Young Wives

by Olivia Goldsmith

Three women unite—and fight back—after their husbands do them wrong, in this tale of “wickedly funny female bonding” by a New York Times–bestselling author (People).   Angela, half-Jewish, half-Italian, and all New Yorker, is a lawyer married to Reid, a handsome old-money WASP. Michelle adores her childhood sweetheart husband, Frank, and the dream house he’s provided for her and their two beautiful children. Jada is an African American working mom trying to maintain a happy home, despite her husband Clinton’s failing business.   But then, like a bad soufflé, the lives of these three thirtysomething women collapse as they each discover the truth about their dirty, rotten mates. Uniting for solace and support, they draw on one another’s friendship to heal their wounds. Bowed but not beaten, this smart, audacious trio will concoct a brilliant recipe to take back what’s theirs and serve justice on their duplicitous men—and transform them from victims to victors . . .   This is a “riotous” tale from the bestselling author of such beloved novels as The First Wives Club and Fashionably Late (USA Today).   “Chances are good that you’ll like these women and love this book.” —Daily News (New York)

Genres: Fiction, Chick Lit, Romance, Contemporary, Novels, Roman, American

662 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 1, 2000

About the author

Olivia Goldsmith (January 1, 1949 - January 15, 2004) was an American author, best known for her first novel The First Wives Club (1992), which was adapted into the movie The First Wives Club (1996).

She was born Randy Goldfield in Dumont, New Jersey, but changed her name to Justine Goldfield and later to Justine Rendal. She took up writing following a divorce in which she said her husband got almost everything (including her Jaguar and the country house). A graduate of New York University, she was a partner at the management consultants Booz & Company in New York prior to becoming a writer.

Many of her books can be described as revenge fantasies; a constant theme is the mistreatment of women by the men they love, but with the women coming out the winners in the end.

Controversially, in late 1996 Goldsmith said, in response to an Entertainment Weekly reporter's question, that her favorite event of 1996 was when Bob Dole fell off a stage during a campaign function.

She also wrote several books for children, which were published under the name "Justine Rendal."

Goldsmith died as a result of complications from the administration of anaesthesia before cosmetic surgery. Her final two books were published posthumously.

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia, amended.

Reviews

[Diane Wallace · Rating 3 out of 5]

Ok read! (paperback!)

[Bren fall in love with the sea. · Rating 2 out of 5]

"Reid represented sunshine, vitality, and the kind of life that did not have to acknowledge defeat".

Young Wives by Olivia Goldsmith


I love Goldsmith's work but this is her one book that fell flat for me. I also took forever to finish it.

This is unusual for me because I like most of her books. Young Wives however was not one of them.

First off the book is way to long. I think a good 50-75 pages could have been taken off.

Also the storyline itself did not grab me. For some reason I found it dull. Like I said I love her work but these characters..I could not get involved and connect with any of them. That is not usually the case with her books at all.

The story was dragged out.I found it to be not all that different from First Wives club but that one is much better.

I have read most, if not all, her books and this is the only one I had these issues with.

[Meghan · Rating 2 out of 5]

Seriously, I must be getting old because these characters are driving me nuts with their "teenage" black-and-white "I hate men" attitudes. And please, if you're 31 and in good shape, why should you be proud that you can squat down without touching the ground? My goodness, I can do that and I'm neither.

I think Goldsmith has a serious chip on her shoulder when it comes to men and it's getting tired. The only part that was actually funny and reminiscent of The First Wives Club was when they were paying back Angie's ex-husband. Jada's story was the most engaging until the ending, which was completely unrealistic to the point of stupid. Michelle's story wasn't interesting and her naivete was terrible. Did she really think that her felon husband would spend the rest of his life hunting her down knowing it was she that put him behind bars? Did she really think she could be around for Angie's baby AND be in witness protection?

I read this as a "beach" read so I wasn't expecting much in the use of brain power. But "chick" lit doesn't have to be so insulting.

[DaMa · Rating 4 out of 5]

Relectura de esta novela después de bastantes años, no recordaba mucho a los personajes, después de terminar de ver una serie que me encanta de finales de los 90, empecé a leer este libro porque me recordaba bastante a esos años que acontencian.
La novela parte en tres etapas con varios capítulos, y nos cuenta la historia de tres personajes, siendo los tres principales.
Empieza contándonos la vida idílica de Vivían,un marido, dos hijos, una casa en propiedad, dinero suficiente para no tener problemas, coche nuevo cada poco tiempo, una ama de casa que podía ser ejemplar en aquella época, ahora a mi me huele un poco a carca, ella trabaja unas horitas en un banco local, para pasar el tiempo ya que su marido puede cubrir gastos de la casa sin ningún problema.

