On what might become one of the most significant days in her husband’s presidency, Alice Blackwell considers the strange and unlikely path that has led her to the White House–and the repercussions of a life lived, as she puts it, “almost in opposition to itself.” A kind, bookish only child born in the 1940s, Alice learned the virtues of politeness early on from her stolid parents and small … small Wisconsin hometown. But a tragic accident when she was seventeen shattered her identity and made her understand the fragility of life and the tenuousness of luck. So more than a decade later, when she met boisterous, charismatic Charlie Blackwell, she hardly gave him a second look: She was serious and thoughtful, and he would rather crack a joke than offer a real insight; he was the wealthy son of a bastion family of the Republican party, and she was a school librarian and registered Democrat. Comfortable in her quiet and unassuming life, she felt inured to his charms. And then, much to her surprise, Alice fell for Charlie.
As Alice learns to make her way amid the clannish energy and smug confidence of the Blackwell family, navigating the strange rituals of their country club and summer estate, she remains uneasy with her newfound good fortune. And when Charlie eventually becomes President, Alice is thrust into a position she did not seek–one of power and influence, privilege and responsibility. As Charlie’s tumultuous and controversial second term in the White House wears on, Alice must face contradictions years in the making: How can she both love and fundamentally disagree with her husband? How complicit has she been in the trajectory of her own life? What should she do when her private beliefs run against her public persona?
In Alice Blackwell, New York Times bestselling author Curtis Sittenfeld has created her most dynamic and complex heroine yet. American Wife is a gorgeously written novel that weaves class, wealth, race, and the exigencies of fate into a brilliant tapestry–a novel in which the unexpected becomes inevitable, and the pleasures and pain of intimacy and love are laid bare.
BONUS: This edition includes an excerpt from Curtis Sittenfeld’s Sisterland.
Praise for American Wife
“Curtis Sittenfeld is an amazing writer, and American Wife is a brave and moving novel about the intersection of private and public life in America. Ambitious and humble at the same time, Sittenfeld refuses to trivialize or simplify people, whether real or imagined.”
–Richard Russo
“What a remarkable (and brave) thing: a compassionate, illuminating, and beautifully rendered portrait of a fictional Republican first lady with a life and husband very much like our actual Republican first lady’s. Curtis Sittenfeld has written a novel as impressive as it is improbable.”
–Kurt Andersen
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This book is a fictionalized account of Laura Bush’s marriage to W. It is an examination of her inner life and wonders whether her choices are consistent with her values. Sittenfeld does a wonderful job of placing the reader squarely in the character. At times I had great sympathy for “Laura” and at other times, I wanted tob scream at her. I …
I’ve been wanting to read this for a few years now and finally got around to it. Sittenfeld’s fictional version of Laura Bush’s life — her name is Alice here, and she and husband to be Charlie Blackwell live in Wisconsin, not Texas — is long, and detailed. While many aspects of Alice resonate with me personally, as a big reader, I felt she was a …
Politics aside, this is an intimate story of a woman’s life, revealing and raw. Alice’s lifestyle is privileged and materially she wants for nothing…yet her life is marked by tragedy, suffering and disappointment. She tries hard to justify her choices when she knows in her heart she could have done more, and the story of her marriage (flaws and …
Thought I was good! Parallels with the Bushes made it more onteresting
Small town teacher marries alcoholic rich boy who becomes President. She stands by him, only hinting that she really doesn’t agree with his politics. Sound familiar?
I don’t know how Sittenfeld did it, but she wrote a 565-page novel based on the life of Laura Bush and made it a page turner I had a hard time putting down. The book is based on assumptions the author made based on Bush’s comments and lack thereof, when she realized that under the carefully rehearsed demeanor there was a woman of incredible …
It’s rare that a book changes my mind–so completely. I’d never been a fan of George W. Bush, but this novel by Curtis Sittenfeld, mostly told through the much novelized perspective of Laura Bush, got me to thinking and made me empathetic toward this interesting, dynamic family. I saw George in a different light, and now admire Laura more. …
This was the first book I’d read by Curtis Sittenfield. I was engaged from the start and found the storyline fascinating. I admire her writing style and loved the mix of characters.
Loosely? based on the life of Laura Bush. Not sure how much is true.
Loved this book-will read more by this author!!
Great read.
Not an easy read due to sentence structure and voice.