Search - A Reliable Wife

The reviews on the back of this book, "A glittering, poisoned ice cube of a tale", "Good to the riveting end...." made me wonder if authors have to pay people to write these things. In my opinion, this book was none of those things -- the end couldn't come soon enough. The plot was predictable, the characters unbelievable and the writing tiresome. The theme of sexual frustration woven throughout the book made me wonder if the author was working through some of his own issues. Rather than being "juicy," as touted in the reviews, the sexual tension was just redundant and cumbersome. In my opinion, save your money and spare your time. Reading this book is several hours of your life you'll never get back.

Redundantly written. Has no historic value. (I know it is a novel). I was surprised that blizzards happen on Oct. 17 in Wisconsin and the ice is thick enough to support horses. Tsk. Tsk. Why Wisconsin was suppose to be so much bleaker than Chicago in winter is beyond me. I finished this book because I wanted to know what the ending was. This book is highly over-rated. It was given to me by a friend but was not really recommended. It was recommended to her. We are both still wondering why.

I bought this on a recommendation from a worker at Border's and I am so glad I did. This was unlike anything I have ever read in a novel. This story deals with all the different manifestations of love. A beautiful and complex story, with unexpected twists and turns to the very surprising end. Robert Goolrick is surely an author whose books should be sought out and read.

I would like to recommend A Reliable Wife by Robert Goolrick. Set in the early 1900s, Ralph Truitt was a lonely man living in seriously cold and miserable Wisconsin. This was not a hot dating spot. People apparently went mad at one point or another randomly maiming and killing neighbors, friends and relatives or cutting off their own legs. As the narrator says, "Such things happen." Remind me never to go to Wisconsin. They may have good cheese, but I hear California cows are much happier. Who would sign up to live in that crazy cold place with a complete stranger? Well, it's probably not a Sunday school teacher. Catherine, who answered the ad, came with a bag full of secrets and a few bottles of poison to boot. Her plan was to become Ralph's wealthy widow. Don't let the long description at the train station at the beginning of the book scare you off. It had some of our book club members wondering what they had gotten themselves into. Keep reading. In the end our book club gave it a thumbs up. Read other reviews at readinginthegarden.blotspot.com

"A Reliable Wife" is an interesting story told in a relatively uninteresting way. It boils down to writing style. For my tastes, there is too much third person dispassionate description for the storyline and the characters all appear to have the same personality traits. Still, I read the book in two evenings so it couldn't have been too bad.

This book had a surprising ending & a few twists throughout the book. It was a little slow to start. Once the story progressed, it was hard to put the book down. It was a great read.