The Silent Wife: A gripping emotional page turner with a twist that will take your breath away

I had a hard time getting going as the flip flop of perspective by different characters did not start smoothly for me. However, after getting into the flow, I found this novel immensely satisfying. The characters for the most part were well developed, but it was the overall storyline that was so fascinating, original, and delightful. The plot twists were unpredictable and numerous. The characters all had such defined but different personalitites While I loved Maggie, Beryll stole the day. I would love to have people with these kinds of personalities in my world, they were so funny and fun. Nico was the hardest to understand but with all the secrets of the rich, everyone in the family had his/her own quirks. Amazing plot: Ms. Fisher has a great career ahead of her. I went from crying to laughing out loud. I read the novel in one sitting, so, for me, that's a sure sign of intrigue and talent by Ms. Fisher. This is a hard novel to review without giving away any of the plot, but reading it with no expectation/foreknowledge is truly the best approach. I certainly hope Kerry is able to continue with her originality; the hardest thing to do in this particular genre. From the first page to the final page, this is a definite showstopper! Not only are the characters original but the various combination of events that occur throughout the entire book is mind-blowing. It's going to be hard to go back to the usual novel by numbers that often plagues books of this genre after this satisfying read. I highly recommend this novel, I think you'll fall in love with some of the characters, distain others, but you won't come away untouched. It was also easy to picture the different locales, which added to the enjoyment factor. Ms. Fisher has become one of my new favorite authors.

The cover of the book says, "Would you risk everything for the man you loved...even if you knew he'd done something terrible". Huh? I was expecting a new wife finding out a terrible secret about her new husband, and then what would she do. No. Indeed, there is a new wife, and she finds out a secret about her new extended family that even her husband does not know, but from the very beginning, that secret is no secret to the reader. I never saw any one particular twist, either. About 3/4 of the way through I accepted the fact that there could be no new secret or twist--new things happen, of course, but by that point they are maddening, but not surprising. The book is good, but if I could, I'd only give it 3.5 stars because I don't think the story is at all about what it says on the cover. It's a depiction of the manipulations of a domestic abuser and the suffering of his victims. I didn't really feel held by very much suspense, but I do feel the depiction of how the abuse takes place, the facade of "everything is wonderful" that the abuser creates that fools everybody, and the why of the primary victim staying, is very, very realistic. For anyone who just cannot understand why a woman would stay with an abusive man, read this book and you will understand--and it's not love, it's pure fear, tinged with confusion and shame. Aside from my quibbles about the story being different than advertised, the author did an exceptional job of depicting a newcomer, and her son and mother, trying to fit in with her new, oh so different, family. It's really a very rich depiction of the viewpoints of the new wife, and her abused sister-in-law. I think it's an enjoyable and worthwhile read---but only if you don't go into it looking for the angles suggested on the cover, because I just don't think the book is as those blurbs suggest at all.

The Silent Wife s a heart wrenching and gripping tale. I was hooked from the very first page. Kerry Fisher’s brilliant writing talent is showcased beautifully in this book. There are no filler pages. Each sentence moves the story forward. It’s exceedingly evident that every word in this book was thoroughly thought out and carefully placed, for maximum effect. Although this book is sure to, wreck havoc with your emotions, it will also warm your heart and make you laugh. Maggie Parker came to the classy Farinelli family from a poor drug-infested section of town. She was the first in three generations of Parker women to nab a husband. Nico Farinelli wasn’t just any guy, though, he was a successful, kind, and handsome man. Nico loved Maggie’s sincere, honest, full-of-life manner. Anna, the matriarch of the Farinelli family, however, was nauseated by the fact that the Parker’s, were infiltrating her perfect Italian nest; especially Beryl, Maggie’s mother, a no-nonsense loving woman, with absolutely no filter. Out of the two Farinelli brothers, Maggie’s husband, Nico was the quieter one. Massimo was a larger-than-life, center of the universe, charismatic, charmer type of guy. He was also his mother’s favorite. From the outside, the Farinelli’s appeared to be the perfect loving family. Maggie, however, knew that to be a falsehood. She accidentally discovered a terrible secret, one so awful that if it were ever exposed, would tear the Farinelli family apart. She struggled to protect the people she loved, but secrets have a way of being unearthed at the worse possible moments. I highly recommend The Silent Wife. It’s an extraordinarily well-written book with many witty one-liners, realistic dialogue, and complex characters. This is the second 5-star novel that I have read by this talented writer. I love finding new favorite authors. I’ll be reading Kerry Fisher’s next book for sure. Thank you so much Bookouture, and NetGalley, for my advanced review copy.

