American Wife: A Novel

Curtis Sittenfeld’s novel AMERICAN WIFE, written 10 years ago, is loosely based on a former first lady’s story, and couldn’t be more relevant today. The wife of a fun-loving, doesn’t take himself too seriously son of a prominent, wealthy family, becomes the president of the United States. She never in her wildest dreams imagined this to happen, or rather, she was hoping it would never happen. The last place she wanted to be was in the White House. Yet, here she is. Her politics are not her husband’s. But she loves him.What an edge of your seat story, filled with what would you do situations, achingly life-changing moments, extraordinary family drama, and tightly bound emotions.This is the book that you want to plow through, but you also want time to stand still because once it ends, you must let go of the characters.

My actual review is somewhere between 3 and 4 stars. Sometimes I really liked this book and I really liked the main character, Alice. Other times, mostly toward the end, I wanted to yell "We got it! Fame is hard!" I added this book after reading that Alice was inspired by Laura Bush. Obviously I'm not the first person to look at this quiet, thoughtful, former librarian wind up with George W. Bush of all people. American Wife closely mirrors the events of the former first lady's life from childhood until her husband's second term in office. Most of her decisions in adulthood, revolve around a tragic accident during her teen years, in which a boy she was enamored with was killed.I have to say I often found this book uncomfortable to read. Mainly because I found myself relating to the character of Alice quite a lot. So even when she was making decisions that I wouldn't necessarily have made, I understood them. Needless to say this was rather jarring for a dyed-in-the-wool liberal to find herself relating to a character's decision to marry the literary incarnation of GWB. Toward the end of book, which details their years in the White House, I found Alice's ruminations on fame to be a little tedious. I only need to be told so many times how few people you can really trust and how people think they own you because you are famous. I got it. Otherwise, I would definitely recommend this book for anyone who's willing to accept that people with other political views are just people and not the actual devil.

I purchased this because the intro was awesome. As soon as I paid the very high/ overprice for a kindle copy- it immediately turned into an Incredibly boring, rambling mess. The main character is unlikable and not relatable. It rambles on about fictional history, pro-liberal views, and too many details about the main character’s depressing, stale marriage/friends and coworkers. Very strangely written. No chapters made it even harder to get through.

great read, based on a few facts from laura bush. i loved the under-stories of the will to stay in a marriage, family dynamics, etc. a little long at times but that was necessary for character development. it's not just a story about a wife supporting her husband but about how she remains a strong individual and I loved that part!

This is a good beach read. I was disappointed Alice went back to Charlie after she left him. I really thought she would be strong and not capitulate., though can understand because their daughter was involved. I did like that fact Alice was pro choice, didn’t follow her husband into becoming a Christian Right and was against the US starting a war over weapons of mass destruction where no existed. That the book followed Laura Bush is obvious and that’s where it becomes sappy. I would say the book is not an intellectual literarily masterpiece.

I had no idea this book was in any way associated with Laura Bush at all! After I found that out it made me curious to find out more about the REAL Laura Bush and I appreciated that.I thoroughly enjoyed this book. I have found in the past that I have read a book from an author, and if I really liked it then read their other books, but the subsequent books don't have the same impact as the first. I loved Prep and really liked Man Of My Dreams. What I didn't expect is that American Wife would end up being my favorite Curtis Sittenfeld read.The author is truly gifted and her turn of phrase is delightful. I tend to read rather quickly but with her books, I like to slow down and really take in each line. Early in this book the main character described her mother as a "purveyor of sweet simple gestures" and that line just touched me. Gosh, I want to be that. I want my daughter to think of me in that way.I will buy every book Curtis Sittenfeld writes!

