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Summary: Great fiction!
Review: Great fiction! However, it could be a true story. As a Methodist from Alabama, many of the characters and situations in The Sunday Wife seem very realistic. "Men of the Cloth" often are not really what they project from the pulpit, just ask their family members. Having read King's earlier novel, Making Waves in Zion, I looked forward to this new novel. I was not disappointed. I will recommend the book to my friends. She is a gifted author and I hope she writes many more books.
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Summary: Need a cozy read? Pick this one!!!
Review: Most novels, IMHO, are the same story told different ways. In THE SUNDAY WIFE, the reader is refreshened to a new story and a cast of characters very familiar but not.Pastor Ben and his wife, Dean, move to a larger church and you are behind the scenes in this book rather than in the congregation! It shows an insight on what goes on with this Pastor and his wife - their seperate life together and their life in the church. Ben's vision is a selfish one and his attitude towards his wife is appalling throughout the book. Dean becomes friends with Augusta who brings, IMHO, makes Dean stronger than she ever was before. An amazing read - a powerful one and one that should be read and savored.
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Summary: Cassandra King shows a lot of promise as a writer
Review: But this book fell a bit short of what I think she's capable of doing at her best. The plot involves a woman (Dean Lynch) unhappily married to a Methodist minister (Ben Lynch). As the story begins, Dean is alone and moving to a trailer in a small town on the Gulf Coast where nobody will think to look for her. Immediately after this scene, the book returns to an earlier time, when Dean and Ben are arriving at their new church in the panhandle of Florida. Ben is ambitious and not sure that his wife (who he keeps telling her came from a white trash background) is going to behave well enough for him to achieve his ambitions in the Methodist Church. Dean is quickly befriended by a top-of-the-social-ladder woman, Augusta Holderfield, who Ben is anxious to bring back to his church. But this woman is a bit impulsive and emotional, and Ben quickly begins to disapprove of her and fear her growing influence on Dean -- as well he ought. Through her friendship with the Holderfields, Dean begins to blossom and Ben does not approve. As events unfold, there is both tragedy and liberation for Dean. This is a very well-written book with vivid characters and great dramatic scenes that beg to be made into a movie or serialized for television (with a high quality production). I think, however, that Ben is too resolutely awful -- no-one could be quite that bad, never varying into a decent moment. I think his character needed to display more complexity. The author also seems to blame the clergy when in fact there are systemic issues involved when clergy act badly -- having people want to put you on a pedastal is more than the fault of the person on the pedastal. It's a very complex problem, like a dysfunctional family. I also think the book was a bit too long, and could have lost 30-50 pages -- there were whole descriptive paragraphs that did little to add to the story that could have been removed (like the antique napkins getting used to mop up spilled coffee by a one-scene-only character), and a tightened up story would have improved the overall novel.
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Summary: The Sunday Wife Captures Contemporary Southern Life
Review: In this most recent work by acclaimed and celebrated writer Cassandra King we are introduced to the quiet world of Dean Lynch. She is married to a hum-drum minister and she feels resented by him when she doesn't hold up his standards of behavior in front of the church community. She makes fast friends with Augusta Maddox, a wealthy diva sought after by the church for their family name and reputation and there friendship leads them on a journey through the new age supernatural world of Celeste the fortune teller. But, make no mistake, this story is entrenched with issues that permeate contemporary Southern living such as, the changing ideas of marriage and divorce, gay rights, and the everchanging landscape of the people who flock to and flee from the south either in awe or disgust. And, if you think this story is good, read Making Waves In Zion her first book! I don't know where this lady came from, but I know that she knows the South and how it is today as compared to how it has been portrayed in the past. Thanks for showing us what has been sometimes swept under the rug, Mrs. King!!
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Summary: A Superb Read
Review: This book is so wonderful words can't describe it! Having been raised in the Methodist Church in South Alabama the characters were true to form and very believable. This book not only had true to life characters ,that brought on an array of emotions, but also dealt with controversial issues within the Methodist church today. I simply could not put it down! After reading the authors first novel, Making Waves in Zion I anxiously awaited for this new novel, and I was by no means disappointed! I would highly recommend this delightful book to all readers! I guarantee you won't be disappointed! I can't wait for another novel by Cassandra King!
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Summary: PAGETURNER EXPLORES SERIOUS ISSUES
Review: I found this book highly entertaining, yet provocative. The author knows how to keep the reader's attention while exploring issues that need to be heard and discussed. For example, the gay marriage issue and its place in our churches. For years, I've been appalled at the role of the minister's spouse in so many instances. Often, the spouse does as much as the one who is paid to minister, yet there are no beneifts, etc. Nonetheless, there are unlimited exectations. I think Dean's development as the novel unfolds is triumphant. I found her a believable, sympathetic character. And Augusta, in my opinion, is wealthy, beautiful, bright. In short, she could ignore the pain of homosexual couples or snub a struggling woman like Dean. But she doesn't choose that path. I found her love for the man who misused her as a young woman quite poignant. Perhaps misguided, but all too familiar a story. Hurrah for Cassandra King for encouraging "nice ladies" to take a look at the world around them. The book is skillfully written and I'd recommend it to anyone who likes a good book.
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Summary: I couldn't put it down!
Review: This book was well written, and it just drew me into it. It was a book that was out of character for me to read, as I don't usually read books set in the south for some unknown reason, but this book was so vivid in it's depiction, it drew me in. It was fascinating to watch Dean bloom with her friendship with Augusta, and have the strength to do what she did. It's a book about roles, and fufilling roles before yourself. Dean found in the end, that she was much more then a "Sunday Wife"
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Summary: Sunday Wife, Cassandra King
Review: Ms. King tells a wonderful tale, but who edited? One prime problem was regarding a woman on medication, near a mental collaspe. She took Zantac? More likely, she took Xanax. There are several errors with changing tense incorrectly and sentences that go on forever. With a story of this strength, Ms. King should track down and stomp her editor!
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Summary: as a former librarian, I highly recommend this book.
Review: my reading list has always been made up of books on the booksense selection. a lot of good books don't make the selection because it is limited to a few per month, so when i see that a book is on the list, I know it's going to be top notch fiction. you won't find romance, trivial, or fluff books on the booksense list. their books are not only well-written but also deal with important issues, which was certainly true in the case of 'the sunday wife.' i've recommended this book to all of the avid readers i know.
Rating: 
Summary: A soap opera in print
Review: This book is three-quarters soap opera topped off with one quarter of sickeningly sweet southern syrup. I say its like a soap opera in thhe way that you can watch your favorite SO once every 3 to 12 months and pick up the plot in a matter of minutes. Or you can watch it everyday and still get the same effect. The book could have benefitted from an editor cutting at least the 1st 75 pages into one or two chapters. The whole book could have easily been condensed by half. My opinion of this read: spare me the melodrama.
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