Last Original Wife by Dorothea Benton Frank

The blurb:

Leslie Anne Greene Carter is The Last Original Wife among her husband Wesley's wildly successful Atlanta social set.  But if losing her friends to tanned and toned young Barbie brides isn't painful enough, a series of setbacks shake Les's world and push her to the edge.  She's had enough of playing the good wife to a husband who thinks he's doing her a favor by keeping her around.  She's going to take some time for herself -- in the familiar comforts and stunning beauty of Charleston, her beloved hometown.  And she's going to reclaim the carefree girl who spent lazy summers with her first love on Sullivans Island.  Daring to listen to her inner voice, she will realize what she wants. . .  and find the life of which she's always dreamed.

Review:
I'd picked up The Last Original Wife on one of those weeks busy with travel and dealing with tenants.  It was so much fun escaping reality with this middle aged, caring, and still lovely woman. 

Les (married to Wes) raised two children  and often babysits her lovely granddaughter.  Her daughter  Charlotte is a real estate broker but doesn't take her career seriously and relies on her parents for childcare and money.  Her son Bertie left graduate school and is spending time in Nepal.  Wes, her husband is very successful and quite selfish. Over the years her social life has revolved around her husband, his friends and their family.  She's reached the age where her husbands' best friends replaced their wives with women nearly twenty years younger and Les found herself surrounded by people that she didn't like or respect.   

Instead of putting up with the same treatment without complaining, Les decides to step back. Fortunately, she comes across hidden bank statements and discovers that while she's been scrimping for years, Wes has plenty of hidden assets.  Les is fundamentally honest and she doesn't go off and transfer the money to her own hidden account.  Instead, she leaves her home and returns to her hometown. Les starts living for herself and finds herself well appreciated and entertained.  As Les spends her time reading, exploring historic houses, and rediscovering things that she used to love.  

Full of humor and likable characters, The Last Original Wife is a fun, summer read.  I thoroughly enjoyed it!

ISBN-10: 0062132474 - Paperback $14.99

Publisher: William Morrow Paperbacks; Reprint edition (April 1, 2014), 368 pages.

Review copy courtesy of the publisher.

About the Author:
Dorothea Benton Frank was born and raised on Sullivans Island, South Carolina.   She and her husband divide their time between South Carolina and New Jersey.  Learn more about her at www.dotfrank.com