I put my face in my hands and cried like an animal. Guest host lynn neary talks with robert goolrick about his first novel. Get registered and find other users who want to give their favourite books to good hands. Ralph truitt, whose family, wealthy for generations, has given the town its name, waits conspicuously at. A reliable wife, by robert goolrick the independent.
Reliable wife 9780349122366 by robert goolrick and a great selection of similar new, used and collectible books available now at great prices. But catherine land is not the woman who she appears to be, and she, like ralph, has secrets to hide. Download and read online for free a reliable wife by robert goolrick. Robert goolrick listed his six favorite books for children. When i read this book was on the best seller list i thought i would give it a try. Ralph truitt is searching for a woman to share his life with.
But this book is a fascinating read about love, loss, sex lots of sex, desire, deception, duplicity, and trust. Robert goolricks riveting debut novel is both foreboding and sensual. A reliable wife is the clever albeit annoying combination of the classic novel rebecca and the movie original sin. But when catherine land steps off the train from chicago, shes not the simple, honest woman. Erotic, brutal and very, very dark, a reliable wife is the kind of gothic novel that the bronte sisters would have written had there been no victorian sanctions against writing frankly about sex. A reliable wife ebook hennepin county library bibliocommons. But when catherine land steps off the train from chicago, shes not the simple, honest woman that ralph is expecting. But there was an ending in sight as well, an ending that would redeem the treachery ahead, justify the sacrifice, and allow her to start over yet again. But he doesnt know of her devious plan to leave wisconsin as a rich widow.
The setting is isolated, cold and creepy and the characters are wholly unpredictable. Abandoning her worldly life, traveling to a remote wisconsin town in the dead of winter, trusting her future to a man she had never met such was catherine lands new beginning. If you have not seen the movie and loved the classic novel, i think you would really enjoy a reliable wife and it would prove to be a worthwhile read. Ralph truitt has been alone in the rural wisconsin for some 20 years, since his wife and daughter died and his son left home. I didnt recommend it to my friends and donated it to a traveling library. Robert goolrick born 1948 in virginia is an american writer whose first novel sold more than. A reliable wife book central rappahannock regional. A reliable wife by robert goolrick at the best online ebook storage.
They have done bad things and have lived thoughtlessly. The main character is a very beautiful lady who is close to 30. Leslie reiner, inkwood books, tampa, fl view the list. Buy a reliable wife by robert goolrick online at alibris. Jan 26, 2010 this book is set in 1907 when a young woman answers an advertisement for a reliable wife to move to rural wisconsin and marry a lonely yet rich widower. But when catherine land steps off the train from chicago, shes not the simple, honest woman that ralph. A reliable wife is eminently readable and should delight fans of oldfashioned gothic romances. She responds to the advertisement of a wealthy, older guy who is looking for an average more like unattractive simple and reliable wife. It is a suspenseful, plot twisted story that takes place in the early american 1900s. Just last week, reading group guides blog had a terrific guest post written by three librarians about a reliable wife. He reads from his book a reliable wife in a video posted for his facebook followers to which he added, for people who cant come to a bookstore, this is what i look like and what i sound like, thanks to my friend ashraf meer. In the bitter cold, ralph truitt, a successful businessman, stands alone on a train platform waiting for the woman who answered his newspaper advertisement for a reliable wife. However, she also has memories of being with her mother at the end of the civil war she remembers being age 7ish and has a mental image of being around soldiers from the civil war. Ralph truitt, a wealthy businessman with a troubled past who lives in a remote nineteenthcentury wisconsin town, has advertised for a reliable wife.
In the winemakers wife, ines chauveaus life is turned upside down by the declaration of world war ii and the germans arrival at her husbands vineyard. Robert goolricks 2009 novel, a reliable wife, is a tense psychosexual. A reliable wife a reliable wife audiobook, by robert goolrick. Its 1907, and a wealthy wisconsin widower, ralph truitt, is waiting at the local train station for his mailorder bride to. As is so often the case with me, i picked up robert goolricks a reliable wife because the cover caught my eye note for design aficionados. Scenes from a life, algonquin books, isbn 97815651248. The woman he chooses, catherine land, describes herself as a simple, honest woman, but in truth she is both complex. Quite frankly, a reliable wife is very, very, very much not my style of book. Supersummary, a modern alternative to sparknotes and cliffsnotes, offers highquality study guides that feature detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, quotes, and essay topics. This onepage guide includes a plot summary and brief analysis of a reliable wife by robert goolrick.
