Review (sort of): A Reliable Wife by Robert Goolrick

A Reliable Wife

by Robert Goolrick

Paperback, 291 pages

Published January 26, 2010

Algonquin Books of Chapel Hill

Borrowed from my aunt

Synopsis (from Goodreads): He placed a notice in a Chicago paper, an advertisement for "a reliable wife." She responded, saying that she was "a simple, honest woman." She was, of course, anything but honest, and the only simple thing about her was her single-minded determination to marry this man and then kill him, slowly and carefully, leaving her a wealthy widow, able to take c...moreHe placed a notice in a Chicago paper, an advertisement for "a reliable wife." She responded, saying that she was "a simple, honest woman." She was, of course, anything but honest, and the only simple thing about her was her single-minded determination to marry this man and then kill him, slowly and carefully, leaving her a wealthy widow, able to take care of the one she truly loved.What Catherine Land did not realize was that the enigmatic and lonely Ralph Truitt had a plan of his own. And what neither anticipated was that they would fall so completely in love.
Filled with unforgettable characters, and shimmering with color and atmosphere, A Reliable Wife is an enthralling tale of love and madness, of longing and murder.

**Spoilers in my rant**

My Thoughts:  This book took me forever to read. The overall impression I got of this one is that I have just read the most beautifully written but plotless book ever. The story was second to the prose. The writing style is lovely. I thought the descriptions were beautiful and I could see the scenery so perfectly it was like I was in the sad cold house with Catherine and Ralph. The furnishings were elegant and everything between the dialogue was really lovely and well written. But nothing happened that I didn't expect to happen. I knew that she was going to try to kill him for his money but I also knew that she was going to fall in love with him and stop killing him if possible and they would live happily ever after. This was a romance novel, which is something that I don't usually read. The whole writing about sex without actually writing about sex thing feels false to me, but this got such rave reviews that I thought I would give it a try. But I just couldn't like it. I had such a hard time getting thought it. There was no driving force behind the plot, nothing made me want to read on, because I felt like I knew what was going to happen from the beginning. I just kept reading and thinking, "what? why am I still reading this?" One of the only parts of the book that threw me for a loop was Ralph's son Antonio. He was so mean and nasty to his father and to Catherine that I just wanted to slap him the whole time. He was manipulative and lonely and lost. Once I found out what his connection with Catherine was, I wanted to hit him more for being so mean to her. He was the one who almost ruined her chance to have a real life and someone who loved her. So, overall, the book made me angry and confused but I couldn't put it down because it was so well written.

Would I recommend this to 9th graders? No way. Too much sex and violence.

My rating: 2/5 mostly for the writing.