March 2023 Book of the Month Club---Pretty Little Wife

[verna davies]

gilmargl .So your still a bit unsure if you liked the book or not. Maybe a second reading will help you decide...go on I dare you.

Seriously, your right about it being badly written, so many unbelievable parts that couldn't happen, too many unpleasant characters that were difficult to relate to and an investigating officer who really justified the killing of to men albeit terrible men.

 

[rubysmama]

gilmargl : Not at all surprised you hated Pretty Life Wife. But you got her name wrong. Lila, not Lisa.

 

[misty8723]

I don't really like murder mysteries, but this one sounded like it might be interesting since it started out with us knowing who the killer was but the body was missing. I was able to borrow it from the library, so I thought I'd give it a try. Like others have said, it's not very well written and none of the characters were well developed or very likeable. I can see why Lila would want to do something to protect the girls based on what happened with her father and feeling responsible. I can also see her wanting to be rid off her narcissist pedaphile husband. However, I don't know why she thought the best way to deal with the situation was to kill him and hope someone would find the tape and think it was a suicide. I guess it was a pretty clever way to do it, though. I was a bit curious what happened to the body, so I did finish reading it. I was somewhat suspicious of the brother-in-law because of the way he was behaving (a bit over the top), and I figured the missing girls were involved somehow because of continually bringing them up, but I wasn't suspecting the disgusting way it turned out. Pretty coincidental that she was able to accidentally kill the brother-in-law right before the cop (forget his name) showed up. I guess Ginny just gave up trying to get her convicted because of the "hero" status and whatnot, but that was disappointing. Even more disappointing was the fact that she inheirated the millions and it didn't seem to bother her how they had come to get those millions. Yes, she used some of it for some kind of organization, but I think I would have used all of it to help the victims of pedaphiles. I would give it one star because I did finish reading it

 

[rubysmama]

Oh, I forgot she inherited the millions. Yeah, just another thing to make her unlikable.

 

[verna davies]

I forgot about the money too. It seems we all so far have nit connected with the characters and in particular Lila.

 

[pearl99]

I'm not gong to get it read, too many books to get read! But I have April's book and will definitely read that.

 

[verna davies]

A couple more days to the end of discussion time. How are you doing laureen227 A Aldel . Have you had a chance to finish the book, if not you can always comment on what you have read so far, doesnt have to be anything lengthy. Shame you haven't had the time to read it pearl99 but not too worry, there's next month's book

 

[Aldel]

Sorry, I finished reading it, but’ve forgotten to post the review
So, here is my take on the book( and apologies about the limited volcabularly - I‘m not a native speaker):
I really enjoyed it and sympathised with the main character till the end.
I cannot imagine what it was like for her to discover the truth about her father, followed by a suicide of her mother. And whats worse -she got blamed for assisting him Society can be so blind and so cruel at times. No wonder that as the aftermath she learnt to rely on herself only and trust no one. And why wouldn‘she? Where were those help and support when she needed them most?

Unfortunately she carried all these pain and unresolved issues inside for years.
And then she discovered her husband‘‘s „hobby“.
The bastard knew exactly what it would mean to her and he was right. So, he had to go, although I agree-the way she choose to get rid of him looked a bit bizarr ( i.e., Too many things could go wrong).
Then there was the brother-in-law… I hoped until the end he would be a „good guy“, although he seemed artificially perfect, but no… I was was wrong and so was Lila.
So, she killed him in self-defence, and this is the least he deserved. Well done, Lila!
And somehow, I do not have a problem with her inheriting millions, a half of which she already put in tusts for the victims of brother-in-law and counselling for those abused by her husband.

I only wish (and here I am in agreement with Ginny) that Lila uses some of this money to seek help for herself and to finally really leave her past behind.
But the chance of it seems to be very slim
The last sentences („she was *in charge*) made my heart sink… Looks like Jarred and Aaron were only the beginning and in the future she would struggle even less to take the law in her own hands. And I can only pray it would be for a good reason

 

[verna davies]

Isn't it strange that two people can read the same book and have a completely difficult perspective on it. A Aldel you saw a different side to Lila, her childhood experiences shaping her character as an adult and I can understand her disgust for her husband when she found out his secret. I suspect that if people hadnt blamed her along with her father years ago then maybe she would have gone to the law enforcement to punish him instead of taking it into her own hands. It was good to read a different view of the book...food for thought.

 

[rubysmama]

Interesting review, A Aldel . I think, for me, the fact that she planned and murdered her husband, made me lose any sympathy I might have had for her. Maybe if I'd felt her life was in danger, as it was with the brother-in-law, I would have felt differently. But she continued to live with him for weeks before putting her plan in play, so she must not have felt threatened. I wonder if the author had written things differently, if that would have changed my opinion. I don't doubt, though, that reliving what happened with her father affected both her thinking and actions.
Your English is excellent, btw, A Aldel .

 

[Aldel]

Thank you, rubismama, and I can see your point about the calculated murder of her husband
My take on it is that due to her lack of trust to people and being let down by the family anf society in the past she did not trust the police to do their job effectively.( After all, there was not too much success in finding the missing women).
Its shame that Ginny „happened“ in her life too late. If they met earlier-who knows… (But it could also be that with all the clever planning by her brother-in-law, he could have gotten away with by planting the evidence and throwing his brother under the bus. But, to be fair, his involvement was unknown to Lila until she murderd her husband).

I guess, the main reason for Lila‘s action was that she took het husband‘s actions as a betrayal. He knew what agony his pedophile actions would cause her, and not only didnt he care-he found it amusing. She had to deal with the agony of re-living the past and the realisation of being married to a serial killer on her own. And this time she just could not let it go.

And I agree that if she received support after her father’s death - she might have acted differently. But then, she probably wouldn‘t marry someone like Aaron at the first place

So, thank you, everyone, for the recommendation and the discussion

 

[rubysmama]

Hey fellow March book of the month readers, still a few days left, if you have anything more to add about Pretty Little Wife.

Then in April we're reading Agatha Christie's The Murder of Roger Ackroyd, so hope you'll consider joining us.
April 2023 Book Of The Month Club - The Murder of Roger Ackroyd

And if you haven't seen the May thread yet, please check it out when you have a chance. And vote for the book you think we should read.
May 2023 Book of the Month Club - Poll - Vote for 1 of 3 books

 

[verna davies]

Another discussion time comes to an end. Thank you all for joining in and sharing your views on the book. Hope to see you again next month with the chosen book.

The Murder of Roger Ackroyd (Hercule Poirot, #4)

Considered to be one of Agatha Christie's greatest, and…

www.goodreads.com

 

[laureen227]

I was having major computer issues, so was unable to post my review. I actually enjoyed the book, even though I had little sympathy with the protagonist. I always like it when the end surprises me in a mystery, and I was definitely surprised! I like trying do determine the ending - it's the main reason I enjoy reading mysteries!

 

[rubysmama]

Glad to see you enjoyed Pretty Little Wife, laureen227 . Since you like mysteries, will you be joining us in reading April's book, The Murder of Roger Ackroyd?

 

[laureen227]

Glad to see you enjoyed Pretty Little Wife, laureen227 . Since you like mysteries, will you be joining us in reading April's book, The Murder of Roger Ackroyd?

Yes - I've read it many times, but went ahead and repurchased it for Kindle to refresh my memory!

 

[rubysmama]

Yes - I've read it many times, but went ahead and repurchased it for Kindle to refresh my memory!

Excellent! It will be my first time reading it, and looking forward to starting it.

 

[mani]

I'm rereading it. It's one of my favourite whodunnits.