I love reading Dorothy Whipple novels, and I wrote my Master's thesis on her book The Priory (1939), but for some reason, I didn't remember They Were Sisters (1945) even though I read it a few years ago. Rereading it was a pleasure, and it reminded me why I enjoy forgotten mid-century women's fiction. Luckily... Continue Reading →
I’ve always thought that Zelda Fitzgerald, wife of American author F. Scott Fitzgerald, was crazy. In a bad way. I dismissed her and often thought negatively of her. This point of view is usually reinforced by what I’ve read about her, mostly fictional appearances, like in The Paris Wife by Paula McLain. But thanks to... Continue Reading →
To see previous posts in this series, click here. This is my bookshelf. Here is a snippet of what’s on it, ten at a time. Breathing Lessons (1988) by Anne Tyler The Amateur Marriage (2004) by Anne Tyler All the King's Men (1946) by Robert Penn Warren Ethan Frome (1911) by Edith Wharton Madame de... Continue Reading →
To see previous posts in this series, click here. This is my bookshelf. Here is a snippet of what’s on it, ten at a time. Broken for You (2005) by Stephanie Kallos The Secret Life of Bees (2003) by Sue Monk Kidd The Poisonwood Bible (1998) by Barbara Kingsolver Can You Keep a Secret? (2005)... Continue Reading →
In Mette Ivie Harrison’s The Bishop’s Wife (2014), Linda Wallheim is the wife in question. She’s the wife of a Mormon (The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints or LDS) bishop, and works to help him in his unpaid work as clergy for their church. She often calms down members of their ward (parish)... Continue Reading →
I think I’ve passed the age at which I can enjoy Jane Austen. I finished reading Sense and Sensibility (1811) and number 54 on the BBC book list, but I didn’t really care to. I felt bored and yawned through it. A lot. The plot doesn’t have much action. In fact, there’s hardly any action. ... Continue Reading →
I used to mentor teenage girls. I spent a lot of time with them, and sometimes part of that mentoring was teaching them interviewing skills. During many of those practices, the girls would be asked, “What’s your favorite book?” Some would answer, “A Tale of Two Cities, by Mark Twain. The movie was really good.”... Continue Reading →
What exactly does it mean to be a wife? From what we’ve read in the Literary Wives series over the last few months, it means (from my interpretation) that one is or must be deceitful. The theme of deceit runs through all of the novels we’ve read so far, and I’m not sure what to... Continue Reading →
I’m developing a weird love-hate relationship with historical fiction. I’m bugged by authors presuming to know the minds of famous historical women. Because three of the four novels we have read for the Literary Wives series fall into this type of novel, I’ve had a lot of time to think about this genre and my... Continue Reading →
Three is a crowd. This becomes abundantly clear in Paula McLain’s popular novel The Paris Wife (2011). The fictional narrative is from Hadley Richardson Hemingway’s perspective. She is the first (and as we learn in the end) favorite wife of American modernist author Ernest Hemingway. Please also visit the blogs of and read the reviews... Continue Reading →
The Bookshelf of Emily J. 