Customer Reviews

Out of the Blue (Red Dress Ink (Numbered Paperback))

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

 

 

Isabel Wolff's "Out of the Blue" deals with Faith, a suburban wife who has been married for fifteen years to her college sweetheart, Peter. Faith always considered her relationship with Peter to be wonderful until she suspected him to be having an affair. Peter later confessed that he did indeed have an affair and Faith's was incredibly devastated. She was still very much in love with Peter but unsure of how to deal with his fling and suddenly another man, Jos, was paying attention to her. Jos was charming, attentive, good-looking and Faith became torn.

Even though this is a Red Dress Ink book, it is not your typical chick-lit as this book deals with a much more serious topic - infidelity. Wolff tries successfully to add humor to such a grave situation. In addition, her main character is married and in her thirties unlike other chick-lit authors whose main characters are usually single and in their twenties. Her characters are well-developed, making you feel that you really know them. My only complain is that the book is quite slow and there seems to be no surprises. Once you get the storyline, that's it. So, it can be a little boring at times. However, I still think it is a good book especially since it was written well.

Faith and Peter Martin celebrate their fifteenth wedding anniversary, which he completely forgot about, with friends and family including their two teenage children. Peter apologizes to his wife blaming it on the pressure at work caused by new a new chairwoman at the publishing firm where he works as a director. At the party, Faith's friend Lily makes a seemingly innocuous remark praising Faith for being "marvelous to trust him".

However, Lily's casual comment makes Faith relook Peter who has bought new clothing and lost weight. She checks his credit card where she finds he bought flowers for someone. She questions him and he blows her off as being silly. Ultimately, she believes he is innocent and praises him for his faithfulness only to have him break down and confess he had an affair. As Peter tries to win back his wife, Faith begins to branch into other areas encouraged by her daughter and best friend.

OUT OF THE BLUE could have been another "He did, she did" tale, but is more than that due to the rich cast that turns the prime theme of deceit into a deep character study. Faith lives up to her name until she learns Peter cheated. Peter feels guilt over his actions and his subsequent cover-up. Their daughter Katie steals the show with her Freudian analysis of everyone around her while Lily is a rip the skin off of everyone else magazine editor. These and other secondary players make for an upbeat amusing tale of relationships in the modern age that will have every spouse checking his pockets.

Harriet Klausner

Without a doubt - Isabel Wolff is one of the better authors out there in the "Chick Lit" genre. Her previous work (Trial of Tiffany Trott / The Making of Minty Malone / and Rescuing Rose (out later this year) are among my shelf of favorites and her newest US release "Out Of The Blue" is a wonderfully grown up and smart book about a married woman's fears of an adulterous husband and how she goes about handling/proving/disproving and dealing with all those problems that come with insecurities.

I loved the idea of this book and really enjoyed the serious and complex elements of this story. The characters were well developed and really interesting. Some of the more memorable in recent history.

Ms. Wolff is a very gifted storyteller and I will continue to look for her work. A wonderful addition to the Red Dress Inc. line of literature.

Fan of Isabel Wolff? Then get ready to read another great one from the author of The Trials of Tiffany Trott and Making Minty Malone!

Faith Martin, AM-UK!'s weather girl, is having a thunderous time. Her husband might be having an affair, and it is up to her to get to the bottom of things. As her suspicions mound and things begin to take some unexpected turns, Faith has opened up to some interesting possibilities...

Out of the Blue is filled with Wolff's signature poignancy and humor. The emotions that the protagonist goes through are quite realistic. I love the characters, especially Lily, Sophie and Peter. Wolff has outdone herself with this new gem. Red Dress Ink made a wise decision in signing up this talented author. I look forward to reading more of her work.

Just read it! I read it in 2 days. Made me laugh and cry. I love a book that makes me feel. Thanks Isabel for writing it!!!!

This was an excellent book from beginning to end - there were times I couldn't put it down because I wanted to know how the relationships would progress! It was a little slow at times, but it does help you get to know the characters on a more personal level. A witty, good book! I would recommend it to anyone who likes some quality chick lit.

