Customer Reviews

The Professors' Wives' Club

5 star:		(11)
4 star:		(8)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

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!

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.

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.

I fell in love with these four woman who, through their friendship, find the strength to stand up for what they believe while coming to grips with their own personal predicaments. Joanne Rendell has woven an intriguing tale that kept me turning the pages until the very end.

I seem to always enjoy a good book about women and the strength of female friendships; and THE PROFESSORS' WIVES' CLUB by Joanne Rendell was no exception. This book covers the lives of four women who become friends in their efforts to save a garden retreat from being demolished. They all have a common enemy in the dean of the college who wants to tear down their park to build a parking garage.

I found all of the four main female characters to be very likable. In fact, I think most readers will recognize women they know and love in each of these characters. All of the characters were pretty different from each other in both personalities, interests, and even age; but they were drawn together by a common interest. I am such a sucker for books like this show the incredible bond between women!

One thing that I really liked was that the author tackled some difficult and controversial issues within the pages of this novel. Mary, the wife of the dean, was both verbally and physically abused by her husband. I commend the author for showing a professional, educated woman in an abusive relationship since so often think that abuse doesn't happen to these types of women. There were also serious issues discussed in this novel such as marital problems, infidelity, and motherhood struggles.

Another thing I really enjoyed about this book was that the author incorporated the Edgar Allen Poe angle into the story. I don't want to give too much away, but the book discusses the time period when Poe lived in New York City. In fact, there was a mystery surrounding some Edgar Allen Poe papers. I found that this side-story actually sets apart this book from other formulaic women's friendship stories. I found the Poe parts of the story to be very interesting, and it's apparent that the author conducted some research while writing this book. (By the way, Ms. Rendell has a little experience with literature-- she completed her PhD in English Lit.)

This is Joanne Rendell's first novel, but I'm pretty sure that it won't be her last. This book was written very well, and I found it a very enjoyable read. I think she did a good job of developing the main characters and making me feel as if any of these women could be friends of mine. Ms. Rendell is an actual professor's wife, and I have a feeling that some of the characters and situations are loosely based on her own life experiences. I am looking forward to her next novel (another book that takes place on a college campus) which will be published by New American Library/Penguin in the summer of 2009.

Save yourself the two hour read and opt for Olivia Goldsmith's "The First Wive's Club," instead. The subject matter may be vastly different, but at least with "FWC," you'll get a good deal of humor and wit along with the social commentary, something sorely lacking in Joanne Rendell's "Professor's Wives Club." For a book about so-called scandalous secrets, and the lives of the women trying to either maintain, sustain, or over come them, "PWC" offers an apathetic, unenthusiastic, and worse of all, indifferent read. The professional reviewer used the word "tepid," which sums it up very well, there was simply nothing there into which I could sink my passion, at least not where it didn't quickly fall apart from the lack of any supporting storyline foundation. As a testament to the quality of the writing, while trying to follow the convoluted "Poe" tie-in, I found myself wondering whether my time might be better spent by putting the book away, getting out soap and scrub-brush, and doing the dishes, something I do not recall ever actually thinking prior to that moment, in all my 50+ years!


(I'm not sure if it is relative in any way, but at one point in her all-too-short life, Olivia Goldsmith- née Randy Goldfield- lived under the legal name of "Justine Rendel.")

The Professors' Wives' Club takes place on the fictitious campus of Manhattan University. The reader is introduced to four women, in different stages of their lives, who meet and eventually form a treasured friendship. First there's Mary. She's married to Jack, the dean of Manhattan U and is also an English professor. She visits the garden as an escape from Jack's verbal and physical abuse. Next is Sofia. She's mother to Gracie and soon gives birth to Edgar. She's wife to Tom, an English Professor and a colleague of Mary's. Prior to getting married, Sofia was a top Hollywood agent. Third is Ashleigh. She's a lawyer in her family's law firm. She works hard and doesn't want any special treatment as her favorite uncle is one of the partners of the firm. She has a difficult relationship with her father, never feeling she's good enough for him. She's hiding a big secret from her parents and wants to come clean, however when he suffers a heart attack, she thinks remaining silent will be for the best...for him anyway. And finally there's Hannah. A beautiful model turned MFA grad student. Hannah is married to Michael but realizes she loves her in-laws more. Hannah does the one thing she never thought she'd ever do which causes her to rethink her marriage.

