The Secret Lives of Fortunate Wives (Hardcover)

~ (Author) "As the perfect Hunting Hills wife, Marti Denton was too busy at first to notice that her husband, Denton, was slowly, gradually slipping from her..." (more)
Key Phrases: Hunting Hills, Eric Schmaltz, Marti Denton (more...)

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Strohmeyer (Bubbles Unbound) delivers a tart-tongued if predictable tale of sex outside the city. Newlywed and former reporter Claire Stark may have once braved battle-ravaged Bosnia, but nothing could prepare her for warfare among the wealthy in Hunting Hills, Ohio, where she and her bookish stockbroker husband, John Harding, move after their whirlwind romance. The ravishing but socially awkward redhead from West Virginia must learn to navigate a landscape populated by 21st-century Stepford wives who think nothing of slipping between the sheets with the husbands of their best friends. Claire thinks she's found an ally in Marti Denton, who's willing to show her the ropes (Hunting Hills wives have rules to live by, after all, including "Remember that the more you buy, the more your husband values you!"). But Marti, whose marriage is on the rocks, has an agenda of her own. Betrayal, indiscretions and white-collar crime suffuse this sly offering from Agatha Award–winner Strohmeyer, who renders a wry cast of characters, from silicone-pumped, amphetamine-addicted social climber Lisa to Joriko, a half-Japanese, half-Swedish personal trainer with curious healing gifts. This is wicked, frothy fun, even if the ending is a bit over-the-top. Life may be steamy in the metropolis, but it's just as bawdy in the burbs.
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

From Booklist

Perfectly timed to ride the wave of Desperate Housewives-mania comes a sharply sardonic tale of suburban sex-capades, social snobbery, and stock swindles from the author of the effervescent Bubbles mystery series. In the tony Cleveland suburb of Hunting Hills, where absurdly wealthy executives ensconce their couturier-clad wives in opulent McMansions and supply them with platinum AmEx cards, there are rules for wifely behavior that have nothing on the Ten Commandments. Trophy wives happily commit adultery and covet their neighbors with style and aplomb. As queen of this realm of riches, Marti Denton reigns supreme. Only one thing eludes her--the oh-so-sexy John Harding--and Marti isn't about to let a little thing like John's recent marriage to the mousy Claire or her own rocky marital state stand in the way. The mordantly observant Strohmeyer skewers the lifestyles of the rich and fatuous with spot-on irony, painting her pretentious socialites with broad, sarcastic strokes in an uproarious, upscale, tongue-in-cheek tour de force. Carol Haggas
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 368 pages
• Publisher: Dutton Adult (September 22, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0525949097
• ISBN-13: 978-0525949091
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 6.2 x 1.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (25 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #801,510 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Pleasant Surprise!, June 15, 2006

By	Mercedes L. Johnmeyer "The Most Happy" (Kingsland, GA) - See all my reviews (TOP 1000 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

This review is from: The Secret Lives of Fortunate Wives (Hardcover)

I'm not a big fan of chick-lit...but the cover caught my eye, and I do need a change every now and then. This turned out to be a really good book. One that was VERY hard to put down. I stayed up till almost 2am a couple nights telling myself 'Just one more chapter'.

This story centers around Marti Denton and her friends, who are filthy rich suburban housewives in the exclusive community of Hunting Hills, Ohio. Money is no object to them, and they even have their own set of 'Hunting Hills Rules of Behavior for Wives'. John Harding is the resident bachelor, until he returns home from a trip to Prague married to a small town West Virginia girl (Claire) who he met while there.

From there it's just pages (some quite funny) of Marti scheming with her friends to get Claire out of the picture so Marti can have John all to herself (she's just discovered she's madly in love with him, and not her husband), while pretending to be Claire's friend so they can find out all the juicy little details of the couple's personal life. But then an unexpected turn of events changes Marti's entire world, and it turns out Claire is the only one who can help her. Will she? And what will happen to all of them in the end?

I was very pleased with the ending of this book, and even a little bummed to be finished with it. Even though they're shallow, conceited, and extremely snobbish, this group was a lot of fun to read about. I definitely recommend this if your looking for a little fluff in between books. And I absolutely look forward to reading more from Ms. Strohmeyer

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Enjoyable read, February 10, 2006

By	Sennie "Cparkeast" (New York, New York United States) - See all my reviews

These wives are not just your run of the mill, brainless, trophy wives. They see their position and lives realistically - that they can be replaced at any time and that husbands will probably cheat because they are successful enough to get away with it. I liked this book because even though the characters were shallow, materialistic and just downright conniving, they were also survivors and smart and most of all, realistic.

It is silly during some parts but all in all, pretty enjoyable befored bed read.

6 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars BRAVA!, September 30, 2005

By	Detra Fitch (USA) - See all my reviews (TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

In Ohio there is a special bedroom community called Hunting Hills. Only the wealthy can afford to live there. The women have even created ten rules for any wife/socialite living within. According to those rules, wives enjoy spending money without a thought. For example, the apple vinegar at their store is eight dollars. It does not matter that the stores outside Hunting Hills only charge sixty cents. The wives of Hunting Hills would never be caught slumming in those stores.

Marti Denton is the wife of Jim Denton, the best stockbroker around. She never realized she was madly in love with John Harding until he came home from Prague with a new wife, Claire. Suddenly Marti believes their past love affair means that they are soul mates and Marti plans to steal John away.

Claire Stark is a beautiful newspaper reporter who met John while trying to get an exclusive interview from him. They wed within a month. Claire gives up her career for John and is determined to be an excellent wife. But John down played what his home town was like. She is not prepared for life as a socialite. Claire is socially awkward, to say the least. So it is a relief when Marti buddies up to her. Marti shows Claire the ropes and gives her the DOs and DON'Ts advice. It is not until later that Claire wonders why Marti wants to know so much about John.

All the wives in Hunting Hills look to be skinny, happy, and care free. But looks can be deceiving. Each wife has secrets and scandals are abundant. When things begin to hit the fan, Marti and Claire learn what it means to really be fortunate wives!

**** You will never travel through the upper crust suburbs again without wondering what type of drama is happening silently within it. After reading this novel, I went out of my way to drive through such an area and wonder which wife was sleeping with which friends' husband.

Author Sarah Strohmeyer has created a juicy bit of scandalizing gossip in the tradition of "The Stepford Wives". BRAVA! ****

Reviewed by Detra Fitch of Huntress Reviews.