Army Wives

The Unwritten Code of Military Marriage

By: Tanya Biank

Narrated by: Laural Merlington

Length: 10 hrs and 11 mins

Publisher's summary

Army Wives goes beyond the sound bites and photo ops of military life to bring listeners into the hearts and homes of today's military wives.

Biank tells the story of four typical Army wives who, in a flash, find themselves in extraordinary circumstances that ultimately force them to redefine who they are as women and wives. This is a true story about what happens when real life collides with Army convention.

Army Wives is a groundbreaking narrative that takes the listener beyond the Army's gates, taking a close look at the other woman - the Army itself - and how its traditions, rules, and wartime realities deeply impact marriage and home life.

©2008 Tanya Biank (P)2008 Brilliance Audio

Critic reviews

"Army Wives captivates readers with an up-close and personal look into the â¿¿real' everyday lives and challenges of Army spouses." (Victoria M. Parham, host of Military Spouse Talk Radio)
"Tanya Biank's experience as a reporter has produced a candid and detailed study of her subjects and a riveting story, certain to engage Army wives of all generations." (Joanne Patton, wife of Major General George S. Patton and daughter-in-law of General George S. Patton, Jr.)

True life, not the TV Show

Don't expect it to be like the TV show. Though I love the show and the characters are loosely based on the book, they are very different. It is the real life story of 4 wives and their families. It is sad, sweet, funny and real. It gives people an insight into our world, the world of military families.

The sad truth revealed.

Loved the historical basis of the book. It was great to hear about the military from those that support the military members and how military service affects an entire family and not just the service member.

Disappointed

After loving the show, I thought I'd love this. The reader had an old voice and didn't fit the part at all. I stayed confused how she jumped from character to character. I didn't care for this.
I am a huge military supporter but this just didn't do it for me at all.

Decent

What did you like best about Army Wives? What did you like least?

I liked the look into military lives and the way it touches military families at home. I am a navy wife myself and found myself nodding and smiling while relating to some of the stories. I felt like the author did a decent job of capturing this but sometimes was annoyed how she kept referring to her connections instead of focusing on the families.

Any additional comments?

I think that more information on the realities of military life could have been explored but I understand that wasn't the full focus of this book. The way the at home wife is left to make hard choices and then defend them and how being left out of these decisions can make the service member feel is important. More education should be done on emotional health of the spouses and their families but this book is an important one for every one to read or listen to.

great but shocking story

great book! love the Way its written. story line was crazy! would highly recommend this book!

Parts ok but narrator lacks Performance

The book was ok. Performance was pretty bad. I cringed every time the narrator talked for one of the wives. She makes them sound like a bunch of ninnies. Many times it just irritated me the dumb attitudes that were portrayed. As the wife of a soldier who served a tour in Afghanistan after two months training at Fort Bragg, I want everyone to know we are much stronger than this book portrays wives as.

Great Story - Grating Delivery

What did you like best about Army Wives? What did you like least?

I'm a woman and a 21-year Army veteran. This book was especially interesting to me because of my years serving the US. When I saw this book, and after having seen the TV show, I really wanted to read the TRUE story of the women the show was based on. What I liked the best was that I recognized these women, not because I knew them personally, but because I had served with women like them and had met many Army wives they represented. The representations, as written, were accurate.

What I like the least was Laural Merlington's portrayal of the narrator. She failed to give her a true personality or point of view and her delivery was wooden. It was clear to me that she knew nothing about the Army. In fact, she was annoying. It's a good thing I had a compelling desire to hear the actual story or I would have given up after the introduction.

How could the performance have been better?

The performance could have been better if the narrator had even the slightest inkling of personality. The author was a journalist. The narrator did nothing to make the journalist's voice interesting or expressive. For the most part, she sounded wooden. Her phrasing was indicative of a computer-generated voice with little or no knowledge of the military. For example, she used the phrase "Brigade Command" "Sergeant Major." The phrase SHOULD have been "Brigade" "Command Sergeant Major." This is just one example. Her delivery was flat and uninspired, almost overarticulated.

Refreshing approach

A great read and nothing like the show but a lot like real life. Reading this actually gave me a refreshing outlook on my own life as an Army wife.

It was alright

Would you try another book from Tanya Biank and/or Laural Merlington?

It was alright, I wouldn't return it but I wouldn't give it a second listen either. I mostly likely would get another book from the author or the reader.

What was most disappointing about Tanya Biank’s story?

The story jumped around and didn't really have a good flow to it.

What didn’t you like about Laural Merlington’s performance?

Just not my cup of tea.

What reaction did this book spark in you? Anger, sadness, disappointment?

Didn't really spark a reaction.

Any additional comments?

Great subject matter, just wasn't what I expected.