JayneB- Reviews / Book Reviews1960s / divorce / First-Person / Historical / Maryland / politics / strong women / Womens-FictionNo Comments
A wronged wife goes toe to toe with her cheating husband at the polls in this hilarious and heart-lifting novel by the bestselling author of Don’t Forget to Write.
It’s a doozy of a bad day for Beverly Diamond when she catches her husband, Larry, in a compromising position with his secretary. What’s a DC suburban wife to do with a soon-to-be ex, two young kids, and no degree or financial support in 1962? Beat the louse at his own game, that’s what.
Larry runs the Maryland senatorial campaign for the incumbent candidate projected to win against his younger underdog opponent, Michael Landau. But Beverly has the pluck, political savvy, and sheer drive to push Landau’s campaign in a successful new direction, even if he already has a campaign manager who is less than pleased she has inserted herself into the race.
Now it’s rival against rival. She and Michael do make a great team…maybe in more ways than one. But with the election heating up, she needs to focus on one thing at a time. If Bev can convince Michael to go modern, pay attention to women’s issues, and learn how to dress himself properly, maybe she can show Larry exactly how much he has underestimated her their entire marriage—and make her own dreams come true in the process.
Dear Ms. Confino,
I’m enjoying the latest trend of mid 20th century women’s fiction in which a heroine is set back by circumstances but manages to fight back and build herself up. This is a good entry in that trope but has a few drawbacks for me.
Bev Diamond is the perfect wife who makes sure that her husband Larry, campaign aid to a Maryland senator, doesn’t have to worry about anything. Then it all goes to pot when Bev discovers exactly what Larry has been up to in the office. What will she do now? Discover a way to stick it to Larry while also finding a political candidate who deserves to beat Larry’s schmuck of a politician, that’s what. But life in 1962 isn’t a garden of roses for separated women, no matter if the woman is the wronged party, plus now Bev has landed her bossy mother who has left her former politician husband in order to babysit for Bev. Can Bev steer the challenger’s campaign, beat her husband in divorce court, and find a new purpose beyond being a perfect SAHM?
“Behind Every Good Man” starts strongly with Bev Diamond who thinks she’s living the dream. Or the dream she’s been sold. Bev quickly discovers that husband Larry is an uber-schmuck who has been cheating on her – and his whole office knew – for ages. Her verbal smack down of Larry in the street as he chases after her (after zipping up his pants) is great. As Bev questions everything about her marriage, she discovers a way to hit back at Larry by volunteering to help the campaign of the man trying to beat an incumbent senator.
Bev actually has the knowledge and chops to do this as her father was a longtime US representative for the state of Maryland. She grew up in a political house, has watched winning campaigns, and knows how they need to be run. Michael Landau’s current outfit is a disaster. It’s not that he’s a terrible person or candidate but “shoestring” or “grassroots” would be far too complimentary for what Bev walks into when she arrives at his headquarters. With dazzling chutzpah she brashly pushes her way in and soon her ideas and actions have garnered the help and campaign street smarts that begin to give Landau a chance in the race.
Larry the Louse isn’t going to take this sitting down. It’s bad enough that Bev has tossed him out of his house but to help the opposition is a blow he’s not standing for. Threats are made – some of which turn out to be idle, as Bev’s divorce lawyer tells her, but some of which Bev worries about such as custody of the children. When Bev’s lawyer advises her to hire a PI to get admissible evidence of Larry’s infidelity, I already knew one smoking gun that was going to go off later. Because of course as Bev blunders along doing some things in public that she shouldn’t, I was shaking my head at her.
I like how Bev uses what she knows, her political savvy, to land on her feet and find a purpose. At one point, for Reasons she debates leaving the campaign but decides that she’s enjoying using her brain too much to stop now. But she’s also a product of her time and upbringing. She watched her mother be the perfect political wife and so that’s what Bev initially aims to be – the perfect wife who runs a perfect house. When she knows she’s going to be a (gasp!) divorcee, she realizes how she and other society wives cut off other divorced women as though marital breakup could be contagious. Bev’s indomitable mother Millicent is also facing a crisis in her marriage which causes Millicent to wash up on Bev’s doorstep while her father pitifully wanders around the house and eats Swanson frozen dinners. I actually liked both parental characters even if they did begin to seem more like cartoons after a while. Their marital problems
One thing that became more of A Thing as the book progressed is how often Bev’s family connections and money come to her aid. Yes, she starts out with the knowledge gained through her father’s campaigns but all too soon her wealthy cousin is writing a check for an eye watering amount to Michael’s campaign and Millicent’s Ladies Who Lunch (and shop) open the corridors of power for Michael. Dad knows someone who might be able to rouse the undervoiced vote and then someone else decides to help Bev take down Larry.
It’s not that all the obstacles are miraculously removed but they sure are smoothed down a lot. All of this kind of weakens Bev’s I Am Woman Hear Me Roar and her fight to stand on her own two feet. Okay, politics do involve a lot of behind the scenes and who you know but I wanted to see Bev and Co triumph as underdogs on their own. Also
The Author’s Note about the real people who inspired some of these characters ought to be read. This is a nice book but just not the book I’d hoped it would be. B-
~Jayne
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Jayne
Another long time reader who read romance novels in her teens, then took a long break before started back again about 25 years ago. She enjoys historical romance/fiction best, likes contemporaries, action- adventure and mysteries, will read suspense if there’s no TSTL characters and is currently reading more fantasy and SciFi.