Handsome Women [Hardcover]

Judith Henry Wall (Author)

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Women absorbed in the armed forces, in this case two sisters whose lives are shaped by the evolving careers of their husbands, provide the subject of this uneven novel. Born into a military family, Louise and Marynell dream of West Point weddings. Louise, serious and naive, lands the best catch at the Point, marries early and spends years in wifely devotion and sexual subjugation to her rising-star husband, who eventually becomes a general and superintendent of the Point. For the beautiful Marynell, the dream of a crossed-sabres wedding does not materialize. Although she marries an officer, he is a widower whose ambitions, she is disconcerted to discover, lie outside the military. Wall ( Love and Duty ) follows the sisters through the dislocations of military postings, wartime separations that force them into constrained existences, to their children and their friends, many of whom are involved in anti-Vietnam causes. Although soapy at times, at its best this bulky novel possesses an entertaining immediacy.
Copyright 1990 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Library Journal

Vivacious Marynell Rodgers cannot comprehend how her shy, younger sister Louise has managed to attract and marry Franklin Cravens--West Point's top graduate of the Class of 1938. Daughters of an Army medical doctor, Louise and Marynell have grown up on Army bases and never entertained the thought of any other kind of life. After being badly hurt by a man, Marynell eventually marries a gentle, widowed Army captain, and the two sisters settle down to raise their respective families. Through the turmoil of three wars the bonds between the women strengthen, although there are moments of anger, jealousy, and misunderstanding. This is a well-told tale of an extended military family, with finely drawn characters and plausible situations. Recommended as diverting reading.
- Maria A. Perez-Stable, Western Michigan Univ. Libs., Kalamazoo
Copyright 1990 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 528 pages
• Publisher: Viking Adult; First Edition edition (April 18, 1990)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0670826529
• ISBN-13: 978-0670826520
• Product Dimensions: 9.5 x 5.9 x 1.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,769,747 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A must-read for any military spouse!, April 12, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Handsome Women (Onyx) (Paperback)

Judith Henry Wall captures the mystery and the magic of military living during the '40's, 50's and 60's that is not so prevalent today. This book is a heartwarming history reminder to all military wives past and present as well a stoic valentine to a style of living that not everyone is a part of.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Superb Family Saga..., April 27, 2005

By 

Mercedes L. Johnmeyer "The Most Happy" (Summerville, SC) - See all my reviews
(TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Handsome Women (Onyx) (Paperback)

I had a very hard time putting this book down. This was an absolutely engrossing read. We first meet sisters Marynell and Louise when they are young women in 1937 (20 and 19 yrs.) looking for suitable husbands. They're from a military family and expect to marry military officers just as their mother did, and have beautiful West Point weddings, crossed sabers and all.

We follow Louise (who primarily tales the story) and Marynell through about 50 years of heartache, joy, passion, love, three wars, death, and everything else that could possibly be in between. Having grown up military my entire life, and being the wife of a military officer, I personally found this book fascinating. It was so interesting to see what a huge part officer's wives played in the military of the 30's, 40's and 50's. All the tea's, bridge games, committees, entertaining that went on, and you see how this lifestyle starts to affect each sister differently.

This being an almost 600 page book, I can't possibly summarize everything, or even come close, but I highly recommend this read if you're at all interested in family saga's, or the military way of life. My only qualm with this book was all the sex talk, it didn't bother me, I just found it a little distracting at times. I didn't realize sex would be such a big part of this book, it took me a bit by surprise. But nonetheless, Judith Henry Wall has woven a very readable tale that's almost impossible to put down till it's finished.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Loved It!, February 28, 2004

By 

Christina Douis (San Marcos, Texas USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Handsome Women (Onyx) (Paperback)

This is book is great for anyone who appreciates a good long romance novel. I thought this book would be just some stupid tasteless smut novel because of the cover, but my friend was going on and on about it so I read it for myself. I loved it. I almost cried for Maggie and I felt really connected to Louise. This book teaches us just how tedious it can be to be an ARMY wife, even though this book takes place starting from the late 30's and goes on to the early 70's. I believe this book deserves every one of these 5 stars.