Customer Reviews

My Husband's Sweethearts

5 star:		(12)
4 star:		(10)
3 star:		(5)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

In Philadelphia thirty something Lucy Shoreman loves and hates her fiftyish husband Artie. She left him six months ago when she learned he cheated on her. However, when Artie informs her he is dying, Lucy comes home to help him in his final days. Still she is bitter and finding out other secrets he hid from her increases her acrimony; especially his concealing an illegitimate alienated adult son, John.

She decides life is unfair that she the cuckold one needs to go it alone when he had so many women in his life who shared the good times so let them also share the end times. She calls all the women in his black book and assigns the somewhat stunned females with tasks. She orders her mom, the divorce queen, to arrange the funeral. Finally to herself, she assigns bringing together estranged father and son; though she admits to herself he is a chip off the old hunk block.

The story line is limited as everything focuses on the death countdown; however the ensemble cast make up for this with their differing personalities and reactions to Artie and Lucy. The sharp chick lit asides and the often rancorous exchanges are superseded by a sentiment of doing the right thing even if it kills you. Fans will appreciate this bittersweet final grand "Tour d'Artie".

Harriet Klausner

Lucy Shoreman's husband Artie is a cheater. When Lucy learns this she confronts him only to have him confess there have been two other affairs during their four year marriage. To cope with Artie's infidelity Lucy leaves home and immerses herself in work for six months to deal with his betrayal. Then she receives a middle of the night phone call from her mother, he's gravely ill. "Artie needs you. He is your husband still, after all. And it's very bad form to leave a dying husband."

Lucy returns home but still can't bring herself to forgive Artie. After more than a few drinks Lucy picks up the phone, calls up all the former sweethearts in Artie's little black book and announces, "Artie Shoreman is dying, Please call to schedule your turn at his deathbed."

What happens next surprises everyone, the sweethearts begin to show up. From the young, tattooed and pierced Elba to Artie's former high school teacher, the elderly Mrs. Dutton with many in between. An unlikely friendship begins to form with some of these women and you're pulled along an emotional roller coaster with Lucy.

Asher's writing is truly amazing. I laughed, I cried and it seemed that I could truly feel Lucy's emotion in her words. I couldn't believe how fast I got to the end of the book. Along with Lucy's road to forgiveness there are two other story lines that develop bringing a surprise ending to this incredible story about love.

Lucy Shoreman always knew her husband was popular with the ladies, but four years into their marriage she'd expected him to give up the skirt-chasing ways of bachelorhood. When she discovered his flirtations with a woman Lucy knew only as `Springbird', she was more than a little upset. When dear Artie cheerfully revealed there'd been two other affairs in their post-wedding years, Lucy's rage skyrocketed and she left him without hesitation.

That was six months ago. Artie is now dying and Lucy must return home and care for him. The first night back they fight, leading Lucy to demand why she has to be the only one to deal with Artie's bad times when she had to share the good times with all his lovers? Artie challenges her to call his `sweethearts' and invite them over, and in a huff Lucy storms out. Several drinks later, however, Lucy warms to the idea and begins dialing Artie's old sweethearts to schedule their deathbed appointments.

The very next day they start showing up. There's Elspa, a former druggie utterly devoted to Artie because he saved her life. Elspa's polar opposite Eleanor also arrives. She hates Artie passionately and came specifically to make him miserable. Then there's The One Who Became A Lesbian After, The Russian, The Sign-Language Stripper, The Mother + Daughter Set...as the parade of exes marches on Lucy begins to reconnect with her husband and bonds with some of the other women, but will she be able to forgive him before the Grim Reaper becomes Artie's final visitor?

My Husband's Sweethearts is hilarious. There's silly chapter titles (Chapter Twenty-One: Eavesdropping is an Undervalued Life Skill) and the book reads quickly; it's perfect to read all in one go or in short, ten minute intervals so it is a wonderful "emergency" book to carry around for bus rides and poolside reading. The dialogue is witty and the characters are just wonderful. Each one has a different reason for being in Artie's life, and for coming back to see him now. It's a playful book with some truly poignant moments. Chick-lit for non chick-lit readers. (hmm...now that I think about it, I'm not sure I'd call it chick-lit, to be honest.)

In Bridget Asher's "My Husband's Sweethearts," Lucy contacted her dying husband's sweethearts so that they can say their farewell. Even though Lucy separated from Artie after discovering that he cheated on her, Lucy still loved Artie, and was having a hard time having to grasp the idea of him dying. By inviting his sweethearts over, Lucy hoped that she would be able to go through this difficult time with them, and at the same time satisfying her curiosity about them. Soon, the parade of women started coming, and Lucy actually formed friendships with two of them. She also discovered things about Artie that she was not aware of before, which made things more complicated.

The premise of the book sounded interested, but the novel lacked depth and the characters were not drawn out the way they should. I find a hard time relating to any of the characters in the book. There was definitely a potential, but at the end, the book was not very engaging. It was an okay read with an interesting premise, and potential readers are better off getting the book from the library.

When Lucy Shoreman finds out her unfaithful husband is very close to death and needs her by his side to help him navigate this, the final adventure of his life, she feels it is fitting that the other women she has unwittingly shared him with come along for the ride.

