Innocent Spouse: A Memoir (2011) - Plot & Excerpts
Full disclaimer - I received a free copy of this book through a goodreads giveaway. To be honest I was interested in this book but wasn't expecting too much. I have an interest in tax law which lead me to entering the giveaway. I ended up really enjoyed the book. It was very well-written. I cried reading the beginning (especially the part about her son saying goodbye to his father). There were parts in the book where I wasn't the biggest fan of the author or the decisions she made, however I do think she was very honest about the entire situation which in the end made me like her more. I do agree with one of the reviews that said it was on the long side. It could have been trimmed a bit. There were parts of the story that while they were interesting didn't really seem needed and made the book longer than it needed to be. All in all, I would recommend the book. It was a very compelling, interesting story. I know I am supposed to feel sympathy for the writer, and I did initially, when she was writing about the shock of being a widow. But after I while I found myself getting annoyed at her haplessness. She constantly made odd and not very wise choices, and it went on for years. After a while I found her cluelessness about people very aggravating, especially as she described the bad choices she made about her son as the years went on. I simply do not understand bright and competent people who choose to be clueless. The fog of grief made it make sense at first, but the total passivity she displayed over and over again became almost intolerable. When you get right down to it, she was in the top tier of privilege..live-in help, private schools, expensive clothes, etc. Had she lost everything, it would have been sad but then she would have been like most other people- a single mom relying on day care and living in a reasonably priced apartment while commuting to her full time job at which she would have had to perform or get fired. I think she lost me with her need to buy a house, avoid DC public schools, and keep her top tier job without really performing. At some point, her sense of poor me as she continued a version of her high-flying life got under my skin. So while the back story- young trophy wife to an older con man- is compelling, the author in the end reveals too much about herself and her own foibles for one to be sympathetic at all. It's well written enough, but seems as if I am still reading about a woman who has not yet matured. she never seems to understand how very very privileged she was and is.
What do You think about Innocent Spouse: A Memoir (2011)?
Great for discussion with a women's book group. Lots of interesting things came up.
—memo
I enjoyed this. Very easy read and kept me engaged.
—vestby2202
