American Wife tells the story of Alice Blackwell, the husband of the US president – it documents her life, and what events made her who she is, including a childhood love and an adult courtship – the novel is helped tremendously by the dynamic and interesting character of Alice, a character whose actions are surprising and unpredictable.
My Rating: 2 out of 5
It takes many elements from the life of Laura Bush, yet explores them in such a way that you feel as if Alice is real and her full story did exist. This intricate use of history makes the novel more original and believable than ever, as it has a definitive structure upon which to base it. Also reinforcing this believability is heightened by the grounded life of Alice – a small town librarian who loves to see smiles on the children’s faces for whom she creates pieces of art, this element by Sittenfeld brings the reader closer to the plot as it is revealed that the First Lady of the story is just a small town girl, with a normal upbringing.
It may at times be long winded and stray from the point, but it is saved by the excellent craftsmanship within some of the chapters, as it demonstrates the true nature of humanity – that we all have flaws and we have all made mistakes, no matter how great we are. The character of Charlie Blackwell, despite depicting the president, left a lot to be desired – in my opinion, Sittenfeld failed to truly develop his character, leaving you wondering the true extent of his impact on Alice’s life, but also leaving him slightly worn and as if he never truly grows in character throughout the novel.
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