Luego tenemos a Jada, vecina y compañera de trabajo de Vivían, es su superior en el banco, ella no tiene tanta "suerte" su matrimonio no pasa por el mejor momento, tiene tres hijos una de ellas un bebé, su marido dejo de trabajar con la crisis y le he cogido el gusto al sofá, tanto es así que no mueve un dedo ni para la economía de la casa ni aporta nada.

Todo su mundo se vuelve del revés cuando acusan al marido de Vivían y el marido de Jada aprovecha esa oportunidad para dejarla.

Mientras esto va ocurriendo entra en escena Kam, una abogada de la otra costa del país, mientras va a celebrar su primer aniversario de bodas, con el hombre de su vida, el la cuenta que la ha sido infiel, así que mientras su mundo se desmorona decide irse a casa de su padre s vivir hasta que sepa que hacer con su vida, casualidades de la vida , el padre de Kam vive en el mismo vecindario que Vivían y Jada, y Kam las ve por la ventana cuando pasean por el barrio.

Al final el destino junta q estas tres mujeres, aportando cada una su granito de arena hacen un trio muy variopinto, entre lágrimas y sonrisas la autora nos contará como viven está historia cada una, en primera persona, como una vida puede dar la vuelta en un segundo y como las mujeres en esos años tenían muchos problemas sociales, ya fuese por su estatus social o el color de su piel, y como la ley no es justa siempre.
La verdad que me conmovió mucho la historia de Jada, más que la de Vivían y Kam, pero en conjunto la novela está muy entretenida, aún que no sería una novela que recomendaría en esta época ya tan trillada de feminismo y empoderamiento que seguramente lectoras jóvenes no entenderían.

[Hannah · Rating 3 out of 5]

I remembered that this book was about three women whose husbands' screw them over. I also remembered one of the revenge scenes. Since everything else was a blur, I decided to re-read it.

The three women are Michelle, Angela, and Jada. All three are living in ideal lives with husbands, children, and careers. Then it goes downhill. Michelle discovers that her husband is actually dealing drugs - maybe a dealer, maybe a kingpin. Jada's husband leaves her and takes the kids, dragging her through the mud in the process. And Angela discovers that her husband is not only having an affair, but that he has been almost since the beginning of their marriage and has no plans to stop.

The women get dragged through the mud, their friends turn away, they lose their jobs, and emotional trauma. They meet each other and find strength. After trying to fight the system the legal way, the women decide to take the matter into their own hands.

This book was written in 2000. It was interesting how dated this book was already. For example, in a trial one of the lawyer's attempts to use a witnesses AA testimony as evidence against her. And they were surprised that it was inadmissible. Also, when Jada was fighting for custody the fact that she worked full-time was used against her. In 2023, that is perfectly normal.

The book is over 400 pages. The revenge portion of the book is the last 1/4 of the book. I have to be honest that 3/4 is dragging. I mean, it was three women who were having very sad lives. And I agree that they should have their time of sadness. But it got so long. They repeated the same gripes over and over. And I know that that is how it would be in real life, but it got very repetitive.

I didn't enjoy it as much as the second time.

[Elizabeth]

I have been trying to figure out what book this was for the longest time and then stumbled across an old reading journal and, bingo! It's funny because I was living in Lyon with no access to English books or reading material at the time (and only dial-up internet, rarely), so I apparently picked this up in a U.K. airport just to have something to read in English, and my comment at the time was "terrifying to think how working women could be screwed by bum husbands"

But 23 years later, I'm here to say, this book probably contributed as much as any other single factor (or more) to dissuade me from having kids, because (*SPOILER COMING*) Jada holds down a bank job (as I recently had) and supports the household financially while her husband has been out of work, but then when she gives him an ultimatum, he leaves, but sues for custody of their children. He twists the facts, presenting her in a bad light in court, and as a result, she loses custody, essentially because of sexism vis à vis high-powered working women.

So here I am, someone who grew up watching women in marriages disadvantaged by breadwinner husbands, to which my reaction was to make sure I always made my own money and never signed on to any union that involved shared finances, and here comes another set of possible injustices that I hadn't imagined for financially-independent women, and I was just like, I'm out. So it's interesting to me now that even though I may have said the book was so-so at the time, it still had a huge impact on my life!

