• In Need of a Good Wife

  • By: Kelly McNees
  • Narrated by: Kirsten Potter
  • Length: 9 hrs and 49 mins
  • 4.2 out of 5 stars (13 ratings)

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In Need of a Good Wife  By  cover art

In Need of a Good Wife

By: Kelly McNees
Narrated by: Kirsten Potter
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Publisher's summary

Richly detailed, vivid, and unforgettable, this is an extraordinary novel about three women challenging the American West - and unpredictable fate - for a future only the most daring can secure….

For Clara Bixby, brokering mail-order brides is a golden business opportunity - and a desperately needed chance to start again. If she can help New York women find husbands in a far-off Nebraska town, she can build an independent new life away from her own loss and grief.

Clara’s ambitions are shared by two other women, who are also willing to take any risk. Quiet immigrant Elsa hopes to escape her life of servitude and at last shape her own destiny. And Rowena, the willful, impoverished heiress, jumps at the chance to marry a humble stranger and repay a heartbreaking debt. All three struggle to find their true place in the world, leaving behind who they were in order to lay claim to the person they want to be. Along the way, each must face unexpected obstacles and dangerous choices, but they also help to forge a nation unlike any that came before.

©2012 Kelly McNees (P)2012 Random House Audio

Critic reviews

"The three central, compelling women of In Need of a Good Wife are each, in turn, terribly lost and deeply brave. I adored them and rooted for them...I found it deliciously satisfying that the redemption I wished for each of them arrived in completely unexpected ways, taking both me and the characters by surprise." (Katrina Kittle, author of The Blessings of the Animals)

"With graceful prose and historical settings that shine with vitality, In Need of a Good Wife is unforgettable." (Kristina Riggle, author of Real Life and Liars)

“Painting vivid images of the poverty of post-Civil War Manhattan City and the harrows of Destination, Nebraska, McNees weaves a hopeful, compelling story of love and resilience so engaging it is impossible to put down." (Robin Oliveira, author of My Name Is Mary Sutter)

What listeners say about In Need of a Good Wife

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In need of a good wife

This is a n amazing book and I enjoyed it very much. The narrator was very talented. The plot was excellent. I loved it. Mona Cunningham

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  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
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Enjoyable "mail order bride" tale

What did you love best about In Need of a Good Wife?

Thought this was a great listen, easy to pick up again. I noticed some other reviews were not so high, and I'm surprised. Ok, it's not a Jane Austen novel (whom I also enjoy), but it is well written and an interesting subject matter, if a little fairy-talish at times. Also, I am an easy sell for a period novel.

Have you listened to any of Kirsten Potter’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

First time listening to this reader. Overall, very good performance.

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

The "Elsa" character was my favorite storyline.

Any additional comments?

Thank God I finally figured out how to get my Audible purchases onto my Ipod. I've been impotently looking at this book in my "library" for months.

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