I loved Curtis Sittenfeld's debut novel, Prep. And while I wasn't thrilled when I discovered that the main character of this book was based upon Laura Bush, I remembered how brilliantly Ms. Sittenfeld crafted the coming of age story of her young protagonist in Prep. I suspected that her treatment of Laura Bush masquerading as Alice Lindgren Blackwell would be equally engaging. For the greater part of the book, I was not disappointed. An American Wife proved to be a refreshingly modern rendition of a classic American coming of age. However, the book's final chapter proved to be a bit of a let down. It seems that the author lost her focus after the main characters moved into the white house. I could barely endure the main character's laundry list of complaints and regrets about her role as first lady. It was distracting and it almost ruined a perfectly lovely book.