The Doctor's Wife

I just finished this book...I stayed up all through the night to do so. I'm also in tears. This book is quite possibly the best book I've ever read. It's so powerful. The book touches on so many different high-impact topics, such as, infidelity, insanity,manipulation,right-to-life, pro choice. And deep love. The whole time I was reading this book, I kept thinking how real-to-life it played out. You could actually see the headlines in your mind from today's newspapers. I loved Annie. She was imperfect, and the author laid her out for the reader, warts and all. I'm so used to the heroine's in stories coming across as perfect, that it was nice to read about one who's just like the rest of us, more or less. Buy the book, you will not be sorry. Can't wait for her next book.

At first the book was interesting. Then I found my mind wandering, so I tried again later. I read till the last half, and got so bogged down I decided to speed read the rest. I read the last few pages to see how it ended, and that was that. I didn't like much about this book-- the characters, the way anti-abortionists are portrayed (of course, they are all bad), and I thought the conversation with the 6 year old girl about abortion was totally unnecessary. What 6 year old girl can understand a subject that serious? I just didn't give a flip about any of the characters. None of them had any redeeming qualities, so I didn't want to waste any more of my time.

This is an unusal thriller, the sort of novel that looks at many issues most people would rather not talk about, like the abortion issue - and mostly you don't find these subjects in regular thrillers. While there were a few scenes that made my hairs stand on end, I applaud this author's skill and courage in taking on serious issues in such a way that I was compelled to read on. I also found the characters and their stories to be unusual and fascinating. This book is not for everyone, however. In times like these, when people seem oversensitive to the "big issues" and political ideas, some readers might be offended. However, that may be the most powerful aspect of this book, and this is a writer I will continue to watch out for. If you don't mind a little controversy, this book's for you. Read it!

Yes, Brundage did a super job for her first novel. Yes, she kept the pace going, and made me want to stay up all night. Yes, she created a fascinating, AND believeable character in Lydia Haas. she did all of this and more......
Then she finished it off with an ending that seems hollow and incomplete. (Stop reading here to avoid some spoiler comments) The reader is left puzzled and unfulfilled as to the fate of the evil Reverend Tim, and his group of fanatics. He was left lying stunned on the floor near the end of the story.....and not a word further as to what was to become of him and his nasty little group. Was he arrested for attempted murder? What about the murder (suicide) of Mr. Sawyer? What became of the other nuts in the group?
Am I the only one to feel this lack of closure? A potentially great first book, flawed by a poor ending....

There are many holes in the plot. A Harvard educated doctor does not go to the police and share all suspicions with them. A little girl goes missing at school after recess. No one notices? The parents and police are not informed? When the police are called to the house they will not take a report unless they can see the marks on the little girl? The last patient seen before a bomb explodes at an abortion clinic signs in as "Jane Doe" and she is not thoroughly investigated? When the doctor discovers that his daughter was abducted, he stops to steal a cat on the way home instead of speaking with the police? There are so many unbelievable circumstances in this story that is is difficult to concentrate on the finer points.

Although the political and moral issues in this book are extreme, the story itself is not overtaken by them. The Characters, and the intricacies of their connections to one another, are compelling. A good read.

Superb book. The opening started off very fast paced, and then later in the book it kind of slows down to let you understand the entire picture. This book can be described as a sort of Stephen King, "Misery," but it has a lot of different aspects going on. One of the main characters, Lydia Haas, was brilliantly written as psychotic spurned wife who turns to fanatic religion as her last hope.

I think that Elizabeth Brundage made a wonderful first attempt at literary fiction with The Doctors Wife. Very rarely can you find an author who can write about such unsavory subject matter as rape, kidnapping, attempted murder, adultery, child abuse, abortions, and mental illness and yet still have the ability to keep you wanting to turn the page to find out how the story is going to end. Kudos!!