I had been recommended Isabel Wolff in the past but this was my first tryout with one of her novels and I can only say that Out of the Blue kept me thoroughly entertained this past weekend. I would characterise it this way: it's well-plotted, page-turning and with a good deal of quirky humor - particularly with the family's beloved ex-stray dog that likes to watch food programmes - and it's also touching. Weather girl Faith Martin's *happy* marriage has hit the rocks and is about to he smashed to pieces, but can the fragments be glued together again? There are some great characters - Faith herself not so much - but her uber-bitch best friend Lily, queen of the glossy magazinesm, and Faith's two oddball teenage kids. Katie, aged only 12 or so, constantly psychoanalyzes everyone - with startlingly accurate results - and the son, Matt, is a maths prodigy who Faith's mom is secretly leading astry by encouraging him to play on Wall Street. If you like novels about single women in the city looking for love, and downing too many margaritas, this book is probably not for you, but if you are looking for a well-written engaging read whcih deals in some complex human situations in a humorous and insightful way, then I'd recommend it without hesitation.

This is a very clever, humorous and engaging novel about the effect that jealousy and suspicion can have on an otherwise strong marriage. I felt the author was showing us that Faith almost *wants* to find out that Peter is cheating on her so that she can try what it's like being a single woman, having fun - like her glamorous and witty friend, Lily, after fifteen years of fidelity and family in the 'burbs. I thought the author showed real insight into the terrible emotional consequences Faith then suffers as the wheels of divorce start turning and she realises what she has actually unleashed. She could predict the weather, but, somehow, not this!!

In a book which has many original touches - and considerable depth - I appreciated the way the weather forecasts all reflect something in Faith's own emotional life. I also loved the absurd - and yet somehow right-on-the-button - psychoanalyzing of Faith's teenage daughter, and the really great scenes on the daytime television show. The situations and characters, although slightly exaggerated, felt very real.

I also felt that the author had worked everything out very intelligently - the attractive opera artist, Jos, who is as false as the beautiful fresco's he paints; the use of dreams and the subconscious to reveal Faith's turmoil and sexual repression; the very believeable story of Faith and Lily's long friendship and the power balance between them which is now about to shift. I did also think the effect of the marriage crisis on the family dog was very touchingly done. Animals are badly affected by marital stress just as much as adults and kids.

The quality of the prose, the references to Shakespear's Othello and 'Madame Butterfly' lift this book very far from being just another cute chick lit read - it is actually quite literary and upscale. But at the same time it's a light, quick, and fun read, which is as unpredictable as it is entertaining. You simply cannot guess the ending - you only *think* you can. This is the first Isabel Wolff novel I have read and I now want to try Making Minty Malone and hope I'll like it as much. I have read about four RDI novels now and OUT OF THE BLUE is an excellent addition to the series.

Absolutely loved this book. Read more like good women's fiction than some of the recent, whiny, self-absorbed stories about neurotic 20 somethings that seem to be the usual chick lit fare lately. This is an intelligent, entertaining, and witty look at a married 35 year old woman dealing with a husband who has an affair, and all the changes that entails in her otherwise fairy tale life. Shows real growth among all the characters, and has a satisfying ending that makes sense as well.
I would definitely pick up this author's next book. RDI has entered a new league with this one...and at well over 400 pages, it is a story you can really sink into.

I really enjoyed this book and was surprised to read some negative reviews here. I had low expectaions and thought it may be another quick chick-flick type book with a pacey airy heroine, but it was more intelligent and thoughtful than that. It doesnt try and simplify relationships into black and white, and even infidelty and post marriage friendships are veiwed as having plenty of 'grey areas' Divorce and marriage and friendship is never so clear and easy to box off and she portays this very complex web of emotions and intrigue well. I found her writing style really drew me in and I was fascinated from the off and stayed really interested until the end and read it on the tube on the way to work too. Highly recomended