I...liked it, I think. At times, I felt it was boring, mundane, ugh Charlie (W.) Blackwell. But I think I liked it.
I...liked it, I think. At times, I felt it was boring, mundane, ugh Charlie (W.) Blackwell. But I think I liked it.
Cor I devoured this! I got completely immersed in the story and the characters. I now want to read everything Curtis has ever written. Fantastic!
I lost steam on this one LAST SPRING but picked it up today and I‘m not sure why I stopped reading it in the first place. Also please note the Christmas tree that I refuse to take down. I like the sparkle.
I‘m not feeling any of the several books I‘m already reading, but I am feeling this one today. I can neither confirm or deny I have had this, unread for years. But it seems good so far! Plus, I have my eye on Rodham so I think this will be a fun precursor.
I read two of Curtis Sittenfeld‘s books that I loved- Eligibility and You Think It, I‘ll Say It, but this one I am bailing on. The part about Alice growing up, interested me- but she seemed to lose herself in Charlie‘s ultra privileged, crass world. I had to bail. Just not for me.
For a tomb of a book it was a really easy read, I didn't once think when will this ever end like I normally do with hefty books. I loved it. So well written and had me really invested in the life of Alice. Lost a little interest when the action moved to the White House, felt a little preachy. None the less a fantastic read.
As a former librarian (although once one do you ever stop being one?!) I'm not sure whether to be offended or agree 🤣
The one thing that puts me off a book is long chapters. When I saw that chapter one would take me 1 hour 45 minutes to read I considered reading something else. Glad I didn't, I'm loving this. The breaks in the chapter are helping to keep it moving.
@PurpleyPumpkin THANK YOU SO MUCH! I literally almost bought this yesterday and stopped myself because #bookbuyingban #poutinepenpals
It‘s #Bookreport day & I did read a book this week... considering all the busyness of the season , I‘m pleased.
Based loosely on Laura Bush‘s life... personal & engaging , this writer tells a good story !! I will read more by this author ( I‘ve picked up 2 more of her books already 🙄😆... well , it‘s my present to myself.
Loving the book ... and this old written note !!!! Not all that different from the text message.. maybe things don‘t change that much ... 🤞🏻❤️
#WeeklyForecast So , I got American Wife @JennyM , I felt drawn to it after your post .. started last night 👍🏻
Also hope to finish State if Wonder
And finally get to Shadowplay .... 🤞🏻🤞🏻🤞🏻
This fictional biography, loosely based on the life of George W Bush's wife, wasn't what I expected. I thought it would focus on the presidential years, but the clue was in the title - the majority of the book is dedicated to an honest retrospective appraisal of the life and marriage of the narrator, Alice Blackwell. I enjoyed the way Sittenfeld portrayed Alice's perspective - her doubts and internal conflicts. Very readable for such a big book.
'...after all these years, my faith remained decidedly shaky. That the world was miraculous, frequently in inexplicable ways, I would not argue. That these miracles had any relationship to the buildings we called churches, to the sequences of words we called prayers - that I was less sure of.' p.369
'Because then the situation could, at core, be my fault instead of his, and I could feel guilt instead of anger. And wasn't guilt much more ladylike, didn't it fit me far more comfortably?' p. 164
'There we're so many terrible moments, a lifetime of terrible moments, really, which is not the same as a terrible lifetime.' p. 83
'What other people think has never made a situation right or wrong.' p.61 Alice's grandmother was ahead of her time
Loved every page of this one. I had seen some not great reviews from people who didn‘t like the faux-biographical aspect of Laura Bush‘s life, but if this is meant to represent who she is and was in the White House then I think I may actually like her now. (Though I doubt that‘s the case.) Curtis Sittenfeld is, as always, unbelievably deft with words, plot, and character. Loved it!
I‘m not a mom of humans, but getting to spend the morning with my dog-ter cuddled up and reading is quite lovely.
Happy Mother‘s Day to the Litsy moms out there!
My fiancé keeps asking me if this book is good and I keep not answering because I‘m too engrossed in reading it to answer him. Though I think that‘s answer enough.
I‘m hoping to hit halfway for #24b4monday. This novel, based on the life of Laura Bush, was really enjoyable.
My total so far for #24b4Monday. And this book is really good.
