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A Reliable Wife

3.22 of 5 stars 3.22 · rating details · 46,369 ratings · 7,799 reviews

Rural Wisconsin, 1909. 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." But when Catherine Land steps off the train from Chicago, she's not the "simple, honest woman" that Ralph is expecting. She is both complex and devious, haunted by a terribl...more

Hardcover, 291 pages

Published March 1st 2009 by Algonquin Books of Chapel Hill

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Jan 19, 2010 Amber rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

**Contains Spoilers*

I read the summary, I was intrigued. I read the critical acclaim remarks, I was impressed.

I read the book and I was... disappointed.

While there are several places where the glimmer of genius shone through the prose--a turn of phrase or a beautiful sentence--it was by far one of the most self-indulgent, masturbatory works I've ever read. The Author is far too in love with his writing to see the flaws he creates. Four pages of "He wanted?" A convoluted, illogical thought where...more

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Sep 04, 2011 Lora rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: g-hr

Actual rating: 1.5 stars generously rounded up to 2

There are some spoilers.

This novel centers around Ralph Truitt, a man who's been wronged many times — and his misfortunes are far from over. Mind you, Truitt isn't a saint, but in this reader's opinion he doesn't deserve what happens to him in this novel.
It all starts when Truitt puts an ad in the paper looking for a "reliable wife". But the women he comes to marry is anything but reliable. (She's also a faithless scheming bitch, but more on tha...more Actual rating: 1.5 stars generously rounded up to 2

There are some spoilers.

This novel centers around Ralph Truitt, a man who's been wronged many times — and his misfortunes are far from over. Mind you, Truitt isn't a saint, but in this reader's opinion he doesn't deserve what happens to him in this novel.
It all starts when Truitt puts an ad in the paper looking for a "reliable wife". But the women he comes to marry is anything but reliable. (She's also a faithless scheming bitch, but more on that later.) Catherine Land is a woman with a plan and a mission. She is to marry Ralph Truitt, then slowly poison him until he dies and she becomes sole possessor of all his possessions. After this she will reconnect with her lover, Tony Moretti. But Tony Moretti is actually Antonio Truitt, Ralph's non-biological son. (Sounds like a soap opera, doesn't it?) Catherine and Antonio (or Tony, whichever you prefer) set all of this up. You see, when Catherine saw Ralph's ad in the paper and showed it to Antonio it raised all of his old hatred for his father. He saw his father's loneliness as the perfect why to not only get back at his father but also to kill him. All he had to do was get Catherine to do his dirty work.
So, Catherine marries Ralph and soon after she is sent by Ralph to get his son back. Ironic, yes, but Ralph wants to make things up to his son and try to undo his wrongs. (Also, the author is trying to incorporate twists into this sex-filled mess called a novel.) As you can imagine, when Catherine goes to get Antonio lots of fun adultery ensues. But Antonio is also angry that Ralph isn't dead yet. So, Catherine returns to Ralph without his son and then the poisoning commences.

A Reliable Wife could've just as easily been titled The Misadventures of Harlots. Everyone has sex on the brain 24/7/365. And if they aren't thinking about sex, they're having it. It truly never ends! And none of it is sex y , either: there is adultery, rape, and even talk of sex with an unconscious partner. I don't know about you, but none of that interests me.

Catherine is probably one of the most deplorable characters I've ever read about. Among many other blunders that I won't bore you with, she deludes herself into thinking that Antonio loves her when he's clearly only using her as a means to kill his father.

Somewhere around page 140 I began to skim the hell out of this. I quickly grew tired of the endless talk of the characters getting high on opium and morphine in both their past and present and the minutiae of their endless sexual excursions and reminiscence.

The very fact that this is a #1 New York Times bestseller just reaffirms my belief that that list is crap and there's a lot of people who will forever love trash.(less)

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May 12, 2010 Dagny rated it 1 of 5 stars

I kindled this book, inspired by a stormy Friday night home alone, hoping for a romantic transportation to a Wisconsin winter a century ago. The premise is good, some fellow, (a rich rural industrialist) advertises for a reliable wife and this female character turns up much prettier than the picture she sent, but that is just the least of her deception. Anyway, on it goes, murky pasts and dramatic ongoings, but soon I found myself realizing that this book was a hollow, repetitious, skeletal fram...more

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Feb 16, 2011 Annalisa rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: book-club, historical-fiction

