My Wife's Affair

My Wife's Affair is fast-moving tragedy, elegantly rendered and shocking. Nancy Woodruff writes with an attractive style, despite a narrative tone that is ominous from the opening lines of the text and grows increasingly threatening as the story advances.

The novel, as the title declares, traces a woman's affair from the point of view of her husband. This perspective produces a not-quite-omniscient narrator who brings an unusual degree of insight to the telling. Along the way, readers are invited to contemplate their own notions about love, children, art, justice, and what it means to live a fulfilling life.

This novel should appeal to literary readers, particularly those who enjoy studies of emotions and relationships.

I loved this book. It was beautifully written, well paced, and accurately portrayed many of the emotions involved in marriage, motherhood and art. The juxtatposition of the modern story of Georgie and her husband and that of Mrs. Jordan, an 18th century actress and mistress to royalty, is effective.

Although the tragic ending is foreshadowed throughout the book, it still comes as a shock, and I do see why some have characterized it as manipulative. I wasn't totally satisfied, either. But I don't think it detracted from the beauty of this book.

Ok, this one is going to be a hard one to review and would have much rather reviewed it before I read the final two chapters. It is going to so difficult to explain what I didn't like about this book without giving anything away (which is something I totally dislike in a review) I will try my best!

Good Stuff

* Beautifully written, but tragic
* The narrator's obvious love for his wife is so beautifully described
* The narrator's wife is wonderfully theatrical (although quite the self involved tramp)
* The character of Fergus is delightful with his wise comments and constant questions
* Painfully uncomfortable and realistic portrayal of a marriage and of the tediousness of being a parent
* Portrayal of the life in the theatrical world is show more fascinating
* Historically accurate and makes me want to know more about Dora Jordan
* Haunting tale of betrayal, passion and not being satisfied with what you have

Not So Good Stuff

* The frickin last two chapters. Let's rip out your heart, stamp on it, and than stamp on it again. Way too depressing for my sensitive nature
* I repeat, the last two chapters!
* Irritated at times with how much of a drama queen the wife was

What I Learned (some spoilers in this - don't read if you don't want TMI)

* Cheating bad -- don't do it! Especially with boring sounding English guys.
* My god, I really really want to visit England
* Actors are extremely selfish and self involved
* I really don't like to read things that involve bad things happening to children (oh never mind, we already know how much I hate that)
* Loved the scenes of the play within the story, made me want to see the fictional play

Favorite Quotes and Passages

"We try, we husbands and fathers, we really do. I just want to tell you that. We may not find the perfect triceratops pajamas on sale four months before the birthday"

"Peter, Peter, the world is a girl you're trying to get to sleep with you, and you'll never succeed if you tell her your failures"

"And yet had she known what was going to happen to her, to us, I know she would gladly have traded each moment of passion for decades of the tedium she then so fiercely attacked"

"It is inconceivable to me now that I could stand in a room with this man who in a matter of weeks would be F*****g my wife-who probably was thinking of nothing but that as we talked"

"Oh, Georgie, weren't there already enough of us who adored you? Why did you need one more"

Who Should Read

* Not for the sensitive reader due to last 2 chapters
* Those with a love for the theatre and English theatrical history
* Those enjoy stories of scenes from a life
* Not for those who enjoy happy endings show less

I was wavering between a 4 and a 5 the entire way through the book, and then the ending brought it all the way up to a 5/5.

The book is narrated by Georgie's husband...it goes back and forth telling about the life of Dora Jordan also an actress/comedian who Georgie portrays in a one-woman show and Georgie's life with her husband and three boys.

Georgie left the stage in New York to be a stay-at-home mother, but now that her husband has been transferred to London and the children are enrolled in London schools, she wants to go back to work in the theater.

Georgie lands the role as Dora Jordan on her first tryout. The play is a hit for Georgie, and she ends up traveling and leaving her husband and children for long periods of time and show more having an affair with the director. Her heart aches every time she leaves her children, but she still won't give up the touring. The ending will haunt you long after you turn the last page.

....you will enjoy the book and not want to put it down. show less

Readers who enjoy contemporary and historical fiction will be delighted at the way Woodruff uniquely blends the two. Both Georgie and Mrs. Jordan’s journeys are compelling. The prose in My Wife’s Affair is straightforward and easy to read, but I found that it was not easy to move on to doing something else, and I read this book in just a few sittings. I loved all the nuances and how things tied up at the end. The storyline was resolved yet perfect in ambiguousness. I still think about this one and am still in awe of Woodruff’s accomplishments. Truly, this one is for the book clubs. Lots to discuss.

Well written, but the ending was needlessly manipulative.

I really like this book. It was a very good read. I liked the story, the ending however tragic, was still good. As the title suggests it is about the consquences that an affair has on a family.