The Headmaster's Wife Summary and Reviews

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Cathryn Conroy

Wow! An Extraordinary Novel with a Plot Twist That Will Knock You Between the Eyes
This fast-to-read psychological thriller is the perfect book for a cool autumn evening. Light a fire and get comfortable because this novel by Thomas Christopher Greene is so riveting you won't be moving for a while.

This is an astonishing read, and about halfway through the book, the story will knock you between the eyes--and you'll never see it coming. It is an astounding and unexpected plot twist that left me in tears at the end.

Since this book is all about the plot, to tell you more than this is to give away spoilers: It is a story about Arthur and Elizabeth Winthrop. He is the headmaster at an elite Vermont boarding school. She is the headmaster's wife. The book opens as Arthur is walking naked in New York City's Central Park during a snowstorm. The police bring him in for questioning, and he explains everything. This a novel that fully celebrates the joy of love and embraces the tragedy of death and the harrowing effect both can have on the human psyche.

I first read this book in 2014. I am rereading it now because it's a selection for my book club. Knowing what happens made this second read even more powerful because I was looking for the clues.

And do note this: Even though the title makes it sound like ChickLit, it's not. Men will enjoy this as much as women.

There is only one word to describe "The Headmaster's Wife": Extraordinary.

Sherilyn

compulsively readable
I enjoyed reading this book primarily because of the writing. Beautifully written but with a great story. The story is told using the voices of the three primary characters. Each sees events that occurred in their lives through a different lens. You come to know and understand how broken/dysfunctional the three are and yet how each chooses to address and deal with the grief experienced in their life.

I loved everything about this book EXCEPT the ending. I wanted and needed greater closure.

Janis

The Headmaster' Wife
I received The Headmaster's Wife through First Impressions from Book Browse, and I have shared it with many of my reading friends. From the mysterious first chapter to the end, it kept us engaged. It reminded me of Lolita and A Perfect Mind. It made me grieve with Dick Ives. It made me sympathize with his wife. Once I finished it, because I read it quickly in less than fifteen hours, I reread it. Its remarkable twists and turns even held my interest a second time. It is beautifully written, but sad. The unraveling of lives is never a pleasant experience to watch or read, but this is a compelling story. I highly recommend it, and I have definitely become a fan of author Thomas Christopher Greene..

Alice S

Psychological novel
An accomplished storyteller, Greene knows how to write an engrossing psychological novel.It has mystery and surprises and nothing in this book is what it seems. Just when you think you know what will happen next, you realize you don't have a clue.

Judy G

The book has it all
Love, romance, rejection, betrayal, revenge, beauty, bitterness, hopelessness, intrigue . . . and the list goes on. I don't read romance novels; this novel had just enough delightful romance mixed with suspense to keep me hooked and reading as quickly as possible to the conclusion. You will enjoy this read! Well done.

Audrey C. (Canfield, OH)

The Headmaster's Wife
T. C. Greene's The Headmaster's Wife fulfills every author's dream to write a really good book. Not once in this book was there any predictable section that would make a reader shelve the read and forget about it.

Certainly, Greene's novel grips the reader as a vise page after page with with a multitude of experiences. As a reader I could not imagine where the next pages would maneuver me so I read on. Each character, Arthur and Betsy, displays abilities and inabilities for survival. What, indeed, really drives us to act and react as we do?

Toward the end of the book, Arthur and Betsy look out into the winter night. Far below "is the river, timeless and uncaring. It moves to the sea as if they were not there at all." So, too, for us in our day to day or ending phases of life's triumphs, foibles, or confusions, life moves in a timeless, uncaring manner except for those with whom we literally or figuratively hold hands! As we age we ponder to what end will our journey take us? And, Greene answers: Real courage lies in going on living when you know death is an eventuality! The book serves to give us an opportunity to see how someone else overcomes a tragedy.

...27 more reader reviews

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