Sittenfeld does a nice job of not disclosing the parallels of a certain presidency until midway through the book. As it has it's own hearty plot lines and characters about the first decades of the life of the future "First Lady". While there are political references throughout, this is not a book about politics but much more a book about the many relationships throughout one's life from a young girl through adulthood. Sittenfeld does a nice job of showing the development of identities of the main character, Alice, and how they evolve and merge at different times throughout her life. In the final part of this novel, when politics is more central, it is often the subtext of how it affects one's life, personal identity, the shaping of one's ideas and the relationships you have built.Along with Prep, this is another of Sittenfeld's books I would highly recommend.

For a rather long book, I thought it moved along quickly! Our book club had a great discussion in general and we also enjoyed discussing the Laura Bush connection. We cross researched things to see what was and wasn't true and found it very interesting. It was extremely well written - would definitely recommend it!

This is the story of Alice who becomes the First lady, based on the life of Laura Bush. The account of Alice's early life is interesting, then she meets Charlie who is rich, feckless, sexist, boorish and drinks too much. However unlikely, she falls in love and marries him and stays loyal throughout, despite her higher principles. (Although her past is not all lily white.) Then he becomes President!!!! How he gets from reformed drunk turned religious owner/ manager(?) of a baseball team (still sexist and boorish) is not explained, and I would have liked more details of his journey. However, this is Alice's story and her early life threatens to become an issue during Charlie's term in office. But it doesn't and she reconclies with an old friend.This book is far too long and full of tedious detail, like every move in the tic-tac-toe game she plays at a dinner, and endless pages of Alice's ruminant thoughts. Also every book she has ever read, particulatly The Friendship Tree which the author must have shares in.

I had been recommended this book by a friend and I'd been looking forward to getting round to reading it. I knew a little about the links to Laura Bush's life but was aware this was a novel.From the start, I found myself connecting with Alice and thought that her characters developed naturally as the plot progressed.It's a very long novel and is full of detail. I found it very compelling once I got hooked. The length of the book is not completely necessary and I felt that it could have been reduced down considerably. I only had a few minutes here and there to start the book and that didn't work - once I got a few good sessions of time then the characters worked their ways into my head and I enjoyed it from then on.I found that I did some brief research about the Bush's and was fascinated by the parallels. Many of the significant life events are factual and the timings are the same as well. The author has very cleverly added the dialogue and the emotion to give an extra dimension to the facts.There were a few sections that I felt the author dragged out and would have been much better being shortened but loved most of it. Particularly fascinating is the references to the massive world events going on around the life of the couple at the centre of the story - they are just one couple but the same consequences are being felt by many.Laura Bush could not have been as candid in print as this book is but I hope that she has read it and approves. It is an intelligent novel with plenty to make the reader think and an insight into the head of a person with a famous facade.

I can't say I enjoyed this, not being fascinated by eighties politics in the US and never having been remotely curious about the former First Lady in question. But I heard a glowing report of it and decided to buy. The author writes skilfully, in her character's voice, dull though that often is. I persevered because I was aware it was a much admired book, but I never felt absorbed or excited by it, sadly. I kept expecting to be, but never got there. Kind of like going to bed with someone wonderful and discovering its all rather ho hum. The ending feels like it was written first, and would, in my opinion, have made a striking short story, and got the key message across. Trigger warning for the graphic bad sex and gynaecology early on. Important for the plot but you might want to flip. I'm giving it three stars because it's a serious, well written and ambitious text, I just didn't love it. Sorry.

Gripping. This was recommended in a newspaper article and I downloaded a kindle sample. I was immediately hooked. The story of a quiet girl growing up in the sixties, in a small town in the American Midwest, the events that shaped her , and how she ends up married to the President, living in the White House. Beautifully written, I loved the characters in this book, especially the main character, Alice’s , Grandma.

The main character was very well drawn and believable. I loved her and wanted to meet her. The author has developed her from niaivity to full blown self knowledge, carefully and believably. Some of the intimate details were surprising but consistent therefore not deliberately tittilating. The family she married into was so well drawn that although this is a novel, one can't ignore the similarities to one of America's political dynasties.My first trip into literature surrounding 20/21st Century USA political life.