Sleeping with Ward Cleaver [Mass Market Paperback]

Jenny Gardiner (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: February 2008

WHAT HAPPENS AFTER THE "HAPPILY EVER AFTER"?

Sleeping with Ward Cleaver is the funny yet poignant story of a woman at a crossroads in life, who years earlier married a man who swept her off her feet, but now finds that her Mr. Right has evolved into Mr. Always Right, and the only sweeping going on in her life involves a broom and a dustpan. As her dreams collide with reality and the one that got away shows up trying to worm his way back into her heart, she must decide if her once charmed marriage is salvageable, and if so, how she's going to go about saving it.

Editorial Reviews

From Booklist

Somewhere along the line, Claire Doolittle’s handsome, carefree, exciting husband, Jack, turned into staid, solemn, know-it-all Ward Cleaver (of Leave It to Beaver fame). Claire and Jack’s life together is so dull and regimented that even sex is performed according to schedule—every Sunday night, come rain or shine. The lack of romance in her life begins eating away at Claire. She craves passion and desire. Enter “Todd the Bod,” an old flame. Claire is torn. Does she want an exciting love life badly enough to leave Jack? Should she fight or flee? In Gardiner’s emotionally realistic picture of a stale relationship, it’s easy for women to identify with Claire, from her physical midlife slump to her emotional one. And the resigned wife, the oblivious husband, and the enticing blast from the past are such well-crafted characters readers will swear they know them. Fans of such books as Cassandra King’s The Sunday Wife (2002) and Susan Wiggs’ The Ocean Between Us (2004) will enjoy Gardiner’s. --Shelley Mosley

Review

"REVIEWER TOP PICK AND LIFETIME KEEPER! Jenny Gardiner brings to life Claire Doolittle with such vibrancy that I feel I know her. With her sharp wit and hilarious descriptions, Ms. Gardiner has a delightful voice that left me wanting more." -- Vee, Night Owl Romance

"The "Bridget Jones Diary" for all married and harried mommies! And perhaps a good gift to give to our younger and single girlfriends-it's a gentle and humorous way to give them a glimpse of what's to come . . . Sleeping With Ward Cleaver (is) the perfect romantic comedy for a 30-something Mommy, who still wants to be a sexy and sassy gal, despite the spit up encrusted on all of her clothing. I can only hope Rob Reiner and friends, will put this sassy book on the big screen!" -- MamaLit.com

"A fun, sassy read! A cross between Erma Bombeck and Candace Bushnell, reading Jenny Gardiner is like sinking your teeth into a big frosted chocolate cupcake...you just want more." -- Meg Cabot, author of the Princess Diaries, Queen of Babble, & the Heather Wells Mysteries

"Honest, real and wickedly funny, Sleeping with Ward Cleaver is a keeper!" -- Jane Porter, author of Flirting with Forty

"In this "woman's fiction," debut novelist Jenny Gardiner achieves the difficult, if not impossible, task of creating sexual and romantic tension between characters who have been married more than a few years. And they said it couldn't be done. The risk with writing about a married couple is how to sustain the conflict without getting shrill or soapy. Gardiner pulls it off. I wanted to see Jack and Claire fight for their marriage and their romance.

Armchair Interviews says: Sleeping with Ward Cleaver is a clever and engaging romance with humor and heart" -- Carrie Padgett, Armchair Interviews

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Mass Market Paperback: 294 pages
• Publisher: Love Spell (February 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0505527472
• ISBN-13: 978-0505527479
• Product Dimensions: 6.8 x 5.8 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4.8 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (40 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #157,822 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #25 in Books > 4-for-3 Books > Literature & Fiction > Women's Fiction > Domestic Life

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

10 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars a must read for 2008, January 22, 2008

By 

Therese Gilardi (France) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Sleeping with Ward Cleaver (Mass Market Paperback)

"Sleeping with Ward Cleaver" is what would have resulted had Erma Bombeck and David Sedaris ever collaborated on a book, a sly, laugh out loud funny story about life and love in twenty-first century America. Like Bombeck and Sedaris, Jenny Gardiner finds the humor in both the everyday and the absurd. When the first person narrator of "Sleeping with Ward Cleaver" wakes up one day and realizes that her previously easygoing husband has morphed into a modern version of sitcom character Ward Cleaver, she loses her precarious balance, and sets off on a comical, frantic adventure that will change her and "Ward" forever. This fast-paced read has just enough twists and turns to keep the reader surprised. An entertaining tale with an appealing protagonist who's not ashamed to admit her insecurities or go after what she wants. A winner!

7 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Light Cover, Dark Comedy, February 29, 2008

By 

Butterscotch (USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Sleeping with Ward Cleaver (Mass Market Paperback)

The cover is so cute that I couldn't resist purchasing this book. The back cover makes the book sound like an engaging romantic comedy, but the story is anything but. This isn't a light and fluffy romance, or even a romance at all, as the two main characters are in the midst of a pretty bad marriage. Sure, there is some humor, but it's dark humor, a black comedy for sure. Claire Dolittle is dissatisfied with her life and marriage, as is her husband Jack, a man she refers to as Ward Cleaver because their marriage has deteriorated into a 50s sitcom - Claire is basically a stay-at-home mom to 5 kids while Jack gets to have all the fun and issue all the household orders. Through flashbacks interspersed throughout the chapters we can see how their courtship/marriage began and how it came to be now. The story wasn't fun and light, but it was entertaining all the same. If you're looking for chick-lit or romance then you might be disappointed, but for just a general escapism focused on marriage and life, this might work. Three stars for being entertaining, but average.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Could not finish this book, November 28, 2011

By 

GiGi - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Sleeping with Ward Cleaver (Kindle Edition)

This is the first book on the Kindle that I haven't finished! The "adult" language to me was over the top and unnecessary. Regardless of the state of this couple's marriage which was depressing enough, I don't understand the tendency for some authors today to use raunch and four letter words to "entertain". I did not see the humor in this selection and would not recommend this book.