The Wife Who Ran Away [Kindle Edition]

Kate decides on impulse to leave her stressful life. She does what many of us might dream of doing. She takes a taxi to the airport and hops on a plane to Rome instead of going back to work after her lunch break. She is approaching her fortieth birthday and it seems as though nothing gets done unless she does it.

Kate has recently had a miscarriage and her husband Ned said all the wrong things including that the miscarriage was a blessing in disguise almost in so many words. Kate is earning a six figure salary and her husband is supposed to be a freelance journalist but spends more than he earns. Her mother, Eleanor, expects everything done for her and teenagers Agness and Guy rarely do anything to help.

The story is told by all the main characters in turn which is a format which doesn't always work. I felt as though the characters didn't really have different voices and I took an instant dislike to Ned as a character whether he was talking in his own voice or when he was seen through the eyes of the other characters.

I could see how Kate had contributed to her situation by doing everything herself but if you are a capable you just do get on with things without wondering whether you can do it all or even whether you should do everything.

I felt as though there was perhaps too much going on in this story and that maybe some of the sub plots should have been omitted. The ending was a bit of a disappointment - to me at any rate. In spite of all this it was an enjoyable read and I did want to see what happened to the people involved. I'm sure the author's many fans will love this story.

I think this book strikes a chord for mothers who sometimes just daydream about running away from a lifetime's commitment of shopping, cooking, washing, organising lives for people who don't notice a thing! The story meanders through the reality of what would happen if you did just run away - the upshot is that people appreciate you more. I find having a big strop and refusing to iron clothes usually has the same effect.

Anyway, it's a nice rainy afternoon/holiday read - not entirely believable but leaves you with a feel-good feeling

Do not read this book if you are expecting an enjoyable tale perhaps for your holiday. It is completely missold in its description.
I was looking foward to reading this as I have read all of the author's other books and appreciated her style - mass market women's fiction but with a clever edge.
But I was let down by lazy writing and plot - stressed high flying Mum taken for granted by feckless husband, stroppy teenage daughter, bullied son, selfish Mother - Yawn! we've read it all before only written by much better authors. The characterisation of the teenage daughter is achieved by simply placing 'like' after every fourth word. Come on Tess my 13 year old can do better!
The worst part though is her attempt to sensationalise the story by the graphic description of the sodomising of a teenage boy by his school bullies. Tess obviously hasn't the skill to portray bullying with sensitivity and intelligence as say Kirsty Scott does in Fortune House.
Do not waste your money - my copy ended up in the bin - not even fit for the charity shop!
Time to hang up your pen Tess!