3.5 stars. Infinitely longer than necessary, it was close to 80% finished before this picked up and focused on Miranda, the Ambassador's Wife, her kidnapping, reason for the kidnapping and harrowing escape. I felt as though we had to listen to every thing from what they ate for breakfast before Miranda met Finn, what they ate for breakfast when they were married and way too much about their pasts before they were married. Finally, finally, as we come into the home stretch does it become glued to the pages (but only a little bit still) to find out what will happen next.

I listened to the first 50% in audio, purchasing it because Euan Morton was reading the part for Finn. He was excellent in The Chalk Man, but just okay here. I think because there were more female voices to butcher in this book. Orlagh Cassidy narrated for Miranda and she was exceptional as always. But the pages and pages and pages and pages of extra stuffing had me pulling at my hair to move this to the crux of the book. Happily, I had the hardcover on my shelf.

A good story overall, you just have to be exceptionally patient with it. ( )

A very contemporary story of the wife of a British ambassador to a Middle-Eastern country who is kidnapped by extremists and finds herself caring for a motherless infant while being held captive. The fictionalized country is vividly portrayed as a place of extreme beauty and extreme attitudes, and could easily stand-in for any number of countries in the Middle East. A very human depiction of a story seen too often on the nightly news. ( )

There were a couple of things that grabbed me immediately when I saw the publisher’s description of The Ambassador’s Wife by Jennifer Steil. The first was that Jennifer actually is an ambassador’s wife, so I thought it would be very interesting to read a novel by someone who had lived that life. The second was that the main character is an artist turned ambassador’s wife in the Middle East. To me, that seemed to have all kinds of potential for making an interesting tale. I’m so glad I offered to read The Ambassador’s Wife and I’ve been itching to share it with you. It’s a thriller but it’s also a story about diversity, about cultural misunderstandings and connections, and about the power of compassion. Read the rest of my review at http://popcornreads.com/?p=8705 ( )

Miranda is a free spirited American living in the fictional country Arab country of Mazrooq. She is a bisexual artist, who paints nudes. An ideal candidate for living in a Muslim country. She becomes enthralled with the country and despite being a liberal feminist she finds herself at home in a world that represses its women. She starts teaching a small group how to draw and paint. Then one day she falls in love with a man she meets walking around the old city. Little does she know how much this man will change her life – for he is the British Ambassador. Their relationship follows the normal course and soon she is living at the Residence and she finds herself the Ambassador’s wife with all of the security restrictions that brings.

Miranda has always lived a life of unfettered freedom so she feels very constrained in her new life. As much as she loves her husband Finn and then her child she misses her ability to do what she wants when she wants. She does go out on a hike with some women friends and her bodyguard and the worst happens – she is kidnapped. This leads to the odd part of the book. It’s also the driving part of the plot and I don’t want to spoil the story. I was just a bit confuses as to the whole of the kidnapping scenario. Some questions are answered at the end but others just hang in the desert.

I was intrigued by the two lead characters but they were almost impossible to believe. Miranda has a little anxiety about fitting into the life she has now chosen but she moves into what is generally a closed, tight society with minimal problem. Finn is the perfect diplomat in every way, never taking a wrong turn until he did – once – and it seemed designed to only serve the plot further down the line. I’m still confused about some things that went on in the book and Miranda for all her outward support and supposed love for the women of this suppressed country was very selfish in her motives in my opinion. Her actions hurt far more people than they helped. ( )

After marrying Finn, the British ambassador to Mazrooq, Miranda must adjust to the diplomat lifestyle of large homes, staff members, and bodyguards. Her former artist lifestyle left little room for comfort and luxury, as she took risks in teaching Muslim women to paint and draw. Just as she starts to feel comfortable with her role as the ambassador’s wife, Miranda is kidnapped while on a hiking trip, throwing her family’s life into chaos and the women she has helped into ultimate danger.

At 400 pages, The Ambassador’s Wife does feel a bit overlong, particularly toward the beginning, but it is rarely dry. Even in its setup, there is enough tension to keep the pages turning, and by the midpoint the novel truly takes off. By blending Miranda’s past and present, Steil weaves a compelling, suspenseful story about much more than the kidnapping it centers on.

More at rivercityreading.com ( )