THE SOLDIER’S WIFE

Marlene Sidaway is thoroughly believable as a British woman who marries during WWII, raises four children in three countries, and always works at least part-time as a dressmaker. Life is not easy; her husband is a charming but feckless schizophrenic whose re-enlistment means a three-year assignment in Singapore. After a brief return to England, they take up permanent residence in Australia. Mary meets every challenge head-on; her cheerfulness and inner strength are brought out in the well-paced reading. The Singapore years include employment in the Raffles Hotel dress shop. Mary's memoir ends abruptly with her husband's death twenty years ago; one wonders what has happened to this independent and unflappable woman. J.B.G. © AudioFile 2003, Portland, Maine [Published: FEB / MAR 03]