THE OTHER WOMAN by Jane Green is the story of almost every married
woman's nightmare: the Mother-In-Law. The book traces Ellie and Dan
Cooper's marriage, using flashbacks and present-day narrative to
help tell the story.

Ellie Black's relationship with her mother-in-law slowly evolves
from one of friendship to that of an adversary. The two women meet
while Dan and Ellie are dating. Ellie's own mother was an
alcoholic, and so Ellie never truly knew what it was like to have a
maternal figure in her life. Meeting Linda Cooper is not a bad
experience, and Ellie is looking forward to becoming friends with
her future mother-in-law.

But as Ellie and Dan's relationship grows closer and the wedding
draws near, Ellie starts seeing a different side to Linda, and it's
not very favorable. Ellie could use the word "controlling" to
describe her, especially since Ellie no longer feels in control of
her own wedding. It has now become Linda's wedding. And when Ellie
and Dan find out they are about to become new parents, it is Linda
who rushes out to buy baby things, without giving Ellie a chance to
enjoy the first pleasures of motherhood. It is as if Linda has no
regard for Ellie's feelings or opinions. What makes it worse is
that Dan never seems to back up Ellie when she feels that his
mother is manipulating her. He thinks his wife is behaving in an
unreasonable and childish manner.

At first Ellie wants to believe that she and Linda can be friends,
but she finds herself becoming angrier with Linda and Dan with each
passing day. As her relationship with Linda deteriorates, so does
her relationship with Dan. The man she felt so much love for at the
beginning of their marriage is no longer that same man. And when an
accident that involves Michael and Linda and the newborn baby
occurs, this is all Ellie can take. The reader will watch as
Ellie's marriage to Dan changes from one that is idyllic and
wonderful to one that is strained and full of misery.

A good part of the story is told in a very comical and entertaining
tone, but as the novel progresses and their marriage begins to
disintegrate, the tone becomes more serious and the reader will
wish that Ellie and Dan can mend their relationship. Throughout the
book, Ellie blames her woes on her mother-in-law, but is Linda
really to blame? As a reader, this reviewer had problems agreeing
with the way Ellie reacted to the "other woman" in her life, but
this was definitely the author's intention. At times Ellie did
indeed seem to be behaving like a child and acting unreasonably,
not being able to put herself in Linda's shoes. As the reader will
find out, sometimes things are not what they seem, and people can
be misunderstood or misinterpreted. Ellie comes across as very
selfish and self-centered in some instances, but was she merely
reacting the way any sane woman would to a mother-in-law who is
controlling and manipulative?

This is yet another Jane Green novel that this reviewer greatly
enjoyed, each one being very different from the last. The author
does not seem to use the same "mold" to write each novel, which
makes her books a favorite for this reviewer. THE OTHER WOMAN will
have one laughing at, but also at times commiserating with, both
Ellie and Linda. And, as usual, Green does a wonderful job creating
real characters who the reader will relate to or, at the very
least, enjoy reading about. She is great at producing stories that
revolve around relationships --- whether it is between a man and a
woman, or just friends --- and telling the story of a relationship,
from beginning to end, complete with all the nuances and
intricacies that only the most attentive person will notice. And
while it is up to the reader to find out whether or not Dan and
Ellie find their "happy ever after," most people will be assured
that any novel by Green will be worth reading. This reviewer is
always on the lookout for a new novel by her, and highly recommends
this one.