AMERICAN WIFE

It's hard to picture anyone but George and Laura Bush in Charlie and Alice, but if listeners can get past the "eeuw" factor, Sittenfeld writes an absorbing account of a liberal, thoughtful young woman who falls for a privileged, charismatic buffoon. Kimberly Farr's voice is cultured and charming as Alice Lindgren tells of her journey from well-read Wisconsin high school girl to school librarian to the out-of-place young woman Charlie Blackwell takes home, and, finally, to wife, mother, and first lady. Farr adds sharp humor to Alice's vision of the smug and self-congratulatory Blackwells, and her dialogue sequences are realistic, funny, and uncomfortably accurate. The story slips off track when Sittenfeld strays too far from fiction. Then, even with Farr's superb reading, the insider insights just feel creepy. S.J.H. © AudioFile 2008, Portland, Maine [Published: OCTOBER 2008]