Four Wives

Four Wives by Wendy Walker is a good read for a book club or circle of friends. Walker introduces us to four wives who come from different backgrounds that live in Hunting Ridge. Love, Janie, Marie and Gayle come together to plan a charitable event, and during the planning stages, a little bit about their lives are revealed. Hunting Ridge may not be the same after all...

Reviewed by Gina Holland for RebeccasReads (6/08) Love, Marie, Gayle and Janie, friends for life, are "Four Wives" with four different lives. Friends for life, what does that mean? And what happens when friendships are broken? Broken by infidelity, trust, and anything else that life throws at them. "Four Wives" is the story of these four friends, married to very wealthy and handsome men. We meet these women's children, we learn about their parents. We learn what it means for a marriage to go bad. What happens when feelings go away? Should a marriage be saved at all costs, or should the people involved move on to something new? Love is very happily married to Bill, a doctor who is a very caring husband and a devoted father. Bill is also a very devoted Doctor, and works hard to take care of his family. Somehow, that is not quite enough, and the money is not as good as it should be. Love begins to feel a certain pain after she hears from her estranged father, and it won't go away. He is writing a book about their life, and Love is afraid that some terrible things from her past will come out. The pain gets worse, and Love becomes sad, lonely, scared and desperate. Janie is not so happily married to Daniel. She goes through life unfeeling, scared and doing things that she should not. Janie is having an affair, but Daniel is not a bad husband. They have simply lost their way in bed. Janie is a beautiful woman, who has had some help from plastic surgery, but she seems to lack confidence. What will become of her marriage, if the affair is found out? Will her husband leave her? Janie hopes he never has to find out. Gayle is the wise one, and is married to Troy, who is very domineering. They have a son named Oliver, who for some reason is very quiet and very subdued, and he seems scared a lot of the time. Troy loses control at times. Is this good for Gayle and Oliver? Paul works for Gayle and Troy. He is a loyal servant. He worries about Gayle. He paints Gayle. Is a in love with her? Or he is just loyal? Will Gayle and Paul move towards a lustful affair? Will Gayle's husband find out? Marie is happily married to Tony, a golfer. Maybe they are not so happy. Marie is a prominent lawyer and a mother, and strives to be successful. She hires Randy, a young law student who wants to become more than just Marie's assistant. Will the temptation be too much for Marie? Will she go through with an affair with Randy? The novel first takes us through each of their lives so that we understand what is going on inside their relationships. The women stick together through thick and thin; they are there for each other in times of trials and tribulations. But when it all comes to a head, and the dirty secrets and lies come out, who will remain friends? Wendy Walker takes us inside the women's hearts, minds and lives. Her novel, "Four Wives," was beautifully written. It has purpose and meaning and is so true to life that I wanted to read it over and over again. I

Sensational novel! I laughed, I cried, and can only sing its praises...Ms. Walker looks at life's trials and tribulations with rapier wit and real pathos...I couldn't stop reading it and was sad when I finished it. This is a great read!

Loved it! It was a page turner, quick read and accurate portrayal of the trade-offs some women face in wealthy suburbian towns. Wendy Walker introduces us to 4 different types of woman from different social backgrounds who are working together on a special event. She does a great job illustrating the dynamics between the women and their respective relationships with their spouses and children. As someone who lives near "Hunting Ridge" it is a real insider look at these seemingly "perfect" families.

In suburbia the four married women meet while working on a public health benefit. Each has relationship issues involving their respective families. Housewife Janie Kirk is cheating on her spouse; lawyer Marie Passeti struggles with her work, her family and a hot intern she desires; affluent Gayle Beck uses prescription drugs to cope with her abusive husband; and a doctor's spouse and mother Love Welsh receives a letter from her estranged father that shakes her current existence. As the women become better acquainted with one another; they become aware of each other's personal issues that send the quartet individually to relook their own problems with a wiser perspective. Especially hitting home to the remaining trio is Love's agony over whether she wants to have a second chance with her father; as his note of reconciliation brings back a past she prefers to forget. This look at life in suburbia is an interesting tale that rotates viewpoints between the FOUR WIVES so that the audience gets to understand what specifically disturbs each of them beyond the obvious stereotyping of the women and their husbands. As each of them learn more about the other three, they also comprehend more about themselves. However, the ending does not fit the tone of the well-written story line that throughout Wendy Walker elucidates how complex relationships truly are implying resolutions are filled with opportunity costs not necessarily happy ones. Harriet Klausner