An Inconvenient Wife

Lucy Carelton belongs to one of the oldest and most prominent families in 1880s New York City, and her husband is a stockbroker, of “new” money, who clearly married her for the connections she brings him. Lucy’s a fairly typical example of a woman of her upbringing, except for the fact that she suffers from her nerves, and no doctor so far has been able to help her. Enter Dr. Victor Seth, who practices the up-and-coming trend of hypnosis to treat patients. The result is an exploration of the subconscious and Lucy’s sexual awakening that is quite startling in the questions it raises.

A couple of months ago I read and reviewed another one of Megan Chance’s books, The Spiritualist. There are some similarities between the two show more books, but I enjoyed An Inconvenient Wife more. There’s a lot more depth to Lucy’s character, and Chance is adept at getting into her mindset, which I think might be hard for any author to do. Yes, there is a feminist overtone to this novel, but the author doesn’t hit her reader over the head with it. On the contrary, the reader gets the feeling that Lucy is completely a woman of her time—or, at lease, she tries to behave in the ways that society dictates.

The pace of the book is fast and lively, and the story and its subject matter are thought-provoking (and, according to the author interview in the back, closely modeled on fact). Lucy herself is an enigma, too: how much of what she narrates can you really believe is the truth? Or are the reports by Dr. Seth and others a better indication of her mindset?

My only problem with this otherwise superb book was that the beginning was a little shaky. I couldn’t help but think that Lucy’s oft-mentioned breakdown at Caroline Astor’s party would have been the perfect scene to grab the reader’s attention early on. Alas, we only ever hear about it. But other than that one little gaff, I highly recommend this excellent novel about Gilded Age New York and a woman struggling with her identity. show less

Lucy Carelton comes from an upper class New York Knickerbocker family. She soon marries her father's stockbroker, William, a man of new money who clearly marries her for the connections she can bring him. Lucy is used to being controlled by her father and now she's living under the same conditions with her husband. William loves Lucy but wants to control every part of her life. Lucy is prone to "episodes", she has failed to conceive, medicates herself with laudanum, is too outspoken in social situations, and generally embarrasses her socially-conscious husband. William takes her from one doctor to another hoping to cure what he considers her “disturbing” behavior. When he hears about neurologist Victor Seth who treats patients using show more hypnotherapy he is convinced this could be the cure Lucy needs.

This book is a good reminder of how bad things were for women in the 1800's when they were expected to life life a certain way, without thoughts or interests of their own, and to conform to the wishes of their husband. This story opened my eyes to the reality of life inside the social scene of New York in the late 1800's. The lavish homes and excessive parties had the ability to suffocate a woman. Lucy seems to be going crazy because she is forced to live a life she doesn't want to live. I enjoyed watching Lucy grow throughout the book, get stronger and come into her own.

This plot was engaging. The characters are complex and intelligent. The relationship between Lucy and Dr. Seth is quite fascinating. I felt like he was very similar to William in wanting to control Lucy for his own purposes. The book also has some interesting twists and turns and I really loved the last line of the book. In short, a fascinating journey you will not soon forget. show less

Wonderfull and unique story set in America in the 1880s that was totally new and exciting.
I have not come across a book like this, where hypnosis is used during the time period and not really accepted as a medical treatment.
I found the main character like many women I know today, frustrated sexually, socially, emotionally. It was a fresh take to have the woman be a socialite in the 1800's , it made me think that all of our grandmothers must have been insane then!
I love Megan Chance and her storytelling.

Talk about a book being current---although this book starts in 1885, the very same things continue in so many ways today, over 100 years later. "Keep women in their place." I was so pleased with the very last page---we keep needing tons more women like the new Lucy!

What happens if you're normal, but because you're not interested in home decorating or new dresses and other "regular female stuff?" What if you'd like to draw or paint or get more education? The dark side of male superiority and how a woman gets out of an impossible marital situation.

There were a lot of incongruities at the beginning of this story which I found pretty annoying. Even so it was nearly impossible to stop turning the pages to see just what was going to happen next. Fortunately the plot and characters began to gel nicely as the story progressed.

"Old Style writing" but good...the way folks lived back then was pretty strange, but whose to say we don't live oddly today. :)

It was about a woman whose husband thought she was bored but then put her in a mental institution...she fell in love with her psychiatrist before that.

Shows the oppression of women back then in English Society.

It was slow at first, but keep going. :)