Halfway through this book, sick of every character having a wanton, unquenchable libido, I wanted to shout at Goolrick, "If you want some that bad, get some and then come back to the story." It wasn't raunchy or descriptive or anything like that. It was just an undertone that tainted the novel with an erotic feel. I didn't question one lustful character with a history of excessive sleeping around, but every single one was a bit much. I will give Goolrick credit that despite this being historical...more Halfway through this book, sick of every character having a wanton, unquenchable libido, I wanted to shout at Goolrick, "If you want some that bad, get some and then come back to the story." It wasn't raunchy or descriptive or anything like that. It was just an undertone that tainted the novel with an erotic feel. I didn't question one lustful character with a history of excessive sleeping around, but every single one was a bit much. I will give Goolrick credit that despite this being historical fiction and my distrust of modern authors to capture the right attitude of sex in historical fiction, I found myself believing all these characters in the shady side of town. I think Goolrick got the flavor of the era right. The characters were a little too much European-flavored tragic, but I liked that nobody was perfect and I didn't know if good or evil would prevail in them.

While Goolrick has some beautiful, poetic moments with his writing, he relies on them too heavily to tell his story instead of just telling the story. The number one rule in writing: show don't tell. I offer A Reliable Wife as exhibit A on why that rule exists. I trudged through the backstory in the first few chapters waiting for it to pick up, but even as the story took turns I didn't expect, I wasn't given actual scenes, only summaries of events and what the characters felt and what we were supposed to take away from it. When the story veered back from St. Louis I was sure Goolrick was finally going to show us something, but no. He kept on this summary and analyzation through the end of the book. The most annoying of these is the incident with the Larsens. Pretty integral characters and a rather alarming twist that is written off in a side note without much explanation. There's a whole lot of crazies going on in this small Wisconsin town that aren't really elaborated on.

At the core of the novel is a great story. I can't even tell you what it's about because it unfolds like an onion from chapter to chapter. All I can say is it starts with a woman who answers an ad in the paper for a spouse from a lonely Midwestern man, but why she answers the letter or why he sends it out is something you'll have to find out for yourself. Even when you think you know who the characters are and what they are out to achieve, they surprise you. It makes for a book you don't want to put down, even if the writing is a struggle to get through. I would love to see this done in a movie, if it were produced right.(less)

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Aug 13, 2011 The Holy Terror rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: historical-fiction, owned, color-grey, color-red, bought-02-10, disturbing, favorite-books, historical, 2010

At first I was drawn to this book because of it's apparent similarities to the movie, Original Sin, which I happen to love and think is both dark and sexy - hey, it's a guilty pleasure. This book though, is a lot different from what I originally imagined it would be. It's incredibly well-written, dark and poetic, sexy, disturbing, and sad. I was surprised at some of the twists and turns the story took and I have to say I was pleasantly misled into thinking I knew what was going on. This is one o...more At first I was drawn to this book because of it's apparent similarities to the movie, Original Sin, which I happen to love and think is both dark and sexy - hey, it's a guilty pleasure. This book though, is a lot different from what I originally imagined it would be. It's incredibly well-written, dark and poetic, sexy, disturbing, and sad. I was surprised at some of the twists and turns the story took and I have to say I was pleasantly misled into thinking I knew what was going on. This is one of those stories that I know will stay with me for a long time, but also one I'm not sure I could reread.

Ralph Truitt places an ad for a "reliable wife" in the classifieds and Catherine Land answers. He speaks to her through letters and she sends a picture and he in turn sends her a train ticket to come live with him as his wife. When she arrives she looks nothing like the picture she sent and he realizes that the woman he has brought into his life is not what she seems. But then, neither is Ralph Truitt. His past is dark and his future is uncertain - will he ever find love or any kind of release from the tedium of his life?

I enjoyed this book immensely, but this story was like driving past a car crash that you have to slow down and stare at, hoping to see something gruesome. Once I started reading I couldn't put it down and I had to know what was going to happen with the characters. Sex, love, insanity, and death are all major themes of this novel and I think the author did a fantastic job of weaving them throughout the story.

I loved the way Catherine was portrayed; she likes sex, money, reading, flowers, and good food. She's very complex and hard to read at first, but the more you get of her story, the easier it is to relate to her. I thought she was both weak and strong, loving and conniving, and an incredibly well-developed character. She struggled with her sense of self and what she thought she deserved throughout the novel. She's unique, but she's also "every woman."

