Army Wives

The Unwritten Code of Military Marriage

By: Tanya Biank

Narrated by: Laural Merlington

Army Wives goes beyond the sound bites and photo ops of military life to bring listeners into the hearts and homes of today's military wives.

Biank tells the story of four typical Army wives who, in a flash, find themselves in extraordinary circumstances that ultimately force them to redefine who they are as women and wives. This is a true story about what happens when real life collides with Army convention.

Army Wives is a groundbreaking narrative that takes the listener beyond the Army's gates, taking a close look at the other woman - the Army itself - and how its traditions, rules, and wartime realities deeply impact marriage and home life.

©2008 Tanya Biank (P)2008 Brilliance Audio

Critic reviews

"Army Wives captivates readers with an up-close and personal look into the â¿¿real' everyday lives and challenges of Army spouses." (Victoria M. Parham, host of Military Spouse Talk Radio)
"Tanya Biank's experience as a reporter has produced a candid and detailed study of her subjects and a riveting story, certain to engage Army wives of all generations." (Joanne Patton, wife of Major General George S. Patton and daughter-in-law of General George S. Patton, Jr.)

True life, not the TV Show

Don't expect it to be like the TV show. Though I love the show and the characters are loosely based on the book, they are very different. It is the real life story of 4 wives and their families. It is sad, sweet, funny and real. It gives people an insight into our world, the world of military families.

The sad truth revealed.

Loved the historical basis of the book. It was great to hear about the military from those that support the military members and how military service affects an entire family and not just the service member.

Disappointed

After loving the show, I thought I'd love this. The reader had an old voice and didn't fit the part at all. I stayed confused how she jumped from character to character. I didn't care for this.
I am a huge military supporter but this just didn't do it for me at all.

Decent

What did you like best about Army Wives? What did you like least?

I liked the look into military lives and the way it touches military families at home. I am a navy wife myself and found myself nodding and smiling while relating to some of the stories. I felt like the author did a decent job of capturing this but sometimes was annoyed how she kept referring to her connections instead of focusing on the families.

Any additional comments?

I think that more information on the realities of military life could have been explored but I understand that wasn't the full focus of this book. The way the at home wife is left to make hard choices and then defend them and how being left out of these decisions can make the service member feel is important. More education should be done on emotional health of the spouses and their families but this book is an important one for every one to read or listen to.

great but shocking story

great book! love the Way its written. story line was crazy! would highly recommend this book!