Sleeping with Ward Cleaver

by Jenny Gardiner

Claire Doolittle's life becomes complicated with the return of an ex-boyfriend, a young colleague's interest in her husband, and the dilemma of whether to stay in her stagnant marriage or seek a divorce.

Genres: Chick Lit, Romance, Fiction, Contemporary, Contemporary Romance

294 pages, Paperback

First published January 29, 2008

About the author

Jenny Gardiner is the author of #1 Kindle Bestseller Slim to None and the award-winning novel Sleeping with Ward Cleaver. Her latest works are the It’s Reigning Men series, featuring Something in the Heir; Heir Today Gone Tomorrow; Bad to the Throne; and the upcoming Love is in the Heir. She also published the memoir Winging It: A Memoir of Caring for a Vengeful Parrot Who's Determined to Kill Me, now re-titled Bite Me: a Parrot, a Family and a Whole Lot of Flesh Wounds; the novels Anywhere but Here (soon to be re-released); Where the Heart Is; the essay collection Naked Man on Main Street, and Accidentally on Purpose and Compromising Positions (writing as Erin Delany); and is a contributor to the humorous dog anthology I'm Not the Biggest Bitch in This Relationship. Her work has been found in Ladies Home Journal, the Washington Post and on NPR’s Day to Day. She has worked as a professional photographer, an orthodontic assistant (learning quite readily that she was not cut out for a career in polyester), a waitress (probably her highest-paying job), a TV reporter, a pre-obituary writer, as well as a publicist to a United States Senator (where she first learned to write fiction). She's photographed Prince Charles (and her assistant husband got him to chuckle!), Elizabeth Taylor, and the president of Uganda. She and her family now live a less exotic life in Virginia.

Reviews

[Linda (NOT RECEIVING NOTIFICATIONS)]

Anchored in resentment this is a contemporary tale of what happens to a marriage when you no longer communicate with your spouse. This is a look at the life of two adults, two jobs and five children. Add to the mix the emotional drain on married life when you no longer like what your spouse has become. It's just not about 'Ward', it is about 'June', too.

Claire (June) and Jack (Ward) Dolittle have been married for awhile. The passion is gone but they are still committed to each other, or are they? Each has someone enter their lives and give them some special attention. Is this what they want?

There is nothing funny when sex becomes a function, when you resent how each disciplines the children and when you want to spend more time away from your spouse then together. Don't get me wrong, if you've been married for a long time and have kids, moments like this will happen. But nothing is perfect and marriage takes work. The question is, are Claire and Jack willing to do that work? What could have been humorous just didn't happen for me.

Written with some light if unrealistic moments, some may think this story is funny. Honestly, I was drained by the end of the book. Four-fifths of the story was written with one spouse or both angry at the other. In case you didn't know, men DON'T think like women and raising children IS hard. If more of the story didn't dwell on Claire loathing Jack and Jack avoiding Claire I probably would have enjoyed it. Also, beware that this romance has quite a bit of 'adult' language.

Towards the end it was hard for me to believe that Claire suddenly had an epiphany; the anger and issues that festered for years were no longer important. She realized she loved Jack after all and wanted to save her marriage.

[Laronda]

This story started out seeming relatable with a working mom carrying most of the load with the kids and home so I got it. But then it started to be a bit harsh and I started thinking that we weren't getting Ward's side of the story. Claire made a lot of sense during their conversations in her head but she never said that stuff. ARGGHHHH I started thinking that a lot of their issues would be avoided if she just said stuff rather than think it. Ouch! Later, we learn why she did that, and while it was frustrating as hell, it's one of those hindsight/in the moment situations. Overall, the book was eye-opening with some funny/quirkiness thrown in and I liked the revelations and their adjustments.

[ꕥ Ange_Lives_To_Read ꕥ]

DNF @ 5%

The first chapter is a wife cruelly describing sex with her husband and how much she hates it. Not because he’s mean or abusive or anything. Just because she’s apparently an unhappy bitch. No interest in going further on a journey with this horrible woman.

[Ken]

I’m going to be brave and confess something. I originally bought this book by the delightful Jenny Gardiner for the fun, kitschy cover art. I know, I know, not very scholarly, huh? I thought I was getting a light, fluffy chick lit book…you know, the sort of thing you’d read at the beach or around the pool.

But what you actually end up with is quite a serious novel about the real problems that most people that are married or in a long-term relationship face daily. Don’t get me wrong; I’m not saying this book isn’t funny…

I laughed through many parts of it but mainly I was very moved and touched because I could remember having many of the same problems as Claire (the main character) when I was in a long-term relationship.

