Saturday, November 21, 2009

A Perfect Wife and Mother by Alexandra Frye

I picked up A Perfect Wife and Mother at the library last time I was browsing. This sounded like another Lifetime movie that I would love to see, and I had to get it. It was an enjoyable read, if not somewhat dated, and I give it a B.

From Amazon:
When pregnant Georgia Coffey, an affluent homemaker, finally discovers the perfect babysitter for her son Justin, she is exuberant. At first, beautiful and intelligent Harriet surpasses Georgia's spoiled expectations; Justin falls in love with her almost immediately, his mother finds in Harriet the confidante and helpmate she's been searching for all her life. Tucked in the elegant, cozy hills of St. George, New Jersey, Georgia's home epitomizes the American dream. Her husband, Lawerence Coffey, known as the Big Bear on Wall Street, prospers in his career, loves his family and indulges Georgia's every desire from psychiatrists to expensive haircuts and highly paid babysitters. So why does Georgia feel so insistently queasy, so anxious? Something is amiss in fairy-tale land, of course, and when Justin disappears with Harriet, a thrilling story of deception, treachery, old Wall Street money, and familial love unfolds.

Like I mentioned, this book is a bit dated, written, I believe, in 1992 and taking place in the late 80s/ early 90s. I had to keep reminding myself of this as I was reading and thinking to myself why don't they use their cell phones or search for things online but it really didn't take too much away from the story. Georgia was a very difficult character to like, one that is very self-serving and selfish. I mean, why does she need to have a baby nurse, housekeeper and nanny for her three year old when she isn't even working? Maybe it's because I wasn't raised that way, but doesn't it seem somewhat excessive? The story was told through three different viewpoints, Harriet, Georgia, and Larry, with also allowing the reader to hear some of the bad guys viewpoints as well. It was a good book, but probably nothing that will stick with me for much longer.

Up next is another library book. I just grabbed it real quick as I was getting ready to leave. I have a busy day ahead of me. In a bit I am leaving for a road rally (so MUCH FUN!) and then tonight we have bowling! We are currently in first place, which is truly amazing since our team is horrible, except for my husband, and tonight we are bowling the second place team. Hopefully luck is on my side today! Happy Reading everyone!

3 comments:

Staci said...

Sounds like a fast read that overall wasn't too bad right? I love to bowl...hope you guys did great last night!!!

Kristie said...

We won one game, but it allowed us to stay tied for first. One guy that we were bowling against had a bunch of 260 games, so we didn't have much of a chance, but we are still tied for first so I am happy!

Literary Feline said...

It's amazing how far we've come technologically over the past few years. I recently watched a few old episodes of the early Beverly Hills 90210 show and found myself noticing little things that have changed since then.

A wet nurse, a housekeeper and a nanny, eh? That's a lot of help to have, especially when the mother isn't working herself. Did she have a lot of social engagements? I wouldn't mind a housekeeper, especially right now since I can't really do much cleaning with my back. My husband's been a big help at least.

I hope you had a good night of bowling, Kristie! It's been forever since I last picked up a bowling ball.