The Sunday Wife [Mass Market Paperback]

Cassandra King (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: January 1, 1900

arried for 20 years to the Reverend Benjamin Lynch, a handsome, ambitious minister of the prestigious Methodist church, Dean Lynch has never quite adjusted her temperament to the demands of the role of a Sunday wife. When her husband is assigned to a larger and more demanding community in the Florida panhandle, Dean becomes fast friends with Augusta Holderfield, a woman whose good looks and extravagant habits immediately entrance her. As their friendship evolves, Augusta challenges Dean to break free from her traditional role as the preacher's wife. Just as Dean is questioning everything she has always valued, a tragedy occurs, providing the catalyst for change in ways she never could have imagined.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Finely drawn characters and complicated social intrigue make King's second novel (after Making Waves in Zion) a charming read. When Dean Lynchs ambitious preacher husband, Ben, is assigned to a pulpit in the small Florida town of Crystal Springs, Dean is resigned to the prospect of yet another church-owned house and the necessity of putting aside her own beloved music (she plays the piano and the dulcimer) in favor of the congregations choir. Orphaned as a child, the retiring Dean has spent 20 years of marriage in the shadow of her overbearing, charismatic husband, always feeling out of place. But when she befriends Augusta, a wealthy, well-born, caustic beauty whose attendance at the Crystal Springs Methodist Church would be Ben's greatest coup, Dean finds herself coming out of her shell and tangled up in secrets she is not prepared to handle. The only false note comes from the gay couple Augusta befriends, who border on stereotype. The rest of King's secondary cast, which includes a sympathetic psychic and the magnetic but sinister former preacher at Ben's church, is a captivating bunch. King has written a truly heartwarming story, a tale of turbulent emotions and the vagaries of public opinion in a small Southern town; she has a sure winner here.
Copyright 2002 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

From Library Journal

For 20 years, Willodean (Dean) Lynch has been molded into what her ambitious, upwardly mobile minister husband and his congregation consider to be the perfect preacher's wife. Then she meets Augusta Holderfield, a free spirit who encourages her to break loose. The more her husband and his too-pious congregants try to smother her, the more liberated Dean wants to be. Unfortunately, she learns the hard way that freedom can come at a very high price. Told in the first person and heavy on Southern atmosphere, this novel is peppered with Dean's wry observations. All aspects of institutional religious hypocrisy, intolerance, ultraconservatism, and general self-righteousness are fair game as Dean discovers who she really is. King, who is married to novelist Pat Conroy (Prince of Tides), has proven herself to be an extraordinary author in her own right. Fans of Patricia Gaffney and Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings will enjoy this extremely well-written book. Essential for libraries of all sizes. Shelley Mosley, Glendale P.L., AZ
Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

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Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 18 and up
  
• Mass Market Paperback: 560 pages
• Publisher: Hyperion (January 1, 1900)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0786890703
• ISBN-13: 978-0786890705
• Product Dimensions: 6.8 x 4.2 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 9.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (104 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #891,058 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

18 of 19 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars negative reviews here are lame, March 5, 2005

By 

Janet Shultz - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Sunday Wife (Paperback)

I couldn't put this book down and found the characters very believable and far from being one-dimensional. The negative reviews of this book seem to be very lame. Many of the negative reviews are from people who read the book because Cassandra King is married to Pat Conroy. Humph, and then complained because it wasn't written like a Pat Conroy novel ! ?! Some of the negative reviews left me wondering if the reviewers even read the book, and if they read the book, how they couldn't help but draw similarities between the characters in the book and those we meet in real life.

Some negative reviewers here felt Ben, Dean's minister husband, to be underdeveloped as a character in this book. I think his portrayal in the book is perfect, real characters such as Ben live one-dimensional lives. They live only for themselves and other people that come in and out of their lives have very little influence on such characters. Failing to develop this character was certainly not an oversight of this author, Cassandra King, I'm sure it was an intentional representation of just such a character.

Just as the "Bens" of this world exist, so too, do the "Deans" of this world and usually they find each other. Unlike real life, many "Deans" never find an "Augusta" to come along and save them. I loved King's Augusta character and found her to be a combination of a couple of my close friends. I was so annoyed with one reviewer's comments about the "unbelievable" characters in this story; I couldn't help but wonder if this person lived a one-dimensional life. The reviewer found it hard to believe that Dean stayed with Ben for 20 years. Here is the exact quote: "I gather that she stayed with Ben for 20 years because of her background and her current situation as a verbally abused wife. Sorry, again this wasn't fleshed out. " King hardly needs to "flesh out" such truths for us, real life consistently forces women like Dean to remain in unfulfilling relationships. Dean had no skills; her husband certainly never encouraged her to venture far from his side. She didn't have the money to educate herself and have a career, which in turn, would have given her a way out. She had no relationships, other than her friendship with Augusta, to find the strength and where withal to even begin to find her own way. It's more unbelievable that women like Dean ever break free of such dismal marriages, than it is unbelievable that she stayed in such a relationship.

This book captivated me from the beginning to end and knowing how it would probably end didn't stop me from enjoying the page-turning events along the way. I heartily recommend this book and hope that the negative reviews here don't stop you from missing out on a story that will make you both laugh out loud and cry in sadness. What more could you ask of a book ?

13 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars I couldn't put this one down ..., May 3, 2005

By 

Busy Mom (Ohio) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (TOP 1000 REVIEWER)   

This review is from: The Sunday Wife (Paperback)

The last few times I was in a bookstore, I would see this book sitting on the shelf. I almost bought it once but thought, no, I better not. I finally caved and bought it last week. As soon as I could, I picked this one up and fell in love with Willowdean "Dean" Lynch. I have to admit that I've always wondered what it would be like to be a pastor's wife. But I was not prepared for the exasperation I felt for the characters (especially for Dean's husband, Ben, who is such an incredibly selfish character) nor did I expect to feel grief on Dean's part when she experienced a difficult tragedy.

King really draws the reader into her story and the reader finds empathy with the characters as well. No matter how exasperating they can be ~~ or how wonderful, they are based on people like you and me. The descriptions of Florida are ones that I never thought of ~~ especially since I don't know anything about Florida.

There is one flaw with this book ~~ somewhere in the middle of the book, the story line just went from fast-paced to drifting ~~ with no conclusion in sight. Then towards the end, it was more put-together, unlike the first part of the book. It did make for some confusing moments as if there were two writers writing the book. But Dean, the main character, was the same throughout the book and she was the one I was interested in reading about.

This is a perfect summer beach read! It's interesting and wonderful about love between two people who have lost so much only to find so much joy. There are stories about the parsonage that makes me wonder if people are really that hyprocritical. Then again, everyone's human. So if you're looking for an entertaining read ~~ pick this one up. You'll be rooting for Dean before long!

5-3-05

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Enjoyable, March 3, 2005

By 

J. Green "nose4news" (Lawrenceville, Ga United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Sunday Wife (Paperback)

I really liked this book. I don't understand buying a book because the author is married to another author you like, then griping about it being disappointing. If you want Conroy, buy his books. Ahem. But I digress.
Dean is married to a man of God who is anything but angelic and happens upon a town of gossips and people to gossip about. She befriends Augusta who is a free spirit with a past that enables her to make a connection with Dean. Dean discovers herself and how she's sold herself short on life just in the nick of time.
I found the book entertaining, fell in love with the little boy, Gus, and wished at times I had a friend like Augusta who would draw attention to the times I was in jeopardy of selling out.
It's a good read.