Pages

Thursday, April 30, 2009

A Reliable Wife- My Thoughts


A Reliable Wife
by Robert Goolrick
Published: 2009
Pages: 291 fast-paced, quickly read pages!!

From the inside jacket: A condensed version

For Ralph Truitt, the wealthy businessman who had advertised for "a reliable wife," this was to be a new beginning. Years of solitude, denial, and remorse would be erased, and Catherine Land, whoever she might be, would be the vessel of his desires, the keeper of his secrets, the means to recover what was lost. That was his plan. This is a story of two people, each plagued by a heart filled with anger and guilt, each with a destiny in mind. But neither anticipates what develops between them........



My thoughts:

I read this book during the early morning hours last Saturda . Once I opened the pages I was lost in the cold, white, endless winter world of Wisconsin. The beginning seems to be slow and very wordy, but after you get past that point you realize that the author wants you to feel the pain of the cold, and to envision how months of winter can drive people to commit heinous acts against those that they love. I was totally engrossed in the lives of Ralph and Catherine. I couldn't put the book down until I had finished it, which is a pretty good sign that I loved it. This story is one of mystery, love, death, murder, and ultimately human connections. But throughout the book there is a subtle vibration of menace. For me, this story at times, made me recall how I felt while reading "The Tell-Tale Heart." Because you know something bad happened or will happen, it's right there for you to see, yet you still feel that tension of impending doom.

She might wound him, she might lie to him, and still he would do anything to hear one word of kindness from her lips, to feel his flesh touch her flesh without humiliation. He was willing to take the chance. And all this because she had stepped from the train with a small scarlet bird in a cage, and she was coming home to him, bringing a fluttering life. He was at last waiting for someone whose name was known to him. People saw her come home to him, people in his town. She smiled at him, and he knew then that he would die for her.

p.192

I wish I would've read this book during a blizzard, for then I would have been able to totally immerse myself into the story, but even though I read it during a spring day, I still felt the harshness and bleakness of the Wisconsin landscape. This is an author that I would read again without hesitation and one that I totally recommend to my friends!!! You won't be disappointed!!

Other reviews:
Devourer of Books
The Booklady's Blog

If you've reviewed A Reliable Wife let me know so that I can add your link!!

20 comments:

  1. Sounds great :D
    I do wanna read this one now

    ReplyDelete
  2. This sounds great, and I just read "The Tell-Tale Heart" for short story Monday this week, but do I rush out and read it or save it for our next snowstorm???
    Decisions, decisions...

    ReplyDelete
  3. I was disappointed to not get the ARC of this book. I think I'll wait for the paperback (hopefully it'll be published in that format) and then read it during the winter. :)

    ReplyDelete
  4. I keep reading good reviews of this one and can't wait to read it.

    ReplyDelete
  5. Oh, I can't wait to read it! Thank you for the review!

    ReplyDelete
  6. What a great review! I lived in Wisconsin for a long time and lived through many endless white winters too, so I can't wait to read the book!

    ReplyDelete
  7. I am really looking forward to this. It's on my "to buy" list!

    ReplyDelete
  8. Great Review Staci! I definitely want to read this one now!!

    ReplyDelete
  9. Sounds good, but you've made me cold!

    ReplyDelete
  10. Sounds great. I think I've already added it to my list but I'm definitely going to hold off until winter. I'm enjoying the spring (what little of it we are having) way too much. Great review!

    ReplyDelete
  11. Thoughts of Joy: You'll really like reading it in the winter time. I think it helps lend to the tone of the book!

    Rhapsodyinbooks: Well then you should really enjoy this one!!

    Stacybuckeye: Sorry for making you cold!!! LOL!!

    ReplyDelete
  12. I'm thinking this could be good to read in the middle of a heat wave too!

    ReplyDelete
  13. Man you've definitely convinced me that I need to give this one a try. It sounds really good and I like the idea of an underlying creepy atmosphere. Great review!

    ReplyDelete
  14. Thank you for the view. The book sounds wonderful and I am definitely adding it to my wishlist.

    ReplyDelete
  15. Great review, Staci. You sold me. :)

    ReplyDelete
  16. I've heard nothing but good things about this book. It's already on my wish list, but I have no idea when I'll have time to read it. Great review!

    ReplyDelete
  17. The Senator's Wife, The 19th Wife, now The Reliable Wife! I'm all confused in these titles, but this one sounds very intriguing.

    ReplyDelete
  18. I didn't completely read your review, only browsed to see if you liked it or not. This one is on my shelf and I'm determined to get to it soon.

    ReplyDelete
  19. I've seen this cover, but yours is the first review I've read. It sounds like such a dismal book and yet, you loved it. It's going on my TBR list.

    ReplyDelete
  20. Glad you enjoyed this one. I have it on my shelf. Looking forward to sitting down with it when I have a moment.

    ReplyDelete

Hello Friends!! I want to take this moment to say thank you. Thank you for taking the time to visit my blog and thank you for leaving me a comment.

* Because of the excessive spam I have decided not to allow anonymous users to comment.

Happy Reading!