Revenge of the Middle-Aged Woman

Starred review from December 23, 2002
Living wisely is the best revenge for a London book review editor who loses both husband and job to her conniving assistant in this sophisticated and satisfying novel. Rose Lloyd is in her late 40s and has been happily married for 25 years when Minty, her "glossy free-ranging" young assistant, brusquely shoulders her aside. Husband Nathan, who is a deputy editor at the same newspaper, is decent and remorseful, but determined to start a new life, and Rose must pick up the pieces—which she does with commendable energy and resolve. Sidestepping the conventional wife-gets-even plot, Buchan opts for a more believable examination of one intelligent woman's midlife coming-of-age. With wry insight, Rose reflects on her affair with former lover Hal, a roving travel author, and her later happy life with Nathan and their children, Poppy and Sam, who are now embarking on their own marital journeys. Readers will appreciate the way Rose gets through the grief with admirable zest—"For anyone's information, the healing quotient of getting without difficulty into a black lace body embroidered with tiny butterflies is high"—and discovers "If becoming older meant loss... then it also gave back something unexpected." (Feb. 10)Forecast:British writers of women's fiction continue to hit the ball out of the park. Buchan's novel—a bestseller in England—promises to rival in popularity Allison Pearson's
I Don't Know How She Does It. The sour-sounding title won't help, but Buchan's story is anything but bitter and should generate excellent word of mouth. Five-city author tour.

April 7, 2003
Audio reviews reflect PW's assessment of the audio adaptation of a book and should be quoted only in reference to the audio version. Fiction REVENGE OF THE MIDDLE-AGED WOMAN Elizabeth Buchan, read by Jean Gilpin. HighBridge, unabridged, eight CDs, 10 hrs., $34.95 ISBN 1-56511-751-4 Buchan's latest novel finds the carefully managed life of 48-year-old Rose Lloyd, a successful book review editor, turned upside down. First, her husband of 25 years announces he's leaving Rose for her own sexy assistant. Next, insult is added to injury: Rose is fired from her job and replaced by none other than the woman who broke up her marriage. Buchan lends a compelling emotional depth to her main characters, seamlessly merging Rose's struggle to rise above the betrayal, shock and fear of middle-aged "invisibility" with flashbacks to her youth, recollections of her first love to a now famed travel writer, memories of family vacations and her grown kids' childhood. With extensive stage and theater work to her credit, and incorporating myriad voices to the diverse cast, Gilpin makes the book's transition to a 10-hour unabridged audio format exceptionally smooth. Narrating mostly in a proper British accent, which perfectly suits Rose's "delight in domesticity" and enhances the book's dry, slightly askew sense of humor, Gilpin also captures the outrage of Rose's son and daughter (both of whom have their own relationship issues), the American drawl of her old flame (who makes an unexpected return), the grumpy rumblings of an elderly neighbor she cares for and the feisty opinions of her mother, making for a good production listeners will enjoy. Simultaneous release with the Viking hardcover (Forecasts, Dec. 23, 2002).