Review of "A Boring Wife Settles the Score: A Novel" by Marie-Renée Lavoie

 

In the first book in this series, 'Autopsy of a Boring Wife', Diane Delaunais's husband Jacques leaves her for a younger woman after 25 years of marriage. Diane becomes undone and acts out in a series of dramatic (and often funny) ways.

'A Boring Housewife Settles the Score' opens two years later. Diane is now almost 50-years-old;



sharing a Québec duplex with her best friend Claudine;



looking for a new job; and speculating about romance at her age. I listened to the audiobook version of the novel.

As the story opens, Diane has more or less moved on after Jacques betrayal and is looking for new challenges. Not wanting another office job, Diane gets a position as a kindergarten aide in a primary school. The divorcée is soon dealing with a classroom of active children - some of whom are more idiosyncratic than others.



One boy smashes toys; one boy won't speak; and one girl obsessively counts cards. Given the job of talking to the the toy-breaker's father, Diane is told the child is 'too smart', shown by his ability to do Legos above his age range. Meanwhile the other teachers, who've heard it all before, are giggling behind their hands.



In any case, Diane is a fine aide and goes out of her way to connect with the kids.

One perk of working at the school is the presence of a handsome contractor named Guy, who's doing renovations on the building.



Diane knows Guy slightly, and - encouraged by her friend Claudine - considers making a move on him. Diane and Claudine first try to determine Guy's relationship status, but they can't find it on the internet.....and Diane takes a bold step to find out what's what.



Diane also has a couple of interactions with her ex-husband Jacques: one time when she sees him in the pharmacy and another time when he crashes his bicycle and gives her number to the hospital. In addition to being stressed by his postpartum girlfriend and their newborn, Jacques wants Diane to be friendly with his new family (he always was a bit obtuse). However Diane has other thoughts about this.



In their spare time Diane and Claudine socialize with friends at Happy Hour;



drink wine; eat pizza, and dine on cassoulet;







and talk about getting a man, which (they think) isn't so easy for mature ladies. In one hilarious scene Diane is on the verge of getting lucky when Claudine's teenage daughter Adèle strolls into her apartment without even knocking.

Additional characters add amusement and interest to the story. These include Diane's colleagues at school, such as an overstretched secretary, a cantankerous teacher, and a restless twentysomething;



Claudine's eighty-four year old mother, who takes charge when young Adèle gets too defiant;



a nonagenarian lady with too many cats;



Diane's three-legged feline;



Diane and Claudine's VERY handsome acquaintance;



Diane's grown children; and more.

In this book middle-aged women CAN go on after desertion and divorce.....and the cheating hubbies who left them may not have it so easy. Is this realistic? Probably sometimes.

The sequel isn't as laugh out loud funny as the first book, but provides some smiles and is worth reading. The book is translated from the French, and the audiobook narrator does an excellent job with tone and nuance.

Thanks to Netgalley, Marie-Renée Lavoie, and Dreamscape Media for a copy of the book.

Rating: 3 stars