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The Actor and the Housewife
The Actor and the Housewife
The Actor and the Housewife
Audiobook14 hours

The Actor and the Housewife

Written by Shannon Hale

Narrated by Christina Moore

Rating: 3.5 out of 5 stars

3.5/5

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About this audiobook

New York Times best-selling author Shannon Hale makes her adult fiction debut with The Actor and the Housewife. When Becky, a housewife with screenwriting dreams, attracts the interest of Felix, a Hollywood star, the two quickly become friends. Though the sexual tension is obvious, Becky has no intention of cheating on her husband-but would Felix cheat on his wife? As their friendship blossoms, rumors and suspicion threaten to derail their platonic love.
LanguageEnglish
Release dateSep 18, 2009
ISBN9781440760082
The Actor and the Housewife
Author

Shannon Hale

Shannon Hale ("Bouncing the Grinning Goat") began writing at age ten—mostly fantasy stories where she was the heroine. She never stopped. She writes bestselling books for kids and adults and also writes graphic novels. Her book Princess Academy was named a Newbery Honor Book in 2006. Shannon lives with her family near Salt Lake City, Utah. 

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Reviews for The Actor and the Housewife

Rating: 3.5952380952380953 out of 5 stars
3.5/5

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  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    This book was very different from Shannon Hale's other books. At first I thought the writing was a little too casual - almost like she was writing on her blog - but the story slowly grew on me and I ended up having a hard time putting it down. I really don't know what genre to mark it though.Basically a Mormon housewife happens to go to Hollywood to sell a screenplay she wrote and meets a famous movie star who she thinks is gorgeous. They end up having dinner and then he contacts her in Utah later on and they realize they have some weird connection and become best friends. I had a hard time figuring out what the point of the novel would be. Usually there is a romance to root for, or some big problem the main character has to overcome. This is just an entertaining story about two people who make each other laugh. You aren't rooting for them to cheat on their spouses, so I guess you're rooting for their friendship. It's an interesting read with some twists and turns along the way. It did not end how I thought it would. And I don't know how well it would be received by readers who aren't LDS. I prefer Hale's young adult fantasy books better, but this was a fun change.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    Clever fairy-tale lit, but in no way predictable. Slow at times, but at other times (esp. in the second half) I couldn't read fast enough and lost much-needed sleep one night. Love the characters. Have to love a book that makes me sob--tear-stained pages are a sure sign that some magic happened between those covers.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    I am a fan of Shannon Hale. I've enjoyed most of her books and love half of them. I wasn't expecting to love this book, but I did. I do. I Love It.I laughed, I cried, I laughed some more. I fell in love with Becky and Mike and Felix. The narrator was wonderful. She was like another character, an observer with her own personality telling Becky's story. I could picture Hale writing this book and laughing out loud because it is such a fun book.Things in the plot might seem fantastical, so unrealistic. But they were true because the characters were true. The characters were real. I got teary-eyed as I shut the book because I was so attached to Becky and her husband and her children, to Felix and his ways. And their friendship. And I was sad to have it end. I was sad to say goodbye to them.So of course, I had to read it again. And then I went out and bought it. Worth every penny.
  • Rating: 2 out of 5 stars
    2/5
    Ugh! SO many times I wanted to put the book down and never pick it back up, but I kept giving it a chance and wanted to give it an honest review. The storyline was not plausible, the dialogue was awkward, and the characters were never developed. I'd like to find something redeeming about the book other than it finally came to an end, but I can't!
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    I really enjoyed the characters and the humor in this story. Becky was funny as was Felix, and the relationships felt real, if just a tad bit exaggerated for humorous effect. The main premise - that it is possible to have a platonic male-female friendship between two married people - that made me do a lot of thinking. Particularly at the beginning of the novel, I wasn't quite sure that it is possible. Towards the end of the novel, I quit thinking in general terms and thought more about Becky and Felix and I felt like their particular relationship worked and was real. Overall, enjoyable and made me think more about my own marriage and friendships.
  • Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
    3/5
    I realize that we each have our own reactions and feelings about a story. In the case of The Actor and the Housewife, I have seen a wide range of these reactions. My own overwhelming feeling of frustration is evidence of Hale's ability to tap into an interesting idea, and to carry it through. While it's fun to consider what might happen if a woman, of an unspectacular background or life, came in contact with her Hollywood crush, I found myself scratching my head (figuratively speaking) throughout much of the book. I haven't been married before, but will say that the relationship between Becky and Felix definitely sounded and felt like love. It didn't seem to help me that I felt distant from Becky's spouse, and that although he was a part of the story, he ended up feeling more like a stock character, with little personality. That feels mean of me to say, but I felt as though after all the detail and time spent on the relationship between Becky and Felix, that her marriage was a kind of afterthought, or one we had to be convinced was better than what she had with Felix.This adult book by Shannon Hale is an interesting read, and one that I've been asking friends and coworkers to give a try so I could talk to them about it! As for crafting a story to make you think, and to engage your thoughts and feelings, Hale has definitely done just that. I can't say that many authors have really looked at how male and female friendships come into play in a marriage. Hale's line of questioning in the book, to ask where the line is between appropriate friendships and those that threaten a marriage are quite interesting. I'll admit that I was often quite uncomfortable with Becky and Felix's friendship, and through to the end, really believed that there was more there than friendship. This really wasn't my favorite Hale novel, but it is one that made me consider how complex adult relationships really can be.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    Mormon housewife of four Becky Jack cannot believe her luck when she manages to strike up a back-and-forth conversation with her celebrity crush, Felix Callahan, on a trip to L.A. It’s just the one time, and Becky marks it down as a great story to tell later. Her normally comfortable life of running the household and loving her husband, Mike, however, seems to slide into the land of fairy tales when, a few weeks later, Felix shows up in her small Utah town.Becky is unable to understand why this handsome man, so happily married to his beautiful French model wife, keeps on insisting on being in her life. But they strike a friendship so deep, so all-encompassing, that everyone who knows them has no idea what to make of it. Being Felix’s best friend has its ups and downs, and the biggest down for Becky is wondering about how much of an effect Felix has on her when she is completely, utterly, 100 percent devoted to her family.Can a housewife whose life is her family have a famous actor as a best friend? Or is everything too good to be true?I have long been an admirer of Shannon Hale’s work: THE GOOSE GIRL is still one of my favorite books of all time, and Shannon’s previous adult novel, AUSTENLAND, is a cute read. But THE ACTOR AND THE HOUSEWIFE is absolutely perfect. I was blown away completely. Not many books have left me both laughing so hysterically that I woke up my roommate and sobbing nonstop for a good hundred pages.Imagine your favorite smart romantic comedy, novelized and plumped with three times as much goodness, and that’s what you get in Shannon Hale’s second adult book. Every single character in this novel is well-developed, interesting, and unique, though the witty and laugh-out-loud funny dialogue between Becky and Felix steals the show, of course. I swear Shannon must’ve been channeling some serious screenwriter vibes, because the dialogue belongs in a crowd-pleasing, box-office-record-breaking movie of the likes of “When Harry Met Sally.”The emotions I experienced when reading THE ACTOR AND THE HOUSEWIFE were astounding. Shannon Hale certainly had me collapsing in laughter at all the right moments (i.e. a lot of them). However, her brilliant writing developed the characters in a way that left me in tears for the sad bits of the book. It’s not too hard for a book to make you laugh; for a book to move me to tears, though, that is a remarkable piece of work.This book will appeal to a wide range of audiences. Romance lovers will love the dialogue, the heartbreaks, and the hope. Becky is a Mormon and Felix is an atheist, but the novel only gently touches issues of religion, which allows for a greater range of appreciative readers. Smart women tiring of regular chick lit should read this, as well as teenagers who want a perfectly respectable fictional relationship to dream about—there’s no smut or anything rated higher than PG in this book, which is another smart move. There will be mixed reactions towards the ending, for sure, but I appreciated it precisely because it broke the mold of the standard fairy-tale-like happily-ever-afters, and instead offered an alternative, though no less exciting, future for the characters.THE ACTOR AND THE HOUSEWIFE comes out at a great time—this summer, you’ll want laughter, love, and a bit of the unexplainable. This is a book that you’ll want to keep on your shelf forever, rereading it every summer to fall in love with Becky, Felix, Mike, and all the characters all over again.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    Since finishing this book (which I did very easily, it's a quick and entertaining read) I have been struggling with how to review it. On the one hand, it's a fun tale about a normal woman who has the unlikely good fortune to meet her celebrity crush and actually find a meaningful friendship with him. Their banter is witty and their improbable friendship weathers the occasional storm just like any relationship, with spousal jealousies, the demands of work and family and general differences of opinion getting in the way. The story is often laugh-out-loud funny, and the characters are endearing in their own strange ways. On the other hand, there were many times while reading that I wanted to just shake the book, or the characters within it, for the completely unrealistic moral overtones that I found leaping from most of the pages. Are there really people out there who believe it impossible for married women to have male friends, or vice versa? Are there families out there who would stage minor interventions because a sibling had a friend and the rest feared for her moral soul? I have no problem with storylines that contain religion or spirituality, but I want the devotion to seem realistic, I want to believe that the characters are people of faith, but real people. With this book I'm just not sure I bought it. All that being said, I definitely recommend this book - it's not your standard chick-lit, the main character being far less independent than most heroines of the genre - if nothing else you'll have a good laugh.
  • Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
    3/5
    I choose to listen to the audio book, the narrartor has a great wit to her. I'm not sure I would have gotten through it if I had read it myself. The story has a lot of humour to it and laugh out loud moments. I appreciate the relationship between the characters. My problem was dwelling on the possibility of an affair, which the author made perfectly clear (in my opionion) that a sexual relationship was not likely with her actor BFF. I thought the relationships were over stated. I did enjoy the book and I love listening to Christina Moore.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    The Actor and the Housewife -A Novel by Shannon Hale A happily married and 7 month heavily pregnant Mormon housewife sells her very first script and while in LA she, Becky Jack, meets Felix Callahan, a sexy actor of her dreams. Through s series of interesting circumstances, housewife and actor become best of friends. Sounds like this would be a light-weight chick lit type book with a bit of religion thrown in doesn’t it? It’s not, don’t let the flashy colors of the cover or the title put you off. This is a serious work of fiction, hiding under very funny and witty dialogue and very quirky characters; a truly fantastic one that searches for the truth to the question - Can people of the opposite sex truly become best friends without sex muddying the water?I am not going to give away any of the plot or hint at what happens during these 11 years…I would like you to be as surprised as I was at what did and didn’t happen, as Ms Hale does the unexpected and at the level of emotion she was able to wring out of me while I read this book. The book is written in three sections and encompasses 11 years and many happy moments as well as many horrible one. But the one constant through this book is that Felix and Becky stay friends. The only issue I have is that Becky Jack can, at times be a little too naïve for her own good. Her husband, a little too perfect. Perhaps it’s an LDS thing, but this made it a bit more difficult for me to take the book seriously until I finished about a third of it. But for these few faults it works, and I will say that I needed a half box of Kleenex during a number of very memorable scenes.This is going to make a wonderful beach read and an even better book club choice.
  • Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
    3/5
    This book is really neither bad nor good. It's just...itself. It doesn't make you want to come running back for more, but neither do you feel like you've wasted your time while reading it.Really, though? A mormon housewife and an actor? Good grief.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    Ok, just let me say I loved, loved, loved this book! It kept me entranced to the end as I was biting my nails waiting to find out what would finally happen between Becky and Felix. If you want to see why I went for 4.5 instead of 5 you will have to read the spoiler section below. I wanted to read this book because the premise really intrigued me. Where can it really go with a pregnant, Morman housewife and a sexy, married actor? I know what I know about Mormons is pretty much stereotypes but I could not see Becky leaving her husband for an actor. So I had to read this to see where the story would go.Within the first few pages I was practically laughing out loud and the only thing that stopped me was I was riding the train to work. The bantering between Becky and Felix throughout the entire book was wonderful and will keep you smiling and laughing. It was touching to see how both Felix’s wife, Celeste, and Becky’s husband, Mike, really tried to support their spouses in this unusual friendship. Being a mother myself I also enjoyed watching Felix’s introduction to life with children as he tries to keep Becky’s children entertained during visits. If you enjoy romantic comedies this is definitely a book for you!SPOILERS BELOW!If you really don’t want any spoilers stop here.Don’t say I did not give you fair warning.The only reason I did not give this a 5 out of 5 stars is I was totally bummed out by the last 20 or so pages. I’ll fully admit I’m a sucker for happy, sappy endings and while the ending of this book suited both Becky and Felix’s characters and relationship with each other I was still hoping for them to end up as a couple. I know, I know she needed to realize she could be ok on her own after Mike but still it would have been my perfect ending. I’ll stop here because even if you don’t mind spoilers there are just some things you will have to go out and get the book to find out. LOL.