[Elinor · Rating 3 out of 5]

I always enjoy reading Olivia Goldsmith (and think of her premature demise with sadness -- imagine dying for the sake of a chin tuck). This is probably my least favourite Goldsmith novel so far, since it is basically a different version of First Wives Club. In this case, the wives are younger, hence the title. All three are betrayed by their spouses and get their revenge. Also, their journey took 512 pages, which seems excessive for what one reviewer termed "pop feminism." While I did like the basic revenge premise, there were too many flaws to give this book more than three stars.

[Jackie Weisman · Rating 2 out of 5]

I seldom write reviews, but I made it a couple chapters in and was enjoying the storyline. BUT the typos were making me crazy! Missing commas, periods, and the like
Also - WHY are three white women on the cover when one in the story is Black AND it's pivotal to the story? Life is too short for me to finish this book unfortunately

[Laura · Rating 5 out of 5]

Warning: My library only had the large print version of this book!! Do not get it!! I weighs 80 pounds and is not a good tub read. Get a regular sized book that isn't so heavy and awkward!
Now that that is out of the way, great book. I enjoyed every bit of it. It's a little too tense to be your standard type of beach read but it is worth the time and the read. I was always rooting for the women in this book and was tense when things went the wrong way or some sort of suspense happened. Even the chapter headings created emotions.
This book had twists and turns and big whaaaaatttt???!!! moments but the whole time you would root for the women even if you felt angry at them for not doing what you think they should be and applauding their efforts when they got themselves together to show their own power.
Read it and enjoy and Olivia Goldsmith, thanks and I will be adding more of your books to my Goodreads list.

[Jean Perry · Rating 4 out of 5]

A good read, mysterious, funny, and dramatic. Yes, since i saw the movie but didn't read the book, it seemed very much like OG's First Wives Club. Some reviewers have said it's sexist and man-hating, maybe you should reconsider, not all the men in the book are jerks, mostly the three husbands. Some of the men are very considerate and supporting, helping the women once the wives' lives have spiraled out of control. Those men did appear in the second-half of the book, so many the jerks had overwhelmed your perceptions and you couldn't see the nice guys who came along.

It's not a book you will find in a literature course, but i enjoyed it very much.

[Tiara · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoyed this book it was the first time I've ever read anything by this author however the black white thing really got on my nerves it seemed a little elementary and the whole we hate men we hate men attitude was a bit redundant. The one character who had troubles with the legal system, her story really upset me your husband was a grade a jack ass. I'm not sure if any legal system would actually work that way I mean telling a judge that someone is a drug addict with absolutely no proof seems a bit ridiculous for the judge to actually believe it. Overall it was okay... I probably wouldn't read anything by this author again though kind of a slow read.

[Crystal · Rating 2 out of 5]

Now that Olivia Goldsmith's books have finally made their way onto Kindle, I've been re-reading them. As a teenage in a majority white part of the US, I don't think I picked up on how poorly written Jada is. It's so white girl trying and failing that it's cringeworthy.

[Jacqueline Tasik · Rating 2 out of 5]

I only got to page 26 of this book. I don’t want to finish reading this as it has sexual themes.

[Mairi Byatt · Rating 5 out of 5]

Stunning uplifting and so well written!

[Collette Williams · Rating 1 out of 5]

Ugh. I love a good, mindless plot. I love strong heroines.

Sadly, this was too predictable.

The book is 20 yrs old and the plot showed its age. It was boring.

[Leslie · Rating 2 out of 5]

This story was told in the same vein of "First Wives Club" with women who had been scorned or otherwise mistreated by their husbands trying to enact a certain amount of revenge, but here, Goldsmith didn't do right by all of her characters.

I originally gave this book 3 stars, then downgraded it to 2 because the more I thought about it, the more I have an issue with it. In particular, I do not like the way the story played out for Jada. I am a black woman, living in a primarily white community, working primarily with white people, so I could relate to the way Jada felt that she and her family were isolated from others like them - in her case, the only exception being their church congregation. However, it was beyond annoying how Jada so often questioned if her being black is the reason why people looked at her, talked.didn't talk to her, treated her the way they did, etc., etc. She brought race into EVERYTHING, even when there was no reason for her to do so. I kept having to remind myself that this book was written in 2000, and not 50 years earlier. Aside from that, Jada simply got the shaft all the way around. Now, I understand that the legal system can be unfair to women sometimes, but Jada had a good job and had been the sole wage earner for her family for five years, yet when she was sued for custody, she LOST?? To her husband who had no money, no job and was cheating on her? The entire court case/hearing and how it was handled was beyond ridiculous. If Goldsmith wanted Jada to be the victim, all she had to do was set it up better. There was absolutely no evidence pointing to Jada being an unfit mother, except for lies, which were easily disputed, that were told by her cheating husband, his mistress and his mother! To have Jad's story end by her fleeing the country with ehr kids, and being a fugitive for the rest of her life was such a slap in the face to the character, that it seemed as if Goldsmith simply hated her. There is no logic inherent in the story, as written, that would justify why she wrote this character and her story this way.

