I bought this a few years ago during one of B&N’s clearance sale online. I adore Debra Messing so when I saw she was staring in the TV show based on this book; I added that into my bag lickety split. Once the new wore off I somewhat lost this book on my shelves – it just didn’t stand out to me. Recently when I was feeling the beginning of a book rut I picked this up because it had been around for so long. While it wasn’t earth shatteringly good – it was an escape book into a world I never plan to really see – the rich in California.Gracie is a “Wife of” in the upper levels of the rich people in California. She doesn’t really fit in, but she manages to fill her life with her daughter and tolerates the long list of requirements that come with her title. Her marriage is far from fireworks but sails along in a mostly calm manor – that is until Kenny dumps her via cell phone after dinner one night. Gracie is crushed and soon realizes how desperate her life is to become.Much of the book is Valley Girl meets parenthood, including the overenthusiastic and fake relationships and conversations. I rolled my eyes more than once at the numerous titles and labels given to the other women and men within Kenny and Gracie’s circle. This caused the first half of the book to drag a bit, waiting for something to come along in the plot that didn’t appear covered in cheese. The later half of the book brought the serious to the pages as Gracie realized that Kenny had been planning the break-up for months so that he could leave her floundering without good legal options and financial resources.A character with the same name/characteristics as a celebrity pop singer attracts Kenny’s eye and brings one of the best aspects of the book. I laughed at these scenes – they were humorous all while bringing a reality to the story. This character amped up the Valley Girl attitude in the book but given what I read in the tabloids about her – it seems very true behavior for her.One thing that really kept detracting me from the characters is the name Gracie – I couldn’t get Debra Messing’s character from Will & Grace out of my mind. Her picture on the front of my copy didn’t help either. This is why I usually avoid buying movie tie-in covers actually – I don’t see the characters for who they are within the pages but for who they are in the movie or previous shows. In summary – this was a good escape book, but didn’t leave a real impression once I was done.
I bought this book five years ago, thinking that the story looked interesting, the cover was cute, and that I’d read it and immediately Netflix the TV show right after, since I had a “thing” for Debra Messing ever since I first watched Will & Grace.Long story short, I never read it. It was one of those books that I always intended to read; I toted it around with me to school and back home for three semesters in a row, but I never got around to actually reading it. On my recent trip to New York City, I pulled it out from the book-ridden depths of my under-the-bed disaster zone, and I wondered what could have ever possessed me to buy it. As a young, blissfully unattached woman, what could I ever have in common with a mid-life washed-up Hollywood divorcee? And why the hell did I buy a book written by a woman named Gigi?Of course, I ended up eating my words. At first, this book was kind of hard to get into, especially considering how little I have in common with the protagonist. About a quarter of the way through, though, I found myself laughing at Gracie’s ballsy attitude and her funny little internal dialogues. She goes from a rich, privileged “Wife Of” to a woman who has nothing to lose, and that’s something I found myself really admiring.The story follows Gracie, fifty-something mother-of-one, wife of Kenny Pollock, big-time Hollywood producer, as she deals with a quite unexpected divorce. After a brief and static-y phone call break-up, her whole life comes crashing down around her, and she’s left to pick up the pieces. The very start is depressing, with its descriptions of her loneliness and desperation, but it picks up quite quickly, and the rest of the book follows her as she gets back into the swing of life, finding the love and happiness she would have never experienced if Kenny hadn’t given her the boot. She’s got a funny group of friends who are willing to go to any lengths to take her mind off the impending divorce and a handsome stranger to fantasize about in the meantime. Altogether, it was an enjoyable read.It had highs, lows, laughs, and a happy ending. The book did seem quite dated, though (a quick Google check tells me it’s about 7 years old), with its continued mentioning of Britney Spears. Quite honestly, I thought it was written before 2005; Britney was on her downward cycle in 2005, right? Anyway, that was my only slight irritation. If you’re going to write about a celebrity, you might as well make it a good one.
What do You think about The Starter Wife (2005)?
I checked this one out because of sheer curiosity. I enjoyed the mini-series on USA (with Debra Messing - yeah, you remember), but it was nothing life-changing. The book, however, has so much more to offer than the series ever hoped to. Gracie (the main character's actual name; I think you can guess why Messing wanted it changed) is so much more likeable than whatever-her-name-was on the series, not to mention far smarter and far tougher. The book also is - to be frank - so much more depressing than the fluffy fruity USA version. No spoilers, but Grazer doesn't hold back at all; there are no Hollywood endings in this novel. That's the point, though. The characters are just very real and very approachable, no matter how you think they won't be. The language is soft and meaningful, and I for one could easily feel the emotion meant to be conveyed. It's a book that I didn't think I would enjoy as much as I did. Fans of the series will enjoy it obviously, but others will too, I think - you know, the TV snobs? You know who you are.
—Meagan
Bleck! I am a huge chic-lit fan and DETESTED this book. I couldn't STAND nor believe the main character, Gracie. Obsess much? GOD.. she was annoying. And the sad thing was, I started out rooting for her. I mean, how horrible, her husband leaving her after almost 10 years of marriage. He was easy to hate, and I thought - great she's going to have some self-discovery, maybe learn and rebuild, etc. Instead, she turns into a PSYCHO, spying on neighbors becoming the poo police and running around pres
—Maggie
I just finished reading The Starter Wife and thoroughly enjoyed it. It was an often-hilarious laugh out loud read and I recommend it for a quick summer read. Some of the negative reviews on here surprise me. I haven't read a lot of chick lit, but I recently finished The Devil Wears Prada and I found The Starter Wife to be far superior. I plan to read some Bruce Wagner soon so I'll see how that compares. Granted, as one reviewer commented, the 2nd half of the book was a tad unrealistic, but isn't that what fiction is about -- to suspend reality for the reader and sometimes have a happy ending? Most of the books I read are serious/heavy fare (just finished Fall on your Knees and A Fine Balance recently) and it was refreshing and somewhat more relaxing to read a funny smart book. I tend to get very involved in whatever I'm reading so it was nice to finish a book and not feel depressed!
—Eva Boothman
