Product Description

WHAT HAPPENS AFTER THE "HAPPILY EVER AFTER"?

Sleeping with Ward Cleaver is the funny yet poignant story of a woman at a crossroads in life, who years earlier married a man who swept her off her feet, but now finds that her Mr. Right has evolved into Mr. Always Right, and the only sweeping going on in her life involves a broom and a dustpan. As her dreams collide with reality and the one that got away shows up trying to worm his way back into her heart, she must decide if her once charmed marriage is salvageable, and if so, how she's going to go about saving it.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #90969 in Books
• Published on: 2008-01-29
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Mass Market Paperback
• 294 pages

From Booklist
Somewhere along the line, Claire Doolittle’s handsome, carefree, exciting husband, Jack, turned into staid, solemn, know-it-all Ward Cleaver (of Leave It to Beaver fame). Claire and Jack’s life together is so dull and regimented that even sex is performed according to schedule—every Sunday night, come rain or shine. The lack of romance in her life begins eating away at Claire. She craves passion and desire. Enter “Todd the Bod,” an old flame. Claire is torn. Does she want an exciting love life badly enough to leave Jack? Should she fight or flee? In Gardiner’s emotionally realistic picture of a stale relationship, it’s easy for women to identify with Claire, from her physical midlife slump to her emotional one. And the resigned wife, the oblivious husband, and the enticing blast from the past are such well-crafted characters readers will swear they know them. Fans of such books as Cassandra King’s The Sunday Wife (2002) and Susan Wiggs’ The Ocean Between Us (2004) will enjoy Gardiner’s. --Shelley Mosley

Review
"REVIEWER TOP PICK AND LIFETIME KEEPER! Jenny Gardiner brings to life Claire Doolittle with such vibrancy that I feel I know her. With her sharp wit and hilarious descriptions, Ms. Gardiner has a delightful voice that left me wanting more." -- Vee, Night Owl Romance

"The "Bridget Jones Diary" for all married and harried mommies! And perhaps a good gift to give to our younger and single girlfriends-it's a gentle and humorous way to give them a glimpse of what's to come . . . Sleeping With Ward Cleaver (is) the perfect romantic comedy for a 30-something Mommy, who still wants to be a sexy and sassy gal, despite the spit up encrusted on all of her clothing. I can only hope Rob Reiner and friends, will put this sassy book on the big screen!" -- MamaLit.com

"A fun, sassy read! A cross between Erma Bombeck and Candace Bushnell, reading Jenny Gardiner is like sinking your teeth into a big frosted chocolate cupcake...you just want more." -- Meg Cabot, author of the Princess Diaries, Queen of Babble, & the Heather Wells Mysteries

"Honest, real and wickedly funny, Sleeping with Ward Cleaver is a keeper!" -- Jane Porter, author of Flirting with Forty

"In this "woman's fiction," debut novelist Jenny Gardiner achieves the difficult, if not impossible, task of creating sexual and romantic tension between characters who have been married more than a few years. And they said it couldn't be done. The risk with writing about a married couple is how to sustain the conflict without getting shrill or soapy. Gardiner pulls it off. I wanted to see Jack and Claire fight for their marriage and their romance.

Armchair Interviews says: Sleeping with Ward Cleaver is a clever and engaging romance with humor and heart" -- Carrie Padgett, Armchair Interviews

From the Author
I hope you enjoy reading Sleeping with Ward Cleaver. You'll laugh, you'll cry, you'll totally relate to Claire's foibles and cheer her on to rediscover that happily-ever-after can happen, you just have to work for it.

Customer Reviews

a must read for 2008
"Sleeping with Ward Cleaver" is what would have resulted had Erma Bombeck and David Sedaris ever collaborated on a book, a sly, laugh out loud funny story about life and love in twenty-first century America. Like Bombeck and Sedaris, Jenny Gardiner finds the humor in both the everyday and the absurd. When the first person narrator of "Sleeping with Ward Cleaver" wakes up one day and realizes that her previously easygoing husband has morphed into a modern version of sitcom character Ward Cleaver, she loses her precarious balance, and sets off on a comical, frantic adventure that will change her and "Ward" forever. This fast-paced read has just enough twists and turns to keep the reader surprised. An entertaining tale with an appealing protagonist who's not ashamed to admit her insecurities or go after what she wants. A winner!

Sleeping with Ward Cleaver - take a break and laugh
Sometimes, when the work of mothering and marriage are just a little too much, and you just want a break, you realize that what you honestly need is to laugh more and worry less. Sleeping with Ward Cleaver will give you the break that you need.

I read this book and laughed until the tears ran down my face. Ms. Gardiner nails the absurdity of the prosaic with a light touch that "gets" both Ward and June. You'll laugh, but you'll also cheer for our heroine, a put upon housewife who has lost touch with who she is and why that matters as she races around taking care of everyone's to do list but her own.

Is she a great mom? No. Is she a perfect wife? Nah. She is everywoman, living and learning and somehow regaining a sense of what matters most and who she really misses, herself.

I highly recommend this book. Give yourself a break (in several senses of the word).

Wonderfully Witty Debut Novel
Okay, Before I type my review, I am a woman. The name on my Amazon account is Scott, my husband. Here is my review: If you are married and have children, then this is a must read! It is extremely witty and actually made me giggle out loud a lot! But also very serious at times. Great overall debut novel! I believe Jenny Gardiner has a bright career ahead of her!