The post about Under the Tuscan Sun (which I’m going to rent today) reminded me of one of my favorite divorce books. It’s a real upper. Revenge of the Middle-Aged Woman by Elizabeth Buchan. It’s a witty, ironic story of Rose, a magazine editor in her late forties who is blindsided by her fiftyish husband’s affair with her young assistant, Minty. They all work at the same magazine, and in quick succession Rose loses her husband, her job, and her house to the heartless Minty. She sinks into a terrible funk, but is determined to start a new life, which she does with grace and dignity.
In the meantime her ex-husband and Minty’s life go down the tubes as Minty turns into a shrew and makes his life miserable. Eventually her ex asks to come back but he’s already had a baby with Minty and is stuck with her for life. In the meantime Rose has made another, happier life for herself and has moved on. Read it and weep—and then have a good laugh. Rose is a great role model for us all.