Buy used:

$44.99

$3.99 delivery May 17 - 22. Details

Select delivery location

Used: Good | Details

Sold by New Legacy Books

Access codes and supplements are not guaranteed with used items.

Follow the author

Kate Lehrer

+ Follow

More books from this author

Confessions of a Bigamist Hardcover – Large Print, October 19, 2004

by Kate Lehrer (Author)

3.2 7 ratings

See all formats and editions

Have you ever wondered how many different lives a person could live or how very different one's life might be if fate were to intervene at exactly the right moment? Successful lifestyle guru Michelle Banyon literally runs into Wilson Collins in a parking lot while on a business trip in Texas. A friendship blooms and, to her surprise, love does too. It's not that Michelle doesn't love her husband. She just happens to love two men, and the second one wants to marry her, too.

Available only in Americana 4 & 5.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"Kate Lehrer takes us right to the edge and then seamlessly over the edge without a protest. Confessions of a Bigamist is quite revolutionary, even in these times."
-- Gail Godwin

Product details

Publisher ‏ : ‎ Thorndike Press; 1st edition (October 19, 2004)
Language ‏ : ‎ English
Hardcover ‏ : ‎ 405 pages
ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 078626876X
ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0786268764
Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 1.1 pounds
Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 5.75 x 1 x 8.5 inches

Customer Reviews:
3.2 7 ratings

Brief content visible, double tap to read full content.

Full content visible, double tap to read brief content.

Videos

Help others learn more about this product by uploading a video!

Upload your video

About the author

Follow authors to get new release updates, plus improved recommendations.

Kate Lehrer

Brief content visible, double tap to read full content.

Full content visible, double tap to read brief content.

Discover more of the author’s books, see similar authors, read author blogs and more

Customer reviews

3.2 out of 5

7 global ratings

How customer reviews and ratings work

Sort reviews by

Top reviews from the United States

There was a problem filtering reviews right now. Please try again later.

Aaron

Satisfying and Insightful

Reviewed in the United States on August 4, 2016

I enjoyed 'Confessions of a Bigamist.'

The book is, first, well-written, with a solid, appropriate voice and an easy-to-read format. Likewise, the book is rich in substance, from the literary to the intellectual to the sociological (and, yes, the erotic, too). The story is well-composed and -executed, and the characters are developed and believable; plus, a feminine wit and perceptiveness pervades the text. However, what I most enjoyed lay on a deeper level: namely, 'Bigamist' presents a human and psychological study, due to its explorations of our Janus-like condition, and the many sides and selves and desires which comprise any individual (as well as how those selves tend to *conflict*). A sober authenticity underlies the book's fictional narrative, such that it raises many relevant, real-world questions about the reality of ourselves, the personality, and our multi-faceted nature. In this way, the book informs and provokes while it entertains, and succeeds at both. Overall, I came away from 'Bigamist' feeling satisfied and educated.

My thanks goes out to this book's author and publisher. I am grateful for, and have benefited from, your work and service.

Helpful

Michael Lima

Author's Indecision Taints Interesting Ideas

Reviewed in the United States on November 27, 2004

Verified Purchase

I was very intrigued by the possibilities inherent in Confessions of a Bigamist. Specifically, I was interested in the idea of a woman being the party practicing bigamy; something that has traditionally been a male practice in those cultures that condone it. Lehrer spiced up these possibilities by posing interesting questions throughout the book, like "Is over-dedication to work a form of bigamy?" and "Is it possible to be equally in love with two different people because each appeals to one's different sides."

Regrettably, Confessions of a Bigamist never reaches its potential because Lehrer doesn't seem to know whether she wants to write a social commentary or a romantic fantasy. This condition is best seen in her treatment of the protagonist's bigamy. Michelle Banyon does not deliberately choose a life of bigamy; she takes it on because she is afraid to lose her lover. Since her choice is out of panic, Michelle comes across as one who can't make up her mind about what she wants in her life. Consequently, it's hard for the reader to empathize with a main character who is simply out of control. Lehrer compounds her main character's flaws by never fully exploring themes that she introduces. Time after time, she poses a question or hints at an opinion, but never answers the query or expressly states a view. When she does get close to expressing an opinion, as is the case with her ideas on the compartmentalization of personal and professional lives, Lehrer backs away from the topic and returns to the "safer" forum of romantic fantasy. As a result, I was left wondering if Lehrer doesn't feel strongly about the issues she raises.

Confessions of a Bigamist is rife with possibilities. Lehrer does a good job laying out those possibilities by portraying the situations and ironies that permeate her protagonist's life (especially ironic was the fact that an efficiency expert could have such a complicated life). But, because Lehrer doesn't seem to be able to resolve any of these possibilities, she ends up falling back on the old cliche: "You can have it all!" Ultimately though, Lehrer's attempt to "have it all" in her own writing falls flat because there is no resolution.

5 people found this helpful

Helpful

D. King

Devoid of Subtilty

Reviewed in the United States on August 25, 2004

I'm surprised that such a shallow, heavy-handed book was considered publishable. From the start, the book pounds the reader with the main character's "double life" without a trace of grace or subtilty. It reads like "young adult" fiction, except that it doesn't have any likable characters. The one interesting result of reading this book is to see how such a potentially interesting topic like bigamy can be so boring when addressed by an incompetent writer.

6 people found this helpful

Helpful

Kevin Killian

The Three Faces of Michelle

Reviewed in the United States on January 16, 2005

Michelle can't figure out what type of person she is, and she's running away from her past and everything Indiana represents. When she goes back to confront her Indiana sister, Andrea, she notes how beat up Andrea looks and how no woman in New York would look as old as Andrea, even if they are actually the same age. In this way Kate Lehrer manages to alienate a whole slew of Indiana readers. I don't think it's true and I've seen plenty of New York women who look like hags. Check it out next time you go to New York! Anyhow she has one husband Steve, who's not above a little shady business practice, he is a wealthy lawyer whose Christmas bonus is almost half a million dollars. And still Michelle's not satisfied. She has her own business advising women to de-clutter their lives, get rid of old magazines, boyfriends, you know, "he's just not that into you." When she runs over Wilson Collins, I took it that someone must have advised Kate Lehrer to make sure her hero and heroine "meet cute." Taking care of Wilson, she falls in love and decides to depart with him on a romantic vacation in the rain forest, where the two get closer and closer.

I like all the parts where Michelle (who calls herself "Mickey" after Wilson tells her she seems like a "Mickey" rather than a Michelle) feels like she's falling apart. From childhood she has been afraid of snakes and tangly things of all kinds, they embody chaos for her and make her feel as though she were about to die. At age 47 she has an amazing breakthrough, I'm not giving away any spoilers that aren't in the title of the book when I say that she takes the career advice of the novelist Anais Nin, who also had two husbands, and managed to have a successful career on top of that. Kate Lehrer may not like Indiana women, but she likes individuality, good posture, and happiness for all concerned. When Michelle begins to internalize her many selves, and has a bit of a health scare, you'll feel for her in every sick moment.

6 people found this helpful

Helpful

Jane Stanton Hitchcock

Delicious

Reviewed in the United States on July 11, 2004

A refreshing and very entertaining look at a male-dominated subject written in Lehrer's typically graceful and incisive style... She should gain many new fans with this book. It's wonderful.

8 people found this helpful

Helpful