A reliable wife has a little of the gothic feel of daphne dumauriers rebecca complete with a dead first wife, suspicious housekeeper, and gorgeous mansion. Its 1907, and a wealthy wisconsin widower, ralph truitt, is waiting at the local train station for his mailorder bride to arrive by rail from chicago. The other members of the book club had expected a sweet romance despite the fact that the back cover clearly states that catherine poisons ralph. A reliable wife book chicago public library bibliocommons. Apr 16, 2010 a reliable wife robert goolrick algonquin books 320 pages country businessman seeks reliable wife. Instead of making a profit from their wines, the chauveaus are expected to give their product to the germans, and while ines is prepared to do whatever it takes to get through the war with. He reads from his book a reliable wife in a video posted for his facebook followers to which he added, for. The other members of the book club had expected a sweet romance despite the fact that the back cover clearly states that.
A reliable wife book club kit hennepin county library. A reliable wife should be on your book clubs list of books to read because it would make a fantastic discussion book. I know there are lots of people that enjoy this genre even. A reliable wife robert goolrick, 2009 algonquin books of chapel hill 304 pp. It read like a harliquin romance which is not what i enjoy reading. A reliable wife robert goolrick algonquin books 320 pages country businessman seeks reliable wife. February 2009 a reliable wife opens with ralph truitt standing on a train platform on a cold winter morning waiting for a woman who had answered his ad looking for a reliable wife, a simple honest woman. A reliable wife by robert goolrick book club discussion. At the onset of a reliable wife the charactersare not good people. Find books like a reliable wife from the worlds largest community of readers.
There are madwomen, and men, aplenty here, all driven to violence and despair thanks to desires thwarted or warped beyond recognition. The above ad is the catalyst for robert goolricks a reliable wife. A reliable wife will haunt you, make you think, wish for people who have read it to be near by so you can discuss it, and never, never disappoint. Goodreads members who liked a reliable wife also liked. If you are the publisher or author of this book and feel that. Toward the end i almost stopped reading it, but it was almost like a train. Like so many women nowadays she feels the timepressure and decides to look for a potential husband. Reliable wife 9781565129771 by goolrick, robert and a great selection of similar new, used and collectible books available now at great prices. It was one of those in between books where sometimes it was imperative that. This book is set in 1907 when a young woman answers an advertisement for a reliable wife to move to rural wisconsin and marry a lonely yet rich widower. Robert goolrick, author of the new york times bestselling novel a reliable wife, reads a section of the book. However, then i read the back cover description of how this was a historical thriller about an unassuming mail bride who comes to her new husband with sinister motives. Yes, he has his housekeepers, his immense wealth, and solicitous townspeople, essentially all of whom work for him. Download for offline reading, highlight, bookmark or take notes while you read a reliable wife.
A reliable wife book snoisle libraries bibliocommons. Secrets on top of secrets, all revealed in goolricks lyrical prose in this a beautiful examination of love and regret. Set in a small wisconsin farming and manufacturing town still crumbling a decade after the depression of the 1890s, a reliable wife tells the story of ralph truitt, a wealthy businessman who advertises for a reliable wife in newspapers across america. A reliable wife book club kit omaha public library. Has a little of the gothic feel of daphne dumauriers rebeccacomplete with a dead first wife, suspicious housekeeper, and gorgeous mansion. Madness and passion in wisconsin april 26, 2009 robert goolricks new book a reliable wife spins a tale that will keep many a reader turning the pages late at night to find. Sometimes his loneliness was like a fire beneath his skin, goolrick writes. Mar 19, 2010 robert goolrick, author of the new york times bestselling novel a reliable wife, reads a section of the book.
Yet when she steps off the train she isnt the plain housekeeper he had envisaged, but a young woman with more depraved designs in mind. Advertising for a reliable wife, ralph truitt, wealthy businessman, gets more than he realizes when catherine land steps off the train. A reliable wife deserves your time to digest, enjoy, study. A reliable wife thorndike press large print core goolrick, robert on amazon.
Jul 27, 2017 a reliable wife deserves your time to digest, enjoy, study. Filled with symbolism and theme, it is one of my all time favorite books. Upon reading the opening chapters of robert goolricks debut novel, a reliable wife, you might for a moment think that youve read this one before. A reliable wife by robert goolrick, paperback barnes. In 1907, in a small wisconsin town that bears his name, ralph truitt, the wealthy owner of an iron foundry, waits on the cusp of a looming blizzard for the train carrying catherine land, his mailorder bride from chicago. Kate boyle read a reliable wife for her first ever book club book. Goolrick is a solid wordsmith, and he handily manages the impressive task of making readers care about a woman bent on coldblooded murder. Trust me, the female protagonist is not reliable in any way at all. But when catherine land steps off the train from chicago, shes not the simple, honest woman that ralph is. Goolrick is a solid wordsmith, and he handily manages the impressive task of making readers. A reliable wife by robert goolrick the new york times. But there was an ending in sight as well, an ending that would redeem the treachery ahead, justify the sacrifice, and allow her to start over. The author directly or indirectly references several classic novels by the bronte sisters, daphne dumaurier and frances hodgson burnett, among others.
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