Swapping Lives

April 17, 2006
This fun but familiar novel from Green (The Other Woman
) follows the seemingly perfect lives of two women—one married with children, one single with a high-powered job—who wish to see how the other half lives, only to have the misfortune to get what they wish for. When Amber Winslow, a wealthy Connecticut housewife replete with wealthy husband, full-time nanny and golden retriever, grows tired of her town's vicious social scene, she responds to British magazine Poise!
's search for a subject to swap lives with one of the magazine's London editors, Vicky Townsley. Serious and successful, Vicky is longing for the husband and children she doesn't have. While both women leave home on a yellow-brick-road quest to find the missing piece of their lives—a sense of purpose for Amber, a suitable mate for Vicky—what they find instead is the saccharine obvious: they already have everything they really want. Green's latest, like her more inspired ventures, is hard to put down, thanks to affable leading characters and interesting, if not particularly revealing, commentary on the cross-Atlantic cultural gap.

May 1, 2006
Vicky Townsley, stunning, single, and a successful features director at a hip London magazine, longs for the simple life: a country home, a couple of big dogs, gorgeous children, and a wonderful husband. Meanwhile, Connecticut housewife Amber Winslow is bogged down with the responsibilities of social climbing and motherhood that are part of her picture-perfect life in the idyllic suburbs. Vicky is so desperate to find out what life would be like as a happily married mother that she assigns herself a story that requires swapping lives. And Amber is the lucky recipient of this twist on "Wife Swap" and "Trading Spouses". The experiment gives both women the excuse to get away from their lives and find out if the grass really is greener. Of course, it takes only a few short weeks for both to appreciate the paths they -ve chosen for themselves. Green -s ("The Other Woman") witty blend of chick lit and mom lit allows readers to escape and live vicariously through these two characters. Recommended for all popular fiction collections." -Anika Fajardo, Coll. of St. Catherine Lib., St. Paul, MN"

Copyright 2006 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

March 15, 2006
Reality shows and contests are a hot topic for fiction these days, and Green (" The Other Woman," 2005) is the latest writer to jump on the bandwagon. Green's vehicle is a " Poise!" magazine contest that gives a married woman the opportunity to switch places with " Poise! " features director Vicky Townsley, who at 35 is professionally fulfilled but unhappy that she's not yet found a man. She's hoping she may have met the one in Jamie Donnelly, a handsome Irish comedian who has a reputation as a womanizer. Across the pond in Highfield, Connecticut, Amber Winslow has what seems like the perfect life with her husband, Richard, and her two adorable children. But Amber is tired of keeping up with her competitive friends, and she sends a letter in to " Poise!" never expecting to win. Readers probably won't be surprised that Vicky and Amber learn to appreciate their own lives thanks to the switch, but they will enjoy watching Green peel the layers of the women's lives back, highlighting that both women have issues they need to change and others they need to accept. Green is a popular chick-lit writer, so expect demand. (Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2006, American Library Association.)

September 4, 2006
Vicky Townsley, single and successful features director of Poise!
magazine in London, thinks that marriage and children are all she needs to be happy. Amber Winslow, wife and mother living in Highfield, Conn., feels like her life is out of control. When Poise!
offers to help them switch lives in the interest of a magazine article, Vicky and Amber eagerly agree. What they find is that their own lives aren't so bad, and that happiness comes from within (nothing startling here). Landor's overly affected takes on British and American accents are more distracting than enhancing. Her high-pitched children's voices are annoying and her male characters ring false. The lightweight story is enjoyable but overlong. An abridged version that trimmed back on the nonstop inner dialogue and detail-filled scenes would have probably made for a less draggy audiobook. Simultaneous release with the Viking hardcover (Reviews, Apr. 17).