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Army Wives: The Unwritten Code of Military Marriage
by
Tanya Biank
Army Wives goes beyond the sound bites and photo ops of military life to bring readers into the hearts and homes of today's military wives.
Biank tells the story of four typical Army wives who, in a flash, find themselves in extraordinary circumstances that ultimately force them to redefine who they are as women and wives. This is a true story about what happened when real...more
Biank tells the story of four typical Army wives who, in a flash, find themselves in extraordinary circumstances that ultimately force them to redefine who they are as women and wives. This is a true story about what happened when real...more
Paperback, 288 pages
Published
May 29th 2007
by St. Martin's Griffin
(first published February 7th 2006)
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Quite honestly, I bought this because it’s the book the Lifetime TV series “Army Wives” is based upon. It was pure research (with a heavy dose of envy thrown in). I had one of those “if SHE can turn her book into a TV series, so can I, dammit!” moments. I had wrongly assumed Tanya Biank was a first time author who got lucky while I, an English major with dozens of published books to my credit, toiled away in obscurity.
Boy, was I wrong. It turns out Biank is a reporter based in Fayetteville, NC w...more
Boy, was I wrong. It turns out Biank is a reporter based in Fayetteville, NC w...more
I read this book because I am a Military Brat and a vet. It confirmed what I already knew. There are people in the military (just like in the civilian world) who have no morals. I remember the guys who couldn't wait to go on temporary duty so they could cheat on their wives and I remember the wives who couldn't keep their pants on while their husband was away defending his country for a few months. Statistically military, cops, and miners have the highest divorce rates of any professions; it is...more
This book spurred a popular tv series and I read it b/c I am writing a book and a colleague of mine knows the author quite well. And, well, a new author can use all the advice she can get, and if you are about to seek advice from an acclaimed author you better have read her book!
The subject matter is up my alley, but the jacket alludes to things lurid that never quite materialize and for some reason that kind of leaves me wanting. In this instance, truth is not stranger than fiction. Biank has...more
The subject matter is up my alley, but the jacket alludes to things lurid that never quite materialize and for some reason that kind of leaves me wanting. In this instance, truth is not stranger than fiction. Biank has...more
Dec 03, 2012
Andrea Lynne
rated it
1 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Recommends it for:
A Lawyer
Recommended to Andrea by:
Ms. Biank
Since I am one of the women/characters in the book I can tell you what a disappointment ~ how inaccurate most of the story is on a personal level. I was never allowed to edit, have access to the narrative or even confirm some of the factual nature, let alone get a clue to the slant Ms. Biank took insinuating certain aspects of my views, family, friends or personality. This book was obviously written to be immediately marketed for a dramatic television series therefore the creative non-fiction st...more
I don’t watch TV so never saw the show “Army Wives.” I was searching for a book to fulfill a reading challenge for an online book group, and this title popped up. I thought it was going to be a sort of chick-lit romance. It’s not what I expected … it’s MUCH better.
This is a nonfiction account of four women married to men stationed at Fort Bragg NC. It covers two years beginning in Dec 2000 in the lives of these families. But what happens has ramifications for the military and for the entire Ame...more
This is a nonfiction account of four women married to men stationed at Fort Bragg NC. It covers two years beginning in Dec 2000 in the lives of these families. But what happens has ramifications for the military and for the entire Ame...more
Picked it up because of the show based on this. The show is a far stretch from this book, most things are totally different. I rated this ok based on the book alone. The author claims to want to dispel some of the average stereotypes of Army wives, yet she feeds into others. This is a very "Go Army" type book, you'd almost think the Army was the only branch of military in the country at times. On the flip side, male spouses are virtually left out of everything as well.
The stories about the wive...more
The stories about the wive...more
So I didn't really read the synopsis of this book before borrowing it. As I'm in the midst of planning to become an Army wife myself, I was looking for something interesting on the topic, and the title plus the picture on the front (soldier and bride kissing under the saber arch) seemed to be what I wanted. Truthfully, I was thinking it would be a little sweet, a little gossipy, and sortof like a slightly-more-serious version of the TV show Army Wives.
