Customer Reviews

Secret Lives of Husbands and Wives

5 star:		(11)
4 star:		(10)
3 star:		(9)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I thoroughly enjoyed reading Secret Lives of Husbands and Wives! Josie Brown weaves a clever tale of what goes on in upscale suburbia! The characters seem so realistic. You find yourself eager to turn the page to see what happens next. It's so easy to get absorbed into this story. Josie Brown is a really good writer and a does a wonderful job with this book! I highly recommend this read!

Life in Paradise Heights, a prestigious gated community near the Silicon Valley, promises the happily-ever-after that many young couples want. But the fine print doesn't tell anyone to be careful, because "if something is too good to be true, it just might be."

For the women of Paradise Heights, the first crack in the veneer of their perfect kingdom is the break-up of a seemingly flawless marriage. The gossip mill is alive and well in the Heights, and soon everyone is speculating about what broke up Harry and DeeDee Wilder. Popular opinion says that her husband walked in on her and her lover.

DeeDee moves out, without the kids, while Harry stays behind; he works at home and occasionally at the office, but he is the primary caregiver. The two will be battling custody out in court throughout the months ahead, and the secret of just who DeeDee's lover is hovers over the storyline.

When Lyssa Harper, whose husband Ted is a typical workaholic, befriends Harry and invites him to meet the other "mommies," she has no idea what will follow. Then Harry, who has become her friend, rebuffs the other women's advances, and he is exiled. And Lyssa will be, too, if she continues the friendship.

Risking everything for her friend, Lyssa has no inkling of the events that will now unfold.

I loved this "insider tale" of life amongst the privileged. Secret Lives of Husbands and Wives felt almost like a tabloid publication, but with the added bonus of being sensitively written, and with that hint of mystery hovering over everything. Told in Lyssa's voice, in the first person narrative, the reader is privy to her thoughts, feelings, and desires. This heightened my sense of having an up-close-and-personal view of this life.

Toward the end, I began to suspect what would happen next, but I enjoyed waiting, almost holding my breath, for our characters to put the pieces together.

Five stars, definitely--I would recommend this book to anyone who enjoys stories of the privileged, who are real people with real problems; despite the life of wealth, these characters hurt and grieve, just like anyone else.

This is a light, easy book to pass the time, and is most certainly going to appeal to those who love reality shows like the Housewives of Wherever, dramas like Desperate Housewives and anything gossipy. It's the scandalous tale of a group of neighborhood ladies in hot pursuit of the recently dumped, hot male neighbor.

While it's fun to see the various ladies from a typical neighborhood behave badly, and to likely relate to at least one of them (or know someone who fits that bill in your own cul-de-sac) it's a little too much "fun" and not a lot of substance.

So, if you are looking for a beach read that extends your usual dose of People magazine or you have the urge to snoop on your neighbors but want to do something more "legal", have fun with this instead. If you are hoping for some serious drama or a deep, inspiring read, you will probably want to keep looking.

Here's to Having your Cake and Eating it Too (p310)sums up the lives of six women stuck in the Heights of Paradise Posse. As members of the local Women's League Board in the wealthy community of Paradise Heights, we come to witness the unravelling of the lives of six mothers as they struggle against the tides of slow suburbia. The monotonous life of carpools, cashmere sweaters and casseroles gives way as news spreads of the shocking divorce of DeeDee and Harry Wilder. The slower life gets the faster the chins wag in this slice of traditionalism meets modern suburbia. This divorce sends ripples of restlessness to resonate throughout Bouganvillia Drive as, one by one, each of these women befall their fate and succumb to the temptations of boredom meets infidelity. "It's not because he doesn't trust me, it's because I don't trust myself." (p229) The dynamics of female relationships is more interesting as Brown explores the hierarchy, status and power existent between these women and their perfect McMansions with manicured lawns. Brown successfully explores the implorable nature of insecurity and boredom of marriage in suburbia and does not seem to run out of material despite the fact that this topic has been exhausted in recent years through various mediums from Desperate Housewives to Wife Swap. A broader statement perhaps on emerging societal and behavioral trends in these days of instant gratification and our growing sense of entitlement begs the question....

Are we having our cake and eating it too?

This is a very quick page turner that I enjoyed quite a bit. It moves right along and all of the characters are enjoyable. This is a fantastic beach read, you won't be dissapointed by this one.

This is an easy, topical, read, kind of like picking up People magazine. You won't learn anything insightful, your mind won't be expanded. A good book for lounging around the pool and not having to think too hard.

The story is set in rich suburbia, with a bunch of spoiled, generally annoying, housewives. A newly separated dad, thrown into single parenthood, is practically run down by the pack of vultures, but one of the women rises among the rest to become good friends with the guy. Of course, rumors abound about the "real" nature of their relationship. The woman realizes her so called friends are a bunch of two faced whiners, and becomes an idealist, learning she doesn't want to be like them as she once thought. Among all the unhappy marriages, back stabbing, etc. the book ends as predictably as any romantic big screen movie. If I could, I would give the book 3.5 stars, but decided to round up instead of down.

I really enjoyed reading the "Secret Lives of Husbands and Wives." Super juicy, intriguing read!

This was an absolutely delicious book! It was witty and snarky and a total delight to dive into! There's a bit of language, so for some it might not be the right fit. But those instances are few and far between and personally, for me, the humor and fun of this read far outweighed those instances. I honestly couldn't put this one down and read it straight through...grown up summer fun!

I got this Secret Lives of Husbands and Wives and a cold at the same time. The timing couldn't be better, as it was OK for me to stay in bed all day with this compulsive read. This book is about upper class families, specifically spousal dynamics dealing with issues of adultry. The story also includes powerfully strong friendships, parenting (from preschoolers thru teens), and community activism.

The book is witty, clever, over-the-top but also believable. I highly recommend this book if you want to lose yourself in some funny fiction. It's a great beach read, if you're home with a cold, or anytime.

The title really holds true with this one! There were quite a few secrets that I never expected. The one at the end was a real treat :-)

The main characters in this one were pretty well written. There were a few scenes that seemed to be a bit out of character, but as the title suggests there were quite a few secrets, so maybe these were just more of them. I tend to think the best of people, and while I knew from the word go that DeeDee was trouble I never expected some of the other people to take the actions they did. I liked Lyssa, she reminded me a lot of myself in her personality. Harry was also a great character. He was so sweet, except for the scene with Ted on Thanksgiving... That was a different story!

The way this story unfolded it was impossible to tell what was really getting ready to happen. Even the end was a bit surprising to me (and I really like to try and figure out the ending). This definitely makes me think twice about my quiet little neighborhood.

This was really a page turner as I wanted to see what secret was going to be exposed next, and who it was going to implicate. Believe me there were soooo many...

Well worth the read.