An Inconvenient Wife
 

An Inconvenient Wife

by Megan Chance

Young Mrs. Lucy Carleton is the daughter of one of the oldest and wealthiest families in 1880s New York City. William Carleton is Lucys un-pedigreed, nouveau riche husband. Problems arise when Lucy becomes increasingly uncomfortable with the prudish manners and paternalistic dependencies that define the wives of New York society. Lucy longs to break away and give free reign to her more bohemian... (read more)

Top tags: historical fiction19th centurywomenpsychologicalfiction (all tags)

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Most Helpful Reviews

Liked It

1 of 1 members found this review helpful.
~* Kim *~
  • Rated 5 stars

Excellent book! The writer really draws you into the lives back in that time. You get a real sympathy for the main character as to the way she was treated. I couldn't imagine living back then and being treated as nothing but an object that has no mind of her own.

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Didn’t Like It

Kiki68
  • Rated 1 stars

Edith Wharton on crack. Mary Roach(author of Bonk) and Sigmund Freud play with electronic sexual devices. Ugh.

This book was awful--poor writing, terrible story, silly plot and some of the worst written characters ever. I have a bout 40 pages left, but the book has taken such a crazy turn, I can't even complete it. I give it one star for effort. If you like this setting and character's (repressed women trying to find their way) read Fortune's Rocks (Anita Shreve)or Erika...

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Community:
  • Rated 4.191489 stars
Amazon:
  • Rated 4.5 stars
 

Newest Comments

  • Mrmel

    mrmel said:

    I think the story could possibly be exaggerated, but I don't doubt that disturbing things like that actually happened.
    Frankly though, I don't know who I'm supposed to sympathize with. Dr. Seth never quite seemed to come out of his controlling, puppeteer characterization; William was not all that bad but not all that good either and Lucy became the most disturbing character of all in the end.
    I thought it was very well written. I didn't like the story because it was a real downer, but it was quite interesting. I don't agree that Lucy was just a victim of her society; not everyone who's repressed is hysterical or murderous, but I guess that's what kept me reading to the end.

    posted 3 weeks ago
  • ~* Kim *~

    ~* kim *~ said:

    Excellent book! The writer really draws you into the lives back in that time. You get a real sympathy for the main character as to the way she was treated. I couldn't imagine living back then and being treated as nothing but an object that has no mind of her own.

    posted Sunday, June 22 2008
  • Kiki68

    kiki68 said:

    Bad book. Very bad book. The writing wasn't terrrible, but the story--ugh. I'll repeat what iIsaid in my review. Edith Wharton on crack. Just a grotesque, and what I believe to be a highly unlikely story. Not believeable, and really purient. I might as well be reading some romance novel. Not worthy of my time.

    posted Sunday, June 22 2008 ( | view 1 reply )
  • Mom2Rudy

    mom2rudy said:

    This is a good book and a disturbing one at that. The author delves into what occurs when a strong woman is forced to totally subjugate herself to her father and husband - the mental illness that ensures, the attempts to treat and control it, as the disquieting results. I liked this book but did not love it. I found the neurologist, Victor Seth, very unsympathetic, although I felt as though we, as readers, were supposed to "come around" to him. I found the husband the more sympathetic character, and I'm sure that this is not what Chance intended

    posted Monday, June 16 2008
  • Inkberry

    inkberry said:

    It was a little slow at the beginning, but I am glad I kept reading...very good ending.

    Enjoy if you read it.

    posted Monday, April 28 2008
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