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    In your typical chick lit book, the heroine is generally in her twenties, single, figuring out who she is and what she wants from life. Oh yeah, and she generally stumbles into a relationship that helps her make sense of all of that. By this criteria, this novel is not chick lit. This is something different but it still retains the fun and hilarious feel that you find in the best chick lit. Becky is the married mother of (almost) four. She's a Mormon housewife with a harmless crush on the actor who plays her favorite big screen characters. So when she is out in Hollywood selling her screenplay, she meets Felix himself and they immediately have a connection. If you think this connection is going to parlay into a steamy adulterous affair from which Becky comes to learn the importance of fidelity and family, you have it completely wrong. The reality is even better. Becky and Felix are soul mates destined to be best friends for all time. They love each other without "loving" each other. And Hale has brilliantly captured the giddy feeling of meeting someone who just "gets" you in Becky and Felix's relationship. There are bumps in the road, such as when Becky's husband admits he's completely uncomfortable with her relationship with Felix and Becky pulls back out of her undying love for Mike or when Felix's wife faces her own green-eyed monster. But this chronicle of a friendship meant to last forever shows a strong and unbreakable friendship in a charming and entirely entertaining way. The ups and downs between Becky and Felix are the natural ebb and flow of a real friendship. As disparate as their lives are, they add a touch of cheer to each others' existence and accept each other for who they are. There are moments when the lightness of the book slips as the characters face the scarier and sadder aspects of life. But these plot twists serve to highlight the deeper meaning of friendship, showing enduring love in different forms. And while I admit to a hollow feeling in the pit of my stomach during the most tragic moments, it is these moments that took the book out of the realm of light, unbelievable fiction and into a more realistic and thoughtful book. Good escapism, enjoyable writing, delightful characters, and a pitch perfect ending. Fun all the way around (aside from the careful, powerful gut-wrenching in the middle).Everyone should have one of these friendships--one that can be picked up with no awkwardness even after long absences; one that defines you and brightens your life; one that is simply predicated on kismet. This is a completely delightful book, one you'll want to gulp in one sitting. Then you can go back and enjoy Hale's previous book Austenland, another one I read with glee.Thanks to the publisher for providing me with the book to review.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    The Actor and the Housewife, by Shannon Hale, is a charmer. It took me a long time to read and not because I disliked the book but because it was deceivingly long! While the paperback looked completely normal, the paper was thin and the font was small. That's my theory anyway. The story is about a housewife, Becky, who loves her husband and children fiercely. She loves being a wife and mother. You can feel how much while reading. She's so satisfied and happy. It was nearly unrealistic, but Becky is such a real character that it was hard to find fault. Felix, the actor, is Becky's best friend. They meet while Becky is in Los Angeles selling a screenplay. They become enamored of each other in a strictly platonic way - at least on Becky's part. Felix is British, charming, successful, and terribly witty. I fell in love with him. I confess. The dialogue between the two main characters made me smile. It was fun, quirky and you could feel the chemistry. I wanted this story to be a romance so badly! But maybe at heart it really was. If this story has a weakness, it's that Becky and Felix weren't together enough. The two were magical together. When they were apart, when Becky was going on and on about how happy she was with her family, it got a little long. That's minor though.Becky is a Mormon so there are several mentions of her faith and her relationship with God. This doesn't bother me in the slightest but let that serve as a warning for those who would be bothered. This is a great story of friendship that I highly recommend.
  • Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
    3/5
    It took me a while to write this review.... the author is talented, the story is charming and yet I found it harder than usual to buy into the unlikely events in the story. Ultimately a good entertaining piece of fluff I'd reccomend to others but at the point I read it I didn't totally connect with it.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    An incandescently engrossing novel, this is a story that is as heartwarming as it is heart breaking. Hale sets up the plot with an unlikely heroine, Becky Jack, a Mormon stay-at-home mom with three children, one on the way, and the incredible luck to have randomly sold a movie script. As a result, she gets to spend one day in New York, and into this day walks the famous movie star Felix Callahan.An innocent meeting, and exchange of witty remarks, an uncomfortable shared taxi ride, rooms in the same hotel, and a fun-filled dinner later, Becky is convinced that she has just lived a fantasy. It was nice while it lasted, but she is more than content to return home to her childhood sweetheart of a husband and her wonderful children. She never expects to see Felix again.Except, he turns up a few months later at a writer’s lecture at which Becky is speaking.And, just like that, Felix disappears again, only to reappear randomly again, setting a pattern that would continue for months and years. Becky becomes Felix’s first female best friend. It’s not a truly easy road, and the book chronicles the funny and quirky journey of Felix learning to be a friend, Felix’s supermodel wife indulging his more plebian taste in friends, and Becky’s husband struggling to accept that Becky could continue to love him after experiencing the friendship of a famous movie star.I was very impressed that, with a plotline ripe for using “tried and true” clichés, Hale manages to give the story fresh twists and an unusual road to the book’s conclusion. On the way to the final page, readers can expect to fall in love with this quirky cast of characters, and to be unwilling to put this book down! Excellent writing, wonderful story, and an enchanting read.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    I received this book as part of LibraryThing's Early Reviewer program. The Actor and the Housewife poses the familiar question -- can a man and a woman truly be friends? It also asks can two people who lead completely different lives, often with opposite morals, truly be friends? And is there such a thing as friends at first sight?It is a familiar plot, but it is told in an interesting (if somewhat unbelievable) way. There's a lot to like about this book: it is an enjoyable read that keeps you wanting more (until the last few chapters which are a bit drawn out), it is emotional without being maudlin, and it is in a lot of ways a delicious fantasy. However, the moral and religious themes of the book did detract from the story for me. The housewife, Becky Jack, is a Mormon who lives in Utah and so obviously her religion plays a big part of her life. The actor, Felix Calahan is very much the Hollywood leading man and he is in the worst light in this book when he is behaving in ways that go against Becky's beliefs. It is not overly done to the point of being preachy, but I often felt the moral judgments were a bit overbearing. I think it speaks to the charm of this story and the characters that the religious angle did not put me off the book. I have to admit, and I am probably the only one, but I wish the ending turned out the other way. The book was such a fantasy anyway, why not go for it?
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    I would consider this book to be a modern-day fantasy. It asks the question - what if you met one of your celebrity crushes and became best friends with him? And more than that, is it possible to have a male best friend when you're a married woman?Mormon housewife Becky Jack is married and seven months pregnant with her fourth child when she has a chance encounter with British movie star Felix Callahan. This book follows their friendship over several years.I loved the witty banter between Becky and Felix, although at times it seemed a bit overdone. Felix was a wonderful character - I want him to be my best friend. He was so charming and funny. I was completely immersed in the fantasy (How cool would it be to be best friends with a movie star??) right up almost to the end. I didn't like the ending - my fantasy would end differently.This book would make a great movie. Either Hugh Grant or Colin Firth would be perfect to play Felix. I could see Bonnie Hunt or Sandra Bullock as Becky.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    Let's all be honest with ourselves for one second. We can go back to woefully lying about our lives soon. I promise. We all have those lists. You know the ones I'm talking about. The "Celebrity You Most Want to Get Stuck in an Elevator Whether It Be for Conversation or the Making Out" list (which for me includes Johnny Depp and that really cute teacher guy from Glee, who got hot out of absolutely friggin' nowhere for, of course, the making out portion. I'll get back to you with the conversation portion). We also have our "Celebrity Most Likely to Dump Your Significant Other" list, "Celebrity You'd Switch Teams For" list, and the utterly important "Celebrity You Merely Wanna Screw to Make All Your Friends Green With Envy Because You Really Are That Much Cooler Than Them and This Just Proved It" list. Like I said, we all have them. But not many of us would own up to it. The Actor and the Housewife takes that premise of ordinary, plain-Jane, regular run-of-the-mill woman who meets that oh-so-crushworthy celebrity. This gives them the perfect chance to look into each other's eyes/souls and fall deeply in love. Just one little problem. She's a happily married Mormon with 4 kids and the celebrity is, surprise surprise, not a merciless playboy, but is actually also happily married. Okay, so I semi-kid, they didn't really fall in love at first sight. But still you imagined yourself in the Housewife's place, didn't you? The Actor and the Housewife is outlandish. This premise rarely, if ever, happens. You don't