It's called “the Laura Bush book,” but it's not a biography of the first lady. It's a novel titled “American Wife,” and it tells the story of Alice Lindgren, a young woman from a small town in Wisconsin who marries Charlie Blackwell, the son of a prominent American family.
Author Curtis Sittenfeld, who hit the bestseller lists in 2005 with her debut novel “Prep,” builds her novel upon incidents that occurred in the real life of Laura Bush. The interesting thing about reading this novel is that, while you recognize much of the storyline, you are conscious throughout that it is a fictional story.
Alice Lindgren lives in the sleepy town of Ridley in the 1950s, with her father, a bank manager, her mother, a homemaker, and her paternal grandmother Emilie. Alice is a good girl, smart in school, and socially shy.
She has a best friend, next door neighbor Dena, who is more outgoing than Alice. Dena notices boys sooner than Alice, but when Alice catches the eye of Andrew Imhof in middle school, Dena pounces and steals him away.
Alice is unhappy about this, but she is willing to put up with it to keep her friendship with Dena. By the time she is a senior in high school, Dena has moved onto another boyfriend, and Andrew turns his attention to Alice.
When Andrew invites Alice to meet him at a party, she is thrilled, but Dena is furious. She doesn't want Alice to date her old boyfriend, and they have a terrible argument, which leads Alice to drive to the party alone.
On the way to the party, Alice has a car accident, slamming her car into another one. Andrew was the driver of the other car, and he is killed. Readers may remember that Laura Bush was in a similar accident when she was in high school.
While people in Ridley look upon the accident as tragic, they don't hold Alice responsible. The accident is the turning point for Alice. For the rest of her life, she is haunted by what would have happened if she hadn't been driving; would she and Andrew have married and lived happily ever after?
Alice goes to college and moves to the big city of Madison. A librarian at an elementary school, she is leading a quiet, staid life. She has had a few relationships in her life, but none that led to marriage.
Still friends with Dena, who has been married and divorced twice, Alice is dragged to a party where Dena hopes to catch the eye of Charlie Blackwell, son of the former governor of Wisconsin. However, it is Alice with whom Charlie becomes smitten.
Charlie is charming, garrulous and more than a little crude, yet Alice finds herself attracted to him. He is running for Congress on the Republican ticket, and even though Alice is a Democrat, he manages to convince her to accompany him to a speech he is making to a local Lions Club.
They fall in love, and six weeks after they meet, they become engaged. Charlie brings Alice to his family's summer home where she meets his father, Harold, the former governor and big-wig in the national Republican Party, and Priscilla, called Maj by her family (short for “her majesty”).
Maj is a fascinating character, the matriarch of a family with five rowdy boys. She is the grand dame of the family, and her cutting comments can destroy a person's self esteem in seconds. “Shrewdness emanates from her” is how the author describes her. She is Barbara Bush taken to the extreme or toned down, depending on whom you believe.
Anyone who has been exposed to a large family knows that being thrown into the mix can be brutal, especially for an only child such as Alice. One of Charlie's brothers welcomes Alice into the family by reciting a dirty limerick about her. Although it humiliates her, she holds her head high.
Charlie and Alice marry, and it is an adjustment for both. They exemplify the phrase opposites attract. He is outgoing, has many friends, loves baseball and likes to drink a little too much. Alice is serious, intellectual and enjoys reading.
When Charlie loses his congressional campaign, Alice is secretly relieved. But Charlie is unhappy working in the family's meat business, and Alice is shocked to discover that his family considers him lazy and wants him out.
Over the years, Charlie's unhappiness leads him to drink too much. As Alice and Charlie's daughter, Ella, grow older, his excessive drinking becomes more problematic. When Alice confronts him, Charlie becomes verbally abusive. He curses at her and accuses her of trying to undermine him. It is clear he has some of his mother's temperament and tongue.
Charlie runs and wins the race for governor, and then he sets his sights on the presidency. It's not so much that Charlie wants to be president, he does it as he says, “because he can;” it's a sense of entitlement. A Karl Rove-type character is the driving force behind Charlie, pushing him to keep going, even though Charlie appears to lack the ambition or focus.
Alice disagrees with some of the positions of the Republican Party, particularly in regards to social issues, and this pains her. Charlie's advisors use this to their political advantage. Charlie takes the nation to war following a terrorist attack, and the war becomes one that is increasingly unpopular with the country.
At the heart of this novel, however, is the story of a marriage, a marriage between two very different people. Charlie adores Alice; she gives him structure and holds him accountable for his actions. Alice loves Charlie deeply; he allows Alice to let her hair down, and encourages her to enjoy life more.
Alice and Charlie are believable characters, perhaps because they are based on real people. They have a true marriage, with all of its highs and lows, secrets and betrayals, sacrifices and joys. It is a fascinating look at how two disparate people bring out the best and worst in each other.
I would have liked to have seen more of Maj and Harold, and more of how life on the campaign trail affects a marriage. The novel is almost 600 pages, but the last few chapters seem rushed. There also seems to be an abundance of explicit sex scenes.
There has been some criticism of this book by some on the right, but it must be taken as a novel, not a biography. The real people and events are just stepping stones for the author's creative imagination. I can see this book may be controversial in the manner that “The DaVinci Code” was.
I give “American Wife” four stars; an intensive character study of a woman, it is a book you will find yourself lost in, even though the length can be daunting.