Ralph on the other hand, I liked from the start, even though I don't think I was supposed to. I don't think it helped that I imagined a slightly older Clive Owen when I thought of him. Ralph had a hard life, but his main problem is he blames himself over everything bad that had happened to him. From an early age he's made to believe that he's a wicked child that will grow into a wicked man, his veins filled with a poison that will kill anything he touches. It's not until he meets Catherine, who is both a cause and relief for his pain, that he truly feels he has the right to be loved and live a full life.

Now, there's a whole other half to this novel that I can't even discuss without spoiling the surprise. Maybe I'm dense but I didn't see the twist coming. Even up to the last page I wasn't sure how things would end, and I was again surprised at how they did. The ending was satisfying and just about perfect. I look forward to reading more by this author and I hope he gets going on his next novel!(less)

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Dec 17, 2011 Ehrrin rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: completed-2010

from NPR: Best Books For A Book Club? Lynn Neary's '09 Picks:
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/st...

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Jan 20, 2010 Jessica S. rated it 1 of 5 stars · review of another edition

The story had potential, even though it's been done a hundred times. A lonely, rich man places an ad in the paper for "a reliable wife," and a beautiful, mysterious woman answers, with the hidden intent of killing him and taking his fortune.

The main problem I had with this book was the length--it could have easily been cut in half had the author not felt the need to repeat and over-elaborate on every little detail. It took an immense amount of discipline not to fast forward through every other...more

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Dec 26, 2009 Robin rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: best-of-2009, book-group-worthy

Even though I have alredy sent this, I am updating for my Best of 2009 list:

This was a terrific novel with the gothic feel of past novels such as REBECCA and the recent THIRTEENTH TALE. In 1907 Catherine Land answers an ad for a “reliable wife” to the wealthy businessman Ralph Truitt. He knows nothing of her sordid past nor does he have any idea of her plans, which is to leave rural Wisconsin a wealthy widow (in her suitcase is a small blue bottle filled with a nasty substance). But what gets in...more

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Feb 04, 2012 Edith rated it 1 of 5 stars

I picked this book up at the library because of Sara Gruen's (author of Water for Elephants) comment on the front cover- "Astonishing, complex, beautifully written, and brilliant." Okay, so I haven't read Water for Elephants yet but it's been highly recommended and I have it on my shelf. I figured if Sara Gruen was touting this book, it must be pretty good.

Oh my, it was not what I expected. I have never read those "dime a dozen" romance novels whose covers feature a beautiful woman in a fancy p...more

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Nov 20, 2012 Chana rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: american, fiction-family-drama, gothic, literature-fiction, not-for-kids

I am so good at only reading when I have time but this time I stayed up all night, I did not want to put it down, I was captivated from the very beginning and that feeling never went away. Even the ending was as good as the rest of it, and I am convinced that endings are the most difficult part of a book to write.
A lonely wealthy man in Wisconsin advertises for "a reliable wife". His ad is answered, a correspondence ensues and then she finally arrives on the train. But who is she really and what...more

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Nov 03, 2012 Liz rated it 2 of 5 stars

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. Within the first few pages of this book, I thought I was going to absolutely love it - the repetitive use & play-on of words was interesting & beautiful to me. I really liked the style of Goolrick's writing. But soon enough, it got old. All the characters had the same narrative voice, they didn't differ in any way that I noticed.
The story seemed very emotionless, even though it was about very emotional things. There were a few moments when I imagined I could feel the pain of the charact...more

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Nov 29, 2012 Joy H. rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: recommended-by-a-reader-friend, fiction

_A Reliable Wife_ by Robert Goolrick (2009 )
Added 2/21/10.

Group member, Katherine, wrote about this book: "Robert Goolrick takes the story of a mid-western businessman advertising for a wife, puts in numerous twist and turns, and gets such a suspenseful novel that I read it in a few hours. 4 Stars"

Below are some comments I posted in a thread about the book at:
http://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/7...
==================================
The plot unravels slowly. There are twists and turns which are i...more

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Jan 22, 2010 Tara Chevrestt rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: historical-fiction

They say that men think about sex approximately every seven seconds. This book mentions sex approximately every seven seconds and seeing the author is male, I no longer question the seven second theory. The storyline is a pretty good idea. Man places an ad in the paper for a reliable wife. Woman responds with hidden intentions of killing the man slowly with arsenic, making herself a wealthy widow. However, upon meeting the man's son, her plans may or may not change. The son addition may shock so...more

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Jan 09, 2010 Raya rated it 2 of 5 stars

I know they say sex sells, but this was ridiculous. If they weren’t doing the deed, they were talking about it, or thinking about it, or it was just lingering in the air somehow. That by itself didn’t make this a bad novel. It just lacked so much substance and the intrigue I was hoping for. It’s like the author relied on sex to make up for a badly executed novel.

