The opening statement of this novel professes, “Mates are not always matches, and matches are not always mates.” "The Good Husband" is a story of love. As the elderly wife of a very desirable young man lays on her death bed, numerous women are attracted to her husband’s on-going dedication, charm, and compassionate care-taking. A good husband indeed. One woman in particular, Alice Henry, falls in love with him.

The plot is intriguing and holds the readers interest to the very last page. And the narrative provides some wonderfully colorful characters. Taking place in the environment of academia, the poor woman struggling for her life is an English professor, author of several intellectual books and she offers many philosophical observations as the plot unfolds.

Her advice for those seeking the meaning of life (including Alice Henry) is to seriously ponder what matters in life. She says, “the things you love- people… some you’ve never met. Ideas. You love certain ideas. And putting those things and people in the proper order of importance.” Sounds easy enough but not everyone consciously knows who and what is the most important in their lives. And priorities change. And people change. And even if those answers are known, putting them in order may not be an easy thing to do.

The story also explores the romantic idea of love at first sight, the evolution of relationships from infatuation, to marriage, growth and maturity, and the mystery of whether mutual love endures- or not.

I like the authors cynical attitude towards psychotherapists, and certain figures of authority.

This is not a classic, and it is not one of Gail Goodwin’s best novels. It’s more on the line of 1990s up-scale “chick lit” novel- a light entertaining summer read. ( )

-- Professor Hugo Henry's remarks about literature saving lives in GOOD HUSBAND are eloquent & true. Henry & wife Alice rent a house near fictional college campus in New York's Adirondack's region where he is hired to teach for a year or two. Novel's protagonist is English Professor Magda Danvers who marries Francis Lake , a former seminary student & younger. Lake is the "good husband." Most of novel is about the two marriages. This novel made me feel good & better for having read it. -- ( )

I'm not exactly sure what I liked about this book. It's the type of book I think I would typically find rather dull, and while I still can't say it was one of those hard-to-put-down books, I was definitely immersed in the story and the characters. There wasn't really much of a story line, or maybe I should say the story line was very realistic and believable. Not a lot of drama or action. But it left me with a good feeling. ( )

Godwin gives us two couples: Magda Danvers/Francis Lake and Hugo and Alice Henry. Both are May-December couples, although in opposite directions (Magda and Hugo, who are both associated with Aurelia College, are significantly older than their spouses). Death--the "good husband" a la Blake--plays a key role in both couples' lives: Magda is dying of cancer and Alice and Henry's child has just died during a difficult home birth.

The story moves along pretty well, although it flags a bit in the middle. Watching the two couples deal with their situations is occasionally painful but fascinating. Hugo is a writer, and we see how his life and his writing affect each other. He gives a lecture near the end that compares the creation of a novel with the progress of a marriage, showing us how he looks at both and providing a gloss on the story. While he is narcissistic and unattractive as a human being, he tries to be chivalrous, and is clearly a good thinker. His observations about writing are interesting. Magda's approach to preparing for her "final examination" shows us another clear thinker, mostly free of self0deception about what is coming.

The style of writing is very suitable for the characters and the events. We get pretty deep looks into the characters--perhaps least with Francis--and they are well imagined and successfully drawn. ( )

Superb writing from this author. I will be seeking out Gail Godwin's other books. The good husband is death from a Blake poem (?) so don't get the wrong idea from the title. ( )