The Doctor's Wife by Elizabeth Brundage
Tackles Tough Issue But What's the Message?
Reviewed by Ann Ormsby
I am writing a book on the subject of abortion and when I talk to people about it they are very interested in the topic. That is why I read, with great interest, Elizabeth Brundage's novel, The Doctor's Wife, which is also about this subject. While my book, The Recovery Room, and Brundage's novel are very different I was glad to learn that other authors are trying to raise awareness of this important issue.
At the center of Brundage's book is Annie Knowles, the doctor's wife, who is married to Michael, a young and hardworking obstetrician who is asked by an old friend to work on Saturdays at the free clinic she has opened. The Knowles family is already trying to cope with Michael's heavy work schedule, but he feels it is important to volunteer at the clinic and agrees to help out. This turns out to be too much for his wife and two children to bear and sets in motion a chain of events that spiral down into death and destruction.
The other couple whose lives intersect with the Knowles are the Haas'. While Annie and Michael are really a fairly run of the mill couple, Simon and Lydia are not. Simon is a charismatic and talented, yet arrogant painter and drifter who discovers a very beautiful young girl, Lydia, hanging out the wash one day and she becomes his wife and muse. He finds commercial success painting strange, erotic pictures of young Lydia.
Annie and Simon are both professors at the local girls' college when the book opens. Once Michael starts to work at the clinic, Annie feels lonely and is open to Simon's advances and that's when all of their lives start to unravel.
Brundage's prose is fearless and frightening. The tension in the first chapter both riveted me to the page and made me want to put the book down. The reader is thrown into the action and you can feel the pathos. Brundage is willing to drill down and put down on paper her character's basest thoughts. For example, here is Lydia looking at her husband: "His face in sleep looked boyish and vulnerable and she had the most intense desire to slap it."
All of her characters are tortured by their own inner demons, but none more than Lydia Haas who in many ways is the one character who calls the others out on their bad behavior. She is the ultimate victim. A very beautiful girl who is exploited first by her father, then by her husband, manipulated by the local Reverend and then wronged by Annie who has a flagrant affair with Simon. Her humiliation is made public in a party scene during which Simon and Annie pursue each other with no regard for Lydia's feelings. The reader sees Simon and Annie's arrogance and Lydia's pain all on display for everyone to witness.
Reading The Doctor's Wife is like riding a roller-coaster. Usually, I love to try and think ahead and figure out where the plot is going, but I couldn't. As for the issue of abortion, I'm not really sure where Brundage stands. The topic is discussed at the dinner table one night between Annie and Michael and their children, aged 6 and 10. Way too much information is given to these young children who respond negatively as they should to the following explanation: "Life is present in the womb, cells are multiplying just like mold on a sandwich." While the novel is a very satisfying read it doesn't really present abortion as a legitimate choice for women as I hoped it would.

This was a great story with exciting character development. The political and religious plots added to the interest of the story and the characters. I found the book was difficult to put down. I am impressed this was the author's first book. I'll be anxious to see what else she writes.

The Doctor's Wife is a thriller with complex human entanglements. I was genuinely tense, even fearful, as the relationships among characters tangled and took hold. From the first chapter, this book was difficult to put down, but the climax and resolution were too cinematic (noir) for my taste.

A good read for a rainy day. Some characters believable more than others. I didn't understand Simon's need to stay with Lydia, no matter what she did - I found it annoying. The story unfolded beautifully, though ended rather quickly and abruptly.

This is a very heavy book. Personally, I found it to be dark and have no joy in the characters which is part of the story. This book is just not what I expected it to be and upon finishing it, it left me feeling disturbed. Although it is a well written book, I am not sure I am glad I read it. I do think this would be great for a book club because of the disturbing nature and thought provoking storyline.

