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Mrs. Kimble

January 16, 2009 by Jennifer

Jennifer Haigh is one of my author discoveries from 2008. No, I didn’t discover her, but I did wonder where she had been all my life when I read her book The Condition this summer (reviewed briefly on my blog HERE).

I came across Mrs. Kimble in a used bookstore while I was on a relaxing getaway with my husband, which meant that I actually had time to read it. I read it quickly — within 24 hours — yet in spite of reading it fairly quickly, I savored each page along the way.

This is the story of Ken Kimble, told through the three women who he marries. We meet the first Mrs. Kimble when she falls for Ken when he’s her professor at Bible college. The second Mrs. Kimble is an old maid of sorts — a woman who put her career first (in a time before that was done). The third Mrs. Kimble is a young woman who knew Ken Kimble when he was married to the first Mrs. Kimble. Kimble seems to be a different person in each stage of his life, and the question is whether the women he’s been with have changed him, or he changes to suit the women, and ultimately — who is he, really?

If you generally prefer suspense to literary fiction, perhaps this would be a good combination for you. As this character-driven mystery unravels, I found myself asking all sorts of questions:

  1. What drives Ken Kimble?
  2. Who or what does he really care about?
  3. How does one person’s choices affect those around him?
  4. Why does he leave, and are they better off without him?

So, with Jennifer Haigh’s novels, I’m now two for two. I’ve now read her first novel Mrs. Kimble and her latest novel The Condition. Baker Towers is sandwiched in the middle, and it’s always great to know that there’s another of the author’s work yet to be discovered (not to mention those which she hasn’t written yet).

Managing Editor Jennifer Donovan also blogs at Snapshot about life with her tween daughter and preschool son.

Filed Under: Fiction, Jennifer, Literary

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Comments

  1. Carrie, Reading to Know says

    January 16, 2009 at 1:36 am

    This sounds really fun! Intriguing. Oooh another to add to my ever growing (and ridiculous!) pile.

  2. bookfool says

    January 16, 2009 at 8:32 am

    I’ve seen this book around and thought it might be good. Great review! Now I’ll have to read it and find The Condition as well. Oh sheesh….my TBR pile is getting out of control, it’s about to take over the living room completely!

  3. Amy says

    January 16, 2009 at 9:21 am

    Sounds like a good one! Add me to the list of those with a growing TBR list!

  4. Alyce says

    January 16, 2009 at 10:40 am

    I haven’t heard of this author. Thanks for letting us know about her!

  5. Melissa says

    January 16, 2009 at 12:47 pm

    Yet another book to add to my list! But I wonder how Carrie can have a list…she reads all the time!

  6. Lauren says

    January 17, 2009 at 9:29 pm

    Great review. Thanks to your recommendation, I just requested it at the library!

  7. Ginny says

    September 16, 2009 at 9:55 pm

    I just finished reading Mrs. Kimble but was disappointed at the ending. How did you interpret it?

  8. Jennifer says

    September 17, 2009 at 6:40 am

    Ginny–I always appreciate a question and ongoing dialogue, but I’m afraid that I don’t recall the specifics about the ending.

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