The story centers around the friendship that is formed by these four women. They learn to trust and depend on each other to survive their current situation. Together they protest against the destruction of the garden. Jack wants to tear it down in order to build a parking lot. But when the ladies discover the true motivation for tearing down the garden, they will stop at nothing to make sure it doesn't happen. As they come together to stop Jack, they find the strength to deal with their own problems.

The author's second book, Crossing Washington Square also takes place at Manhattan University. I'm looking forward to reading this novel as well. I wouldn't mind if the author brings back these four characters in this or future novels.

I am a fan of women's contemporary literary fiction and to me, this book fits the bill spot on. As the wife of a NYU Professor Joanne is a Professors wife in real life. She lives with her family and is a faculty fellow in residence in a dorm at NYU. She has real life experiences that immerse her in the life of academia. She also has a PhD in English Literature which is evident in her strong writing and the literary thread the book takes.

This is a wonderful debut novel that is a richly woven story about a group of four very different women who live in faculty housing and become friends through their love of the university garden. The garden is to be demolished in favor of a parking garage. Two of the women stand out more in the story for different reasons. Mary, a professor herself, hides a secret and is also married to the evil dean who is behind the focus to tear down the garden for his own hidden agenda. Sofia the mother of young children and the strength and catalyst that leads the group. Then, there are Ashleigh and Hanna strong characters but not the leaders that Mary and Sofia are in the book. Hanna is a wife, former model and now artist and MFA student who deals with her own secrets and battles. Ashleigh is a lawyer and girlfriend to Sam who is also a professor. She has her own secrets and family issues to resolve. They band together to protest the destruction of the garden and their lives are never the same. There is a strong literary thread that is woven into the book related to Edgar Allen Poe which is worked through the storyline to the end where all is revealed.

To me, this was a story about the power of female friendships and standing up for what you believe. I highly recommend it and look forward to Joanne Rendell's next book.

This is the story of four women with a common goal--saving the garden adjacent to the university housing where they live from demolition by the evil, self-serving Dean Havemeyer. Three of the four meet for the first time in the garden, and their relationship/s become tied with an intriguing subplot about Edgar Allan Poe. I'd say this story is primarily character-driven and I found it hard to put down.

Mary is the tragic, beaten wife of the evil Dean Havemeyer. On faculty at Manhattan U (a fictionalized version of NYU), she has made a name for herself as a Pulitzer Prize-winning author, however, she's stressed and preoccupied with the personality changes in her husband, her daughter's upcoming wedding and her plan to move to San Francisco.

Hannah is a former model whose husband, a professor of computer science, is obsessed with her looks. When we meet her she's steeped in guilt over her recent affair with one of her professors in the MFA program. She claims her husband is a sweet, wonderful man, but as his character develops there's all evidence to the contrary.

Sophia is a feisty former Hollywood agent to the stars. She married her movie star client's brother, an egghead expert on Edgar Allan Poe, and gave it all up to have babies.

Ashleigh is an in-the-closet lesbian, afraid to admit her sexual preference to her parents, particularly her right-wing conservative father the senator. She works as an attorney for the family law firm and is the only member of the "club" who isn't married to a Manhattan U professor.

Each character is given equal time to develop her role within the plot and her relationship/s with the other women. This well written story doesn't lapse into gossipy accounts of lifestyles and decisions, but instead progresses through believable dialogue and very real characters. It left me satisfied and reassured that when women get together, they can accomplish amazing things. Well done.

From the author of It's Not Your Mother's Bridge Club.

I couldn't put this book down! I loved the four main characters, particularly Mary, the wife of the evil dean. There's everything in here from the glamour of Manhattan's fashion and art scenes to the intrigue and suspense of an intellectual mystery. The writing is so smart and the whole Edgar Allan Poe plot added a little something extra. Can't wait to see what Joanne Rendell's next novel is about!