The premise of A Reliable Wife sounded intriguing. It’s the early 1900’s. A guy puts an ad in for “a reliable wife” and, indeed, gets...more

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Aug 25, 2011 Lou rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: mystery-thriller

Beautifully written emotions of loss, love and redemption. The plot is well woven and exciting you take a step into the darkness of the heart and of their mistakes and losses of love and finding of new love and chances of redemption. You really want love to be found and the relationship to work for the two main characters but also you anticipate who will be killed off an enjoyable easy read, atmospheric set in rural Wisconsin 1907 during bitter cold snow.
http://more2read.com/?review=a-reliable-w ...more

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Mar 08, 2010 Kim H rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

A decent, engrossing read, but it's really not anything unique. It's a little bit Michael Lesy's Wisconsin Death Trip (which Goolrick cites as the inspiration), and a lot Cornell Woolrich's Waltz Into Darkness, which inspired the 2001 film Original Sin with Antonio Banderas and Angelina Jolie. If you're acquainted with any of these works, you'll be in familiar territory here.
Just cutting to the chase - the storyline is predictable and the ending a little unsettled. It's not wholly without merit...more

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Jan 24, 2011 Dorothy rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: contemporary-literature

This book was recommended to me quite some time ago by family members, but the time never seemed right to read it. This week, though, as I needed a new book and nothing on my TBR bookshelf appealed to me, I remembered this book and decided to give it a try. I'm very glad I did.

Goolrick has an almost poetic way with the language and builds suspense beautifully in this, his first, novel. It is a very gothic tale. As I was reading it, for some reason I kept thinking of Edgar Allan Poe, and the poem...more This book was recommended to me quite some time ago by family members, but the time never seemed right to read it. This week, though, as I needed a new book and nothing on my TBR bookshelf appealed to me, I remembered this book and decided to give it a try. I'm very glad I did.

Goolrick has an almost poetic way with the language and builds suspense beautifully in this, his first, novel. It is a very gothic tale. As I was reading it, for some reason I kept thinking of Edgar Allan Poe, and the poem of his that came to mind was Annabel Lee. Not that the stories that the poem and this novel tell are particularly related but the cadence of the language and the use of repetition struck me as being similar. The book also reminded me of younger (much younger) days when I used to devour the novels of Daphne du Maurier and the Bronte' sisters. This book would be right at home on a shelf with those ladies' works.

The story begins in 1907 in Wisconsin during a viciously cold winter. Indeed, the action of the novel which runs through 1908 seems to always be in winter. It is always cold and miserable, but perhaps that is just a reflection of the characters' personalities.

Ralph Truitt is a rich country businessman in Wisconsin. He has been a widower for 20 years. His life has been filled with family tragedy. For 20 years he has not felt the touch of a woman, and for 20 years, he has burned for such a touch. This book, you see, is not just a gothic novel, it is a thorough-going bodice-ripper! We are privy to all of Ralph's memories of his sexual history and his ongoing fantasies which burn with such smoldering desire that one almost expects the book to burst into flames!

At long last, Ralph decides to take steps to end his loneliness. He advertises in several newspapers for a mail order bride. His ad requests "a reliable wife. Compelled by practical not romantic reasons." But Ralph obviously is not just what his staid and discreetly worded ad implies.

He receives several responses and from them chooses Catherine Land from St. Louis. He sends his private railroad car to bring her to him. In the dead of winter.

Ah, but Catherine also is not exactly the person that she seems at first. Our two main characters are both playing roles, and it seems that one of those roles may lead to murder. I won't say more than that for you may wish to read this book and I don't want to spoil it for you. If you are up for a psychological thriller/bodice-ripper/tale of possible redemption, this might just be the book for you.

It really is a beautifully written novel that maintains the tension throughout. It's also deliciously wicked. Much of its appeal, I think, comes from its strong sense of place - a Wisconsin where winter never seems to end and where those endless winters can drive people mad with loneliness, melancholia, and desire.

Such things happen. (less)

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Apr 21, 2013 Dorothy added it

Shelves: junk

Read, read, skim skim skim, read, skim skim, read, skim read. Oh dear. I found this book hilarious, which is certainly not what the author intended. Enough already after ten pages. I get the point: the guy is damaged and lonely. Enough already about snow, enough already about libraries, enough already about oysters and champagne. Even enough already about sex. Could never have imagined sex scenes could be this boring and repetitious.

