American Wife

A Novel

By: Curtis Sittenfeld

Narrated by: Kimberly Farr

Length: 23 hrs and 23 mins

Publisher's summary

New York Times best seller. A gorgeously written novel that weaves class, wealth, race, and fate into a brilliant portrait of a first lady - from the author of Rodham and Eligible.

Named one of the 10 best books of the year: Time - People - Entertainment Weekly.

A kind, bookish only child born in the 1940s, Alice Lindgren has no idea that she will one day end up in the White House, married to the president. In her small Wisconsin hometown she learns the virtues of politeness, but a tragic accident when she is 17 shatters her identity and changes the trajectory of her life. More than a decade later, when the charismatic son of a powerful Republican family sweeps her off her feet, she is surprised to find herself admitted into a world of privilege.

And when her husband unexpectedly becomes governor and then president, she discovers that she is married to a man she both loves and fundamentally disagrees with - and that her private beliefs increasingly run against her public persona. As her husband’s presidency enters its second term, Alice must confront contradictions years in the making and face questions nearly impossible to answer.

Named one of the best books of the year: The New York Times Book Review - Chicago Tribune - NPR - Rocky Mountain News - St. Louis Post-Dispatch - The Washington Post Book World.

©2008 Curtis Sittenfeld (P)2008 Books on Tape

Critic reviews

“Terrific...an intelligent, bighearted novel about a controversial political dynasty.” (Entertainment Weekly)

Story of a Marriage

I was so surprised at how much I liked the little details in this relationship. I might normally skip ahead, but these details are what brought the characters to life for me. It doesn't matter if this book was based upon real people in our history or not. It was a fascinating book.

Great Writer

Curtis Sittenfeld is an extremely talented writer. There is an honesty and an accessibility to her writing that is rare and delightful. The last section of the book was light on plot, but still enjoyable. Overall, I totally recommend. Don't worry about the politics of it. It's a story about people.

American Wife

It was a good story and I really liked the narrator. However, since this was about a president’s wife I would be against having anyone thinking this story relates to Laura Bush. It may relate to her. But I would not want people to think this is her story. Even though it is fictional, the public is too cynical and mean to conclude this is the story of Laura Bush. That is my feeling about the book.

Excellent read

I enjoyed this book thoroughly - mostly because the writer is excellent. I sometimes agree with the hype about the fictionalization of real people and questioned at first whether or not Laura Bush would be a particularly charismatic subject, but I was won over. I think it's because of the combination of superb writing and thorough research. It's clear from the get-go that it's fiction, conjecture, just possibilities. I didn't come away with more sympathy for George W. Bush but with some understanding at least as to why she might see something in him and I also think more highly of her. Excellent narration as well.

Not Believable

Politics aside, the author does not make a convincing portrait of the character of the president. I found it inconceivable that the shallow buffoon depicted in Parts 1 and 2 would eventually occupy the White House, and the transition of his persona was not handled in a very convincing manner. From an internal narrative viewpoint, and from a character-development viewpoint the transition from privileged dilettante to world leader just seemed improbable.

I don't quite know why the wife needed to be cast as coming from a very middle class background - this made her part in the entire marriage look like a sellout. Of course she wouldn't leave her hard-drinking wealthy husband and all the perks of a high-end life. She runs away back to humble city, comes to her senses, suddenly and coincidentally her husband gets religion and is instantly sober! Vwalah, problem solved.

I kept wondering what the story would look like if the wife had more of a life of her own, was more of a player. As it is she just piggybacks on her husband's money and keeps her real opinions and beliefs to herself.

I did think the story was well-written, if a bit predictable in the beginning, but the book left me wondering as to the need for such a close approximation to real characters in real situations. Perhaps the dynamic would have been more interesting if the characters had been invented instead of derived from reality.

American Wife

I absolutely loved this title for many reasons. The reader was excellent and some might find the story lengthy but I feel it was worth it from beginning to end. The story was one that was so relevant to myself from the early teens through my 30's. The relationships, family struggles and society expectations always rang so true. Loved it. Hope you will too.

Too long and very preachy.

This book is much too long and by the time I was half way through, I really disliked the main character and her over analyzing of her every thought. Her self-righteousness became so obnoxious! I have enjoyed other Sittenfield books, but this was disappointing and needed major editing.
The narrator did an excellent job.

Wondering What Is True Distracts

It's impossible to listen without wondering what parts of the story are true. I'm not sure the story would be that interesting without the subtext of the "Bush Dynasty". The author's style is to write details down to the most minute, and at times it can be too much - just get to the story. But it's endurable if you can also imagine that the story is about Laura Bush. By itself the story would be too tedious and probably boring.
The narrator was perfect for her character Alice. A mid-west wife, her voice and performance fit the character perfectly. She doesn't have too much range when she's speaking the parts of others, but it works because the entire story is told from Alice's point of view so in that sense you would expect to hear her husband's dialogue, for instance, as told by Alice.
In all, the tie-in to an actual First Lady makes the story interesting but I find myself wondering, well did any of this actually happen, or is it just the author's fantasy of what she wishes Laura Bush did and felt? If the latter, what was the point of reading the story?

An interesting insight

First of all, I'm always impressed when a male author can write so well in a woman's voice. This book also presents a plausible picture of what it might have been like being the wife of a well-known, recent president and also a believable characterization of the personality of that president. I felt like Sittenfeld did some thorough research and created a really believable story. For my taste though, there was a little too much graphic sex ... athough some might argue that it was important in establishing the nature of both the husband and the wife.

Extremely Disappointing

In all my years of reading, I have never abandoned a book only partially through the beginning. This story was so disappointing and annoying. I could not bare to continue it. This is the only time I have rated a story with 1 star. Save your time, and read something else.