I found myself rooting for her and wishing she'd either shit or get off the pot when it came to her marital issues. Claire dithers back and forth quite a bit when it comes to her husband problems (as most of us would). We’re torn when it comes to our spouses, right? You love your husband but sometimes you want to murder him in his sleep and making a run for the border. Come on, admit it, we've all thought about it.

So, how do you keep the everyday problems from effecting things in ol' boudoir ? Your spouse is bossy, doesn’t help around the house, bitches at you for spending too much money at the grocery store, gripes about the way you handle the children and then at bedtime has the nerve to brazenly try to get some nookie.

If you say,

“I don’t think so”

Or

“I’m not in the mood”

Or

“I have a headache”


He’ll pout and not speak to you for days or either he’ll call you a frigid bitch and you guys will get into an ugly shouting match that will surely wake the kids. So in the interest of peace, you just lie there and let him have his way with you, seething and silently counting the seconds till he finishes. Argh !

You’ll just have to read this book to behold the extreme measures Claire goes through to say her marriage and rekindle the flames.

Perhaps her husband, Jack isn’t such a bad guy after all? Perhaps he wants to change things just as much as Claire does but just hasn't a clue where to start...

I think we could all learn something from this book, I know I certainly did.

[KimKirt]

I was somewhat disappointed in this book. The whole premise really grabbed me, after all, who doesn't get caught up in a rut? It just amazed me that the main character in the book didn't see that and wanted to blame everything on her husband, who, granted, wasn't helping matters. I guess I just felt that 3/4 of the way through the book all she did was bitch and moan about her awful life, until her best friend pointed out to her that it wasn't so awful. I did like the ending, though not the very last sentence of the book which is such an overused overrated joke that I've heard a million times, sheesh! I won't spoil it, but that was overkill to me. But perhaps the author purposely did that to keep with the whole premise of the book.

What can I say, I did finish the book so I guess I liked it well enough for that, but a little too angry for me I suppose.

[Michele Minor]

This book is from Claire's perspective of married life with five kids, a husband and a part time job where she no longer has time for herself. When an old boyfriend of her contacts her after losing touch with her, she starts to fantasize what her life would of been like if she had married him instead of Jack her husband. I like that she also has a single again and single never married character who helps her to learn to appreciate what she's got.

[Cecilia]

Not your normal chick-lit book, a little heavier. I could really relate to the Claire. I understood her lows, cringed at her mistakes and cheered her on in the end.

[Lis Carey]

Claire Dolittle married her true love, and fifteen years later, she thinks he's turned into Ward Cleaver. Authoritarian, nagging, critical, and dull. Jack thinks she's distant and indifferent. When she thinks he's seeing a younger woman at his architectural firm, and an old boyfriend pops up from her past, reminding her who she used to be, she decides she has to find out if her marriage can be saved, or if it's time to get out.

With five kids, a part-time job, and a husband who expects dinner ready to eat when he gets home, Claire is under a lot of stress. It doesn't help that Jack mostly gives orders and criticisms, to both Claire and their kids. Meanwhile, the five kids, the dog, the parrot, and the cat create a lot of chaos. With a tight margin leaving time for detours to get to work, Claire is often making detours because at least one of the kids will have forgotten their lunchbox--and none of the kids like to eat the school lunch.

Then three things happen. Jack is making a business trip to Miami, and says he'll be too busy for her to come. At a work party, Claire meets Jack's "new colleague," the very lovely Julia, a fairly new hire at the architectural firm where Jack is a partner. And finally, Claire gets an email from her former fiancé, Todd. The guy who, while they were planning their wedding, abruptly dumped her for someone else.

Todd reminds her of what a strong, confident woman she used to be, including reminding her of some of their more daring escapades. He tells her about his life since they last met, and asks about hers. She encourages him to contact his ex-wife and build a relationship with his son; he encourages her to fly off to Miami and have some fun, with or without Jack.

And, at a crucial moment, Jack's mother, Candy, calls, happy for the opportunity to spend that time with her grandchildren, along with Jack's stepfather, Dick. They happily agree to keep this a secret, on the grounds that Claire's trip to join Jack is a surprise for Jack's birthday.

It will be no surprise to the reader that Todd also joins her there, though it is to Claire. And what happens is a wild and exciting weekend,

Where this all goes is not where you may be expecting, and it's a lot of fun. It's also a story for adults, and not in the "salacious sex scenes" sense. With all the laughs and silliness, this is a story about adults figuring out what they really want, and how to go about it responsibly.

