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    Mrs. Kimble by Jennifer Haigh

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Mrs. Kimble

Mrs. Kimble
A Novel
by Jennifer Haigh
Published in USA Feb 2003,
400 pages.

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BOOK SUMMARY

A chameleon, an enigma, all things to all women -- a lifeline to which powerful needs and nameless longings may be attached -- Ken Kimble is revealed through the eyes of the women he seduces: Birdie, his first wife, struggling to hold herself together after his desertion; second wife, Joan, a lonely, tragic heiress who sees her unknowable husband as her last chance for happiness; and Dinah, a beautiful but damaged woman half his age.


BOOK REVIEWS

Media Reviews

"The novel has sharply incisive passages, but Haigh's thin characterizations don't quite live up to the promise of the clever, intricate premise." - Publishers Weekly.

"Starred Review. The women are both weak and strong in their own ways, and the ending proves that Kimble may have done some good in spite of himself. A beautiful novel with memorable, vibrant characters that will have wide appeal." - Booklist.

"Jennifer Haigh's Mrs. Kimble focuses a laser on that most irrational of decisions - whom to marry... Though the premise seems overly schematic, the result is an affecting tale of the power of a charismatic predator and the acquiescence of his victims.... Haigh is spare and low-key, masterful at delineating the quiet but revealing moment... Mrs. Kimble can be enjoyed as a sharply observed study of three women and the same stubborn, misplaced hopes that shape their lives.

Reader Reviews

Rated 5 of 5 of 5 by Elizabeth
Quite compelling
Three wives, all three are different. Ken Kimble marries these ladies for different reasons and also leaves them. One he leaves with children and the other one he doesn't.

Despite his leaving they manage to carry on their lives.

You...   Read More



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