French authors like François Mauriac or Hervé Bazin dig into the tortured and cruel world of family relationships. Kerry Fisher does it with British control and British humor in this tale told by two wives, that is Maggie, filled with her newlywed enthusiasm — and needing it with the fresh challenges facing her; and Lara, a contrasting figure with her rebarbative reserve and overprotectiveness toward her child. But there is always a reason behind behavior. Ask and inquire, and chances are answers will eventually come up; a psychological mystery will be solved. Only society prefers surface—that is judgement, gossip, and condemnation. It is more fun and far more cruel. What is the microcosm of a judgmental society? Family. Meet the Farinelli family—the matriarchal Farinelly family. Here, it has been decided that handsome Massimo is the exuberant one, the guy one can count on to organize the best parties; he is the best son and the popular uncle. His brother Nico is nice, for sure, but not as athletic (translate: not as sexy), so he sort of pales in comparison. And yet no one wonders why Lara is on antidepressants with a husband as funloving as Massimo. Shouldn’t she be blooming instead? The Farinellis don’t ask themselves these questions, despite the rough answers that will come up in the end. Instead, they judge and categorize, like families do: Having to handle such a difficult wife as Lara makes Massimo a hero. Period. Families don’t like to dig. They like to bury—secrets, usually. Here, the mystery unwraps with the slow and steady progress of the relationship of the two narrators that ultimately grows into a full fledged friendship. It seems unlikely at first, but elements (Maggie’s eye opener, the Alzeimer Disease of Lara’s father) change both women in what is in part a psychological thriller with touches of wit and satire here and there. This is a hell of a good book. (I am reading another Fisher novel right now because it’s always good for writers like me to feed on clean prose like hers.) But I will give it only three stars. Here is why. In the end, Fisher gives in to crowd pleasing, to this all-is-well-that-ends-well that is so damn commercial but that kills literary quality. This choice —her editor’s choice would be my guess — makes the fabric of her drama a little duller and a lot thinner. I have seen too many authors compromise with their last lines. I seldom read a decent ending these days. And when a novel is so well written, such a miss is nearly tragic. Never underestimate the path that leads to that last word.

Great read

This is one of those books I couldn't wait to read to the end to see what happens, and yet still didn't want to finish because it is so well written. SUCH a page turner! I wrote the above words years ago when I first read "The Silent Wife." I've just reread it. Heavenly days, it took my breath away all over again. The characters are written with such a clear vision, clear understanding of the human strengths and frailties that this book is exceedingly hard to put down. The "bad guy" of the book is simply chilling. The good guys, male and female, are people you'd like to have for best friends. Kerry Fisher writes with a laser-focused talent. You deserve to read this book.

Read a bunch of books while sitting on the beach this summer and this was one of my favorites! Surprised it’s not more popular or on some celebrity book club list. 1. Smartly written...meaning it’s got depth and but the author is so pompous like she is trying too hard. 2. Well developed characters 3. Kept me guessing on how it would all unfold 4. Once I started I didn’t go to bed till I finished. 5. It’s clever...I laughed at he authors wittiness, the characters felt real, and I felt genuine emotion. All things I love in a good book. I’m a fan of Liane Morirarty books, stuff I can simply enjoy but isn’t too silly or sappy. This was pretty similar just a tad more serious.

