"Mrs. Kimble" by Jennifer Haigh

"Mrs. Kimble" by Jennifer Haigh is not a new book.  I found it when looking for bargins at the Borders closing sale.  I recognized her name from publicity around her new book "Faith" which I look forward to reading.  "Mrs. Kimble" is her debut novel and I really enjoyed it.  It was a nice, easy read with characters that people can identify with.  The narration is friendly and not too "wordy", almost like you are having a conversation with someone. 

The story is actually about three Mrs. Kimbles; Mr. Kimble is almost a second thought, a background character.  The wives start with the first in the late 1960s to the last with her story spaning 25 years.  The first Mrs. Kimble is a product of the 1950s, a woman with a goal of finding a husband and being a mother.  Sadly, when the first falls apart, so does she.  I don't doubt she loved her children, but without a man to take care of her, she could not take care of herself and of course, the children suffer.  The second Mrs. Kimble is actually a woman ahead of her time.  She is a very strong woman with an education and career at a tme when there still was not a big female presence in the work force.  But two major life events seem to change her perspective and she sees Mr. Kimble as a chance for something that seemed to elude her.  The third Mrs. Kimble is a little more contemporary but still allows the husand to take care of things.  She is someone from his past, so she knows a little more than the second Mrs. Kimble but still manages to be fooled by him.

What I found interesting is that you want to hate Mr. Kimble, and you may, but I didn't.  As I said, he is a secondary character, and not much is know about his reasons for doing the things he did.  I never felt sorry for him; he certainly is no victim, but I didn't feel sorry for the wives, either.  This story is really about taking responsibility for your choices and making the best out of your life.  The true hero in this story for me is Charlie.  Enjoy!