sell a screenplay your first one out and out of the blue just happen to run into a celebrity who wants to be your BFF for ever and ever and ever. It's just not possible. I don't care how close to God you are. However, even though, this would never ever ever happen to us mere mortals, that doesn't mean we can't enjoy it in Fiction world. Yes, I'll admit it. This book was just all around entertaining. The chemistry between Becky (the Housewife) and Felix (the Actor) was just so palpatable. You could just sense it. They were all types of hilarious together and I laughed out loud more than once. Now, my favorite parts of most books are the supporting characters. Mike (the Housewife's husband) was just so supportive and so understanding and even when he wasn't that understanding, you understood where he came from and just wanted to hug him and soothe his worries. Yeah, Felix was hot (yeah I'm aware that there was no picture of him included in the book, but trust me, my imagination can do wonders), but I wanted my own personal Mike. He was just such an all-around good guy. Then we have Celeste (the Actor's wife). Sure she was a caricature of Hollywood stereotypes, but I'd be lying if I didn't say that I enjoyed her parts in the book. She was like a female Mike. So understanding and hilarious in her own right. So, the supporting characters: a big plus in this book. I loved them all. I can't say the same about the main characters. I mean, I liked them well. But I was a bit hot and cold with Becky. One minute I loved her and the next minute I wanted to slap her because she was being so wishy-washy and in turn made me wishy-washy in regards to her character. And I HATE being wishy-washy. Felix also had his moments of annoyance. But overall, they weren't so annoying that I wished them both to get onto a bus and then have that bus "accidentally" overturn, with them being all right, but having oh-so-sadly lost the ability to think thoughts or speak or annoy. So, all was good on that front. However, I have to add that while The Actor and the Housewife did have me turning the pages ferociously in the beginning, it did drag towards the middle. It was even more obvious since what was happening in the middle seemed basically the same that happened in the beginning with a few other variables included. It got to be a bit repetitive. I found myself thinking "This really doesn't need to be included." It made me think that a couple of things were in there just to make the book longer. I guess what I liked most about the book was that Felix and Becky were great friends. And I'm a sucker for a good friendship story. It just solidifies my thoughts that even if you're in love and found your soulmate, it is possible to find your "friend" soulmate. Let's face it, finding a best friend is like falling in love. And sometimes you tend to spend more time with your best friend than your significant other and that can strain a relationship. Without spoiling the end of the book, let me say that I'm happy with the way The Actor and the Housewife ended. Had it ended the way I assumed it was going to end, I would've given the book two stars and started out this review with a tirade instead of a semi-funny quip about all of us having celebrity lists (no matter how true it is). So, I definitely recommend The Actor and the Housewife. Sure, it was way out there, but it was entertaining and sweet at times. And it made me laugh (and cry a little and not in the "because you're laughing so hard" kinda way). Yay for another four star First Reads win!
  • Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
    3/5
    This book arrived at my door thanks to the Early Reviewers program here at Library Thing. Having never read any of Shannon Hale's books I was excited to give her a try. And I liked it. There are bits of it that are slightly far-fetched, but hey, that's what books help us do--appeal to our imaginations and let us dream. I enjoyed reading the book and will recommend it to friends. By the way, the print was a little too small on my copy. I'm not that old but apparently my eyes are. Ha!
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    I started out looking forward to reading The Actor and the Housewife by Shannon Hale. I figured it would be a fun read, filled with an unlikely friendship and probably a few twists that would make it not your typical story. I got about a third of the way through it and happened to be glancing at in the back of the book, at the brief synopsis at the beginning of the Reader’s Guide. I was reading along, not finding out anything I didn’t already know about, until suddenly I did find out something. Something that made me close the book and made me stop reading. I stopped reading for days. I wasn’t sure if I would finish the book. I was upset about where the story went. The twist and turns it took, it came upon me so suddenly because I peaked at the Reader’s Guide prior to finishing the story. After awhile I decided I did want to finish the book. I did want to find out what happened. Even if I thought I knew what happened, I wanted to experience it the way it was intended, along with Becky and Felix. So I started reading and got involved in the story again and found myself enjoying it. I found that the relationship between Becky and Felix to be believable because of the time they invested in it. If the story had only taken place within a year or two that wouldn’t have been believable. But Hale captured how relationships work and the time and energy you put into them. There was enough conflict from family and friends to make you want to root for Becky and Felix to take a different path and be friends. I highly recommend this book.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    Having never read a Shannon Hale book before, I went into this book with an open mind. The plot sounded interesting and creative.I enjoyed Shannon Hale's writing style and, much as I thought how it was going to be, the plot was enjoyable.Throughout the book, Becky Jack, the main character through me for twists and turns. I never knew what was going to happen next! I could have never guessed the ending, which was a suprise, because it quickly could have turned cliche.Enjoy this book!