Diane La Rue is a member of the National Book Critics Circle. Her lifelong goal is to read one book per week. She can be reached at laruediane2000@yahoo.com
If you read
What: “American Wife”
Who: Curtis Sittenfeld
Publisher: Random House
Cost: $26, hardcover
Alice Lindgren lives in the sleepy town of Ridley in the 1950s, with her father, a bank manager, her mother, a homemaker, and her paternal grandmother Emilie. Alice is a good girl, smart in school, and socially shy.
She has a best friend, next door neighbor Dena, who is more outgoing than Alice. Dena notices boys sooner than Alice, but when Alice catches the eye of Andrew Imhof in middle school, Dena pounces and steals him away.
Alice is unhappy about this, but she is willing to put up with it to keep her friendship with Dena. By the time she is a senior in high school, Dena has moved onto another boyfriend, and Andrew turns his attention to Alice.
When Andrew invites Alice to meet him at a party, she is thrilled, but Dena is furious. She doesn't want Alice to date her old boyfriend, and they have a terrible argument, which leads Alice to drive to the party alone.
On the way to the party, Alice has a car accident, slamming her car into another one. Andrew was the driver of the other car, and he is killed. Readers may remember that Laura Bush was in a similar accident when she was in high school.
While people in Ridley look upon the accident as tragic, they don't hold Alice responsible. The accident is the turning point for Alice. For the rest of her life, she is haunted by what would have happened if she hadn't been driving; would she and Andrew have married and lived happily ever after?
Alice goes to college and moves to the big city of Madison. A librarian at an elementary school, she is leading a quiet, staid life. She has had a few relationships in her life, but none that led to marriage.
Still friends with Dena, who has been married and divorced twice, Alice is dragged to a party where Dena hopes to catch the eye of Charlie Blackwell, son of the former governor of Wisconsin. However, it is Alice with whom Charlie becomes smitten.
Charlie is charming, garrulous and more than a little crude, yet Alice finds herself attracted to him. He is running for Congress on the Republican ticket, and even though Alice is a Democrat, he manages to convince her to accompany him to a speech he is making to a local Lions Club.
They fall in love, and six weeks after they meet, they become engaged. Charlie brings Alice to his family's summer home where she meets his father, Harold, the former governor and big-wig in the national Republican Party, and Priscilla, called Maj by her family (short for “her majesty”).
Maj is a fascinating character, the matriarch of a family with five rowdy boys. She is the grand dame of the family, and her cutting comments can destroy a person's self esteem in seconds. “Shrewdness emanates from her” is how the author describes her. She is Barbara Bush taken to the extreme or toned down, depending on whom you believe.
Anyone who has been exposed to a large family knows that being thrown into the mix can be brutal, especially for an only child such as Alice. One of Charlie's brothers welcomes Alice into the family by reciting a dirty limerick about her. Although it humiliates her, she holds her head high.
Charlie and Alice marry, and it is an adjustment for both. They exemplify the phrase opposites attract. He is outgoing, has many friends, loves baseball and likes to drink a little too much. Alice is serious, intellectual and enjoys reading.
When Charlie loses his congressional campaign, Alice is secretly relieved. But Charlie is unhappy working in the family's meat business, and Alice is shocked to discover that his family considers him lazy and wants him out.
Over the years, Charlie's unhappiness leads him to drink too much. As Alice and Charlie's daughter, Ella, grow older, his excessive drinking becomes more problematic. When Alice confronts him, Charlie becomes verbally abusive. He curses at her and accuses her of trying to undermine him. It is clear he has some of his mother's temperament and tongue.
Charlie runs and wins the race for governor, and then he sets his sights on the presidency. It's not so much that Charlie wants to be president, he does it as he says, “because he can;” it's a sense of entitlement. A Karl Rove-type character is the driving force behind Charlie, pushing him to keep going, even though Charlie appears to lack the ambition or focus.
Alice disagrees with some of the positions of the Republican Party, particularly in regards to social issues, and this pains her. Charlie's advisors use this to their political advantage. Charlie takes the nation to war following a terrorist attack, and the war becomes one that is increasingly unpopular with the country.
At the heart of this novel, however, is the story of a marriage, a marriage between two very different people. Charlie adores Alice; she gives him structure and holds him accountable for his actions. Alice loves Charlie deeply; he allows Alice to let her hair down, and encourages her to enjoy life more.
Alice and Charlie are believable characters, perhaps because they are based on real people. They have a true marriage, with all of its highs and lows, secrets and betrayals, sacrifices and joys. It is a fascinating look at how two disparate people bring out the best and worst in each other.
I would have liked to have seen more of Maj and Harold, and more of how life on the campaign trail affects a marriage. The novel is almost 600 pages, but the last few chapters seem rushed. There also seems to be an abundance of explicit sex scenes.
There has been some criticism of this book by some on the right, but it must be taken as a novel, not a biography. The real people and events are just stepping stones for the author's creative imagination. I can see this book may be controversial in the manner that “The DaVinci Code” was.
I give “American Wife” four stars; an intensive character study of a woman, it is a book you will find yourself lost in, even though the length can be daunting.
Diane La Rue is a member of the National Book Critics Circle. Her lifelong goal is to read one book per week. She can be reached at laruediane2000@yahoo.com
If you read
What: “American Wife”
Who: Curtis Sittenfeld
Publisher: Random House
Cost: $26, hardcover
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