There is nothing more interesting than when a writer takes on a subject that nobody wants to talk about. Michael Chrighton did it with Disclosure, among others, and this book deals with the subject of abortion, which seems to bring out the worst in many people, especially the ones who don't believe in it. It's not an easy subject to write about because this country has become divided and you are either on one side or the other. The author here tries to show what things look like on the ground floor, from both the doctor's point of view and the evangelical minister's. The book focuses on a young couple who, when faced with certain choices, sometimes makes the wrong ones. Their lives become embroiled in conflict, and I was up all night trying to find out if they were going to make it through. It's not an easy read, but this is not a simple problem. Just to let you know, the minute I finished it, I made a contribution to NARAL.

While I agree with one reviewer that it started slow (about the first 20 pages), once you got past that, it FLEW! I read it in a day. I loved the characters, thought they were like real people, and was intrigued the whole time I was reading. A real thriller totally worth reading!!

Four main characters and a few sub-characters whose lives are intertwined: two college professers, two doctors, one crazed wife, a fanatical minister, an abortion clinic, an old house, adultry.....A must read!

I absolutely loved this book, and found myself unable to put it down. It doesn't do a marvelous job of helping the reader relate to and personify the characters. All of them lacked some measure of development. However I found the little plot twists at every corner and the conclusion a bit thrilling. Brundage does a good job of opening up the human psyche and building suspense all the while.

The Doctor's Wife is a Stephen King "Misery" wanna-be that misses the mark by a football field. How is this for an unoriginal plot: an abortionist is kidnapped and secretly held by a crazy person. Uh huh. Where have we heard this one before? Steer clear, unoriginal and frankly boring.

This book definitely defines a page turner! It is suspenseful, interesting, and well written. It is also an added plus if you are from or are familiar with the Albany area because you will be able to recognize pretty much everything, which makes it all the better!

I am the mother of two small children - my daughter is 2 and my son is just 2 months. Where does a mom of an infant find time to read? Well, I finished this book in 4 days, that's how amazing it was! I couldn't tear myself away, every free moment I had. It kept me up a little later than I should have been but man was it worth it! Parts of it were a little spooky. Completely entertaining, I loved it. I can't wait to read more of her work.

This page turner is not only exciting and well constructed, it contains some of the most beautifully written passages and descriptions I have ever read. I could not put this book down. The plot and character development are incredibly detailed and interesting. But most importantly the book touches on the rights and freedom of women in this country and, in our current politial climate, Brundage, without preaching to us, makes an impressive attempt to show us how precarious these rights are and easily they can be taken away. Anyone who has a daughter, is a daugher or knows someone's daughter should read this book

I really cannot believe that this is the finished product. While I was initially compelled by the development of the characters and how they were to be involved with one another, I found the events to be formulaic and lacking orginality, the symbolism childish, and the final climax completely ridiculous in its everything-and-everyone-falls-into-place finish. This was a good first draft, but for it to be edited and published? I'm flatly surprised. I'd like to read it reworked and tweaked.

This book had me totally absorbed for several days. It's a very dark story about four characters who lead complex lives. I thought the author did an outstanding job of weaving these characters together. I really enjoyed the way she built up the tension. I couldn't put it down. The characters of the doctor and his wife seemed very real to me, and I could identify with many of the issues the author explored. Don't miss this one!

If your someone who enjoys reading, especially those books you just can't put it down, then this is a book for you.
This book is outstanding. Ive read through it in 3 days time.

I plan on buying more of Elizabeth Brundage's books!

I'm embarassed for the author.

The "doctor" here works for a Catholic hospital and performs abortions on the weekends at a clinic. Hmm what's wrong with that picture? He's "noble" and the whole Catholic hospital community is wrong....so the author would make it seem. Maybe if a doctor feels OK about doing abortions he shouldn't work at a Catholic hospital, but then Brundage would have no book to write.
As usual in recent chick lit, ALL the pro-life characters are amoral, psychotics and because of that all the pro-choice characters need not believe God exists. What tripe.

The characterizations of "the perfect preppy life" are sweeter than syrup.