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    I had mixed feelings about this one. It's the story of a frumpy Mormon housewife and the handsome actor she's always lusted after...and they happen to meet and become best friends. It did feel a bit manipulative on the author's part, that they would remain only friends and so squeaky-clean for so many years. But it was definitely a page-turner, if only so you could see if and when they might hook up.
  • Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
    3/5
    This is a story of friendship between Becky, a Mormon housewife living in Utah who happens to have an unconventional friendship with Felix, a heartthrob actor and how it affects her life. The nitty-gritty part is whether a person can have a best-friend relationship with someone of the opposite sex (who is not her spouse) while maintaining a strong, healthy marriage. Hale explored the character's struggles of "not crossing the line." The book is full of fun times and witty banter. I laughed and cried and really enjoyed this book.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    A fun, fun read. It reminded me of a good Jennifer Weiner.
  • Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
    3/5
    I liked this book, but not as much as I expected to. I enjoyed the relationship between the two main characters, and felt that, while maybe a little far-fetched, it was still somewhat plausible--no matter how famous someone is, they are still human beings behind the facade. I guess I had a little bit of trouble with the religious aspects of the story. I'm not Mormon, so the strictness bothered me a little, although frankly it's pretty understandable given the relationship between the actor and the housewife. But all in all, a good read.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    I adore Shannon Hale. I love her children's literature and I thought that her book, Austenland, was genius in a light and fun way. I had big hopes for this book and was not let down.If you read the summary of the book, you know that this book is based on the premise of a Mormon housemom from Utah becomes best friends with a Hollywood hottie and hilarity and humanity ensues. What the summary doesn't tell you is how well the book is crafted. The characters are so well developed and are so easy to care about. The ridiculousness of the situation is addressed well and seems believable. The story line follows a believable plot and there are some twists that I never saw coming. You may think you know how things are going to go. Trust me, you don't. I could think of all sorts of ways for the book to develop as I read, and I didn't see the overall ending. There were wonderfully hilarious moments and some utterly heartbreaking moments.Read this book. It's an excellent piece of fiction.
  • Rating: 2 out of 5 stars
    2/5
    Happily married and very pregnant, Mormon housewife Becky Jack is in L.A. to sell a screenplay when celebrity actor Felix Callahan enters her life. And the sparks of friendship seem to ignite. Soon Felix is in Salt Lake City, Utah to visit. The phone calls start and they chat and laugh. Becky’s steadfast husband takes it in stride and Felix’s model wife Celeste seems to approve. And the friendship grows. Felix and Becky are there for each other, ultimate friends. And while the reader wonders at the probability of this, he/she is also buried under the details of pie baking, and children’s activities, and an avalanche of “G” rated opinions about behavior and movies. After a while Becky’s declarations to herself regarding her love for her husband grew tiresome and the story grew too long.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    As many aspiring screen writers know, selling a screenplay is almost impossible. When Mormon housewife Becky Jack sends in her very first screenplay she’s pleasantly surprised when she gets the call that a studio is interested. Becky flies off to Los Angeles and in the offices of the production studio she meets Felix Callahan. Felix is the devilishly handsome British actor who Becky has always had a crush on. With nerves and fear bubbling up to the surface Becky can’t stop insulting Felix but he’s one step ahead of her tosses his own insults right back at her. Surprisingly the banter sparks interest on both sides and they end up having dinner together. Afterward, Becky heads home, laughs about the encounter with her husband Mike and goes back to her daily life secretly cherishing the time she spent with Felix. When a layover puts Felix in Salt Lake City he drops in on Becky and a tentative friendship begins between the actor and the housewife. What follows is a twelve year friendship filled with a lot of ‘should we’, ‘can we’, ‘do you think’ and more ups and downs than a roller coaster.This book was so sweet. I absolutely loved the relationship between Becky and Felix. They were daring, witty and fun and I couldn’t get enough. I think without such witty dialogue I might have enjoyed the book at lot less because situations like this never happen in real life. The ending was a complete surprise but I was definitely satisfied by it.The only thing that kept me from rating this a full five stars is the anticipation I felt through most of it. I was constantly thinking that by the next page things were going to take off at break neck speed but the journey was pretty mellow despite the ups and downs of their lives. Overall I highly recommend this one to lovers of contemporary fiction and chick-lit lovers.
  • Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
    3/5
    This is a bizarrely improbable but strangely compelling story of a Hugh-Grant-type heart throb falling platonically but totally for a Morman mother and wife who writes stories just like this. A bit too long but so odd you can't stop.