I. Was. So. Wrong. The book starts off with...more
I. Was. So. Wrong. The book starts off with...more
I picked up Under the Sabers because I knew it was the inspiration for the TV show Army Wives.
Under the Sabers is a non-fiction book that follows four Army wives stationed at Fort Bragg the two years prior to the shocking summer in which four Army wives were murdered within a 6 month period. The author does a great job in showing how the Army affects marriages and the role that it plays in a family without condemning the military.
I was afraid, starting the book, that the moral of the story wou...more
Under the Sabers is a non-fiction book that follows four Army wives stationed at Fort Bragg the two years prior to the shocking summer in which four Army wives were murdered within a 6 month period. The author does a great job in showing how the Army affects marriages and the role that it plays in a family without condemning the military.
I was afraid, starting the book, that the moral of the story wou...more
Jul 17, 2010
Lana
rated it
5 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Recommends it for:
any military spouses
I am an army wife and army brat. I watch the tv show but the book is completely different. Yes, there are some parallels, but it's more compelling to read the actual stories. I don't like the speculation she puts into certain conversations but I enjoyed the actual stories of the women she interviewed. I especially liked quizzing my husband on certain landmarks in Fayetteville and Bragg, ie Bragg Blvd where he blew $800 at a strip club, and how no one really dared go into the Green Beret Bar. All...more
I picked up this book because I love the show army wives, which I was told was based off of this book. I can see parallels and storylines, but honestly, don't pick this up for that reason alone. This book is a first person narrative by a journalist who was covering the rash of murders and murder suicides at Fort Bragg. She decided that she needed to dig deeper into the lives of army wives to understand what might have lead to the situations she was writing about, and started an oral history proj...more
As a new Army wife, I thought maybe this would be an interesting and educational read. Although I admit I was worried it would be a trashy read b/c I knew the tv show Army Wives had been loosely based off the book. Thankfully, it wasn't trashy. Biank definitely gives an insight into Army life for families and wives that most civilians aren't even aware of.
With recreated conversations and situations, the book reads more like a novel than a piece of journalism, thus making it an easy read. By "eas...more
With recreated conversations and situations, the book reads more like a novel than a piece of journalism, thus making it an easy read. By "eas...more
Having been a Navy Wife this story rang so true to how it is to be a military wife. I knew this was the book that the tv show Army Wives was based on but I didn't know it was about the Fort Bragg killings too. Its a little different than the show but you can figure out who is being portrayed on tv even though the names are different. I couldn't believe how this turned out to be a tear jerker for me halfway through the book. Be aware there is a long prologue/intro at the begining. The story is ba...more
After watching the TV show, Army Wives, I learned that it was based on this book and got curious. It was fun picking out the characters in this that the TV characters are based upon. This definitely had more of a non-fiction vibe...that is, there are some non-fiction books that read like a novel and some that don't, and I'd say this was pretty in the middle, style-wise. It was also grittier, since it focused on four murders and not the family dynamics that the TV show seems to be about. I did en...more
Wow, the life of an Army Wife is hard, difficult and lonely. You watch tv and movies it they romanticize it sometimes. Then you read this book and learn more about the murders that took place and your realize that it is a hard life that I don't think anyone grows up and decides they want this life. It happens and you have to be strong. The only problem I had while reading this book was that I felt there were too many people that I was sometimes mixing up the stories. Other than that I felt it to...more
I read this book initally because I enjoyed the television series. It was nothing like the series though and very disappointing really!
It is written by journalist Tanya Biank after a seires of 4 murders carried out on an army base "Fort Bragg" in America over the course of one Summer. It tells the story of the wives of the army officers over the course of a year, and they're eventual deaths at their husbands hands.
