Out of the Blue [Paperback]

Isabel Wolff (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: March 5, 2001

Faith has arranged a surprise party at a West London restaurant to celebrate fifteen years of marriage to her publisher husband Peter. They have a lot to be thankful for - including two teenage children and the knowledge that, at thirty-five, they've hammered out an enduring partnership that, at this age, many of their contemporaries are only just themselves embarking upon. But something is niggling at Faith. A casual, barbed comment by her bitchy magazine editor friend Lily makes her wonder whether her world is as wonderful as it seems on the surface. Peter has been behaving slightly oddly recently - but is this purely because of stress at work? Is Faith really too smug and trusting? As the kernel of unease swells and begins to burgeon inside her, Faith finds herself on a quest that leads to a shake-up of everything she holds dear - but which, in the end, enables her to reforge her life.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

It's stormy weather with a sprinkle of infidelity on the horizon for weather forecaster Faith Martin in British author Wolff's third romantic comedy (after The Making of Minty Malone). Faith is a happily married, blissfully dowdy mother of two, celebrating her 15th anniversary with her devoted husband, Peter. But a chance comment from Faith's childhood friend Lily, the glamorous editor of the up-and-coming magazine Moi, sets her wondering if maybe her life is just as dull as it is secure-and sends her into a tailspin of suspicion and paranoia as she convinces herself that Peter is cheating on her. As it turns out, she's right. Guided by the dubious advice of Lily, as well as by her psychoanalysis-spewing teenage daughter, Katie, Faith throws herself into the dating game and shakes up her ho-hum routine. A handsome graphic designer has her in his sights. Suddenly Peter is begging for forgiveness. All looks rosy, but has Faith bitten off more than she can chew? Though sometimes genuinely funny, the dialogue-driven narrative is thick with groan-out-loud puns-a hangover is "the wrath of grapes" and a boring man is "a clear case of mistaken nonentity." The odd plot twists feel contrived, and Faith herself is so clueless that she can be painful to watch. Many will doubtless identify with her predicament, but Faith's exaggerated ditziness takes some of the fun out of this light fare.
Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Booklist

At 35, Faith Smith isn't searching for her true love--she's married to him. Faith and Peter are celebrating their fifteenth anniversary when Faith's glamorous best friend, Lily, makes an underhanded comment about Faith's trust in Peter. Lily's comment begins to chip away at Faith's confidence in her marriage, and Lily only fans the flames of Faith's doubts. At a romantic Valentine's Day dinner, Peter confirms Faith's fears: he's slept with Andie, the headhunter who found him his new publishing job. Faith is floored, especially when Peter tells her it was her suspicions that drove him to cheat. Faith throws him out the house and tells their two children they're getting a divorce. Lily is more than happy to help Faith get back into the dating game, and soon Faith is being pursued by Josiah, a charismatic set designer. But is he too good to be true? And is Faith really ready to close the door on her marriage? Wolff keeps readers guessing until the very end in this sweet, funny romance. Kristine Huntley
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 448 pages
• Publisher: Harper Collins Pb (March 5, 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0006513417
• ISBN-13: 978-0006513414
• Product Dimensions: 7.6 x 5.1 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 10.6 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (19 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,045,162 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Isabel Wolff read English at Cambridge and was a journalist and BBC broadcaster before becoming a full time writer. A Sunday Times best-seller, her nine poignant romantic comedies have been published in 29 languages and include 'Making Minty Malone', 'Behaving Badly' 'Out of the Blue' and 'Rescuing Rose'. 'A Vintage Affair' was an Amazon.co.uk 'Best of the Year' title, 2009, and in 2011 was shortlisted for the American Libraries Association Reading List award. Isabel's latest novel, 'The Very Picture of You' was published by Random House Inc in October 2011. Isabel lives in London's Notting Hill with her partner, their children and her stepchildren and in her spare time enjoys playing table football. For more information please visit www.IsabelWolff.com or go to 'Isabel Wolff, Author' on Facebook, or follow her on Twitter. Thank you...

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

15 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Marriage and Divorce, June 10, 2003

By 

Janice (Arlington, VA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Out of the Blue (Red Dress Ink (Numbered Paperback)) (Paperback)

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.

12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars deep character study, February 2, 2003

By 

Harriet Klausner - See all my reviews
(#1 Hall OF FAME REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Out of the Blue (Red Dress Ink (Numbered Paperback)) (Paperback)

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

15 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Grown Up Look At "Chick Literature!", March 28, 2003

By 

Caroline P. Hampton (Columbus, Ohio USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Out of the Blue (Red Dress Ink (Numbered Paperback)) (Paperback)

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.