Sorry for any spoilers that follow, but I couldn’t care less.

...more

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Jan 26, 2011 Kelly rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

What Catherine Land did not realize that the enigmatic and lonely Ralph Truitt had a plan of his own.

Is it just me, or did Ralph axe her after the book was over? For someone who struck me as a

Catherine did not get what was coming to her. Perhaps I missed it. But besides repetitive story telling, this was what irked me the most.

And woah Nelly Time Out NY. I'm no authority on 'Hitchcock,' but this is a hell of crap example of 'weighty.' Perhaps my view of Ralph as an egocentric hyper-sexualiz...more

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Apr 08, 2009 Jackie rated it 4 of 5 stars

Recommended to Jackie by: April 2009 IndieNext list

Shelves: work-review-related-reading

This book, the #1 IndieNext list pick for April 2009, is an infinite loop of love turning to hate and hate turning to love and what all that kinetic passion does to the people who experience it. Set mainly in rural Wisconsin in the depths of the winter of 1907, this is a story of a wealthy man and his mail-order bride at it's very basic root. Both of these people have dark histories that they are trying to forget--or are they? They are strangers to each other--or are they? All that is true in th...more

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Jan 21, 2010 Denise rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: work-related-reading

I read this novel in one day, my first novel of 2010, and I could not put it down. It is the type of novel that gets under your skin and is difficult to shake for several days. It was a unique story, the characters were extremely compelling, and the atmosphere was very dark and Gothic. If this novel was ever made into a movie, I would expect it to be set in perpetual snow and gray fog.

Other reviewers here have set forth the main story here so I won't reiiterate it. I agree with those who said t...more

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Dec 07, 2008 Laura rated it 5 of 5 stars

A Reliable Wife by Robert Goolrick,

ISBN 9781565125964, Algonquin Books

$23.95, March 2009

With A Reliable Wife, Robert Goolrick has given us a rare treat, a story so good we are loathe to start another book for fear it will fail utterly in comparison.

It is 1907 and Ralph Truitt is seeking a wife. Catherine Land is the woman who answers his call. In the midst of a swirling snowstorm, she steps off of the train and into his life. She is not what he expected. Nor is he as naïve as she had hoped....more

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Apr 18, 2009 Sarah rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: adult-fiction, historical, suspense

I waited two days from the time I finished this to update my review. In all seriousness, I could not decide between three and four. I couldn't figure out if I loved it or liked it.

There were certain parts that I thought warranted five stars, but others that I simply didn't care for. The opening scene of Ralph Truitt waiting for the train, with the whispering town all around him was so evocative, desperate, and beautiful. The parts in St. Louis after Catherine Land found Truitt's son dragged on...more

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Jan 13, 2011 Valerie rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: historical-fiction

This was not really what I expected this story to be... the repetitive phrases, continuously rehashing incidents, and sex sex sex!! Don't get me wrong... I don't mind a little sex in a story... but the author can't go 2/3 pages without mentioning sex in some capacity or other. Became quite boring to me, actually. I almost put the book down after the first 11 pages because of all the repetitive phrasing ("The train was late"... how many times did he REALLY need to say that to get the point across...more

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Jan 21, 2010 Heather rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

This book gets three stars for being well-written, but as far as my actual enjoyment of it, this would be more like a two-star read. I was expecting something fabulous, especially since Borders is currently pimping the hell out of this book. There’s a huge display for it at the front of the store, copies of it at every checkout, and if that’s not enough, one employee even recommended it to me as I was browsing. Sadly enough, I had already been sucked in by the display on a previous visit, so I w...more

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Mar 18, 2010 Heather rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: historical-fiction

Wow. This story was really…..different. I felt conflicted the whole time I was reading it. One minute enjoying it, the next not so much. I knew going into this that it was going to be a dark story. I had read a few reviews beforehand and knew that some people thought it was gratuitous and raunchy. Yeah. There is a HUGE sex theme running throughout the story. And I’m not talking about sweet romance kinda lovin’. It’s raw, in your face, raunchy, and even creepy at times. I thought it was too much,...more

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Jun 01, 2009 Carol rated it 4 of 5 stars

5 star writing, 4 star plot...
A truly compelling debut, this psychological read will stay with me for a long time. Highly sensuous and filled with brooding passion, there are many passages I could write in a journal and keep but to quote them here reveals too much of the story. Desire, passion, obsession are all themes that are explored beautifully. Goolrick can write. He knows that erotica is not just about the sex.

