The Professors' Wives' Club [Paperback]

Joanne Rendell (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 2, 2008

A debut novel about the intertwining lives of college faculty wives.

Nestled among Manhattan University?s faculty housing, there is a garden where four women will meet?each with a scandalous secret that could upset their lives, destroy their families, and rock the prestigious university to its very core.

With its maple trees, iron gate, and fence laced with honeysuckle, Manhattan U?s garden offers faculty wives Mary, Sofia, Ashleigh, and Hannah much needed refuge from their problems. But as Mary?s husband, the power-hungry dean, plans to demolish their beloved garden, these four women will discover a surprising secret about a lost Edgar Allan Poe manuscript?and realize they must find the courage to stand up for their passions, dreams, and desires.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

This tepid debut novel follows four women as they band together to save a garden from being gobbled up by an expanding college campus. Mary, a Pulitzer Prize–winning novelist and professor; Hannah, an MFA student whose husband becomes increasingly distant; Sofia, a young mother who gave up her previous life as a powerful Hollywood agent; and Ashleigh, who is afraid to reveal her lesbian relationship to her conservative senator father, all share a love of the small garden nestled next to Manhattan University's faculty housing, and as they organize to stop the imminent excavation, they form friendships and make major changes in their lives. There isn't anything you haven't seen before in here, but Rendell does a fine job of following the formula. (Sept.)
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From Booklist

The urban campus of Manhattan University harbors a fenced garden that serves as an oasis for four women. The garden is accessible by key only to the residents of the faculty housing that surrounds it. Married to a professor, Sofia had a successful career of her own but gave it all up to be a stay-at-home mom. Ashleigh is a lawyer in her family’s firm and holds a secret that could curtail her politician father’s career. Hannah is an artist married to another faculty member; her secret could threaten her marriage. And Mary, a faculty member in her own right, lives a lie as she endures a toxic marriage to the dean, who wants to bulldoze the garden and put in a parking lot. These four women are not acquainted but soon will become sisters-in-arms as they fight for their garden and then for each other. Alternately amusing and serious, with a little literary mystery thrown in for good measure, Rendell’s smart and pleasing tale of friendship and self-actualization has broad appeal. --Maria Hatton

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Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 18 and up
  
• Paperback: 352 pages
• Publisher: NAL Trade (September 2, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0451224914
• ISBN-13: 978-0451224910
• Product Dimensions: 7.9 x 5.2 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 10.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (21 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,507,624 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Joanne Rendell was born and raised in the UK. After completing her PhD in English Literature, she moved to the States to be with her husband, a professor at NYU. She now lives in faculty housing in New York City with her family. Visit Joanne's website at www.joannerendell.com.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Well written with College RA RA Fun!, September 3, 2008

By 

Brutus "Campus Fiction Fan" (Philadelphia, PA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Professors' Wives' Club (Paperback)

Rendell has really put a humorous finger on the social and political dynamics systemic at any college or university. It's well written, witty, and the characters are delightfully developed. This is a fun page turner and I hope for a movie!

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great Read, September 3, 2008

By 

Anna (Southern USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Professors' Wives' Club (Paperback)

The Professors' Wives' Club is a great read. It will be an excellent book for book club discussions. There are several interesting characters who remind us of someone we know or have known. We can identify with the emotions the author presents and think about how we would react in similar situations.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Pretty bad, April 5, 2009

By 

Stella W. (California) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Professors' Wives' Club (Paperback)

I had high hopes for this book, but it was so poorly written it was almost painful to read. The plot line was like a Lifetime made-for-TV movie, while it read something like a Babysitter's Club novel. The characters were one-dimensional and boring -- they were either purely evil or almost entirely good, making them unbelievable. The writing was chock full of cliches, and about every other sentence, someone "grinned" or "turned on their heel," both of which I can't stand. I can see how some people may enjoy this book as a light and easy read, but if you are looking for good literature, skip it.