Here's the thing about the other woman. She lives inside your head. She may live on the next corner or in the next town or halfway across the world; she may be five-two or five-nine; she may be rail thin (never skinny) or voluptuous (never fat). But however big or small she is, however much space she takes up in the world, will never compare to the amount of space she'll take up in your brain. (from Not Istanbul, by Pam Houston)The Other Woman is an anthology of non fiction musings, essays and c...

this book was a random grab when I was browsing non-fiction. I happened to have "the other woman" as covered by lana del rey stuck in my head and looked up to see this book. as with all collections from multiple authors, some selections are much better than others but they are all pretty fascinating. also my review is turning into a bit of a rambler, sorry: my first experience with infidelity: (infidelity jr.? training infidelity?) when i was 16 a guy friend drove me home from work. he had a gir...

While some of these stories are beyond riveting (ex. Mary Jo Eustace's essay), there are several that leave much to be desired. Some of the authors seem to tell their stories from a detached perspective, while others are emotionally stripped. That being said, some of the essayists bring a lot to the table with their emotionally-charged tales. While there are certainly women I could not relate to in this book, they displayed a new perspective; sins with no guilt and destroying lives without remor...

A friend gave me this book a few years ago and told me it would be therapeutic. I was afraid to start it, not wanting to relive any of my own painful memories, but finally did and breezed through with a surprising lack of gut-wrenching tears. Most of the authors are very skilled writers, and their tales compelling, so I surprised myself by finding it almost enjoyable, although there were certainly moments that felt like I was picking an old scab. Human behavior is endlessly complex and becoming

They truth is stranger than fiction. Well, this book is a collection of essays by female writers who describe their own true & personal experiences where they have been victimized by the other woman . Or in some cases, where they have played the role of the other woman. And each essay truly does validate the saying truth is stranger than fiction. Fascinating reading !

I loved this book. The stories in it were compelling and thoughtful, and demonstrated the shades of gray in relationships. Some of the women were gay, some straight, some were cheaters, some were cheated on, but everyone in the book had a distinct voice, thoughtful perspective, and wonderful writing voice. Definitely worth checking out, especially for Mary Jo Eustace, Dani Shapiro, Ellen Sussman, Caroline Leavitt, Connie May Fowler, Aviva Layton, and Gayle Brandeis.

I thought this book would be an interesting collection of stories dealing with the infamous "other woman". Some of the stories were entertaining, but others were just sad and depressing. Overall, I wouldn't recommend this one.

An interesting perspective on the whole notion of cheating. I did feel like the book was written for a much older audience and from the perspective of much older women. As if in your 20's cheating isn't a reality, just a concept, but by the end of your life, it will have touched you in some way.

Interesting & fun read. Had several LOL moments. As a betrayed spouse (1st marriage - not current) & as an 'unknowing' Other Woman - I read this book with an open mind & was able to understand several perspectives. Also, a fabulous source for future reading material. If you have a few favorite stories in this book, check out "About the Contributors" at the back of the book for more by that author.

I picked this book up because I saw that Dani Shapiro had a story in the collection; then I realized that it's actually excerpted from her book, but by that point, I was already partway through. I enjoyed reading her piece, but many of the other essays seemed rambling and not terribly well written.

Library Request. This was a great read of different POV’s on betrayal from the other woman’s, whether it was the betrayed upon wife, the mistress, the lesbian, the cliche old man younger mistress. All essays were worth reading, I thought enjoyed this assembled essays.

Wives and adulteresses write essays on their experiences and feelings of being betrayed and/or being the betrayer. It is thought provoking and confirms the pain of adultery and betrayal.

Great research. Especially loved Susan Cheever's and Nancy Weber's contributions.

3.5 stars

This book was fine. I'm not really sure what I expected, which is probably part of the problem. It just felt so...disconnected. The essays went back and forth between "Men suck and are cheaters, and the women who cheat with them are homewreckers" and "Cheating isn't really bad, it's not something I'm proud I did, but it happens and I'm not sorry", which was kind of confusing. I mean, I get that everyone's opinion on the topic is going to be different, especially depending on whether you're the o...

My fear in picking this up is that it would be poorly written. I was also concerned that it wouldn't convey any sense of diversity or acceptance of nontraditional relationships. But this book is actually an intelligent and mostly thoughtful collection of essays. It illuminates some hard, basic and sometimes very ugly truths about human nature. It also shines a light on the truly insane, outrageous turns that relationships can take over the course of a life. I looked up a few of these stories bec...

