The Ninth Wife

April 11, 2011
Bess Gray, single and in her thirties, is starting to despair of ever finding a decent man in the Washington D.C. area. But that all changes when she meets Irish musician Rory McMillan. They hit it off immediately and within a few months he asks for her hand. What he doesn't say is that she would be accompanying him on his ninth walk down the aisle. Once he confesses he's been married eight times before, Bess doesn't know what to thinkâor what to do. So she takes a cross country trip with her older neighbor, Cricket, a gay man, and her grandparents, who will move into an assisted care facility when they reach Arizona. Along the way, Bess hunts down Rory's ex-wives and try to figure out what sort of a man could have eight of them, in the process learning a great deal about relationships, love, and trust. Stolls's (Palms to the Ground) first foray into adult fiction offers a nuanced take on relationships. Though the book shines most brightly in Rory's reflections, the contrivance of the road trip mars an otherwise interesting tale.

May 15, 2011

When Bess Gray, a folklorist in Washington, DC, is about to turn 35, she falls for a charming Irishman she meets at a party. There's just one problem: it turns out that Rory McMillan has been married eight times before. How can Bess ever trust this guy? The plot of the novel involves a meandering car trip from Washington to Tucson, as Bess drives her elderly, frail grandparents to their new Arizona retirement community. Along the way, Bess plans to meet with as many of Rory's ex-wives as she can find to hear their stories. Also on a mission of his own is gay friend Cricket. The premise of this road trip/chick-lit novel is not very believable, but the grandparents' bittersweet love-hate relationship adds some depth to the story. VERDICT While the conclusion is predictable, the author is clearly having a great time with her quirky characters, as she explores what makes or breaks a marriage. Best suited to fans of the genre.--Leslie Patterson, Rehoboth, MA

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