This is the underlying idea for Bridget Asher's novel, and while the story is fun, sometimes funny and does hold interest, it falls short of poignancy and very few of the characters are fully fleshed and believable.

That said, this still is a good read if you want something very light - like for the beach or on a plane....

Six months after leaving her husband Arnie Shoreman after he admitted three affairs during their five year marriage, Lucy is back to tend to a dying Arnie. Her heart is broken, but she can't deny that she still loves him, whether she lets him know that or not. Understandably her walls are up and her conversations with him are at times caustic. As she throws his black book in his face, saying his exes should have to pull duty at his bedside too, Arnie tells her that's a good idea and that she should call them. He also puts in another request: find his son and try to get him to meet Arnie before it's too late.

This book was amazing. I tore through it in less than a day and a half. I admit I've been eyeing this book for about a year but decided to wait for it to come out in paperback. Ms. Asher created several very interesting characters, all of whom you couldn't help but root for. From cheaters, to cheated on, to addicts. I'm not ashamed to admit that nearing the end, I cried a bit. One of the conversations between Artie and Lucy was so open and fragile that I couldn't help it. I look forward to many many more stories to come from Ms. Asher.

Lucy Shoreman was stunned when she learned that her charming, thoughtful husband had cheated on her - not once but three times - only according to him two of the women were `souvenirs' from before he met her, the third was an accident. She left him and isn't willing to forgive him but learning that he's dying has her reevaluating how she truly feels about the whole situation.

Lucy's resentment of Artie's `sweethearts' burns deep and so does her anger that not a single one of them is there for him now. Why should she have to go through all this alone? Artie's response is to hand her his black book and tells her to call them - of course he doesn't think she'll really do it. Alcohol is a beautiful thing though and after a few drinks she looks through the book and starts dialing. She leaves messages for some "Artie Shoreman is dying. Please call to schedule your turn at his deathbed," and talked with another woman who blatantly stated that Artie could rot in hell for all she cared. She gets an odd sense of satisfaction out of making the calls, but nothing prepared her for actually meeting some of these women, or the son he kept secret from her.

Artie's made mistakes. He's well aware that he hurt Lucy but nothing he can do will fix the situation now. He had every intention of wooing her back to his side but his dying wasn't exactly the reason he wanted her to return. His attempts at winning her back through flowers and meaningful messages aren't working but maybe she'll find some sort of peace, acceptance, and possibly even support from the women he's known and loved.

I approached this book not understanding the full impact it would have on me. I expected a woman to be strutting her husband's lovers past his deathbed - one by one - as an act of vengeance. What I read was so much more fulfilling and emotionally charged that I actually teared up several times and had to laugh at some scenes. MY HUSBAND'S SWEETHEARTS does deal with the impact Artie's cheating and lying have on Lucy but there's an `innocence' to his actions that stunned me and through it all it's extremely obvious that he absolutely loves Lucy. Bridget Asher delivers a heart wrenching story through the eyes of Lucy as she comes to know each of her husband's sweethearts and develops friendships with them. Ms. Asher uses dry humor and tells this story so that readers can empathize with her emotionally and `grow' with her as she accepts the other women in her life and the loss of her husband.

MY HUSBAND'S SWEETHEARTS captured and held my attention from beginning to end with its quirky characters, emotional circumstances, quick witty dialog and heartfelt reactions. This is one novel you shouldn't pass up if you're looking for a book that delivers a truly satisfying storyline.

Lucy Shoreman has returned home to the man she left a scant six month before. After four years of marriage her husband Artie felt the need to unburden himself about the four "affairs" he had in those years. Now he is sick, actually dying and she has grudgingly returned to his side. At his sickbed she is reminded again of his betrayal and she reminds him of the pain he has caused with his affairs. Nothing prepares her for his suggestion..."Call them up". She is still reeling from that zinger when Artie tells her he has a son as well.

Taking his address book she decides to look them up, to look Artie's past loves up, and after a bit of liquid courage she does just that...but is caught off guard when the first of many appears on her doorstep. Some want nothing to do with Artie, some have wonderful memories, some discover even more betrayal . Little does Lucy know that each of the women she contacts may help her come to grips with her love for Artie and the pain and loss caused by his betrayal. Bridget Asher has written a quirky, offbeat tale of loves lost, dreams delayed and the struggle to see others as they are. Once Lucy begins to understand Artie and puts the pieces of his actions together she is able to acknowledge her love and mend her heart. This quirky story is surprisingly tender and a very satisfying read. These characters stay with you long after the book is closed.

The book was better than I thought it would be. The concept seemed hokey and predictable, but the story managed to be bigger than that. Some plot/character problems here and there. Lucy falling for John seemed awkward. Some viewpoints could have been fleshed out more.

The idea of this story was cute but I found this book to be boring and uneventful. The characters weren't developed properly they were too cliche. I don't think this story is very realistic either. Why would someone ever become close with the "other women" in their cheating husband's life?? Just not a great book and I would definitely not recommend it to anyone I know. Would give it 0 stars if I could.