Sleeping with Ward Cleaver

It's "Sex in the City," ten years and four kids later. Full of sass and witty retorts, a little intrigue, good (and bad) sex, and a happy ending! What more could a girl ask for! Jenny Gardiner's first novel is delightful. I expect to read more by her in the future!

In her honest and hilarious novel, Sleeping With Ward Cleaver, Jenny Gardiner examines the life of a woman who, years into her marriage, realizes her husband has become a stranger--an unpleasant stranger who seems intent on keeping her down and has begun to remind her of the ultimate 50s patriarch, Ward Cleaver. This is a fabulous read and so many women will relate to Claire and as she grapples with herself, her marriage, her family and that devilish ex-boyfriend who reminds her of the woman she once was.

Sometimes, when the work of mothering and marriage are just a little too much, and you just want a break, you realize that what you honestly need is to laugh more and worry less. Sleeping with Ward Cleaver will give you the break that you need. I read this book and laughed until the tears ran down my face. Ms. Gardiner nails the absurdity of the prosaic with a light touch that "gets" both Ward and June. You'll laugh, but you'll also cheer for our heroine, a put upon housewife who has lost touch with who she is and why that matters as she races around taking care of everyone's to do list but her own. Is she a great mom? No. Is she a perfect wife? Nah. She is everywoman, living and learning and somehow regaining a sense of what matters most and who she really misses, herself. I highly recommend this book. Give yourself a break (in several senses of the word).

"Sleeping with Ward Cleaver" is what would have resulted had Erma Bombeck and David Sedaris ever collaborated on a book, a sly, laugh out loud funny story about life and love in twenty-first century America. Like Bombeck and Sedaris, Jenny Gardiner finds the humor in both the everyday and the absurd. When the first person narrator of "Sleeping with Ward Cleaver" wakes up one day and realizes that her previously easygoing husband has morphed into a modern version of sitcom character Ward Cleaver, she loses her precarious balance, and sets off on a comical, frantic adventure that will change her and "Ward" forever. This fast-paced read has just enough twists and turns to keep the reader surprised. An entertaining tale with an appealing protagonist who's not ashamed to admit her insecurities or go after what she wants. A winner!