It was Ok but I did find it a bit sickly sweet at times, the discriptions of the f...more
It is written by journalist Tanya Biank after a seires of 4 murders carried out on an army base "Fort Bragg" in America over the course of one Summer. It tells the story of the wives of the army officers over the course of a year, and they're eventual deaths at their husbands hands.
It was Ok but I did find it a bit sickly sweet at times, the discriptions of the f...more
Jun 30, 2012
Nena
rated it
4 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
womens-reads,
2012-reads
Audiobook Version:
This author gives a good insight on family life within the confines of an Army base, more specifically Fort Bragg, Fayetteville, North Carolina. It also focuses on the 2002 murders of four wives at Fort Bragg by their army husbands who had just returned from deployment in Afghanistan.
For a more in-depth analysis of this book and the relationship between the people in this book and the characters in the Lifetime TV show, Army Wives, there are dozens of reviews here and on Amazo...more
This author gives a good insight on family life within the confines of an Army base, more specifically Fort Bragg, Fayetteville, North Carolina. It also focuses on the 2002 murders of four wives at Fort Bragg by their army husbands who had just returned from deployment in Afghanistan.
For a more in-depth analysis of this book and the relationship between the people in this book and the characters in the Lifetime TV show, Army Wives, there are dozens of reviews here and on Amazo...more
I checked this book out so I could understand a show that was called "Army Wives" on lifetime. I knew the show was based on the book. So finally had checked it out to read it.
When I started reading the book. Tanya Banks starts by tell you about herself in terms of telling you a little of what going on around her and her breaking the news. She goes to a army post to get her reports and tell you about what going on. She also introduces four army wives and families.
Each family is tell their own sto...more
When I started reading the book. Tanya Banks starts by tell you about herself in terms of telling you a little of what going on around her and her breaking the news. She goes to a army post to get her reports and tell you about what going on. She also introduces four army wives and families.
Each family is tell their own sto...more
I read this book because my husband met the sister of the author. And honestly, the tv show is one of our guilty pleasures (that we try to hide from friends....). The show has just enough authenticity to keep us watching the silliness.
I can't really write out a good review of the book, because I'm torn. On one hand, it was a fairly good representation of some of the "quirks" about Army life. (obviously not the murders--I'm talking about other things) But even though the author was raised in the...more
I can't really write out a good review of the book, because I'm torn. On one hand, it was a fairly good representation of some of the "quirks" about Army life. (obviously not the murders--I'm talking about other things) But even though the author was raised in the...more
First off, let me say this very clearly: This is NOT the book of the TV series. A lot of people seem to think it is; the TV series is loosely based on this book. If you've seen the series you will be able to recognize aspects of the characters from these real women, but it's important to remember that they are not the same.
