If you had the opportunity to live someone else’s life, just for a month, would you take it? In Jane Green’s Swapping Lives, two women from very different backgrounds do just that. Not completely satisfied with the way their lives have turned out, Vicky Townsley and Amber Winslow set out to discover if the grass really is greener on the other side of the fence.
Vicky Townsley has, what many would consider, an enviable life. At 35, she is a single girl living in a London flat and holds a successful job as the features director of Poise Magazine. The one thing Vicky is missing is a family. She dreams of nothing more than finding Mr. Right, having kids and living in a big house in the country.
On the surface, Amber Winslow has the kind of life that Vicky for which has been desperately searching. Amber lives in a "McMansion" in the suburbs with her handsome husband, two beautiful children—and a wardrobe to die for. But for Amber, living in Connecticut isn’t all it’s cracked up to be. A full-time wife and mother, Amber finds she fills her days buying spectacular new outfits and jewellery in order to compete with the ladies in her women’s league.
Prompted by a discussion Vicky has with her sister-in-law, Poise Magazine runs an article looking for a married woman willing to swap lives with journalist Vicky so that she can experience married life and the lucky married woman can experience life as a successful single. Amber sees the article and writes a letter that changes her life.
Amber and Vicky agree to spend a month in each other’s shoes—literally. They will wear each other’s clothes, take on each other’s responsibilities and socialize with each other’s friends and family. Both women hope that trading places will help them recognize what’s really important in their lives.
Green’s ability to describe both of the women’s lives pre-swap creates a sense of anticipation for the reader that makes it hard to put the book down. The swap itself does not occur until more than halfway through the book, which, although wonderfully written, readers may find happens a little too late.
Although they traded places for a short period of time, Vicky and Amber were able to step away from their regular routine and recognize what they love about their current lifestyle. They also figure out which things they need to change to make themselves happier in the future. Both women discover that they prefer their own lives to each other’s lives and learn that the grass isn’t necessarily greener after all.
This novel provides readers with a fun glimpse into a “What if?” situation that many women, whether in the cereal aisle with a screaming five-year-old or dreading an upcoming “couples” party, may have considered—even if only for a heartbeat.
Green creates a fun, upscale take on TV shows like Wife Swap or Trading Spouses. Despite its whopping 410 pages, Swapping Lives is a breezy, laugh-out-loud read.
About the Author
Jane Green lives in Connecticut with her husband and four children. She is the author of The Other Woman, Straight Talking, Jemima J, Mr. Maybe, Bookends, Babyville, and To Have and to Hold.
Author: Jane Green
Number of pages: 410 pages
Publisher: Penguin Group
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