Customer Reviews

Wives and Lovers

5 star:		(7)
4 star:		(6)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Jane Elizabeth Varley's first book is a total joy to read. It is bold, naughty, and incredibly funny. Her characters are well-observed and their pleasures and problems are all too familiar.
The plotting is meticulous and tightly constructed (you can tell she's a barrister). It's the author's emotional honesty that is really refreshing and marks her out as someone new to read. Early on in the book there is a sex scene that took my breath away- not because it was sexy but because it says so much about the slow, painful demise of a once-happy marriage.
The sex isn't all bad and difficult to read, in fact there's plenty of very hot, dirty and enjoyable action. As the titles "Lovers" get to know each other, in various glamourous locations; and- in one tightly written scene- on a desk in the office.
Jane Elizabeth Varley seems to know a lot about the inner workings of the Tory party (especially its powerful Ladies that Lunch) and the mindset of bitchy gay male fashion stylists, not two groups you'd naturally put together? The foibles and fancies of the wealthy, the struggles of ethnic minority youth in the Inner City, academia and the unequal, snobby class system in the UK all form the modern fast-moving world that her sisters are living and loving in. For most new writer's this would be a daunting prospect. But Wives and Lovers pulls it off brilliantly and the ending is deeply satisfying. So good, I was left wanting more. Especially of Jane Elizabeth Varley's obvious love of life- with all its complexities and pressures- and her completely wicked sense of humour.

I like Jane Varley's first book Wives and Lovers because it is a great, fast paced story that also has something valuable to say about human nature. The three sisters in the book all make mistakes but the author shows us why they acted as they did and what led them into the middle of some disaster. All the sisters are human and believable and I found the dialogue very true to life. The author's writing style and the alternating points-of-view allow us to care about all the characters. The suspense builds as the complexities of the plot come to a head. The conclusion is satisfying but not too neat. I can't recommend this book highly enough.

I was given this book by a friend who highly recommended it. It's a cut above most 'popular' women's fiction: well-written and acutely observed. I could identify with the three sisters who are the subject of the story, even though they each had very unique personalities and were at differing stages of their lives. The book deals with love, loss, intrigue, jealousy and betrayal with a couple of neat plot twists thrown in for good measure. I will be reading other books by this author - it would be interesting to know more about her.

I enjoyed this book as far as it went....But the book lacked depth. The characters were entertaining but needed more information about there motives, thoughts, and inner lives. In many ways the book needed to be longer in order to do justice to the stories of all 3 sisters. Varley writes most about Victoria, whose husband David is the villian of the novel, but this means that not enough attention is given to Clara and Annie. Annie's recovery is very rushed. The book could have been just about Victoria and her marital problems, in fact, having said that, the book is well written in an intelligent style and the ending is good!!

I really enjoyed this read. The charcters were so real and the dynamics between the relationships keep you glued to the page. Anyone who has struggled with finding themselves or trying to understand their relationship with family will enjoy this book.

I thoroughly enjoyed this interesting read by Jane Varley. This woman just knows how to write. This book is about three very different sisters and I could identify in part with all of them. Her dialogue and characters really do come to life. My only criticism is that I didn't enjoy the parts of the book about Clara, the sister who is a lawyer, as much as the other two sisters. Really enjoyed this one!

I loved the honesty in this novel. As a woman of this generation, I could identify with the characters' struggles as wives and at work. The book is a real page-turner and written in a very readable style. In the beginning, I didn't like Victoria as a character but she was very realistic & believable and by the end I was cheering her on! Jane Varley really takes you inside the hearts and minds of the characters, especially Annie. Personally I couldn't put this book down. Can't wait to start reading Husbands and Other Lovers!

Wives and Lovers was my first book by Jane Varley. It is about three sisters who have different lives. Victoria, an intelligent woman, has lost herself in her marriage to David who is a selfish and overpowering lawyer with political ambitions. Her sister Annie suffers tragedy in her life and her story about her descent into suicidal depression is moving without being too grim to read. Clara, the other sister, is a lawyer who goes through a sort-of mid-life crisis when she has an affair with a student. The several stories work very well and you never feel that you prefer one story line to another which sometimes happens. All the characters are in their own ways put to the ultimate test - to do what is right. It is not a typical `romance' novel with a neat happy ending. The ending is very satisfying but the stories are true-to-life with diverse characters and you identify with their mistakes, dilemmas, fauths and qualities all cleverly described by the author. Cal Doyle is the book's finest character, a real hero, strong and honest. Totally recommended.

This is Jane Varley's first novel and what a great read it is! I read this when it first came out and I have gone on to read all her books. This is one of those books that make you feel slightly disappointed because you do not want to leave the characters behind (although Varley does bring David back in subsequent books in walk on roles so you do find out what happened to him). Even though in the beginning of the book it is a bit slow as other reviewers have said, it definitely pays to continue reading because the pace picks up with a shock at the end of the first chapter and after that it never slows down. The author really draws you into the characters lives and they are really real. All the three sisters feel like people you know. A welcome change from all chick lit that is out there now and is totally unbelievable.

I had not read this author before but now will definitely read her other books because this is such a well-written novel. It is funny and well-observed but the author also deals movingly with the themes of suicide, infidelity and the work-life balance that women face. I loved the character of Cal Doyle, a modern-day romantic hero! The author I see trained as an attorney and she conveys the legal side of the story with confidence.