About Books: ‘Wives Like Us’ is a rollicking, witty journey

Here you are- sorry for the delay!

Wives Like Us

By Plum Sykes

This book is a good departure from what I usually read, although I have read several books that take place in London or England, penned by English authors. This book, however, takes you through a deeper trail of traditional English countryside traditions and it is written with a lot of English phrasing that takes a bit to get used to. It’s a little slower to start, but you will definitely warm up to the characters very quickly. It’s not all stiff upper lip and tea parties, although these “wives” definitely know how to throw an excellent party.

Where else might you find the star of the book with a name like “Tata.” Only in the English countryside of course! Tata and her husband Bryan live on a very large estate called Monkton Bottom Manor, outside of London in Oxfordshire. They get in a huge argument about a particular set of jewelry that Bryan has just purchased for an assistant. It’s enough to make Tata, her daughter Minty and her fabulously dressed butler Ian, to retreat to another homestead on the vast property. What would an English book be without a fabulous butler named Ian. Ian brings a ton of humor to this book and is an integral part of weaving the plot all together. All of this and Tata is on the verge of her 40th birthday planning.

Amidst all of Tata’s family drama, her friends Selby, Sophie and Fernanda all weave in their own personal dramas as “princesses of the countryside.”

Will Tata and Bryan’s marriage survive the drama? How will Ian fit all of his vintage Gucci loafers in the coach house?

I found myself laughing out loud often during this read. “Wives Like Us” is a rollicking, witty journey through the absurdities of country life, love, and friendship, sure to keep readers laughing from beginning to end.

Plum Sykes is the bestselling author of Bergdorf Blondes and Party Girls Die in Pearls. These are titles I have not read but plan to explore.