A straight forward story that I think tries very hard to find some meaning in the story but it ultimately didn't work for me. I think it was because the final ending to the story was meant to be uplifting or inspiring but just left me perplexed and shaking my head.

The main character in this book is Jonathan Sweetwater who has everything in his life that he could want. A beautiful smart wife, two adorable children, a high paying job. Except one day he comes home early and everything he thought he knew changes forever.

I really did like the main character a lot. Jonathan begins his tale with describing the three times in his life he was hit by lightning (totally immersed in a woman) and contrasts it perfectly with how he met his now wife Claire. What was being described hit home with me a lot.

When we get to what changes things for Jonathan I thought that his discovery of his father would lead to a greater discovery of himself and what he needed to be happy. However, we just seemed to have him meeting all of his father's wives and ignoring the good advice that his mother was giving him along the way.

At times I thought the author was hinting at an ending that I think would have made this a stronger book for me but in the end there was just a cop out and things were wrapped up too neatly.

The writing really flows and I thought that Jonathan's voice was very distinct. I felt for him as I read this book and hoped things worked out for him in the end. However, things kind of just became some grand re-telling of his father's life and wives and I found it boring after a while. It may have made for a stronger book to have his father still alive and we have Mike talking to him in the end or something happening that acknowledges that though his father was afraid to be alone he was not.

I read his previous novel and really did enjoy it and would recommend that book, "All You Could Ask For".

Please note that I received this book for free via the Amazon Vine Program. This book will become available on January 20, 2015. ( )

Jonathan Sweetwater has it all. A wife he loves, two beautiful children and an amazing job that gives him privileges like playing basketball with Michael Jordan. What he didn't have was his father Senator Percy Sweetwater in his life since his 9th birthday. Jonathan comes home early and thinks he sees his wife having an affair in their spare bedroom. This sets into motion Jonathan wanting to know more about his dead father so he sets out to meet all of Percy's wives and learn more about him. What he doesn't expect to find along the way is himself. This book is beautifully written. It covers around a week or 2 of Jonathan's life. I found it very fascinating and pulled into Jonathan's life. Well worth the read.

I won this book on Goodreads. ( )

To be honest, not sure I would have picked this off the shelf if not for my local bookstore having this as the Lunch Book Pick for this month. Although, I do find the title of this book a winner introduction! You will really like Jonathan Sweetwater, he's a good son, a wonderful father and a faithful loving husband. He wakes up on Monday to a perfect life - by the end of the day - he's not so sure. - There are also quite a few quotes in this book that are worth repeating!! Give this one a try! The back of the book offers an excerpt to his other book --- "All you could ask for" .... I have to admit... I am hooked and I definitely have to get that book too! ( )

Reviewed for Shelf Awareness, January 2015

http://www.3rsblog.com/2015/02/book-talk-my-fathers-wives-mike-greenberg-shelf-a... ( )

Jonathan Sweetwater seems to have it all: a great job, a perfect family, and a wonderful marriage. His childhood wasn't perfect as he hadn't seen his father since his ninth birthday. His mother was wonderful and supportive and his father, although a powerful political figure, had been married six times. After coming home early one day and witnessing an event that has the ability to tear apart his "perfect" life, Jonathan goes on a quest to find out more about his father.

Imagine arriving home early from work and seeing someone that looks like your wife and another man getting dressed after a tryst in your guest room. Do you confront your wife and ask what is going on or do you ignore it? This is exactly the situation Jonathan finds himself in when he arrives from work early one day before going out-of-town on business. Most people would either ask what is going on, hire a detective to find out what's going on or jump to conclusions and end the relationship damn the circumstances. Jonathan does hire a detective to find out what's going on, but he also decides that now is the perfect time to learn more about his deceased father, the great senator, Percival Sweetwater III.

Mixed in with business trips over the course of a two-week period, Jonathan meets with his mother and his father's other wives. Ostensibly these trips are to find out more about his father, but the more Jonathan learns about his father the more we realize he is trying to find out if he is anything like his father and striving for something that cannot be obtained, perfection.

Although I enjoyed reading My Father's Wives and found it to be a rather fast-paced read, I did find it be somewhat predictable (no I won't give you the exact details but there is quite a bit of foreshadowing in Jonathan's interactions with one other character). Jonathan's quest for more information may be a bit more literal than most, but it is interesting to read about his struggle to learn more about his father and in turn about himself. I found most of the characters to be completely realistic and reasonably well developed. I wish the author had placed a bit more attention on Jonathan's wife Claire and who she was as a wife and mother (we learn quite a bit about Claire before their marriage but not enough about who she is now), but this deficiency doesn't detract from the overall story. There aren't any bad guys in this story, just humans showing varying degrees of human weaknesses. If you're interested in reading about a modern quest for truth, then you'll definitely want to read My Father's Wives. ( )