The Secret Lives Of Housewives

A bestselling, groundbreaking author investigates successful long term marriages, interviewing wives and their uncensored strategies for staying married. America's high divorce rate is well known. But little attention has been paid to the flip side: couples who creatively (sometimes clandestinely) manage to build marriages that are lasting longer than we ever thought possible. What's the secret? To find out, bestselling journalist Iris Krasnow interviewed more than 200 wives whose marriages have survived for 15 to 70 years. They are a diverse cast, yet they share one common and significant trait: They have made bold, sometimes secretive and shocking choices on how to keep their marital vows, "till death do us part," as Krasnow says, "without killing someone first." In raw, candid, titillating stories, Krasnow's cast of wise women give voice to the truth about marriage and the importance of maintaining a strong sense of self apart from the relationship. Some spend summers separately from their partners. Some make time for wine with the girls. One septuagenarian has a recurring date with an old flame from high school. In every case, the marriage operates on many tracks, giving both spouses license to pursue the question "Who am I apart from my marriage?" Krasnow's goal is to give women permission to create their own marriages at any age. Marital bliss is possible, she says, if each partner is blissful apart from the other. A fascinating window on the many faces of modern relationships, The Secret Lives of Wives brims with inspiring and daring examples of women who have it both ways: a committed marriage and personal adventures in uncharted territory. For anyone who wants to stay married and stay sane, this is the book to read!

Sex and the suburbs. . . In a small New York suburb on the banks of the Hudson River, picture-perfect houses and well-manicured lawns hide the raging libidos of a quartet of women who come together as unlikely confidantes to discuss escapades that would make any soccer mom blush. Single or married, moms or executives, they all have one thing on their minds. . . Angie, a yoga instructor and mother of twins, worries that her role as caregiver has wiped out her identity as an active woman with grown-up desires. Nobody ever asks how she's doing anymore, and her husband seems to have forgotten she still has a limber body that hungers for his touch. If only she could add some adult playtime into their hectic home life. . .. The last thing on Monica's mind is marriage. She's content to spoil her nieces and nephews instead of getting tied down by a husband and children of her own. Her doctor has told her to relax her workaholic habits, but this driven advertising executive knows how to play the game--in business and in bed. One way or another, she'll find a way to make sure all her needs are met. . . Caitlin has it all. She's stunningly gorgeous, married to a rich man. . .and incredibly bored. Being a trophy wife is less than satisfying--unless you're the kind of woman who enjoys having your husband tell you what to outfits you should wear to impress his clients. Spontaneity is what Caitlin needs--so she turns to the internet to live out her wildest fantasies. . . Eve may look absolutely ordinary, but her bedroom adventures and active imagination belie her quiet exterior. Her daydreams consist of steamy fantasies based on the old movie romances she loves. And her real-life trysts are nothing short of spectacular, even if her afternoon delights are with her very married boss. . . White picket fences won't corral these four sultry sirens as they shake up the neighborhood in ways that city girls can only dream of. . .

A bestselling, groundbreaking author investigates wives who thrive, sharing their uncensored strategies for staying married. America’s high divorce rate is well known. But little attention has been paid to the flip side: couples who creatively manage to build marriages that are lasting longer than we ever thought possible. What’s the secret? To find out, bestselling journalist Iris Krasnow interviewed more than two hundred wives whose marriages have survived for fifteen to seventy years. In raw, candid, sometimes titillating stories, Krasnow’s cast of wise women give voice to the truth about marriage and the importance of maintaining a strong sense of self apart from the relationship. Some spend summers separately from their partners. Some make time for wine with the girls. One septuagenarian has a recurring date with an old flame from high school. In every case, the marriage operates on many tracks, giving both spouses license to pursue the question “Who am I apart from my marriage?” Krasnow’s goal is to give women permission to create their own marriages at any age. Marital bliss is possible, she says, if each partner is blissful apart from the other. For anyone who wants to stay married and stay sane, this is the book to read!

The Secret Lives of Baba Segi's Wives is a scandalous, engrossing tale of sexual politics and family strife in modern-day Nigeria. Lola Shoneyin's bestselling novel bursts on to the stage in a vivid adaptation by Caine Award-winning playwright Rotimi Babatunde. “Men are like yam, you cut them how you like.” Baba Segi has three wives, seven children, and a mansion filled with riches. But now he has his eyes on Bolanle, a young university graduate wise to life's misfortunes. When Bolanle responds to Baba Segi's advances, she unwittingly uncovers a secret which threatens to rock his patriarchal household to the core.

Some marriages are made in heaven, and others, quite frankly, are not. This anthology collects the private reflections of 25 well-known women writers, some of whom speak under the liberating cloak of anonymity. They reveal the truth about their marriages, their divorces, and sometimes, their decisions to remain single. The essays here chronicle the highs and lows of romantic relationships, the ebb and flow of love and desire, and the many alternatives to traditional matrimony. With topics ranging from infidelity and true love to orgasms, children, career power struggles, race issues, and aging, these are stories that empower women to make sense of their own lives.

Suburbia is a jungle, filled with lots of vicious creatures.Take the Paradise Heights Women’s League board. Lyssa Harper should have warned golden-haired DILF du jour Harry Wilder what he was getting into when she invited him to meet the mommies who run their suburban, gated community. At least he brought cupcakes. Since meeting the former Master-of-the-Universe turned stay-at-home single dad, Lyssa has been his domestic Sherpa, teaching him the ins and outs of suburban life. She just didn’t realize her friends would show up at his house unannounced with casseroles, leopard-print bikini briefs, and plans to rearrange his kitchen cabinets. The truth is, if Harry and his wife, the neighborhood’s “perfect couple,” can call it quits, what does that mean for everyone else? Lyssa’s husband, Ted, is a great father, but he pays her Pilates-pumped momtourage more attention than he does his own wife. Her friends gossip about the neighbors while ignoring their own problems: infertility, infidelity, and eating disorders. When Harry sets boundaries with his new fan club, he is exiled from the neighborhood’s in-clique. But Lyssa refuses to snub him. What she never expects is the explosive impact her ongoing friendship with Harry will have on her close-knit pals—and on her marriage.

After a whirlwind overseas romance, down-home girl Claire Stark has moved to her new husband’s hometown, Hunting Hills, Ohio, where the men earn seven figures, the women wear size two, and if everything isn’t absolutely perfect, you’re expected to pretend it is.… But Claire’s having trouble pretending. For one thing, John’s previous girlfriend still lives here—and with all the bed-hopping in Hunting Hills, she may not be Claire’s only potential rival. For another, Claire’s constantly hearing vicious gossip—including rumors about herself. And though she also misses her reporting career, John isn’t thrilled with the idea of her working at the local paper. She might just have to be satisfied mingling with the Hunting Hills moms, who like to borrow their daughters’ Seven jeans and their sons’ Ritalin. That is, until scandal threatens to shatter the stylish facade of this exclusive gated community—and behind the salon highlights and sunlamp tans, true colors start shining through.…