The Other Wife

The book is easily read and enjoyed the plot. You feel for both women since they were both taken advantage of by the husband. Being married many years myself, it was painful to believe that someone could have done this to the woman he loved. Somewhat suspenseful but sad.

Two wives married to a sociopath, each having children with this villain, and both wives clueless about their counterpart. Empathy for each family is the normal reaction, but it was obvious that both these women had their heads in the proverbial sand. Long absences. Controlling husband. Give me strength.

I could totally relate with Eleanor, though I'm not 58. In the end does love have an age limit?

Richard was a taker, putting himself above all other, not caring who was left behind to pick up his mess.
My now ex-husband could have easily been Richard.
Living two lives and I never saw it. Not even a hint. So I can see how Clair believed the man she "married".
My world crashed around me when I came face to face with his very pregnant girlfriend. "and" Did I mention I too was pregnant?

I guess you can say I took Eleanor's position. I knew whom NOT to blame. I chose to forgive him to only divorce him later. He wanted to hide his "mistake" & I wouldn't stand by and accept it.

This little girl (20 something now) My daughters half sister, they can be mistaken for twins.
She has and will always be a blessing to me & my family. God always has his reasons, though we may never know.

He never chose to have a relationship with her, "His Loss"

We are friends ( my stepdaughter's mom ) to this day. We never had any hate or anger between us. We made a choice and that was friendship.I have a beautiful step-daughter that I'm very proud.
"His" family wanted no part of it... the baby. They blamed the other woman for ruining their sons life? Really!
and In her defense "we" had no clue. He was that good, just like Richard.
I lost a cheating husband but not to death, "divorce by choice" & it was no loss.
But I gained so much more in the end.
I could never look back and not see that little girl in my life, laid out over time in pictures. "our" Family may not be the norm, but we are a Family just the same. We Won.

As Eleanor I too gained a lot out of that experience, he made the mistake. My step-daughter wasn't one of them. (she is a true blessing & one I thank God for)

We make choices in life and though I assume it was harder for Eleanor in some ways than Clair & her babies. Richard "their husband" was gone, dead, left with no answers. No Closure.
He took from one and provide for the other.
Why would he choose to leave Eleanor broke and with nothing?
Was it because their children we now adults? but Wasn't she owed something? Her whole life was Richard (was it her family's money if not then what?) the author doesn't give much away for his reasonings & thinking.

Two women who fought through all the damage Richard left behind. Each picking up the pieces differently.
I would love to know how Richard's whole thought process ( but then it would have been a Lifetime TV movie)
I'm glad Eleanor came out stronger.
Clair wanted to blame Eleanor for all Richards reasonings, that bothered me.
People forget who to be angry at, usually you turn it on others instead of the one who created it, the one who deserves the pain. Eleanor did that, she chose to be angry at Richard but honored his will, even though it left Eleanor with nothing.
Clair struggled more, she was a Professor in Psychology and yet she was slow to put the blame on Richard.

It was hard to like Clair at times, it was all about Her & Her kids, never once thinking about Eleanor's feelings. All the accusations pointed towards Eleanor. It was Eleanor that eased Clair's feelings and offered kindness & friendship.

Heartbreaking book. Shows the struggles of two families.
Eleanor and her grown children and grandchildren and the other wife, Clair and her two toddlers. Though there is a gap of 28 years between the two they both went through something taboo & feared the unknown.

I would recommend this book.

The author kept the story line moving. Until the very end I didn't think the two wife's would get along. I really felt sorry for the first wife. That's all I am going to say, don't want to ruin the plot. Just that it was a good read.

I really did enjoy this book. Although not the usual type of book that I read, (I'm all about serial killers and stalkers), there was something about the description of the book that caught my attention, and I'm so glad it did! I think the main reason I was intrigued was the story line and the thought in my head that something like that could never happen to me. I really wanted to see how these two totally different women would handle something so devastating. I thought I would be team Claire, she was the younger woman, but I found myself really identifying more with the older woman, Eleanor, since I believe the betrayal she encountered hit her so much harder. Either way, I was really drawn in by the story, but the writing style and the way the author told the story kept me drawn in until the last page. I found myself tearing up at some points, being able to imagine the turmoil that these two women had to endure, just because they both fell in love with such a selfish, narcissistic man. I loved this book and I also loved the surprising twists that I wasn't expecting and the ending was perfect. I literally couldn't put this book down, I was so drawn in. It was truly a story about survival and learning to go on with your life, even when devastating circumstances make you believe that you can't . I would highly recommend this book to anyone, and believe me, if you are married, you will hug your own husband and appreciate him a lot more after you read this book! Thanks so much

It was an interesting flowing read. Sometimes got repetative but still was interesting. I guessed the outcome & twist in the plot, which never makes me happy, lol but maybe ive been reading this genre too often. Well written though for the most part. I actually could relate to the 2 main characters- each in different ways.

Very good. There's something very intriguingly mysterious about people who live a lifetime lie and get away with it. This was a really good story of two women who time and again "missed the signs".

Are you kidding me? This book is inane. The writing is ninth-grade reading level--no that may be too high. "He had me in the laundry room, and my tummy ached with desire." OMG! "Tummy"? Really? I have suffered through half the book and it's incredibly painful. I'm done. How anyone can give this more than 1 star is beyond comprehension.

An interesting premise. Getting to know both women involved gave this reader an opportunity to appreciate the feelings and situation on both sides. Each of their worlds turned upside down, left them with a roller coaster of emotions, as it did the reader.

A very well written book about a difficult subject. The story is told by both of the women involved and you empathize with each of them. Each woman takes a turn in every other chapter and that makes for a better read.

The storyline was interesting but at times a bit too predictable. Actually I didn't care for the character of Claire, the other wife, and the character of Vivi took the story in an outlandish direction.