Mrs. Kimble

A Novel

By: Jennifer Haigh

Narrated by: Martha Plimpton

“Beautiful, devastating and complex.” —Chicago Tribune

The award-winning debut novel from Jennifer Haigh, author of BakerTowers, The Condition, and Faith, tells the story of Birdie, Joan,and Dinah, three women who marry the same charismatic, predatory, and enigmaticopportunist: Ken Kimble. Resonating with emotional intensity and narrativeinnovation reminiscent of Ann Patchett’s Bel Canto, Barbara Kingsolver’s The Poisonwood Bible, and Zora Neale Hurston’s TheirEyes Were Watching God, Haigh’s Mrs. Kimble is a timeless story ofgrief, passion, heartache, deception, and the complex riddle of love.

Another great listen

I enjoyed this book for its details. Jennifer has a way with words. Also, loved Martha Plimpton's reading.

Mister Kimble-??

It's an enjoyable book; the characters are vivid and their struggles are real. Yet the main hero of the book -MR. Kimble- remains a mystery. We want to say, he was a bad guy. But what made him so? What do we know about him? What happened to him in his childhood, perhaps, to make him such a chameleon? What is he thinking? What moves him forward? How does he see life? If these questions were answered, the reader would have an opportunity to enjoy a fuller and more 3D view of the world, created by the author.

No ending

I hate books with no ending and this is one. It was interesting enough to listen to, and then stopped abruptly

good book

very fast moving, but ended abruptly with no real ending at all

A quiet and compelling story.

I had actually read this book when it came out, back in 2003? 2004? and I found it so engrossing that I read it again immediately. Maybe it was because I found this Ken character fascinating and a mystery. He's a low-level sociopath IMO, though I read an interview with the author and she insists he's not. I did find him creepy. Also, by complete coincidence, it was as if she wrote a story about my childhood friend's father. So I had a personal reason to be compelled. Regardless of that, I was completely drawn in, to learn about each woman and what he did (or didn't do) for her. How he was such a chameleon and how, in the end, they were all better off for having known him despite his actions. They were stronger, or comforted by his (limited) companionship, or more clear on what/who was important in their lives.
I listened to this a while ago, but I remember thinking the writing was decent and the narrator, too, though she wasn't super consistent with her accents. But overall, a really good listen.