Joanna's Husband and David's Wife

Hailey (A Woman of Independent Means provides an illuminating dual perspective of a resilient marriage by again casting a novel in the form of a diary. After her mother suddenly leaves home, teenager Julia Scott is given Joanna Scott's journal recording the abiding passion and the tribulations that she and her husband David experienced since their marriage in the 1950s. Interspersed throughout the entries are David's wry, incisive comments. Although his volatile outbursts contrast with Joanna's reserved entries, her chronicle shows that difficulties never diminished their love. David, a zealous but uncelebrated playwright, could not spare Joanna financial hardship or his professional frustrations. Despite her affinity for domestic life, she regrets her lack of creative accomplishments, so David encourages her attempts to write fiction. When Joanna finally completes a successful novel, both Scotts wonder uneasily whether she had usurped the fame David deserves. Hailey percpetively portrays this pair, their family and friends in the theater world, but the story contains few moments of riveting drama. Major ad/promo; first serial to Ladies Home Journal; Literary Guild dual main selection. Author tour. March 7