Still Life with Husband

Lauren Fox did a great job at capturing the restlessness of a married woman who feels suffocated by a predictable, albeit stable, future with her husband. The main character, Emily, may not be likable to those busy moralizing about affairs - however, this is a book, and if book characters did all the right things, well, there would be no story to tell. Everyone can agree that affairs, infidelity, adultery are morally reprehensible. That's not the point. In this book, we get a glimpse into the heart and mind of an unhappily married woman and her misguided, immature, cowardly (and deliciously thrilling and erotic) attempt to find some joy in her life. The only problem I had with the book was that the ending felt incomplete. Too many questions left unanswered, too many loose ends. However, that would not deter me from reading this book again nor from wholeheardly recommending it to others. In summary .... LOVED IT, LOVED IT. The writer did an amazing job putting out both overt and subtle character traits and conflicts. I will be holding my breath for the next novel.

I think anyone married for a long time can relate to this book. I loved it. I HATE to read but if I could find more writers like her, I would be such a book worm. I laughed out loud, I got anxious, I could really feel what she was going through. It is worth the read, I was on VACATION, and spent a lot of time reading this b/c I just couldn't put it down.

In Lauren Fox's "Still Life with Husband," Emily, a married freelance writer was not satisfied with how her relationship with her husband, Kevin was going. Even though Kevin was stable, predictable, and defintiely reliable, Emily felt that she was not connected to Kevin as she should be and one day, she met David, another writer at a coffee shop. They had a great rapport and from there began Emily's affair with David. A majority of the book focused on Emily's struggle and how she had to juggle her guilt of cheating with another man and at the same time, finding fulfillment and satisfaction with him. This was a very well-written book as the writing was clear, concise, and very conversational. This was written strictly from Emily's perspective and he author was able to really illustrate Emily's conflicted feelings towards her own infidelity. In addition, I like that the author touched on another sticky issue in a marriage - for instance, Emily's best friend, Meg who had been trying to conceive and her struggles with it. I think this was a better than average novel in this genre. The way the book ended gives me the impression that the author could possibly write a sequel. Highly recommended!

Lauren Fox's novel kept me turning pages until I finished "Still Life with Husband" in a couple of sittings. Hopefully this initial work of hers has set the tone for another novel soon. As a newly married 31 year old, I could sympathize with her struggles to not follow the typical path of the surburbian wife and mother. Her style of writing is catchy and entertaining and she did a great job of making me feel I was taking the journey right along side of Emily.

I found this book to be absolutely pleasurable and delicious from start to finish. I hated having to put it down when life intervened, and would find myself intensely looking forward to getting back to it. To me, that's the mark of an excellent book. The writing in STILL LIFE is funny and sharp; it has an edge of realism that is fresh and helps to create a complex, believable world. This life-like sensibility is also why I found Emily to be such a believable and likeable character. I get so tired of pure and good main characters whose only fault is quirkiness, because that's not the reality of the human heart. The human heart is both light and dark, both generous and selfish, etc. That's what this book so richly captures. Some people react negatively to that sort of thing, but I find it refreshing and mature and interesting. I was on the edge of my seat as the events here played out. Very fun. There's a lot of great humor here, too, and hilarious everyday observations that ring so true. And the end made total sense. A Hollywood ending would've felt false; this one felt surprising yet inevitable and 100% genuine. It is such a breath of fresh air to find a book that is so engaging and funny and real all at the same time--kind of a cross between Lorrie Moore and Jane Austen. I can't wait for FOX's next book!