I received an Advance Reading Copy of the latest Lori Lansens novel, The Wife's Tale. If you have read her previous bestseller, The Girls, then you will already know Lansens' talent for the written word. If you are new to this author, I only have excellent things to say about her work and this book, in particular.

The Wife's Tale tells the story of Mary Gooch, an overweight woman who is forced to confront her life and sets forth on a journey of self-discovery, taking her out of her small town for the first time, when her husband disappears on the day of their 25th wedding anniversary.

I found this to be one of the most captivating reads of the year, and could not put the novel down. Lori Lansens is a gifted author whose previous work The Girls is one of my all-time favourite books. It is clear to me that The Wife's Tale will join my bookshelf of favourites.

The book will be released in hardcover, e-book and audiobook on August 18, 2009