Author Anne Kingston deserves five stars-plus for her exhaustive research and objective presentation of the subject. The Meaning of Wife, which is by no means a quick or light read, is well written, engaging, thought provoking and entertaining. If you are a wife, you'll find yourself somewhere in these pages. If you're not a wife, you may recognize your mother or your friends, or the woman you call your wife. Kingston covers all the bases, beginning with the world's fascination with Princess Diana's foray into wifedom. In a chapter called "Heart of Whiteness," which is what I've always called "White Lace Dreams," she details the wedding dress selection and compares the white lacy dress to the wedding cake. "The modern wedding cake is a bride you can put in your mouth," is a quote attributed to food writer Jeffrey Steingarten. From there, the topics of sex and abuse, divorce and value are thoroughly portrayed. Strong vocabulary, this is academic material. Well done
Strong vocabulary, this is academic material