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5 Minutes for Books — The Professors’ Wives’ Club

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A book set in New York City featuring academic types (at the fictional “Manhattan U”)? About a group of women friends? Do I need anything more in a novel?

The Professors’ Wives’ Club by Joanne Rendell features four women of different ages and from different backgrounds who come together to fight for a common cause, and in the process help each other to grow. I think that their differences work for them — allowing them to accept the others at face value, instead of who they are “supposed” to be.

All of the women live together in the same campus apartment building. They each use the beautiful walled garden as a kind of retreat, and they come together rallying to protect it when it’s threatened to be destroyed.

Mary is the oldest in the group. She’s a professor herself, and married to the dean who is planning to destroy the green space. She’s been trying to find the courage to escape from her abusive husband, but something keeps holding her back.

Hannah is a former model who is dissatisfied with her marriage and disappointed with a choice she made in an effort to find love. She is trying to break away from the model image and break into the art world, but without her husband’s support, she is finding it difficult.

Sofia has a supportive husband, but she still feels as if she’s lost herself in the whirlwind of motherhood with two young children. She serves as the heartbeat of the group as she taps into her natural skills and proclivities.

Ashleigh is the youngest of the group — an attorney on the way up the career ladder, but still living in the shadow of her successful and overbearing father. As she seeks to break free, she wonders how she can be true to herself without disappointing him.

It sounds like typical chick lit, but the story definitely has some surprising moments. I found myself analyzing the women and rooting for them (even as I sometimes wondered what the “right” choice for them really was). Sometimes heavy topics are written without bogging the reader down, and within context of a good old fashioned caper as the four women bind together to defeat the evil giant.

We have five copies to give away! If you’d like to win one, please leave a comment. We’ll announce the winners in next week’s column.

The winners of What Happy Parents Do are
#2 [email protected] Pass the Salt
#58 K. Cleaver
#113 Corrie C.

Reader Interactions


200 Comments

  5. I love the idea of women getting together to defeat the unjust or uncovering the truth. It is inspiring.

  10. This sounds like a fun read that I am going to share with my book club! We love books with fun, strong women in them!

  25. Hope I win and that it comes on a cold day when I have time to just curl up with it and a mug of hot cocoa.

  76. Since my husband really IS a professor, I’d say I would probably enjoy this book a lot!! Hope I win!!

  80. Sounds delicious! I just finished a book — I need a new one to get lost in! Thanks!
    Megret
    musesofmegret (at) gmail (dot) com

  85. The story line caught me more than the actual title. I think it would definately be an interesting read

  91. This sounds like a really great book and one that I would love to read. Thanks so much for such a wonderful opportunity!

    furygirl3132[at]comcast[dot]net

  94. My wonderful but disabled wife of more than 38 years just LOVES to read – one of the pleasures she still enjoys! Thank you for this great contest and prize!

  118. I love to read, and this book sounds like it’s right up my alley–thanks for the offer!

  124. This sounds like a book right up my alley. Please enter me in the giveaway! Thanks for giving away such a fun book.

  128. I almost picked this up at the bookstore last week. I’m glad that you gave it a good review!

  140. Sounds good — I love to read, and my husband is hoping to teach in several years once his PhD is done…thus making ME a professor’s wife. 🙂

  147. This is sorta like a desperate housewives in a book form lol, or atleast it reminds me of it with all the different women and they each have different problems. Sounds like a good book to read thanks for entering me.!

  157. Sadly, I don’t make much time to read. This book sounds pretty good. Kind of book that I used to read. 🙂

  162. Sounds like a very diverse group of women, I would love to check ’em out. Thanks for the giveaway!

  164. Ooooh, the colder days are just begging for a good book like this to dive into while the Li’l Empress naps!

  196. I’ve had this on my wishlist for a while – I’ve read so many good review. I’d love to win a copy!