The Wise Women

The Wise Women is a story about the complicated and messy family bonds between a mother and her adult daughters. Wendy Wise is an advice columnist and mother of Barb, a successful NYC architect whose relationship with her girlfriend, Jill is often rocky, and Clementine, who works in marketing, is mom to six-year-old Jonah and is married to Steve. When problems arise for Clementine, Wendy jumps at the chance to help mend her relationships with her daughters and offer her words of wisdom - welcomed or not. 

This is a character-driven story that focuses on how experiences and grudges from the past can take their toll on current relationships. I loved the connection between the sisters and the sweet bond between Barb and her nephew Jonah (who is the absolute sweetheart of the story). Readers get perspectives from the three Wise women, each of whom have realistic flaws and struggles that many readers will relate to. I loved Clementine's verbal comebacks as she finds her strength and I enjoyed how readers may see these three women in different light as we come to understand the reasons behind their decisions.

This is a heartwarming story that has some witty moments, serendipitous connections and a neat and tidy, yet satisfying ending. I enjoyed the various themes that were incorporated into the story - second chances, setting boundaries, the power of social media, and regentrification of neighbourhoods. 

This is a story about three women trying to do the best with what life has thrown at them. At the heart of this contemporary fiction story is the power of family, forgiveness and standing up for what you need out of life. This would make a great book club selection!

Disclaimer: My sincere thanks to HarperCollins Canada for my complimentary copy of this book which was provided in exchange for my honest review.

My Rating: 4.5 stars

Author: Gina Sorell

Genre: Contemporary Fiction, Canadian

Type and Source: Trade Paperback from publisher

Publisher: HarperCollins Canada

First Published: April 5, 2022

Book Description from GoodReads: A witty and wildly enjoyable novel, set in New York City, about two adult daughters and their meddling advice columnist mother, for readers of Meg Wolitzer, Cathleen Schine, and Cynthia D’Aprix Sweeney.

Popular advice columnist Wendy Wise has been skillfully advising the women who write to her seeking help for four decades, so why are her own daughters’ lives such a mess? Clementine, the working mother of a six-year-old boy, has just discovered that she is actually renting the Queens home that she thought she owned, because her husband Steve secretly funneled their money into his flailing start-up. Meanwhile, her sister Barb has overextended herself at her architecture firm and reunited semi-unhappily with her cheating girlfriend.

When Steve goes MIA and Clementine receives an eviction notice, Wendy swoops in to save the day, even though her daughters, who are holding onto some resentments from childhood, haven’t asked for her help. But as soon as Wendy sets her sights on hunting down her rogue son-in-law, Barb and Clementine quickly discover that their mother has been hiding more than a few problems of her own.

As the three women confront the disappointments and heartaches that have accumulated between them over the years, they discover that while the future may look entirely different from the one that they’ve expected, it may be even brighter than they’d hoped.