As for the others, Angie's story had a better ending; she put her cheating husband behind her and gave him a little bit of the what-for (along with er supposed best friend) along the way, so that was satisfying. Michelle also had a satisfying wrap-up to her story; she appeared to be on the path to rebuilding her life for her and her kids. The one aspect of her story that was ridiculous was that her husband's finances, and by extension hers, weren't ever impacted until Michelle decided to cut up her credit cards. In all the real cases of suspected felonious activity that I am aware of, the accused has his/her assets frozen, even before they go to trial, so there is no way Michelle's family would have had any money to spend during those months following his arrest.

Some parts of this book really did make laugh out loud, even though the details of all of the main character's stories were sad, but the tonal shift was sometimes a bit jarring. Perhaps Goldsmith should have written this entirely as a comedy OR a drama, to help with that.

[Virginia · Rating 2 out of 5]

Increíblemente insípida y convencional, Jóvenes esposas, es el tipo de libro del que se puede sacar una horrorosa película de sobremesa. No deja de ser una comedia estúpida llena de situaciones típicas, previsibles y tremendamente aburridas que no hay por dónde coger. Y aunque tenga alguna parte especialmente graciosa, se diluye en un mar de hechos insustanciales y personajes tediosos.

Olivia Goldsmith es una escritora célebre por su primera obra “El club de las primeras esposas”. Y, aunque no es una mala escritora, parece que solo sabe escribir la misma clase de historia. Pero, dejando eso a un lado, literariamente, tiene un estilo de escritura meramente funcional, con una prosa simplona, un lenguaje pragmático y unas descripciones escasas y concisas.
Los personajes son capítulo aparte. Me resultaron sosos y superficiales. Muy poco trabajados y peor construidos. Y eso va también para el trío de protagonistas que son el colmo de lo estúpido. Kam, la abogada ingenua, Jada, directora de una sucursal que no es capaz de darse cuenta de que su matrimonio hace aguas por todas partes, y Vivian, ama de casa con los ojos cerrados, son los personajes principales y, cada una de ellas a su manera, me pareció odiosa e irritante.

Jóvenes esposas trata un gran cliché en la historia del cine: la mujer engañada. Y es que la trama es bien sencilla. Tres mujeres son engañadas de diferentes formas por sus maridos. Resentidas con ellos y, con un sistema legal que siempre parece amparar y proteger a los hombres, deciden reunirse y planificar una venganza, que al tiempo que las unirá, les mostrará cuales son los siguientes pasos a seguir en su nueva vida. Pero… ¡un momento! ¿os suena de algo esta historia? Si habéis estado atentos a este comentario, y conocéis un poco la bibliografía de la autora, este argumento os resultará sospechosamente parecido al de “El club de las primeras esposas”. Y habréis acertado. En realidad la autora ha escrito (otra vez) una historia llena de estereotipos de toda clase y condición. Desde el famoso “todos los hombres son iguales” hasta el “el sistema no funciona para las mujeres”, pasando por aquellos tópicos que tengan que ver con la raza (no nos olvidemos de que Jada es una mujer negra). En resumen, un pestiño de argumento que no da para 500 páginas, por lo que la autora tiene que rellenar con situaciones absurdas, sin pizca de gracia y pesadas. Por supuesto no podemos olvidarnos de un tópico más: el final feliz. No obstante cuando llegas al desenlace, es el lector el que irradia felicidad, porque ha terminado semejante tortura mental.

En suma, Jóvenes esposas, es un libro apto solo para los que disfruten de los primeros esbozos de, lo que más adelante, sería el chick-lit. Si no podéis soportar las historias donde las mujeres se quejan hasta el infinito y más allá, sueltan chistes sexistas y, a veces tienen una mentalidad más machista que los propios hombres, huid de este libro. Vuestra paz mental os lo agradecerá.

