A Woman's Place
A Novel
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4.2 • 138 Ratings
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- $13.99
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- $13.99
Publisher Description
Everything Claire Raphael has she's earned. On her own. The hard way. She built her part-time business up from nothing and made it successful through her imagination, creativity, and hard work. She has two great children and Dennis, a husband she loves completely.
Then, one evening, when Claire returns from a difficult business trip, Dennis hands her divorce papers along with a court order to vacate their house. Claire is devastated. She had no idea her marriage was on the brink of disaster, that Dennis had been planning this ambush for weeks, if not months, or that her hectic but happy life was about to come crashing down around her.
Claire doesn't know where to turn or whom to trust. But in a few short weeks she learns what so many women have had to discover—that when the going gets tough, a woman's as tough as she needs to be.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
In the spirit of Kramer vs. Kramer, sociologist Delinsky's new novel (after The Passions of Chelsea Kane) explores the drama and pain unleashed when affluent parents battle for the hearts, minds and custody of their kids. The twist here is that an overachieving mother risks losing custody and having to pay alimony to an underachieving father. Successful businesswoman Claire Raphael returns home to Gloucester, Mass., from Cleveland, where she was visiting her ailing mother, Connie, only to find that she has been served with an Order to Vacate her house on the grounds that she is not a responsible mother. Husband Dennis relentlessly pursues divorce, custody of the children and substantial alimony that would include a hefty cut of Claire's franchised furniture business, WickerWise. As the two square off, Claire seeks comfort in the arms of business partner Brody, and Dennis with lawyer Phoebe. The kids muddle through, Johnny battling cynicism, Kikit allergy attacks. With a subplot about sister Rona emerging from Connie's shadow, the story heads inevitably toward the legal decision about custody. Along the way, the intricacies of this type of case are illuminated. With the threat of a chauvinistic judge's decision looming, Claire gropes towards an understanding of her disintegrating marriage. Delinsky writes a gushy prose peopled with expected, albeit sometimes role-reversed, characters that undermine her novel's literary value. As a dramatization of the legal problems faced by some modern women, however, her story is notable and likely to garner attention.
Customer Reviews
Sad but compelling
I cried a bit during this book. It was hard to put it down. The story is probably familiar to many. Sometimes life is just sad and yet we go on.
The plops of steamy sex were a bonus.
Loved it
I thought the topics of divorce, betrayal, love and especially parenthood were well covered in this book. This is the second book I’ve read by Barbara Delinsky and definitely not the last. Her writing is smart, engrossing and sensual without being crass. I’m a fan.
Hmmm
I am used to Ms. Delinsky's characters having complex personalities and strength. Either I was busy being angry at Claire's female Walter Mitty victimization or at the ludicrous manner in which the judicial system is portrayed. I mean, really??? The sexual attraction between Claire and her business partner seemed to offer no spark at all. Perhaps this was because our heroine was "flat.". First and I hope last book in which I will be disappointed.