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The Sunday Wife
The Sunday Wife
Author: Cassandra King
A captivating novel about one woman's journey toward independence and the life-changing friendship that guides her there. Married for 20 years to the Reverend Benjamin Lynch, a handsome, ambitious minister of the prestigious Methodist church, Dean Lynch has never quite adjusted her temperament to the demands of the role of a Sunday wife....  more »
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ISBN-13: 9780786890446
ISBN-10: 0786890444
Publication Date: 7/2/2003
Pages: 528
Rating:
  • Currently 3.5/5 Stars.
 116

3.5 stars, based on 116 ratings
Publisher: Hyperion
Book Type: Paperback
Other Versions: Hardcover, Audio Cassette, Audio CD
Reviews: Member | Amazon | Write a Review

Top Member Book Reviews

reviewed The Sunday Wife on + 28 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 4
Great story, read it for a book club and it was highly rated. Great character development. People magazine says "As slice of life stories go, this is an extraordinary generous one: rich and satisfying
reviewed The Sunday Wife on + 14 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 3
A stunner, a page-turner of a story that's at the same time smart nd funny and alert to the nuances of the complicatesd South. Dean Lynch in the title role will absolutely steal your heart. - Josephine Humphreys
reviewed The Sunday Wife on + 533 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 3
Finely drawn characters and complicated social intrigue make King's second novel (after Making Waves in Zion) a charming read. When Dean Lynchs ambitious preacher husband, Ben, is assigned to a pulpit in the small Florida town of Crystal Springs, Dean is resigned to the prospect of yet another church-owned house and the necessity of putting aside her own beloved music (she plays the piano and the dulcimer) in favor of the congregations choir. Orphaned as a child, the retiring Dean has spent 20 years of marriage in the shadow of her overbearing, charismatic husband, always feeling out of place. But when she befriends Augusta, a wealthy, well-born, caustic beauty whose attendance at the Crystal Springs Methodist Church would be Ben's greatest coup, Dean finds herself coming out of her shell and tangled up in secrets she is not prepared to handle. The only false note comes from the gay couple Augusta befriends, who border on stereotype. The rest of King's secondary cast, which includes a sympathetic psychic and the magnetic but sinister former preacher at Ben's church, is a captivating bunch. King has written a truly heartwarming story, a tale of turbulent emotions and the vagaries of public opinion in a small Southern town; she has a sure winner here.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY REVIEW
Highlandheart44 avatar reviewed The Sunday Wife on
Helpful Score: 3
Moral of this book is be yourself....Don't change into something you aren't, or you risk losing the real of you. A great read.
reviewed The Sunday Wife on + 366 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 2
The wife of a minister, newly relocated, must try to gain acceptance and some kind of personal fulfillment despite the bias of the church members, community and her own husband. For fans of Oprah Club books, this is a perfect read!
Read All 44 Book Reviews of "The Sunday Wife"

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reviewed The Sunday Wife on + 85 more book reviews
The Sunday Wife is the story of Dean, the dutiful preacher's wife. She went to all the church meetings and did everything her husband told her to do. She never felt worthy of him because she grew up white trash. This is something he never let her forget either. Then she met Augusta who didn't care what anyone thought. Can her marriage survive the influence of Augusta? Does Dean even want it to survive?

I was so pulled by this book that I had one sent to my friend when I was only half done with it. My favorite so far by Cassandra King.
reviewed The Sunday Wife on + 12 more book reviews
From the inside jacket: "Married for twenty years to the Reverend Benjamin Lynch, a handsome, ambitious minister of the prestigious Methodist church, Dean Lynch has never quite adjusted her temperament to the demands of the role of a 'Sunday wife.' When her husband is assigned to a larger and more demanding community in the Florida panhandle, Dean becomes fast friends with Augusta Holderfield, a woman with a secret past whose good looks and extravagant habits immediately entrance Dean - much to Ben's disgust."
"Augusta encourages Dean to perform publicly on her treasured dulcimer, a passion that Ben has always smirked at; and pushes her to break out of the confining strictures that Ben has laid down over the years. As their relationship evolves, Dean begins to break free from her traditional role as the preacher's wife - shocking some of the more staid members of the congregation. Just as Dean is questioning everything she has always valued, a tragedy occurs, providing the catalyst for change in ways she never could have imagined - and leading to a climactic conclusion that resonates with emotional power."
TxSandMom avatar reviewed The Sunday Wife on
Awesome book! Loved the twists in it! A great, fun, light read!
reviewed The Sunday Wife on + 2 more book reviews
This book will speak to so many women. The characters have depth and consistency ... so much so that you feel you are a part of their lives. I highly recommend this book.
tchstroo avatar reviewed The Sunday Wife on + 74 more book reviews
I really enjoyed this book!
reviewed The Sunday Wife on + 14 more book reviews
enjoyable and easy read. Not so mundane plot as romances tend to follow.
reviewed The Sunday Wife on
This book held my interest and I was able to identify with the main character on several levels. A very good read.
reviewed The Sunday Wife on + 32 more book reviews
This book touched my heart; the author very poignantly told the tales of a southern gal's trials and triumphs, what married to a Methodist minister meant and entailed in a small southern town, what living in that small town meant with all the gossips and tongue wagglers; it's a story of friendship and love, romance and resolve, heartbreak and hope. It's a story that I will think about often in the days to come, as I wonder about Dean's choices, were they wrong, if she had done things differently, would the outcome be the same? A book full of complex emotions; an excellent story.
reviewed The Sunday Wife on + 23 more book reviews
This was a good story, lots of things going on to keep you interested. I enjoyed reading it.

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