[Monica · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed Young Wives. I found the 3 main women very intriguing and diverse. Three woman from different backgrounds. Here is an excerpt from the summary:

Meet the Young Wives: Angela, Michelle, and Jada, thirty-something women who appear to have lives as delicious as dessert. A typical New Yorker, half-Jewish, half-Italina, Angela is a lawyer married to Reid, a handsome old-money WASP. Michelle, a traditionalist at heart, adors her childhood sweetheart husband, Frank, and the dream house he's provided for her and their two beautiful children. Married to Clinton, Jada is a suburban African American wife working hard to maintain a happy home despite her husband's failing business. She's determined to give her family the privileges she never had.

Angela, Jada an Michelle develop a friendship while they are going through some problems in their marriages. This book touched me since I am divorced and when they exact revenge on their ex husbands I found myself rooting for them. If only you could get away with it in real life.

[Helga Cano · Rating 4 out of 5]

Me ha encantado el libro ha sido muy entretenido. Trata sobre el matrimonio de tres mujeres. La primera Kam está locamente enamorada de Reid pero en su aniversario de bodas descubre que este le ha sido infiel con su mejor amiga. Vivían cree que su matrimonio es perfecto hasta que descubre que su marido Frank es un narcotraficante de drogas. Jada está casada con Clinton que es un holgazán, este le es infiel con Tonya y Jada tiene que mantener a toda su familia; además, Clinton se llevó a sus hijos y acusa a Jada por abandono del hogar. En este libro las tres mujeres se hacen muy amigas y se unen para realizar una terrible venganza a sus ex maridos.
Lo que no me ha gustado del libro ha sido la forma en que han tratado a Jada por ser una mujer de color, además de la forma en que la trató el juez en el juicio y que defendiese a Clinton.

[Jenn · Rating 4 out of 5]

I actually love this book. I bought it a long time ago and had reread it. I bought it so long ago and I had forgotten what it entailed.

I love the friendships so much. I love the love and respect for the women's parents also. I thought Angie's parents relationship was over the top and interesting. I liked how the three or should I say the five of them will get along. The Scheming to get back at Reid was hilarious. Who would have thought! I did wonder what happened to him and Lisa, but that's for my imagination. I can't believe Frank! What a jerk! He gets what he deserves. Same as Jada's ex. The nerve of that guy.

[KJ · Rating 2 out of 5]

I recently undertook an Olivia Goldsmith re-read, and I'm trying to remember if I read this book again after the first time. I'm thinking probably not -- unlike my other rereads, I didn't recall much of the story or much about the characters. On the other hand, it might be because the book just isn't that memorable. The story revisits very similar themes to the First Wives Club, with a side of misery porn that is just not fun to read. I think this book tries to be more serious than the popcorn/beach read/trashy vibe than her other novels give me, and it just doesn't work quite as well.

[Kelly McElmeel · Rating 4 out of 5]

My first novel by this author. I thought it was a fast, funny read about revenge on stupid people. I did, however, become bored with the continuous talk about Black culture versus White. That to me got old really quick but was talked about throughout the entire book.

I would recommend this book if you were wanting a light, quick read, and something that you can't take literally because there is no way any of the scenarios could actually be worked out. It was just fun to think about the possibilities.

[Bamboozlepig]

No stars for this one. I enjoyed Goldsmith's "First Wives Club" when it first came out. I identified with the characters in that book because I had just come through a divorce in which my ex left me for another woman. But this book just didn't do it for me. It was very boring and more than a little convoluted. None of the characters appealed to me. Even the revenge bits were boring.

[Lily · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was horribly edited when it comes to spelling mistakes, but I can forgive it for good story telling. I really liked this book for the characters on their own and as a group. I loved when they started plotting together because I had felt hopeless for their situations, but it all worked out, and I got my happy ending!

[Terry · Rating 2 out of 5]

I wonder if I read this when it was first published if I would have liked it more? I certainly hope not! The unintentional racism is so prevalent in the entire book. This book is also full of bitterness towards men.

[Sarah Kirkpatrick · Rating 3 out of 5]

Another Goldsmith. I really enjoyed this book though the ending left a little to be desired; I wanted to know what happened next .

[Diane · Rating 2 out of 5]

This is the story of three young wives.Being married is not what they expected.

[annmarie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Was ok

[Arline · Rating 4 out of 5]

You feel as if you are actually part of the story, absolutely awesome book, which I found very hard to put down.

[K · Rating 3 out of 5]

Twists and turns with lovable characters that keep you interested to the end