The Good Woman

August 15, 2012
Beautiful Meg Brennan has constructed the perfect life by always doing what's best for everyone else. But what if she wants something for herself? When the Brennan sisters gather for their annual weekend in Porter's (His Majesty's Mistake, 2012, etc.) latest, almost everyone arrives with some girl troubles. Sarah worries that her husband might cheat on her again. Kit worries that her boyfriend of 10 years will never ask her to marry him. Kit's surly twin, Brianna, has flown in from Africa seemingly for the sole purpose of criticizing Meg. Their sister-in-law, Cass, has just undergone her third round of IVF and can't even come to the beach house. But worst of all, Mom's cancer has returned. The Brennan girls are tight, yet Meg cannot bring herself to share what's troubling her. How could she? Meg is, and always has been, the good girl. With a loving husband, Jack, and three happy children, Meg herself holds a classy job as a publicist for local Dark Horse Winery. But lately, Meg has been feeling romantically neglected by Jack. Coincidentally, her hunky boss, Chad, has invited her on a business trip to the London trade show. It's a sure recipe for a torrid affair, an affair that Meg agonizes over, repeatedly telling herself that a fling with Chad might restore her self-confidence, but it would also destroy her marriage. It turns out that Meg was right: A good woman lives for, and is judged by, others.

COPYRIGHT(2012) Kirkus Reviews, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

September 1, 2012

Porter (Flirting with Forty) launches a new trilogy that follows the highs and lows of the Irish American Brennan sisters. Meg, the oldest, has an immensely successful career, three beautiful children, and, by all appearances, a happy marriage. She strives for perfection and control in all aspects of her life, but lately she feels some of the glow is fading. She longs for passion, romance, and desire from her husband, but turns to her sexy boss, Chad, instead when he reveals his feelings for her. This move stuns her sisters and makes Meg question what it means to be happy. VERDICT Porter writes with honesty, warmth, and compassion about the uncomfortable issues that may arise in one's life. Anticipate a good series as each sister explores different paths and different outcomes that are challenging and real.--Anne M. Miskewitch, Chicago P.L.

Copyright 2012 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

September 1, 2012
Mary Margaret ( Meg ) Brennan Roberts is the titular good womanmother of three, wife to Jack, rock for her sisters and father when her mother's cancer returns. So why does she feel so empty? Is it a midforties crisis? When her work as a publicist for a small Napa Valley winery takes her to London, she begins to seriously consider the temptation of her younger boss. London aside, this is a California book. Meg lives in Petaluma, works in Napa, vacations in Capitola, and spends time in the Bay Area, and readers will be transported. For such an emotionally heavy book (and it does get heavy), Meg's story reads surprisingly quickly. Porter (Flirting with Forty, 2006) does an excellent job of capturing the not-always-smooth bond between the sisters, especially Meg and unmarried Kit, and the dynamics of guilt, silence, and strength in a large Irish Catholic family. She also manages to tell a story about infidelity without a real villain. Instead, it is an honest story of a woman making her first real mistake. There will be plenty to talk about for book groups.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2012, American Library Association.)