Single Wife

Rating:
Summary: A Fun Book --- Readers Will Be Hoping for a Sequel
Review: For most people, marriage is a partnership that evolves over time. For Grace Brookman, the main character in THE SINGLE WIFE by Nina Solomon, the union is more like a game of smoke and mirrors. But the object of the illusion is not only her elusive husband but herself as well.

In her new novel Solomon addresses a question that partners of both sexes will recognize: How does a person hold on to her or his identity after finding a mate and joining two lives?

Grace is a woman who defines herself through her roles as daughter, wife and friend. But when Laz, her journalist husband, disappears for more than a month, it sets her on her own course of self-discovery. And after five months of lying to friends and family about the whereabouts of her Pulitzer Prize-winning husband, Grace begins to question not only his presence in her life but the shape of her life on its own. Early on in their marriage she shelved her ambitions as a book restorer and artist, accepted Laz's decision to not have children, and busied herself with errands and volunteer work.

Yet Laz made none of those compromises. A man who freezes a key to his own apartment (which he keeps on the other side of town), disappears for weeks at a time and maintains a full and separate social schedule, Laz has always had a life of his own. But as weeks stretch into months, and a birthday, Thanksgiving and Christmas pass without a word from Laz, Grace realizes how little she knows of that life.

A character with whom readers feel at ease and at home, Grace volunteers her time, pacifies a difficult mother-in-law, and dresses to please her self-consumed husband. When she finally sheds her pink cashmere princess coat for a faux fur hand-me-down, the reflection in the mirror is one that Grace recognizes and can call her own. What leads her to that point is an entertaining tale that volleys heavy issues at readers with a lighthearted swing.

It is a simple story of a woman who covers up her husband's disappearance in an attempt to allow him his freedom and subconsciously protect a fragile marriage. As she protects that bubble more, buffering it from the realities of her own life with fibs, Grace begins to realize how little her closest friends and family know her husband and require his presence in their lives.

With several twists and turns, Solomon leads readers on an entertaining and compelling goose chase to find out where Laz has gone and whether he will ever return. She weaves elements of mystery, love story and comedy into this hodgepodge of a novel, the author's first, that prompts readers to stop and think: Would a few tossed socks, a rumpled bed sheet, and some well-planned excuses substitute for a spouse over a five-month span? And if so, how eager would you be for his or her return?

SINGLE WIFE is a fun book that will leave readers hoping for a sequel.

--- Reviewed by Heather Grimshaw

Rating:
Summary: A teriffic debut
Review: I am a teenager living in New York. I am friends with Nina Solomon's son, Nathaniel. I have read this book and I love it. I heard that Single Wife is going to be made into a movie. Thats not all, Warner Brothers who is going to produce the movie, has hired Jennifer Aniston is going to play Grace, the main character. To make sure this was true I called up warner Brothers and they confirmed it. The book is a great summer read, you should read it before the movie comes out.

Rating:
Summary: Very good book....but not at all what I expected!
Review: The book was reviewed and advertised as being both funny and witty. Although the book was neither (most of the book simply makes you feel sorry for the main character)it was still an excellent read. If you are looking for something upbeat then find something else...but if you are looking for something that is entertaining, even if a bit unbelievable...the definately give Single Wife a try!