It is a lot of fun. It's also very satisfying.

I received a free electronic galley of this book from the author, and am reviewing it voluntarily.

[David Lamb]

I will confess, this book had me a bit worried about two thirds of the way through. I expect books such as this to reach a happy ending, or if not, to be rewarding to read for other reasons, primarily by being funny. This book at one point had me convinced that the ending was not going to be a happy one, and it was not funny enough to make it worth reading otherwise... but then the author was able to pull out a good ending and the book was redeemed. It was, if anything, a bit too "real" (if you know what I mean). The problems in the marriage hit so close to home and the resolution has so many lessons for married couples in real life that it was almost painful, at times, to keep going. I think it might have fooled me into doubting the happy ending because of just how "real" the problems in the marriage were looking. I don't know that I often see real marriages facing problems like that which survive. But in the end, the book is a good one, and worth reading. Just want to give a "trigger warning" for anyone who is in a rough time for their own marriage... this book will hit hard.

[Amanda Sexton]

The book reviewers at the beginning of the book (other Chick-Lit authors) described this book as funny. I didn’t laugh once while reading. The first 3/4 of the book was a recipe for a marriage implosion, then the last quarter was saccharine sweet and ended with the perfect “happily ever after”.

There were quite a few grammatical errors in the ebook I got from Amazon, but they were something to ignore over the stilted vocabulary the author used in the first half of the book. Along with irrelevant profanity (using it just to use it, not to add to the dialogue), and author’s desire to create an innocent fling, this book is not on my favorites list. I’ve gotten behind on my reading goal, so that is really the only thing that had kept me reading.

[Shellylovesbooks]

Claire and Jack Doolittle had a whirlwind romance filled with fun and passion. Now fifteen years and five kids later her husband reminds her more of Ward Cleaver than than the fun loving man she married. After a long night of stomach bugs and Sunday night stress with the kids Claire is shocked to get a email from  Todd Sterodnik a old flame. Will this sudden development shed a new light on her marriage? And what is going on between Julia Julliard and Jack at the office? Can they recapture what they once had or will they find that the flame has burned out. This is a cute romantic comedy novel with a deeper plot running throughout a fun and enjoyable read that does touch upon a few hard subjects but gently. I enjoyed this book a fun book to end the weekend with.

[Ingrid]

TITLE DREW ME IN. STORY KEPT ME IN.

Who'd want to sleep with Ward Cleaver? Certainly not Claire Doolittle. But that's the secret name she's given her husband Jack. Claire's life has become routine and Jack has become stodgy. Something needs to change.

So starts this easy-to-read book. It is a fast read, funny, and actually quite enjoyable. There is a little bit of language in the book, but not too bad - not overdone. The characters are a bit flawed, but likeable. Actually Jack isn't likeable in the beginning, but predictably, he gets better. There's a bit of a lesson here too, but I'll leave to the reader to discover.

[Erinn]

The majority of the book is depressing and tries too hard to be funny. There exists an unpleasant reality of “how did we get here?” And “How did we let things get so bad?” which although realistic and common, isn’t funny at all and is unpleasant to read about through out the book. There is also a past fiancé that I was disappointed was treated so well considering the treatment he provided the main character. This does have a positive ending if you stick with it, but I don’t know that it is worth slogging through the whole for the payoff.

[Stacy Dickman]

The introduction sounded better then the book.

I may be weird but a book wrote like this book is not very interesting. It was not as interesting as knowing different points of view from all the characters not just one. I was hoping it was as funny as one of the post he’ll it was putting me to sleep. I could not wait to finish reading this book. One star for pulling the broken marriage back together when she had every right to leave him but she stuck it out.

[Carole Mckee]

A Really Fun Read

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. Although a lot of it is comical, there is such a deep meaning underneath. Sometimes a marriage becomes stale, or begins to lack in communication. Couples take each other for granted without even realizing it. Claire and Jack, AKA Ward Cleaver, needs to step back and take a look at themselves. The expression ' can't see the forest for the trees' comes to mind. A very entertaining read with a strong message. Kudos to the author.

[Beti Kyriacou]

As a wife and a mother I could easily relate to Claire. Any woman (wife/mother) in her forties will recognise parts of this novel as it is written about her own life. She made me laughter and cry.

It was an emotional roller-coaster with a romantic happy ending.

This was a fun quick read, but also deep and meaningful.

