i read this book in my 20s and loved it. i am now in my 60s and don't much like fiction. i found this VERY long. i also felt very hopeless for the people. i had more hope when i was young. ( )

I discovered this book when I was 10 yrs old. My first enlightment of women's issues ( )

American Wife lent me a new perpesctive of the public figure. I found many insights into the complexities of being a first lady in this novel that I probably would not have come up with on my own. Being a lefty, dare I say that I could at many times empathize with the Blackwells? Other times I found myself muttering obscenities. Whatever one's political view, the book is great! ( )

This is one of the most impressive works to ever come out of the Appalachian genre. Arnow manages to breathe life into her characters, and the reader feels just how desperate they are to adjust to their new lives in Detroit. Until the very last page of the very last chapter, I found myself anxiously rooting for this family, and horrified at the horrors they had been subjected to in their lives. The interactions between the characters are so real that you nearly feel guilty for eavesdropping on their private discussions! Heart wrenching and realistic to its core! ( )

http://gr4c5.wordpress.com/2008/01/15... ( )