Book Review: "The Charmed Wife" By Olga Grushin

Cinderella has her work cut out for her with the Prince Roland (no longer so charming) cheat!

Thirteen and a half years and still she expects something more from this failed marriage of convenience.

Oh, I didn't mention the reasoning behind the quick consumption of love bombings but look we all know that toxicity breeds contempt and preys upon the hopeful, the love induced, the wanna be charmed individuals.

We all want to love and be loved but this new take on an old fairy tale will have you second guessing why women and men are viewed so differently and what would've happened if that long ago Cinderella and Prince Charming had married, had two kids, and then became disillusioned with each other and sought divorce. What would happen with shared custody, support, child arrangements, marital equity and fair distribution of assets, and so much more.
Those what ifs is what this book centers upon while addressing the handicaps both personally and professionally of each character with specific focus on the Prince and his snappy negative commentary and bed slinging ways.

Nora plays the role of Cinderella with a gusty performance of full on splendor, vigor, and vitality.

She's multi-dimensional, intelligent, and tenacious with both brains and brawn combined.
The way in which women were viewed in the past hasn't seemed to change. "Men had souls, of course, no one debated that- but not women, they said, for women were more like beasts of burden, good for some things, rather useful, in fact, but not endowed with higher sensibilities.

June Cleaver types beware as this is the 21st century and we need to dispell these myths and misconceptions and get on with reality.

The discussion of whether or not either loved one another is another hard fought battle. The commentary that followed brought me back to my own failed marriage from that lasted 11 years with not two but three kids and a similar unhappy ending.

The provider meets the taker, the gold digger meets the man of your dreams, the hard worker that meets the stay at home mom - type of scenarios - that make a woman want to vomit in her mouth - as not all men will ever truly understand how complex mothers/wives lives are with children, careers, and the like.

"But here we are, and this is how it is, how it will be, from now till the end, and I will have my little diversions to which you will kindly close your eyes."

Go along to get along, be silent, lose your sense of wonder and happiness. NO THANK YOU!
Ladies, this is the reminder, the warning sign, the wake- up call to not give away your power. Your light. Your sword nor pen. Re-write your own story in all your beauty and shine on!
These toxic individuals cannot take away from you if you don't give it away yourself. Don't settle for less.

Don't go to the divorce knowing your rights but hurrying to sign away those rights to make peace.

"And all the years I spent sifting through, shaping, reshaping the past, trying to pinpoint the exact moment at which our marital happiness dimmed, embroidering upon the myth of our perfect romantic beginnings..."

Those darn papers, the writing was already on the wall long before you arrived, the ownership had already existed.

"Law is not strictly a science, it's more of an art."

"Divorce is akin to insanity, so perhaps all these other truths I now remember are only stories I once told myself to keep sane, to mask the crude ugliness of things ending, to transform the chaos of pain into some semblance of order, of higher sense."

So, Ladies and Gents your definition of a fairy tale is varied, forged, and confirmed to your long held ideals and truths that are attempted to be dreamed away.
You cannot excuse, deny, mitigate, or alter those truths.

Live and be Authentically YOU!

Much love!