The Replacement Wife

I picked up this book because the dress on the cover caught my eye, and the title is intriguing. The premise hooked me once I read the synopsis.
Camille is a cancer survivor with a successful career as a matchmaker and 20 years of marriage under her belt. She lost her mother when she was a young girl and always felt her life would have been better had her father remarried. So when her cancer recurs, and this time it is terminal, and she realizes her husband didn’t do so well as a ‘single parent’ the first time around, she decides to put her matchmaking skills to work and find her husband his second wife and her children the ideal stepmother! This sounds like a really good idea....until you think about it. Your instinct is to feel sorry for Camille because she is dying. Because her husband, Edward, feels the same way, he reluctantly agrees to go along with her scheme. It turns out, Camille is a bit of a control freak. She wants her husband to bond to the woman SHE picks out, but ONLY the woman she picks out, and not to get TOO intimate....she’s not dead yet! It is not a terrible story; it was actually interesting. But as I read it, I kept thinking, this is a situation where there can be no happily ever after for everyone....someone has to be the loser! Although the story is somewhat predictable, you are never quite sure which way it is going to go until the end. This would be a great ‘summer read’ even though it is not at the top of my list of books I recommend.

My Rating: ★★★ 3 Stars

Why did you choose this book? Look at the cover!
When did you read this book? May 2012
Who should read this book? anyone looking for a quick, entertaining read with a ‘not happily-ever-after’ ending
Source: library ( )

I usually like books by Eileen Goudge, but after 2 tries I have given up on this one. It move too slowly, and I just don't connect with any of the characters.

I'm really at a loss as to how I feel about this book. I loved the premise, a dying wife trying to secure her families future. I was with the book until a little more than half-way through. I understood the husbands reluctance and her insistence at finding someone to take her place and even his wondering why his wife was trying to pawn him off on someone else. I even understood (though didn't condone) the cheating. Where the book lost and irritated me was when she beat her cancer but they got divorced. From there the husband marrying his mistress and our main character ending up alone but content, I just couldn't back that. I gave this book three stars because like I said it did have an interesting premise and held my interest, but I just wasn't satisfied at the end. ( )

A novel that examines the question of to what extent should one spouse arrange for the future life of the other when faced with a fatal diagnosis. Goudge makes Camille Hart a matchmaker by profession which facilitates this story. The upheaval that results and the strained emotions between the husband and wife, and the inevitable ending to the marriage is well handled and makes for an interesting story. ( )

Sluggish in parts with limited character development. The book had potential and would get going and then fell short time and time again. ( )