I brought this book on vacation with me and couldn't put it down. I started reading it in flight from Omaha to Az and there were times when I had to close the book a little, I didn't want the person next to me reading the book! Filled with funny moments, a little shock factor, friendship and self discovery. The question to be answered is: when you marry the man, you marry the life so if you leave the man, do you leave the life?
Synopsis: A chance encounter with a stranger in an airplane sends Elyse Bearden into an emotional tailspin. Suddenly, Elyse is willing to risk everything: her safe but stale marriage, her seemingly perfect life in an affluent Southern suburb, and her position in the church. As Elyse embarks on a risky affair, her longtime friend Kelly and the other women in their book club begin to question their own decisions about love, sex, marriage, and freedom. In the end it will take an extraordinary leap of faith for Elyse to find--and follow--her own path to happiness.
Type: Fiction, 312 pages, Hardcover
Quick Take: Recommend - I might even give this a highly recommend...I'm still thinking about this story. I have never read anything quite like it - the candidness of divorce and the process for one person leading to a life changing decision. Elyse's journey takes us through many stages leading to the decision with wit and emotion, the story is engaging and keeps the reading wanting more. I really appreciated the struggle's for all of the characters in the novel.
After listening to an interview with Kim I am so excited to have the opportunity to discuss this book with her in June, for the Manic Mommies Book Club. Kim mentions she has read many books with a divorced character and didn't feel they were realistic, I know what she's referring to... someone asks for a divorce in the opening chapters and the book focuses on self discovery with a perfect ending (or something like this).
Being divorced, she wanted to write about the impact divorce has on everyone (the family and a families social network). The author found when a woman gets divorced friends have different reactions from distain to questioning their marriage and sometimes feel weak or jealous. Female friendships are very important and some of Elyse's friends are disappointed with her decision.
Kim is working on a sequel from Kelly's perspective. This is one of reasons why I love Emily Giffin - Kim Wright was just added to this list (if you enjoy Emily Giffin, you will enjoy this book).
The author also mentioned she likes to examine how dreams change over time. Think back to your life dreams at age 25, you can outgrow them and need to create new ones.
Be sure to take some time to read Kim's blog, which is filled with great content.
More Reviews:
Booking Mama
Bermuda Onion
Red Lady's Reading Room
Click on the green arrow below to listen to our discussion with author Kim Wright:
Source: Review copy
Author Q&A
Tell us a little about yourself: I’m 54 with two grown children, a total southerner, and obsessed with my new hobby of ballroom dancing. Seriously. I tango in my dreams. Love in Mid Air is my first novel but for 30 years before that I supported myself as a food and travel writer. That’s a great gig because it took me all over the world.
Do you write daily? Almost daily, but I’m not one of those writers who does the same amount of work each morning, like 2000 words or four hours or something. When I’m in the grip of a project I tend to go on writing binges and then afterwards I’ll back off for a while.
What was it like getting your first novel published? When you’re writing a novel there’s always the feeling that it’s never going to be finished and that, even if you do somehow manage to complete the thing, you’ll never find an agent and sell it. I was lucky in that many of my friends are writers and when I got “Love” ready to go, my friend Alison introduced me to her agent. Even though it felt like the ultimate blind date, David and I connected over dinner in a little Italian restaurant in Brooklyn and he’s been a fantastic advocate for the book. I signed with him in November 2007 and he sold the book the next month. I’d worked on it for years so it was a bit of a shock how fast things actually came together. One of my friends says that being a writer is like being a cop – long stretches of boredom occasionally punctuated with moments of sheer terror. She has a point!
What do you think of the electronic book (kindles and such)? God bless anything that makes it easier for people to read, but, that said, I’m of the old school. I like to hold a book in my hand. I like the way they look on a bedside table and even the way they smell. A woman once told me she was a Kindle-ophile because she’s bought so many books through the years that her house is full of them and buying ebooks cuts down on clutter. I know what she means – every time I move I think “I have way too many books” – but for some reasons I still like the presence of books in my home. I would never define them as “clutter.:”
What is one tip that you can share with aspiring writers? Get to know other writers – either online, or by joining writing groups and attending conferences. Not only can we all help each other – like Alison did when she introduced me to David - but I think the isolation that most writers feel is simply unnecessary.
What are you reading now? Love Invents Us by Amy Bloom
Just for fun:
- Favorite Season: Fall
- Morning or night: Morning
- Favorite ice cream flavor: Butter Pecan
- If you could visit anywhere in the world, where would you go: I’ve never been there, but Australia has always been my dream destination, ever since I wrote a report on it in fourth grade. I think I was enchanted by a picture of children surfing on Christmas Day!