This non-fiction book, written by a journalist living in the area who grew up an Army brat, gives an interesting insight into the reality of Army life from the wives' viewpoin...more
This non-fiction book, written by a journalist living in the area who grew up an Army brat, gives an interesting insight into the reality of Army life from the wives' viewpoin...more
I loved this book, although it is nothing like the show Army Wives, which I love as well, and while there is nothing new in the book that I don't all ready know as an Army Wife, Tanya Biank wrote a book in such a way that she really defines what it takes to be a military wife. The Fort Bragg murders were very sad and very real, and hopefully, resources for families have been upgraded and changed for a better quality of life for those who risk their lives by putting their life on the line for our...more
A very interesting case study of four real-life Army wives, who were used as the basis for developing the characters in the TV series. I think perhaps I may have robbed the book for what it originally was since I have been an avid viewer of the show, and can identify where scenarios, and sometimes direct lines, have been drawn. I found myself very much wondering how closely the show plans on following these very real women, which creates some level of disappointment as I am unable to read the bo...more
I've confirmed my assumption that I would absolutely hate this life. I haven't seen the TV show they made of the book, but I'm guessing there's less emphasis on the whole "oh, and your husband may well kill you" factor (at least I hope so). It's not clear to me why this should be the organizing principle of the book, unless it's a private fear of Biank's, who's an Army wife herself: despite one ugly summer in Fort Bragg, you're not actually LIKELY to be murdered, although you ARE likely to have...more
This was recommended to me by one of my Army wife girlfriends, ans she felt it was amazing and should be read by all. I didn't realize the Lifetime series was based on a book that was based on the lives of actual women... as a non-fiction book, I found it a much more interesting story. I think you'd almost have to live that life to feel it as deeply as my girl did. Forgive me, but only two of my military spouse girlfriends were not active duty at one time themselves, and it is definitely a diffe...more
It is with great reluctance that I mark this book as "read." I couldn't really get into it. I'm a huge fan of the Lifetime series, and was eager to read the book that inspired the show. I'm sad to say I was very disappointed, not because the book wasn't based on the same characters (as the show is, of course, fiction) but because of the style of the book. Even taking into account that the author was a reporter, and making allowances for that style of writing, I simply wasn't able to convince mys...more
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This book brought to mind another favorite author of mine, Ann Rule. Tanya Biank writes with the same humanity and attention to detail as Rule; but without cluttering up the story with mundane details like some writers do. This is the fascinating story of four very different Army wives and their ability to cope with military life. An especially interesting read if you are a military wife but would probably appeal to just about anyone.
Book club book. Not the one to read if you're husband is deployed.
It was well-researched and put together carefully, knowledgeably, and respectfully by a former (current?) newspaper reporter. (So she ought to know what she's doing.) A bit depressing. I gave it 2 stars as A Book plus a 3rd star because, as a military wife, there were details that were especially interesting to me that may not intrigue or entertain a non-military reader.
It was well-researched and put together carefully, knowledgeably, and respectfully by a former (current?) newspaper reporter. (So she ought to know what she's doing.) A bit depressing. I gave it 2 stars as A Book plus a 3rd star because, as a military wife, there were details that were especially interesting to me that may not intrigue or entertain a non-military reader.
So the downsides were that I didn't enjoy the journalistic style of this journalist-turned-author--too choppy and occasionally sensationalized. I also felt she exhibited a bias towards officers and their spouses. On the upside, this was not a cheesey, feel good book and I really (surprisingly) related to a good bit of the content. I thought that since this was the kernel that began Army Wives, the show, it might be stupid, but nope, most of it was really quite absorbing.
this book quite literally got me through my first deployment. While I was home and constantly moping, not doing any of the things that made me happy, he was in "rocket city" (very appropriate nick name). A military foundation sent me several books to "ease the pain of being alone". So, i began to read. It was like all of my feelings were right there on the page. They made it through, and I realized I could too.
Oct 07, 2008
Jennifer
rated it
4 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Recommends it for:
Anyone who has a spouse or significant other in the Military & for anyone who enjoys "Army Wives"
I am a HUGE fan of Lifetime's "Army Wives," and have wanted to read this book for quite a while now. I am glad that I did. Being a former Military significant other, I was able to relate to these women's stories and the whole story in a way I probably would not have been able to otherwise.
*Contains a Spoiler*
As for how the book relates to the TV Show, the characters in the book and not specifically based on any one character in the show. Several of the characteristics of the characters in the b...more
*Contains a Spoiler*
As for how the book relates to the TV Show, the characters in the book and not specifically based on any one character in the show. Several of the characteristics of the characters in the b...more
I really liked this book. I started to read it because I am a big fan of the show. Parts of this book had me in tears and everytime we watch the show (although they are not the same) there are parts that are. I would definitly recommend this book to Military Wives...my boyfriend is in the Army so he was helping me with things that I couldn't understand.
But a really good book!
But a really good book!
| topics | posts | views | last activity | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Book vs. TV Series | 1 | 5 | Feb 17, 2010 07:41pm |