Brundage's similies/metaphors are senseless and sometimes even comical.

The whole plot is too contrived to be remotely plausible.

It oozes the author's unearned satisfacton with her own inadequate work.

In short, this is trashy plane trip reading if you absolutely can't sleep and have a free, used copy.

After inital interest in this book, I had to force myself to finish it. I never really felt anything for the characters. The developement was so shallow, it was hard to really get to know them. While Simon and Annie claimed to have a "love" relationship, I never felt the love. I would not reccomend this book.

Okay, this book screams "psychological thriller" on the OUTSIDE, but once into the chapters, what came screaming loud and clear are Brundage's politics in the form of preposterous caricatures. Just when you think the story might rise above it, her dastardly villains and shining heroes become unintentionally hilarious. I found myself predicting for fun what "dark" qualities would appear next in her characters of faith, and what shining characteristics she'd bestow on dubious icons. Surprise, our hero is your caring part time abortionist at a women's health clinic. The icing on the cake is she's no stranger to cliched romance and the drug-filled existence of artists. Oh, it's tough to be a doctor's wife.

This is a story about marital infidelity and mental psychosis. That sounds pretty heavy for a good book, but it works. The book centers around two married couples: Simon and Lydia Haas and Michael and Annie Knowles. Their lives intertwine in a shocking and fascinating way. The climax of the book was satisfying and exciting. I kind of stumbled upon this book at the library one day and thought I'd try it. I'm glad I did.

Excellent, well written thriller. Political hot-spot topic of abortion draws reader in quickly. Great character development. This book is a page turner that will keep you reading until the wee hours of the morning.

The only reason I finished this book is because I kept hoping for some redeeming quality to emerge. (It never did.) What did emerge is a sordid, distasteful portrait of what a set of lives may become without a sense of decency. However, that was obviously not the point; rather, the opposite of the author's intention. Attempts to scintilate with the glamorization of bohemian lifestyles, wild adulterous sex, and utter selfishness bombard the reader without mercy. Worst of all, no one in the book learned anything from their awful behavior! The fact that many people who are not crazed religous fanatics sincerely believe that there is a better way to handled unwanted pregnancy than abortion is not even given a sentence of consideration. I won't buy a book from this writer again. Don't waste your money.

We usually avoid the "suspense" genre, having found it often spawns shallow characters and contrived plots. But Elizabeth Brudage's THE DOCTOR'S WIFE transcends the limitations of "suspense" genre to the level of solid literature, with well-rounded characters and organic meshing of plots and subplots -- a compelling read!

I, unfortunately, put this book down after the first half. As a policy, I always continue a book to the middle, regardless of whether I am enjoying it or not. I did not enjoy this book. I found it rather boring. I am guessing because of the format in which it was written. I also did not appreciate the political agenda of the book. I actually am pro choice, but I like my books to not include politics. I read to escape from those things :)

This book had me riveted from the moment I started it. I don't usually read books about women, but I found this to be a highly engaging read. My wife was annoyed with me for keeping the bedroom light on all night because I could not put it down. I don't generally write reviews, but with this book I couldn't resist. It will not disappoint you.

Read this over the weekend. Don't miss this one - you will not be disappointed. The character of the painter's wife, Lydia Haas, is fascinating and frightening. I haven't been this glued to the page in years.

I thought the diaglogue was pretty phony. Real people usually don't talk that way, even if they are professors and doctors. The writer also has an obvious agenda, and I think that fact distracted from the book. Overall, it was readable but not great.

I mistakenly picked up this book in what I thought was the "christian" section of my local Walmart. It was right next to it. This is totally a pro choice book written to make pro life people look like lunatics. I despised the book, the topics and the language all in the name of making money. Reasons in the book on having abortions was because women were not at a good time in their life. Killing babies is never right even in a fiction book. I thought by the back cover that the dr might regret what he did eventually. That never happened. This was a waste of money!!!