Set against the chilling landscape of early 1900's Wisconsin, Goolrick's story...more 5 star writing, 4 star plot...
A truly compelling debut, this psychological read will stay with me for a long time. Highly sensuous and filled with brooding passion, there are many passages I could write in a journal and keep but to quote them here reveals too much of the story. Desire, passion, obsession are all themes that are explored beautifully. Goolrick can write. He knows that erotica is not just about the sex.

Set against the chilling landscape of early 1900's Wisconsin, Goolrick's story is haunting. Ralph Truitt, the wealthy owner of an iron foundry, seeks a new wife and bedmate 20 years after the death of his first wife. That relationship alone is complicated and draws much of who Ralph Truitt is. Catherine Land, a woman with a questionable past, answers his ad and in the opening scenes is on a train to meet the man who will become her husband. Each of the main characters harbors secrets that twist the story with wrenching intensity. Both Truitt and Catherine have agendas, his to have Catherine find his son and Catherine's to become a rich widow. Shortly after the wedding, Truitt sends Catherine to St. Louis on a mission to bring his long-estranged son home. This is where the real story begins. Sounds simple, but it surely is not.

There's a murder plot, affairs, lying, lust, evil, suspense and love in this well told story. So what keeps me from giving Reliable Wife 5 stars? Though most of the book is pitch perfect and tightly written, I did find a small portion of the story tedious and caught myself saying, get on with it. I did not like part of the wrap-up but without adding a spoiler I'll have to leave that for book discussion. The ending line was superior!

Reread for book group April 2011
Our library book group (all women) found Reliable Wife disturbing, and haunting. They felt the characters were flawed, but that Goolrick wrote them beautifully. Some thought setting was as important as the story but others thought story was much stronger. My personal opinion was that this was a story of revenge and redemption but several in the group only saw the revenge and no resolution. Reading a bit about Goolrick's background seemed to give insight to his debut. All in all the group were glad they read it, were left with many questions about the motiviation of the characters and would like to read what Goolrick writes next.

The reread for me only made my liking of the book stronger. Many in our group would not recommend it to a friend. I definitely would.

(less)

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Jun 15, 2011 Valerie rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: favorites

Ralph Truitt, a wealthy business man in turn of the century Wisconsin, has everything a man could want – power, respect, money, prestige – everything but love. Overcome by his need for companionship, he places a newspaper ad for a “reliable wife,” - a simple, honest woman. Catherine Land answers his ad and the deception begins, for all is not as it appears. Catherine is plagued by her own demons, her own past, and her own ambitions. However, while plotting to poison her new husband and become we...more

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May 07, 2009 Cynthia rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: books-read-in-2009

No one is quite who they seem in this book. But they learn and become themselves or a better version of themselves through dreaming a better future, loving one another, and forgiving themselves and one another for their foibles. Foible is too trite a word for how they bang into one another. Like so many recent books these are wounded, wounding people BUT they actually grow up! They're not perfect and you feel they'll hurt one another again though hopefully build on what they've learned. This is...more

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Jun 04, 2009 Sara rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: fiction

This book builds slowly, establishing characters and situations and gradually introducing layers of complexity to the story and its inhabitants. Goolrick’s writing is gripping, keeping the reader drawn to the page while the story inches deliberately forward.

The desperation of the people in this isolated settlement is shown through the stories of rampant and sudden madness that overtakes them in the depths of the interminable winters. Everyone in this story is desperate somehow – for love, for f...more

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What did you think of this book? (_A Reliable Wife_) The plot? The writing style? (No spoilers, please.)	94	390	May 13, 2013 02:33pm
A Reliable Wife--Reference to another book	2	50	Feb 22, 2013 09:55am
Gone Girl	3	61	Jul 30, 2012 05:12am
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About Robert Goolrick

Robert Goolrick was born in a small town in Virginia and attended John Hopkins University.

Fired after 30 years in the advertising business, Goolrick wrote his memoir, The End of the World as We Know It: Scenes from a Life. A Reliable Wife is his first novel.

Goolrick currently lives in New York City.

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Books by Robert Goolrick

The End of the World as We Know It: Scenes from a Life

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Trivia About A Reliable Wife

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Quotes from A Reliable Wife

“Learning became her. She loved the smell of the book from the shelves, the type on the pages, the sense that the world was an infinite but knowable place. Every fact she learned seemed to open another question, and for every question there was another book.” — 51 people liked it

“If love drove people mad, what would lack of love do?” — 25 people liked it

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A Reliable Wife

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