Four Wives A Novel [Paperback]

Take a peek beyond the perfectly-manicured lawns of Hunting Ridge. For four wives who live there, all is not as it seems&

Former child prodigy Love Welsh can't seem to banish the demons that ended her career. Now a devoted mother and wife, her quest for a resolution to her secret past will place at risk the life she has created. Her neighbor, part-time divorce attorney Marie Passeti, struggles with a difficult case and her unexpected feelings for the young intern working at her side. In a mansion across town, Gayle Beck enjoys the social status that her family's old money guarantees, but inside her fairy tale, life grows darker with each passing day. Gayle's friend, Janie Kirk, who is both envied and loathed for her exceptional beauty and expert homemaking, is losing the battle to remain satisfied in a passionless marriage, and falls into a surprising affair.

As the women plan a charity gala, their not-so-perfect lives are slowly exposed. And as springtime comes to a close, each woman faces the most difficult challenge of all: reconciling her innermost desires with the path that she has chosen.

1. Though all four wives face different personal struggles, there are some overarching issues that all of them must face throughout. What are they? If you had to pick one theme that runs through the stories of all four characters, what would it be?

2. What problems facing Love, Marie, Gayle and Janie seem specific to suburban life? Does the story seem to be critical of suburban life, in general, or this kind of upscale suburb, in particular? Have you read other novels that explored suburban life through this kind of lens? How did FOUR WIVES differ from other novels of suburban life that you've read?

3. It could be argued that the women in this book are archetypes of modern wife-hood. Do you agree? Did you see the women as symbols or did they feel real to you? Which character felt the most real and why?

4. The author devotes a lotlS´