A REVIEW.
As I am a novice to the craft of writing, I’ve found Rachael Johns to be an inspiration for both readers and writers alike, with her talents showcased throughout her lengthy list of published novels. Johns’ online Facebook book club promotes novels and authors from a wide variety of genres, where the associated discussions become thought provoking and encourage the sharing of ideas amongst kindred spirits. Now, I’ll be honest and admit that this is only the second book of hers that I have read, but luckily, I have four more waiting on my TBR pile. The easy-reading writing style and engaging story lines leave you wanting more, do yourself a favour and grab a copy of The Work Wives – you won’t be disappointed!
The Work Wives, Debra and Quinn, a dynamic duo of single women brought together through the powers of common office areas at The Energy Co. Quinn’s extensive search for Mr. Right balances out Deb’s avoidance of the male species and ultimately tests the strength of their relationship. Not only is Debra single, but she is also a single mother to 15-year-old Ramona, who strains Deb’s fragile emotional state even further.
The three leading females face challenges that aren’t uncommon to real life, these challenges highlight a plethora of character qualities, including weakness, stubbornness, persistence and my personal favourite, strength. As you read further into the story, many more qualities are revealed. As the characters evolve, so too does the story line, and when we meet their male counterparts, our leading ladies’ lives get turned upside down. We then get to witness the letting down of walls, determination and the standing up of others.
My favourite character would have to be Quinn, who reveals many different sides to her nature, and when she befriends an elderly neighbour, my favouritism becomes cemented in. She brings with her a touch of creativity, a smidge of glam, and a whole lot of passion.
Many contemporary issues are navigated by the characters throughout The Work Wives, some I have personally experienced, others opened my eyes and produced empathy towards others. Although it is a long book, 500 pages, not once did I feel that the story lines had become repetitive, stagnate or drawn out, and I personally felt that each character had great closure to the happenings in their individual lives. Despite it being a stand-alone novel, I’d one day love to hear what happens next for our three leading ladies, perhaps a decade or two into the future.
Having had a ‘work wife’ myself, I understand the limited use of the actual workplace within the story line. My ‘work wife’ and I ended up living together, ultimately, the workplace itself, became a very small, and somewhat insignificant part of our entire relationship, and although it’s been over 15 years since we lived together and have only visited with each other a few times since then, she is still considered my one and only ‘work wife’! Nothing will replace that connection, and even though we both lead extremely different lives separated by thousands of kilometres, I continue to owe thanks to the workplace that originally brought us together.
Nothing excites me more than to pick up a novel that has been written by an Australian author, set in an Australian location. With references to Syndey, Australia, I became excited to view a familiar city through fresh eyes and could envisage the story lines unfolding in a real-world scenario. Johns’ successfully draws you into the world of each character and sets the scene with realistic descriptions, relatable dialogue and a connectivity between the characters which I resonate with on varying levels, a world which I escaped into as often as I could, a world which I can only dream of creating one day.
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