Customer Reviews

An Ideal Wife: A Novel

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Okay, I have read ALL of Gemma Townley's books and I have to say that I think it is way time to retire this particular series, not to mention the main character.

My love for these characters and this series, started wearing thin in the last installment but, I remained optimistic that somehow, Townley would redeem the storyline.

If it is at all possible, An Ideal Wife is an even more annoying and frustrating read than the previous one.

The entire novel is about our main characters fear of somehow, not measuring up to some weird standard (it is never made clear exactly where this standard comes from) of what it means to be an Ideal Wife. Not only is this entire premise sexist and silly, it made for incredibly boring reading.

Every other sentence, spoken by Jess, is about how incompetent she is and how her husband will, no doubt leave her, because she can't cook. What follows is an entire storyline about various so called "hilarious" experiences where Jess desperately tries to cook or do some other "ideal wife" thing - just to show her husband how much she loves him.

The entire cast of characters seem to hover around her - somehow never connecting to just how stupid and silly she is, all the while "real" life problems abound, which, of course, Jess is completely clueless about.

I love chick lit and I am willing to suspend my disbelief - up to a point, but this one offended me on so many levels and on top of that IT WAS downright boring.

Jessica Wild and husband Max Wainwright diligently work at keeping his ad agency afloat during the hard economic times that have reduced corporate customers and revenue. Max fears his firm will soon file for bankruptcy unless a huge account surfaces. He targets the boyfriend of Jessica's mom, banker Chester Rydall, as his best chance for a new client. Chester also seeks new customers so making a case that some bankers are ethical, he conducts an ethics audit of his staff; Max hoping to gain favor with Chester does likewise with his firm.

After being caught in an undesirable kiss when drunk, Jess decides to become An Ideal Wife to her Max so if he learns of her indiscretion from the blackguard trying to blackmail her, he will forgive her and stay. She does everything perfectly as the ideal wife, but nothing works in accordance to the plan. Instead Max is hospitalized with a broken leg due to one of her spousal loving efforts and worse he has an ideal nurse for a hunk like him. Sending Jess even wilder is a former opponent plans to use a secret she discovered to steal her Max.

With another humorous yet earnest nod to Oscar Wilde (see The Importance of Being Married), the third Wild Affair is another zany jocular tale that is fun to read. A madcap comedic series of misunderstandings lead Jess to go over the top of Big Ben in order to keep Max with her. Although the plot is thin and ideal is not what one would describe Jess as, fans will enjoy her latest wildly insane exploits.

Harriet Klausner