The Third Wife - Lisa Jewell

The Third Wife

By Lisa Jewell

  • Release Date: 2015-06-09
  • Genre: Fiction & Literature
Score: 4
4
From 542 Ratings

Description

The Third Wife is a summer gem. The story is complex…the many characters well drawn... Readers of Donna Tartt and Tana French will recognize Jewell’s pacing for what it is: essential.” —New York Journal of Books

From the #1 New York Times bestselling author of Then She Was Gone comes a riveting family drama with a dark mystery at its core, perfect for fans of Liane Moriarty and Jojo Moyes.

In the early hours of a summer morning, a young woman steps into the path of an oncoming bus. A tragic accident? Or suicide?

At the center of this puzzle is Adrian Wolfe, a successful architect and grief-stricken widower, who, a year after his third wife’s death, begins to investigate the cause. As Adrian looks back on their brief but seemingly happy marriage, disturbing secrets begin to surface. The divorces from his two previous wives had been amicable, or so it seemed; his children, all five of them, were resilient as ever, or so he thought. But something, or someone, must have pushed Maya over the edge.

“Jewell’s last few novels have been a revelation—emotionally sophisticated and complex,” says Kirkus Reviews. The Third Wife is “an emotionally intelligent, brilliantly plotted, and beautifully written examination of a very modern family that will keep you gripped to the end” (London Daily Mail).

Reviews

  • The third Wife

    1
    By RoxanneP 22
    Too slow, hard to get into did not even finish. Other books by author were easy to get into not this one.
  • The Third Wife

    5
    By goodiejane
    A good read, held my interest
  • Wrapped up a little too unrealistically

    3
    By Pepper Michaels
    (Spoiler alert!) I like this writer, I enjoyed the over all story. However the ending felt too rushed and too clean for the mess the main character made of everyone’s life. A privileged, selfish, ego maniac needs more than an “aha” moment. If he really was set on changing and becoming more concerned about how his actions affected those whom he loved it wouldn’t be as simple as needing to turn over a new leaf. Clearly he hadn’t changed much at all, as revealed in his thinking during his last encounter. It’s not enough that he said he takes responsibility, he needs to understand, hands on how to take responsibility and learn how to prevent falling into the same pattern again in order to benefit himself and to heal the relationship with his family. But then I could be missing the writer’s whole point - maybe she was showing he hadn’t really changed at all.
  • Skip it

    2
    By MysteryMama84
    No twists. I can see the direction the author could have gone to make it more interesting, but she missed the turn every single time. There was no yearning to read faster. It was over and I was stunned it never got any better. This isn’t really even a mystery book... Wish I’d skipped it.
  • The Third wife —boring and no accountability

    1
    By pja2014
    Just a hot mess of a book. The ending was so pitiful. I don’t recommend the book. Slow, I did finish it but it was just painful and drug out. If you like a book about a man who married three women and the last wife died and no one cared and all was good with this male role model for his five children. The kids and the man drove the third wife to her death but in this story no one is responsible, they just moved on without missing a beat. Very disappointing.
  • The Third Wife

    5
    By Artymusician
    I love this author and the characters in her books! I enjoyed reading this book, and found the characters captivating. Adrian was such a disaster. So sorry Maya had to die to bring him to his senses. Loved reading the letters from his children. This should be required reading for men thinking of leaving their wives and children for other women! Not fair on anyone, including the new wife!
  • BORING

    1
    By peachespinder
    Don’t bother. So slow. Not a mystery at all. Struggled through the this one.
  • Loved this book

    5
    By HMF14
    I usually go for more psychological thrillers in the “Gone Girl” genre, and had read “Then She Was Gone” which is much darker, but this book was a breath of fresh air. The characters are so well developed and you really start to care about this family. I read this in just a few days, and am starting another book by the author today!
  • Started with a bang

    2
    By KSjo2001
    The book had a very exciting beginning, but just went on and on about nothing. I kept reading because I wanted to find out what happened and I was disappointed I invested so much time in the book.
  • She writes characters so well

    4
    By BabyPow
    I think we all know an Adrian.