Swapping Lives by Jane Green is a very fluffy no-brainer of a read. There's no true redeeming value other than escape and entertainment. The book was a fun companion for a weekend and in true Wizard of Oz fashion the message is "There's no place like home."
Vicky lives a glamorous London life as a director for Poise magazine. Fashion, cool clubs, the "in" stuff - she has it all except for a life in the country with an adoring husband and fabulous children.
Amber Winslow has it all in Connecticut - the suburban life with a huge McMansion, the gorgeous husband who commutes to Wall Street, amazing kids, and her rank on the social committees is high. Hubby is a "Winslow" - maybe the money's sorta gone, but the name has cachet in social circles.
Both women from across ponds yearn for that elusive something else. Something's missing. Amber answers an ad in Poise and is selected to swap lives with Vicky. Each are excited at first in the newfound glow of a "new" life. But soon they see the underbelly and miss the old familiar. They also recognize what they've been doing wrong in their lives and how they can fix it - fill in or slow down.
We all have those moments of seeing "grass is greener elsewhere," but true reality shows that the best possibilities are right in our own backyard with the folks who know us best. Swapping Lives is a quick charming read.
