Mrs.

By: Caitlin Macy

Narrated by: Vanessa Johansson

Length: 10 hrs and 13 mins

Publisher's summary

In the well-heeled milieu of New York's Upper East Side, coolly elegant Philippa Lye is the woman no one can stop talking about. Despite a shadowy past, Philippa has somehow married the scion of the last family-held investment bank in the city. And although her wealth and connections put her in the center of this world, she refuses to conform to its gossip-fueled culture.

Then, into her precariously balanced life, come two women: Gwen Hogan, a childhood acquaintance who uncovers an explosive secret about Philippa's single days, and Minnie Curtis, a newcomer whose vast fortune and frank revelations about a penurious upbringing in Spanish Harlem put everyone on alert.

When Gwen's husband, a heavy-drinking, obsessive prosecutor in the US Attorney's Office, stumbles over the connection between Philippa's past and the criminal investigation he is pursuing at all costs, this insulated society is forced to confront the rot at its core and the price it has paid to survive into the new millennium.

Macy has written a modern-day House of Mirth, not for the age of railroads and steel but of hedge funds and overnight fortunes, of scorched-earth successes and abiding moral failures. A brilliant portrait of love, betrayal, fate and chance, Mrs. marries razor-sharp social critique and thrilling propulsion into an unforgettable tapestry of the way we live in the 21st century.

"Mrs. could be the next Big Little Lies."—EW

"Macy skewers power parents in this entertaining, sharp-eyed portrayal of privilege and it's price"—People Magazine

©2018 Caitlin Macy (P)2018 Hachette Audio

Critic reviews

One of 12 Books We Recommend This Week by the NYTBR

"The boldest thing about 'Mrs'—as with Big Little Lies is that it focuses on the depths of women's experiences as wives and mothers. Their clashes with one another are entertaining, sure, but they're a diversion from the more important conflict with their husbands and with male power."—New York Times Book Review

"Macy skewers power parents in this entertaining, sharp-eyed portrayal of privilege and it's price"—People

"Inside a seductive microuniverse, the super competitive lives of three very different women intersect at the exclusive preschool their children attend. When one woman's husband, a U.S. attorney, launches an investigation into the financial dealings of another's, shocking secrets threaten to disrupt their lives in this smart skewering of high society."—Marie Claire

Just okay...

I gave the book a “just okay” because even though I liked some of the characters depicted, I felt the book was so overloaded with characters and their lengthy backstories that I struggled to keep the facts straight. In addition it took me all the way to chapter 19 before any glimmer of a real storyline emerged.
The narrator did a pretty good job but when there were several female characters in a scene, it was difficult to decipher who’s voice she was narrating for.
If the story itself would have picked up sooner and the author could have dug a bit deeper into building the part about the Skinker investigations then I feel it would have been more gripping. The story had potential.

Boring and derivative

Nothing insightful, smart, witty, or critical. Just a very boring story w cardboard protagonists. Feels like a screenplay not a novel.

Enjoyable story marred by errors

The narrator mispronounced “eschew” twice and the name of the law firm Cravath. Also, one doesn’t butter the inside of the tube pan when baking an angel food cake. These seem (and are) small things but they are irritating.

Not worth my time or money

This story was hard to follow and the characters were underdeveloped. I wanted to like it, so I kept listening, but ultimately it was painful to finish. The narration is awful, I suppose I've been spoiled by great narration.

Time I will never get back

I trusted the reviews and I regretted it. I usually like listening to book about the drama of the upper class, I thought this would have a big little lies feel, it was a dreadful disappointment. The characters were underdeveloped. The story was not cohesive. The jump from character to character disconnected. The payoff minimal. I regret this book.

Tedious

What would have made Mrs. better?

The story was compared to Pretty Little Lies. This story was hard to stay focused on since it became tedious to listen to.

Would you ever listen to anything by Caitlin Macy again?

Probably not

What didn’t you like about Vanessa Johansson’s performance?

One of the characters's voice interpretation was hard to listen to.

What character would you cut from Mrs.?

This bad review was not about any character it was about how the story was conveyed.

Not worth it...

What was most disappointing about Caitlin Macy’s story?

There was no character development and the story line was impossible to follow.

What three words best describe Vanessa Johansson’s performance?

She delivered an adequate performance - it was the story that was lacking.

Absolutely fun and also very real

A superbly structured story by someone who knows the Nobs of New York very very well. Great insight, stinging humor and read by a terrific actress. Don’t miss this one!

Narration is so important

Great story but the horrific narration had me very close to giving up on hearing this book all the way through. Maybe I’ve just been spoiled because of the wonderful narrators I have experienced up until this novel? I just assumed that all of the books would be narrated beautifully.
This novel would have been much more enjoyable had I read it to myself.