don't get me started on how much I loved the first wife's son, Charlie. If you don't get a little sentimental and weepy over his care and feeding of his sister and the stray dogs, you're too hard-core for me.
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