Review: 'Four Wives' by Wendy Walker
Four WivesBy Wendy Walker
ISBN-10: 0312367716
ISBN-13: 978-0312367718
Hardcover, 368 pages
February 19, 2008
St. Martin's Press
Wendy Walker’s debut novel about the secret desires and discontent within well-to-do Hunting Ridge is a story of awakening and resolution. Four Wives explores the uncertainty and frustration that accompanies a stagnant marriage after children and responsibilities take precedence over romance. As the storylines of each friend, neighbor and colleague intertwine, each woman recognizes personal challenges that must be overcome.
Janie Kirk is the key antagonist. She is unhappy with her marriage, but for no particular reason besides basic boredom. As she chooses a lifestyle of infidelity, her greatest annoyance is her husband’s indifference to her concerns. He is blissfully happy with his simple roles as father and attorney. Janie’s reckless behavior paints her as an expendable character from the very beginning, and readers will be hard pressed to find compassion for the promiscuous woman. A silent feud with colleague Marie Passeti also feeds into Janie’s unlikable persona.
Love Welsh was a child prodigy. She was the love child of a married scholar and an actress. Now she is mother to three beautiful children and wife of the dedicated physician who saved her life during her most urgent crisis. An unexplained illness causes Love to collapse while juggling her kids. As childhood memories resurface, could it be emotional strain making her ill? Or is some sort of physical ailment creating a pressing need for medical attention?
Marie Passeti is the quintessential working mom. She’s stressed out from taking on all the chores at home in addition to running her own successful law firm. With two working parents in the home, at least some of the responsibilities should be shared, but that’s not the case in the Passeti household. Marie is trying desperately to get through to her husband, but a distraction in the form of a savvy new intern may make her current concerns pale in comparison to the possibilities.
Gayle Haywood is the epitome of a Hunting Ridge socialite. Born into wealth, Gayle is accustomed to maintaining appearances and keeping the status quo. Over the years, she has mastered her lavish lifestyle through the use of selective combinations of prescription medications. But the drugs can’t make everything go away, and eventually she will have to make some life-altering decisions for her own sake, and that of her son.
It is certain that raising a family and keeping a marriage together aren’t easy, and no amount of wealth or privilege can help them escape that fact. Female readers will discover some aspect of themselves in each of the four characters—yes, even Janie—and part of that may stem from the “Superwoman” complex women inflict upon themselves. The ladies must decide which parts of “having it all” are worth the struggle, and which hindrances must be left behind. Wendy Walker has a knack for pinpointing the anxieties that plague every woman’s heart. Four Wives is an amazing introduction to her work, and I look forward to reading more from her in the future.
Related article:
Preview: Four Wives by Wendy Walker
Janie Kirk is the key antagonist. She is unhappy with her marriage, but for no particular reason besides basic boredom. As she chooses a lifestyle of infidelity, her greatest annoyance is her husband’s indifference to her concerns. He is blissfully happy with his simple roles as father and attorney. Janie’s reckless behavior paints her as an expendable character from the very beginning, and readers will be hard pressed to find compassion for the promiscuous woman. A silent feud with colleague Marie Passeti also feeds into Janie’s unlikable persona.
Love Welsh was a child prodigy. She was the love child of a married scholar and an actress. Now she is mother to three beautiful children and wife of the dedicated physician who saved her life during her most urgent crisis. An unexplained illness causes Love to collapse while juggling her kids. As childhood memories resurface, could it be emotional strain making her ill? Or is some sort of physical ailment creating a pressing need for medical attention?
Marie Passeti is the quintessential working mom. She’s stressed out from taking on all the chores at home in addition to running her own successful law firm. With two working parents in the home, at least some of the responsibilities should be shared, but that’s not the case in the Passeti household. Marie is trying desperately to get through to her husband, but a distraction in the form of a savvy new intern may make her current concerns pale in comparison to the possibilities.
Gayle Haywood is the epitome of a Hunting Ridge socialite. Born into wealth, Gayle is accustomed to maintaining appearances and keeping the status quo. Over the years, she has mastered her lavish lifestyle through the use of selective combinations of prescription medications. But the drugs can’t make everything go away, and eventually she will have to make some life-altering decisions for her own sake, and that of her son.
It is certain that raising a family and keeping a marriage together aren’t easy, and no amount of wealth or privilege can help them escape that fact. Female readers will discover some aspect of themselves in each of the four characters—yes, even Janie—and part of that may stem from the “Superwoman” complex women inflict upon themselves. The ladies must decide which parts of “having it all” are worth the struggle, and which hindrances must be left behind. Wendy Walker has a knack for pinpointing the anxieties that plague every woman’s heart. Four Wives is an amazing introduction to her work, and I look forward to reading more from her in the future.
Related article:
Preview: Four Wives by Wendy Walker
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