[debmar50]

Good

Entertaining! Been there, in the beginning of the book, the bitterness, resentment and the loathing. Took me back (not that I wanted to be there again) and she takes back her life, she fights for it and gets it. She works for it. Either way she would overcome. Good writing, good characters and a good story.

[Kristin]

A good fun read

I LOVED this book. It starts in much the same place as many mothers find their lives at, at some point. And then there are some shenanigans, laughs and a moment of tears. Left me on a reading ‘high’.

[Lisa H]

I started this book and almost quit immediately. Claire was constantly putting down her husband. I kept reading and was glad I did. It all came together and I really enjoyed it. It actually paints a pretty realistic picture of the way a lot of us think. Claire became very likable as did everyone else! This shows what happens when we let communication slide.

[Heather S]

A fun, quick read with surprising depth of character development.
This book feels both cheesy and fun and also deep and meaningful. I really enjoyed it.

[Christina Kelly]

great book

I liked the book. It was full of humor and truth. Read it over a long weekend. It was like a holiday. Thank you 😊

[Brenda Morris]

It was really good and had a happy ending

[Brenda Bankston]

Light and entertaining read. Relatable characters. Highly recommend.

[Deborah Elmore]

Really cute story!

[Amateur de Livre]

When I saw the title of this book I thought this was sure to put a smile on my face. And, although I would still classify this as a comedy, it appealed to all of my emotions and hit close to home many times.

Claire Doolittle is a wife and mother of 5 who has NO time to herself. Between raising kids, working part-time, running numerous errands, and keeping up the house, she struggles to fine some me time. And, being married to Ward...I mean Jack doesn't help.

Jack Doolittle is an accomplished architect who suffers from control issues. Throughout their marriage he has slowly lost his sense of adventure and fun and has slipped easily into the shoes of TV icon Ward Cleaver. His ideal is when Claire completes all of the items in HIS to-do-list and the kids are perfectly behaved - this way he can come home and relax with no interruptions. So much for being a parent.

Claire wonders what has happened to her spontaneous, romantic, and attentive husband. She feels as if her marriage is going downhill fast and isn't sure if she even feels bad about this. She blames Jack for the majority of the problems that they are having. So, when Todd walks back (or emails as the case may be) into her life, she is ready for some sweet talk, even if it is from the man who ripped out her heart years earlier, and made her question the woman she was and what she did to make him treat her that way. She strikes up an online friendship with him, and somewhat of a flirtation. I believe the author summed up the emotion of love (past or present) when she wrote "I think that an emotion as intense as love shape-shifts into some other passion that encompasses love but then can be tainted by hatred, anger, or bitterness".

But, even though Claire is flirting with an old flame, when she goes to a dinner party for Jack's architecture firm and sees Jack's new associate Julia hanging on his every word she just about explodes. Julia is young, beautiful, has a perfect body, and is somehow able to bring out the "old" Jack - someone she hasn't seen in a long time. And he seems totally enamored by her.

I don't want to reveal any more of the plot, but let me say that any wife or mother should easily be able to relate to Claire in one way or another. There are days where I too wonder what has happened to the husband I knew years ago. Changing over time is not necessarily good or bad, as long as you are able to keep the fires of love burning and continue to work as a team. Just don't give up on each other too quickly - look deep inside and see if there are things you both could change to bring back the relationship that once was...and maybe never left.

As an added bonus, an ARC copy of Sleeping with Ward Cleaver is to be raffled off to a reader. Enter by signing the guestbook at www.uponfurtherreview.org. To view other comments you just need to click on the View Guestbook tab.

The drawing will be held the first week in February. The winner will be announced on the website under Raffle Winners.

[Mary Davis]

B&N Synopsis:

"Sleeping with Ward Cleaver is the funny yet poignant story of a woman at a crossroads in life, who years earlier married a man who swept her off her feet, but now finds that her Mr. Right has evolved into Mr. Always Right, and the only sweeping going on in her life involves a broom and a dustpan. As her dreams collide with reality and the one that got away shows up trying to worm his way back into her heart, she must decide if her once charmed marriage is salvageable, and if so, how she's going to go about saving it."