This book was an interesting read. It shared various views of "The Other Woman" such as from the 'other woman's' perspective, women dealing with the 'other woman' in their marriages, and even lesbians with 'other women'. This book reminded me a bit of high school, when my girlfriends when some other girl 'stole(!!)' their guy. I was always amazed that they would be more upset with the girl than with the stupid guy. This book is pretty much in that same vein. Women blaming other women rather than...

Very good anthology about infidelity. All essays were contributed by women writers, and are from the point of view of both the woman contending with "the other woman", as well as " being" the other woman. Most of the stories were extremely honest, many of the women baring themselves emotionally without attempting to whitewash this delicate issue. I really appreciated that included were the stories of lesbian and bisexual women, giving the book a much more inclusive feel than many other anthologi...

Some of the stories are very good. I especially loved the story by Diana Abu-Jaber and Lynn Freed. It's really true that for most of us women 'Reason itself knows nothing of the heart'. The other comment that I loved by Diana Abu-Jaber is: 'It seems to me that being an Other must be at times at least as painful as being betrayed'. I have never experienced this and hope I never will but I bet this is very true. I recommend it to women who might be interested in reading about the other side. The s...

I attended a seminar where Victoria Zackheim, who is the anthologist of this collection, presented. A voyeuristic sharing of the many aspects of the other woman. Individual memoir pieces (often with the names changed to protect identities)portray confessions from the point of view of all: wives, lovers, and observers. The memoirs reveal the lessons learned from the anguished, funny honest encounters and obsessions.

A great topic--the other woman--and great essays about this topic. If you've ever been the other woman, or have any curiosity about who she is, you'll love this collection. (I sound like such an advertisement. I don't meant to be. Oh, yes I do. I love this book.) Zackheim was on my show two weeks ago.

I couldn't love this book any more than I do. Compelling, quirky, sometimes lyrical accounts of being the cheated-on wife, the other woman, and the other other woman. No one is a two-dimensional cartoon, and no one is a simple villain even when the emotions and actions are simply awful. Jealousies, fears, and needs subvert and reify cultural conditioning.

This book was interesting and very funny in parts. Nice book to pick up when you don't have hours to read; you can read one or a couple 'stories' at a time. Each of the 21 entries was an essay, but some of them read more like fiction; i.e., they seemed too improbable to be true, but true they were.

I didn't like this book as much as I thought I would. It did delve into some interesting issues though. I would not recommend this book to everyone. There are some graphic descriptions. There are stories about lesbians and there is also an essay about sexual abuse. If anything, this book opened my eyes to the "other" side of the story.

In this collection of stories, several women talk about their own relationship that ended when their partner left them for another woman. Overall, I thought this book was boring and that it lacked "juiciness". I found that the only story I was interested in reading about was on Mary Jo Eustace whose husband Dean, had left her for Tori Spelling. I give this book two stars.

Just like any book of short stories, there are some facinating and well written pieces, and some that just, well, aren't. But overall, I found myself flagging a lot of pages that struck me.Can someone please read this just so we can have a really long conversation about some of the chapters- please?

I really enjoyed getting to read the multiple perspectives of the other woman. Whether it be a woman scorned, or a woman who fell in love with someone else's man, the other woman at a young age, or older and after marriage. I loved how the stories had all different emotions: humor, love, rage, healing. Great stories, super interesting.

"Reason itself knows nothing of the heart" - last line of the last story in this great anthology of essays on the subject of The Other Woman. Funny, truthful, poignant, some sad - with one or two not so interesting - essays. The essays have been well chosen and are a good read. I commend Vicgoria Zackheim for putting it all together. Nothing is as it seems, and yet all is pure reality.

This is a collection of stories about "other woman" situations from all different perspectives.... being the other woman, suffering an other woman, hetero- and same sex relationships, etc. Everyone's story was different, people had different boundaries, reasons, and values for choosing the path they did. I thought it was very interesting.

Some of the stories are interesting, especially the one on the history of "romantic" marriage. But, some others are dry. This is an easy read though and pretty entertaining. Although, some of the authors will question your sense of morality and just who the "other woman" tends to be.