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American Wife

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American Wife

By: Curtis Sittenfeld
Narrated by: Kimberly Farr
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About this listen

Brought to you by Penguin

In the year 2000, in the closest election in American history, Alice Blackwell's husband becomes president of the United States. Their time in the White House proves to be heady, tumultuous, and controversial.

But it is Alice's own story - that of a kind, bookish, only child born in the 1940s Midwest who comes to inhabit a life of dizzying wealth and power - that is itself remarkable. Alice candidly describes her small-town upbringing, and the tragedy that shaped her identity; she recalls her early adulthood as a librarian, and her surprising courtship with the man who swept her off her feet; she tells of the crisis that almost ended their marriage; and she confides the privileges and difficulties of being first lady, a role that is uniquely cloistered and public, secretive and exposed.

In Alice Blackwell, Curtis Sittenfeld has created her most dynamic and complex heroine yet. American Wife is not a novel about politics. It is a gorgeously written novel that weaves race, class, fate and wealth into a brilliant tapestry. It is a novel in which the unexpected becomes inevitable, and the pleasures and pain of intimacy and love are laid bare.

©2020 Curtis Sittenfeld (P)2020 Penguin Audio Fiction Genre Fiction Literary Fiction Political Women's Fiction Marriage Inspiring Tear-jerking Thought-Provoking American History

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All stars
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Extraordinary!! My first Curtis Sittenfeld book. Beautifully written and read which made it extremely difficult to put down. Highly recommended.

Wow!

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Absolutely loved this book. Fascinating story. It gave such insight into life as a First Lady.

Wonderful book

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Loved the young Alice very much. Fab exploration of relationships, loyalty and politics. Enjoy it!

Absorbing at so many points

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I knew nothing about this book but after a few chapters it becomes clear who the story is based on. A very interesting, sometimes shocking and completely plausible piece of semi-biographical fiction. I particularly liked the voice of the reader, Kimberley Farr.

Beautifully written and excellently read

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you will understand Alice until you put the book down then it gets confusing

unsettling

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Thorough, considered and thoughtfully written. I was captivated from the start. The voice artist was wonderful.

Loved it

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I downloaded this book on some sort of whim of a deal and had it sitting in my library for many months before getting around to listening. I just didn’t fancy the topic, the era, the controversy. But, I began listening and could not stop. Could not stop. I was completely invested from the beginning and bereft when it ended as I felt so very engaged with the characters, the topic and the controversy. As a teenager I wanted to have grown up a 1950s teenager and now as an adult I now after listening fantasise about being a 1980s/90s privileged American Wife. Talented author, the level of detail in crafting the characters and building the stories is awe striking.

Engrossing, insightful, compelling listening.

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I loved this book. It’s a fascinating and engaging story, with a beautifully drawn protagonist and cast of characters - all brought to life by the exceptional narrator. Highly recommended.

A wonderful book

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So nuanced and richly layered. An absolute joy to listen to. You'll be sad to finish it.

Un-putdownable.

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Funny, dramatic, moving. Curtis Sittenfeld's American Wife was recommended on BBC4 Woman's Hour and rightly so. Brilliantly written and narrated.

My book of lockdown 2020

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