Wives Behaving Badly

May 1, 2006
Rose, the protagonist in the bestselling Revenge of the Middle-Aged Woman
, stood tall when Minty Lloyd stole both her husband and her job. Buchan now gives Minty the spotlight as she discovers the dangers of getting what you want. Picking up seven years later, Minty and Nathan are married and have twin boys, but Minty's life as a second wife is more difficult than she'd anticipated: Nathan's friends shun her, she's deemed a threat by other married women, Nathan's adult children despise her and full-time motherhood isn't her cuppa tea. So Minty goes back to work at a London television production company, only to find young, unattached and ambitious colleagues nipping at her heels. Things go from manic to molten after Rose reenters the picture and a tragedy sends what's left of the family into a tailspin. Buchan keeps a lot of balls in the air, but readers may wish she'd written for depth and not breadth, as the narrative can feel like a series of vignettes hemmed together. Still, readers who appreciate Buchan's blend of humor and poignancy will find a trove of it.

In Buchan's sequel to REVENGE OF THE MIDDLE-AGED WOMAN, the revenge is bittersweet as former mistress Minty has moved into her predecessor's home and become the mother of twins, yet she still finds herself in competition with her husband's first wife. Justine Eyre does not bother with major voice distinctions. But she does a delightful treble for the twins as they pull their mother's strings. Trauma and tragedy occur, but Eyre produces no heartbreaker. Hearing Minty plow her way through squabbles with her husband's adult children, ex-wife, and former friends may not capture those who did not watch her victory dance in the first novel, but Buchan's fans will treasure the comeuppance. D.P.D. (c) AudioFile 2006, Portland, Maine