Book Review: The Spare Wife

If you haven't joined Mothertalk, you should definitely check it out! Among other things, they do these great book blog tours where every reads the same novel and then reviews it. This month I was lucky enough to be included in the tour! I was assigned to read The Spare Wife by Alex Witchel. Here's my review::

I was immediately drawn to this book for two reasons. First, it takes place in my hometown of NYC. Secondly, I was in the mood for a dose of some interesting chick lit. On the up side, I enjoyed the way the book delved into the underbelly of Manhattan's A-listers. The gossip, the backstabbing, and the "sleep you way to the top" overtures definitely kept me reading. I did, however, find the incredible attention to detail somewhat distracting in such a purposefully superficial novel. A few times I found I needed to push myself to actually finish the book, which was disappointing. Some chapters failed to move the story forward. But once I got passed them, I found myself wanting see how the characters were scheming in the next chapter.

The heroine, Ponce, a gorgeous model turned widowed lawyer was an asset to the novel. Her scheming two-faced nature as well as her secret life were interesting and fun to read about. But my favorite character was Shawsie. She actually seemed real and relate able. I hated Babette, which the reader is supposed to, so kudos to the author for evoking the very emotion I'm sure was intended. Most of the other characters in comparison, although interesting, fell a little flat.

Overall, I enjoyed the book for just what it was. A quick departure from everyday life into a life I normally only watch on tv shows. I found myself laughing many times at the stabs to the NYC 'elite' and recommend it as a fun beach read.

Thanks Mothertalk for the opportunity to participate in this blog tour!