First Wives Club

by Olivia Goldsmith

Book Overview

A national bestseller with close to one million copies in print, The First Wives Club was hailed for its "deliciously icy message--revenge is a dish best served cold" (Los Angeles Times). Now it's a major fall release from Paramount starring three of the most talented and popular actresses working today--Bette Middler, Diane Keaton, and Goldie Hawn.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0671746936
• ISBN13: 9780671746933
• Release Date: March 1992
• Publisher: Simon & Schuster
• Length: 480 Pages
• Weight: 1.33 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.1" x 8.5" x 5.5"

Customer Reviews

This book right here!

Of course this is an old book, but not many people even know that 'The First Wives Club" was even a Book to begin with! AND WHAT A BOOK IT IS! It's pretty long, but I didn't find it to have many long drawn out sections. Fair warning though: It is NOTHING like the movie. The names are the same, Surrounded by the same concepts but other than that, completely different. I love the movie, but I love this book as well. I didn't purchase it on here, I actually got it from a Book store on sale for a few bucks, years ago, but I've been wanting to re-read this... I just have so many other books I need to work on FIRST. Give this book a shot.

Hell hath no fury

Annie Paradise, Brenda Cushman, and Elise Elliot knew each other but it was not until their friend Cynthia Swann Griffin committed suicide that they became real friends out of a need to get revenge on their ex-husbands as well as Cynthia's ex-husband Annie's husband Aaron left her for her sex therapist and left her to raise Sylvie, their daughter with Down's syndrome. She wants to get back at him for this as well as spending their daughter's inheritance to buy stock that went belly up. Eventually she falls in love with Miguel who is investigating Gill Griffin. Brenda's ex-husband Morty left her for a woman half her size and does not want to pay her alimony or child support. When she finds out that his company went public, she sees red. She eventually falls in love with the lawyer (a woman) who handles the case for her Elise Elliot was left by her husband Bill for somebody considerably younger than her. To get him back she sells his antiques to Brenda for a dollar. She eventually falls in love with a man who is a lot younger than her. They also try to get Gill back by stopping a big deal he has with a Japanese Company and defile his car that is the love of his life. If you are a fan of the movie The First Wives Club be advised, the movie is almost nothing like the book. There are some similarities, but not many.

There is a strong woman behind every successful man...

...or so the saying goes. But there is also a woman behind every man's downfall...another saying goes. This novel is a satire on society's double standard norms. But instead of sounding feminist, bitter & pathetic, our heroines are funny & witty despite their intense desire to seek revenge...nay justice. The book dealt on how Elise, Brenda & Annie formed the First Wives Club, how they connived to mete out punishments to erring husbands & how they discovered their own identities & happiness along the way.Despite having a more serious tone compared with its movie version, Goldsmith's book is funnier & revenge tastes sweeter. Oh, I can't help but gloat over the ex-husbands' downfall.

If this is for the original book, I Love it!

I watched the movie, and my mother told me it was an even better book. I read it, and read it, and loved every part of it! I now love it even more than the movie!

For Those Who Believe In Female Solidarity

The First Wives Club is a wonderfully empowering story of nostalgia, mid-life changes, and female solidarity. Sexy, funny, and sad, the three lead characters become friends who engage us in their scheme and allow us to dream their dreams. This is one book I don't want to analyze; I prefer to enjoy it . . . over and over again.

A tale of life's relationships to make you laugh at yourself

This is definitely one of the best books I've ever read! As a woman I can relate to some of the experiences of these characters and what I found charming about it all was the way Ms Goldsmith was able to make me look at the humour in the situations. The book is very funny and "un-putdownable" and it helps you to change your outlook on life, it helps you to face up to the truth about yourself and your relationships (remember admission is the first step to a cure). It is not a men bashing book as I've heard people express, but it is one that aims to heighten women's awareness of what relationships may turn out to be but put in a light-hearted manner to make you laugh at yourself. This book scores high with me and I'd recommend the book (not the movie which was a total letdown) to anyone in a twinkle of an eye.