This is the first book I have read by this author and I will probably go for more. I love the author's sense of humor and the humor is the best part of this book. Unfortunately, I've about had my share of stories involving abusive men and the wives that won't leave. There is always some compelling justification that they use to stay and the reader is forced to stay with them and deal with their unbearable situation that drags on and on. Thankfully, there's at least one strong woman in this story, Maggie, who eventually is able to convince the other to open her eyes and grow a pair, but there are too many wasted pages in between. And it's not just men, but the cliched overbearing mother in law that makes even Maggie ashamed and unable to stick up for herself. Not to mention her immature teenage stepdaughter that her father allows to walk all over her. This would have been a five star read for me if the themes and characters were fresher and it didn't feel like it was covering the same well-worn territory. It still held my interest and I'm curious to see if the author's other works fare just a bit better.

good

I thought that Kerry handled a difficult subject like domestic abuse realistically and sensitively. We usually hear about the really violent outbursts, but the subtle psychological and emotional abuse tend to go hidden. I felt terrible for Lara as her situation resonated with me....I know someone who also lives her nightmare. I don't usually read chicklit but this story really drew me in, made me care about the characters and left me with a good feeling. Kerry's writing is very British so there were a lot of expressions and words I am unfamiliar with but they were so colourful and vivid and her comparisons are genuinely funny. She manages to give her characters well-rounded personalities....they are not all good or all bad, they are flawed humans. I thoroughly enjoyed the story and as I'm Italian that twist made it more interesting. I appreciated the lack (almost) of stereotyping.

I enjoyed everything about this book. Beautifully written, sensitive yet humerous, with credible characters. My favourite being the truthful, say it as it is Maggie. Great dialogue all through. I'll be reading more from this author.

A perfect holiday book. The author is a good story teller and keeps you engaged through her characters. An enjoyable read.

First things first, I'm a guy, I have tried books by other women authors (authoress's?) and had mixed feeling about them, there is no reason why they can't write stuff that I like to read, not the J K Rowling Harry Potter stuff, that's not my thing at all. So when my latest e-mail from Amazon arrived, special offers and recommended for you, that type of thing, The Silent Wife was there, so I checked out some of the reviews and found that most people seemed to quite like the book, and the author, although up to that point I had never heard of her. I have now, and I am going to join the chorus of people who enjoyed this book, not only enjoyed, but a book that had me reading until the early hours of the morning as I didn't want to stop reading although I knew I needed some sleep. A story of 2 women, totally different but marrying into the same Italian family, the two husbands, were like the women, very different. I don't need to go into detail as that had already been done in other reviews, but we follow the lives of the 2 women, and their Italian husbands, throw in a typical Italian mother, and in one case the brothers second marriage, the first wife died, so the complication of his new English wife and her son, gelling with an Italian man with a daughter. The 2 brothers were chalk and cheese, one athletic and outgoing, the other has a garden centre business and is rather gentle and not sporty, and so here we have the main characters Massimo and Lara, Nico and Maggie the second wife, but throw in Anna, the Italian mother, and Beryl, fiercely protective of her daugher Maggie as she enters the Farinelli family, where everything is overshaddowed by the death of Nico's first wife Caitlin. We follow the lives of Maggie and Lara, worlds appart it seems, but are they? as the story unravells we find that Lara also happens to be a second wife, Massimo being divorced from his first, but although not apparent at first there is a secret that bounds both Maggie and Lara which has been buried deep down. Until that is Lara's dad, who has been in a nursing home for years, and is slowly losing his memory except that he knows something that no one else realised, but how could you belive a guy has memory loss? As I said, I was reading until the early hours of the morning because of the twists and turns in this story, beautifully written and a book that gave me a lot of enjoyment to read. Yes is was on offer at 99p, the best bargain I have had yet for my Kindle, but having been bitten by this author I shall be seeking out her other books, thank you Kerry for as well as the suspense there was humour, not least from Maggies mother Beryl, but it was, overall, an excellent read.