American Wife: A Novel

American Wife: A Novel by Curtis Sittenfeld

My review

rating: 5 of 5 stars
Really enjoyed this story of Alice, a normal girl from the midwest who finds herself as First Lady. She is an only child of a small-town banker, and she is raised by her parents and her paternal grandmother. While in high school she is involved in a tragic automobile accident, and this event has profound effects on her entire life.



After completing college, she works as an elementary school teacher and then a school librarian. Her love of reading is a constant through her life. She is over 30 years old before meeting the man who she falls completely in love with. He is from a very wealthy family, so their life experiences are very different. After an unsuccessful run for the state congress, her husband works in the family business for several years before deciding to run for Governor and then President. Even though this book is about a First Lady, there is very little talk of politics and campaigning. The story is about Alice and her life.



The Author Notes at the back of the book indicate that the author was intrigued by the life of Laura Bush and other first ladies, and chose to write a story which shows that they have lives separate from their presidential husbands.


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