I really enjoyed this book and felt that Alice was a well rounded and complex character - kudos to Sittenfeld for doing that! The White House portion did feel the weakest to me but it‘s still a pick. Now that I know this is (loosely?) based on Laura Bush‘s life, that part makes a lot more sense.
There‘s just something about being midway through a thick library book that makes me all swoony. When it lays flat without needing to be held, I hear angels, y‘all. This evening‘s tiny joy brought to you by Curtis Sittenfeld‘s American Wife, which i have been thoroughly enjoying. 📖
My last of Sittenfeld‘s novels, what am I going to do when it‘s over?? 😢😢 I love her writing so much!
But am I right though?!? What an amazing book idea. I need to reach out to Curtis Sittenfeld or Paula McLain so they can make this happen for me. 🤣🤣🤣
Dewey's Readathon countdown, Day 30: It's my all-time favorite novel. Cheers to 10 years of @DeweysReadathon #30daysofreadathon
I absolutely loved this book. I totally imagined Laura Bush throughout. Curtis Sittenfeld has quickly become one of my favorite author's. Can't wait to see her take on HRC.
One of my all-time favorite audiobooks. Currently re-listening for the third or fourth time.
I was going to read The Heart's Invisible Furies, but this came off my library hold so going to dig in next.
Taste testing some books from my #TBR in the bath. Loki does not understand.
"...what I wanted most fervently was for her to understand that hard work paid off, that decency begat decency, that humility was not a raincoat you occasionally pulled on when you thought conditions called for it, but rather a constant way of existing in the world..."
My little used book sale haul! Which should I read first!?
#asidefrombooks
Hobbies: Reading, traveling, eating, drinking, lounging
Drinks: iced americano, sauvignon blanc, sparkling water
Food: steak and scallops
Color: cerulean
Cities: NYC, Venice, Paris, Des Moines, Lawrence
Dream home: somewhere with many rooms, beautiful views, and magically located near all the people I love, great restaurants & with an amazing kitchen
Accessory: my sunglasses
Last movie seen in theater: Wonder Woman
Shut the front door!! How cool is this?! The funny thing is as soon as I put down American Wife I remember thinking "How awesome would it be if she did this with HRC?" and now THIS - which honestly seems better ??
Hot book news! We might get a Sittenfeld book about Hillary!
Wow! I enjoyed this a lot more than I even expected to. A fictional story based on the life of Laura and G. W. Bush and I really, really enjoyed it (who knew?). It's very ambitious, covers a lot of ground, and is a brick of a book (550+ pages) but so well laid out and engrossing that I flew threw it in a couple of days. It raised a lot of questions for me and I was googling things almost the whole time - I'm impressed by Sittenfeld once again!
Continuing to enjoy political fiction (well in this case based on the life of Laura Bush but still) while attempting (mostly unsuccessfully) to ignore whatever our asshat of a "leader" is tweeting these days during his farce of a presidency. Who knew the Bush's would be a suitable alternative? ??♀️
(I didn't initially intend for this to be a political vent post, but alas, I've been struggling to feel patriotic this 4th and it came out. Sorry!)
I ended up really enjoying this book. Sittenfeld writes longing like no one else. Looking forward to her take on HRC.
Diese beiden Bücher sind in gestern bei mir eingezogen und ich freue mich schon darauf sie zu lesen! Wer hat schon eines der Bücher gelesen?❤
#reader #reading #booknerd #booklover #booknerdigan #bookaholic #bookandflower #liebezubüchern #bookblogger #biblioph #bookobsessed #bookobsession #bookaddict
Great kindle deal. I throughly enjoyed this novel based loosely on Laura Bush. If the description rings your bell, I recommend you pick it up!
I'm probably cheating with the #americanboy prompt, because this book technically focuses on a woman. Alice is the new First Lady, the year is 2000, and her character is based on real life First Lady Laura Bush. Although the book focuses on Alice's entire life, there's plenty about her husband in there as well. And he's definitely the definition of American Boy. #lyricalapril
Longest audio book ever. 11 hours down, 14 more to go. I'm gonna need some quick reads after this to pick up my 2017 pace. Recommendations?! #quickreads
I wonder why this seemed to jump off my bedside into my rucksack today?! It's been my bedtime book for weeks but for some reason I wanted to read it today... 🚂 📚 #inauguration