The Headmaster's Wife
Inspired by a personal loss, Greene explores the way that tragedy and time assail one man’s memories of his life and loves.
Like his father before him, Arthur Winthrop is the Headmaster of Vermont’s elite Lancaster School. It is the place he feels has given him his life, but is also the site of his undoing as events spiral out of his 
control. Found wandering naked in Central Park, he begins to tell his story to the police, but his memories collide into one another, and the true nature of things, a narrative of love, of marriage, of family and of a tragedy Arthur does not know how to address emerges.
Luminous and atmospheric, bringing to life the tight-knit enclave of a quintessential New England boarding school, the novel is part mystery, part love story and an exploration of the ties of place and family. Beautifully written and compulsively readable, The Headmaster’s Wife stands as a moving elegy to the power of love as an antidote to grief.
I agree. I read this last year and don't remember much other than the fact that I still don't understand why so many people continue to rave about it. Interesting but forgettable and definitely bordering on that ick factor.
If only you knew what was going on in the first half, I don't think it would read the same way. Interesting, but forgettable is a good way of putting it.
Hmm, I keep hearing much the same. Decent book, not that great. That means I'll stick to my list and not worry about this one. Although I do love a good boarding school tale. 😀
I'm a huge fan of boarding school settings too. But this one sounds like it goes down a sad road so I'd need to be in the right mood for it.
It's just sort of hard to explain other than to say that it all comes together halfway through the book. But the first half was a struggle for me.
I saw this reviewed a few times last year to mixed reviews, so I returned my copy to the library, unread. Wish it was a better read for you. I used to live in Maine for a few years and visited Vermont many times. What a great state!
It wasn't actually that bad once you figured out what was going on. The problem was that it took until halfway through the book for that to happen.
I'm happy to be living down south now, where there is little to no snow, and no arctic cold winters! I do love Vermont in the fall though, nothing compares to the fall foliage there.
True! I now live in So Cal, so I am another person who fled the snow. But I miss the NE much of the year.
I'll pick this up again if I see it in the library and give it another try--thanks.
Thanks for your candid review. Sometimes it's difficult to stick with a book that has a slow start. I'm glad it got better for you in the second half.