Review Revenge of the Middle-Aged Woman

I stayed up way too late reading this book when I read it, and I paid for it the next day, but it's always fun to find a new author.

I saw a number of books in a college campus bookstore. Back home, I got them from the library.

I was reading Revenge of the Middle-Aged Womanby Elizabeth Buchan. I expected it to be on the order of The First Wives Club .

As you can imagine, the title alone made me laugh out loud.

The premise of the book is: the best revenge is to live well. Ultimately she does. Her old lover comes back into the picture as a lifelong friend (and probably lover.)

It turned out not to be funny, but to be poignant and insightful, almost a stream of consciousness. I loved reading every sentence, which is why it took longer to read. There is a lot of clarity in it, as Rose finds herself in a life she hadn't expected. This book is all in her voice. Her husband Nathan leaves her for a younger woman, and she ends up losing her job to this woman who had been her assistant and friend. The book unfolds in flashbacks of their younger times as well as times with her previous love(r). Their two children, both grown, are knocked for a loop.

If you're looking for a new author, she might be the one. I've got a couple more of her books to read.

If you liked The Brooklyn Follies: A Novel, you will like this one.

Have you read this one? I think it might be an excellent audio book, because you would hear the voices as British. This book is also available for Kindle.

Karin

Originally posted 2008-01-16 09:35:59.

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