Emails from the Edge by Kristie Leigh Maguire
The Life of an Expatriate Wife
Page Free Publishers - January 2002
ISBN: 1930252463 - e-book & Papeback
Mainstream Fiction - for language

Reviewed by Amy Mehta, MyShelf.com
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"Emails from the Edge" is an epistolary book written by Kristie Leigh Maguire, nee Margie Tovrea, and Adrianna Larson, nee Sandy Davis. The text of the book is made up of a series of e-mails between the two of them, while Kristie Leigh's husband was stationed in Japan for nine months, beginning in 1997. It provides some great insight into the culture clashes an American might face living as a foreigner in Japan. Margie and Sandy detail their tragedies and triumphs, gossip, and support each other through the hardships they each face in their own endeavors.

The story takes a little while to get into, but once you've gotten through the first third of the letters, the rest of the book is smooth sailing. The two women have generously opened up their lives to their readers, and their sassy Southern take on things makes for some fascinating and surprisingly witty exchanges on topics such as past lives, cloning, and El Nino, to name a few.

One item of interest is the rehashing of many of the events that took place in the U.S. around this time. It brings back a lot of memories, like the beginning of the Clinton scandals, the death of Sonny Bono, and other major events in our nation's history. It is a little sad in parts, but there are enough positive experiences to outweigh the negative. I would recommend this book to anyone that has grown up in the U.S., and ever lived, or wanted to live, the life of an expatriate. All in all, "Emails from the Edge" is a sweet little book, and an entertaining read.