12/5/2023: Read in honor of a booktube event called Remember December, where we re-read beloved books. I'm reading the whole Old Filth trilogy this mo12/5/2023: Read in honor of a booktube event called Remember December, where we re-read beloved books. I'm reading the whole Old Filth trilogy this month.
7/1/2023: I wish I were reading this right now. Too many other work is in process. Soon.
06/27/18: Upon this third reading, I realize it's truly one of the best novels I've ever known. All the secrets and repressed loves in a seemingly ordinary life. The audiobook is stunning.
06/16/2018: Reading for third time, for the first time on audible. I love the narrator's style: droll.
12/24/14: Re-reading.
The title of this work is offputting. Do not allow it to affect your decision to plunge in. It's the story of an Englishman, born in Malaysia and essentially an orphan, and his adventures. He's an old man at the beginning, a revered but misunderstood barrister, and the book reveals all the things that happened to him over his life, spanning the twentieth century, than make him who he is....more
2018 after finishing: It's an odd experience, reading this re-imagining of the marriage of George and Laura Bush in the age of Donald and Melania Trum2018 after finishing: It's an odd experience, reading this re-imagining of the marriage of George and Laura Bush in the age of Donald and Melania Trump. How different we are as a country now, just a decade past the publication of this novel. No one could write a convincing portrait of Trumpland. It would seem too ludicrous. The novel American Wife, however, is a rich and deep plunge into marriage between two people who don't always agree, a showcase for the supportive wife trope we're all accustomed to. Sittenfeld's novel is so thoughtful and digs down into the ways that life circumstance can affect everything. I'm glad I took the time to listen to this audiobook over the last couple of weeks.
2018 note: I feel like I'm in such good hands when Sittenfeld is writing, and this novel was unfairly maligned because of its subject matter, the fictionalized life of Laura Bush. I am so invested in the story, and the narrator of this wonderful audiobook is one of my favorites, Kimberly Farr (who also read My Name is Lucy Barton.) Love love love this experience so far, as the book keeps me company on morning walks.
2009 Note: More later. But I'll start by saying this was completely engaging. Couldn't put it down and since I'm on vacation, I didn't really have to....more
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