Embassy Wife

A Novel

By: Katie Crouch

Narrated by: Marni Penning

Length: 13 hrs and 55 mins

Publisher's summary

Persephone Wilder, a displaced genius posing as the wife of an American diplomat in Namibia, takes her job as a representative of her country seriously and comes up with an intricate set of rules to survive a range of problems: how to dress in hundred-degree weather without showing too much skin, how not to look drunk at embassy functions, and how to eat roasted oryx with grace. She also suspects her husband is not actually the ambassador’s general counsel but instead a secret agent in the CIA.

Ever the embassy wife, she takes the new trailing spouse, Amanda Evans, under her wing. Amanda Evans has just arrived in Namibia, mere weeks after giving up her Silicon Valley job, as her husband, Mark, has accepted a Fulbright. But once they arrive in the sub-Saharan desert, it becomes clear that Mark, who lived in Namibia two decades earlier, had other reasons for returning. Their marriage, which seemed solid in the safety of home, feels tenuous in the glaring heat of the Kalahari. Mark, it seems, has secrets born 20 years ago, and this journey is actually a quest to find a woman he left behind.

When Amanda’s daughter becomes involved in an actual international conflict, lines are drawn in the sand, and it is clear that her own government won’t stand up for her or her daughter. Propulsive and provocative, this satirical pause-resister compellingly explores the limits of human resiliency and loyalty.

©2021 Katie Crouch (P)2021 Dreamscape Media, LLC

Narrator should have done some more research.

The story was entertaining enough, if predictable. The problem was with the narrator who couldn't apparently pronounce Windhoek correctly. As a South African I couldn't figure out when she was speaking Afrikaans, and had to rely on the English translations. Though admittedly she did get some words spot on.

I never review books, but…this one is special.

The performance is BRILLIANT and the plot is ingenious and the dialogue is hilarious! Treat yourself to this book!

Sometimes tedious…

At times I struggled with the readers voice. It was a bit grinding for me. And there were times that I was confused at which character was speaking. Persephone’s voice (though certainly defined the character) just about did me in and admittedly I fast forwarded a number of times during the last third of the book because of it. Plus I was ready for the story to move faster. I labell the book a light piece of summer entertainment with a lot of character development that saves the day.

Campy and cute

This was an entertaining read. A bit campy, silly and over the top, but it was fast and kept my attention. The narrator did a good job of mixing things up with voice, but the accents were a bit cringe worthy.

Embassy Wife

This book actually started out on the slow read. In some chapters the characters were a bit unbelievable.

Offensive Accent

The book is ok in its weight class (featherweight). The performance was fine until we got to Shoshana Levin, who is voiced as a stereotypical Jewish American Princess. I am Jewish and I don't speak that way, nor does anyone I know other than Fran Drescher. I don't think any other race or ethnic group would be performed in an analogous manner. I really found it offensive.

Very entertaining

This book is thoroughly enjoyable and very well performed. The satirical look at Americans in Africa is a bit snarky but doesn't club the reader over the head.

Those wandering accents!

I liked the story. A little too chick lit for me but entertaining. But gosh, the narration. The women’s voices were all so squeaky and lightweight. And were the accents southern, or British, or?? They kept changing. Most annoying.

Have narrator re-record this book

I liked the story but the accents have to go! The intermittent southern accent especially made this a difficult and jarring experience. If the narrator re-recorded the novel without using accents, it would be a great listen. If I was the author I’d demand it! The author’s words capture her characters beautifully. This recording doesn’t do justice to her characters or her story.

Could not listen to the narrator

Just terrible reader. Cadence was bizarre as was her intermittent southern accent. Had to return it. Story started out promising though.