Another Review at MyShelf.Com

Publisher: Kensington Pub Corp
Release Date: January 2004
ISBN: 0758206267
Awards:  
Format Reviewed: Paperback
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Genre: Fiction
Reviewed: 2004
Reviewer: Lynda E. Lukow
Reviewer Notes: Sex: Implied, Some profanity and drug use
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The Wife of Reilly
By Jennifer Coburn


   Prudence Malone's journey to self-discovery is a meandering path littered with poor choices. She tosses away her too-comfortable marriage for the passion of a rekindled college romance. To alleviate her guilt for getting engaged before beginning divorce proceedings, she embarks on a journey to find her soon-to-be ex-husband's next wife.As if her life isn't complicated enough, the "sperm donor" who left her fatherless at the impressionable age of twelve suddenly strives to reestablish a father/daughter relationship.

    Ms. Coburn does an excellent job with characterizations. She paints her controlling protagonist for what she truly is-a manipulative, lost soul acting like everything is peaches and cream when her world is really falling apart. Prudence's best friends portray loyalty at its finest. Her father's remorse rings true. Reilly's sympathy proves he is doubtlessly the nice guy Prudence allowed to slip away.

      Settings are detailed without being overdone. Prudence's efforts to find her replacement give humorous insights into the singles scene; unfortunately, the witty beginning dwindles away to bittersweet reality as Prudence eventually matures. "The Wife of Reilly" is definitely an original plot that clearly defines the often-blurry line between chick lit and romance. An entertaining read, but not intended for starry-eyed readers looking for "happily ever after."