Well, I liked the book ok. It didn't knock me off my feet, but didn't bore me to tears either. I never truly felt terribly connected to Claire, but there were moments where she made me laugh. There was something rather detached about my connection to the book, like something was missing that would make me feel more in tune and empathetic with Claire. Not that I didn't want it to work out, but here she was, a mother of 5 kids. On the one hand, I'm childless myself, so not a mother and wouldn't have wanted a sappy storyline of her being enamored of her kids. At the same time, I felt like she was really detached from her kids. The relationship between Claire and her husband seemed to dominate, so I didn't get a feel for her as a mother. I also had this weird view of her physical appearance that never seemed to jive with the way people reacted to her - if that makes any sense. Basically, I had this vision of a dumpy, washed-out tired-looking blond woman - which doesn't seem to have been accurate.

Another thing. Her emails to whats-his-name seemed too long and just...odd. And I have never been married, or in a relationship for longer than 5 years, so I have no experience with long-term disinterest in a partner. So it was all a little odd to me. The last half of the novel was better than the first, and I was very happy that she confronted him and their problems and worked it out. That's when I finally felt - aha! Claire is a part of this family, and working hard to fix the problem. So, yes, I would recommend this book to chick-lit readers. My perceptions on these sorts of things - this genre - is not always accurate!

[Andrea]

Sleeping with Ward Cleaver is every married woman's must read. Never have I met a character that I felt I already knew as I did with Claire Doolittle. I say met because I believe after reading this book, I am already friends with Claire. Perhaps not her specifically but so much of her life is sprinkled across the lives of my friends and family. The moments that Claire is realizing what her life has become, when this life turns black and white, when she is overwhelmed with frustration I want to go to her and tell her it is okay. The humor in this book makes you want to look at life through a humorous eye. Jenny Gardiner shows you that through laughter life happens. It is a laugh out loud story of your best friend, your sister, and yourself.

I do not like to give away endings or even provide a spoiler in my reviews, I instead want to tell you why I loved this book. Afer a decade with a person, married or otherwise, we all begin to take things for granted. Perhaps the trips to the hair salon are stretched just a little longer. The dinner menu is repetative. The kids' bedtime routine is just that, a routine. Even our sex lives become mechanical and habitual. This is also the time when we need each other most. When life has taken over and we have lost who we once were. When the insecurities come to a boiling point and the ever so present "crap" becomes more than one can stand. Our poor Claire Doolittle reaches this point. And as always speculation, outside resources and plain ole fear take over and well you know what they say when you assume....

If you have ever felt overwhelmed, frustrated, rejected, ignored, insignificant, taken for granted and want to make a change before it is too late, read this book. You will laugh, cry and maybe feel like you have a friend in Claire Doolittle. She will inspire you to make the changes. Whether the changes are just throwing those damn sweats away or confronting your partner who has become more like your parent than partner, whatever the change is ... you will make one and you will know that putting yourself first and making yourself important again will show everyone around you that is the thing that needs to be done.

[Romancing the Book]

Jen's Review:
I'd been eyeing this book for a while. The title just caught my eye and pulled me in. So when Jenny and I started talking about her guesting on the blog she offered me the chance to review the book. I jumped at the chance... and I'm glad I did. (But totally wishing I wrote this review right after reading and not a month later.)

The book starts off a little slow, but just when you don't think Claire's life can get any more tangled... it does and the pace picks up. I'll admit in the beginning of the book I started to have doubts about where it was going. I worried when the old boyfriend entered the scene and more than once wanted to smack Claire for being a little whiny. But those feelings were shoved to the side as I laughed over Claire's antics and cried as she reminisced about the early days of her marriage and the deterioration of the relationship. I enjoyed going on the roller coaster ride of emotions and always find it a good thing that I care what happens to the characters.

[Mailis]

Now this might scare the crap out of you if you don't have children and are considering having them in near future. If you already have them and they are the naughty full of boundless energy sort of brood, you`ll just nod your head and say yup, sad but true, this is how it is sometimes.
This is actually a little twisted happy end romance that young people probably will not appreciate but women heading to their forties who are married will recognize some parts of it as written from their own life. The killer of all romance, routine and lack of common courtesy, is written nicely and painfully realistic. Now the story would probably be even more believable if the sugary ending would be not as sticky sweet as it is.

[Connie]

This book, while humorous in places, can also bring you to tears. It tells the story of Claire Doolittle, a mom of five who is consumed with doing everything for everyone else. She is busy with being a mom, her husband is busy providing for his family, and as a result, their relationship has taken a back burner. I find her a likeable character I could identify with, though she is a little extreme. I would have given this book a 4 star rating if it weren't for the neatly tied up ending. I felt the ending was a bit trit and feel good in realtion to the deep issues this book addresses in her marriage. In my mind the fairytale ending leaves some issues unresolved and swept under the rug.