Have you ever regretted not having taken a speed-reading course? Michael and Ashley Taylor, both in their mid-40s, have been married for 24 years, and they have 21 year-old twins, Jeremy and Juliette. Ashley is the director of a prestigious art museum in Manhattan and was never interested in politics, even though husband Michael has been involved in politics most of his life, and decides to run for the presidency. Ashley is adamant she will not quit her career, even for a few years, to play the role of First Lady, while Michael is convinced he can eventually change her mind. Even after he's elected President of the United States, Ashley will not bend. Since I agreed with the character's decision, I was very much interested in seeing how a seemingly trivial matter, that became an issue of epic political proportions, would be dealt with.

Ms. Ellick is a tremendously gifted writer, as she managed to turn the story of a woman fighting for her independence and defy traditions into an almost- thriller. I found it a bit puzzling that THE RELUCTANT FIRST LADY is billed as Women's Fiction. Although it obviously deals with women's issues, it read like a romantic suspense, and I could not read fast enough to see what would happen next.

Besides the First Couple, there is a wonderful cast of secondary characters, going so far as having real-life TV personalities playing parts in this fictional world and sounding absolutely true to life. The author demonstrates a keen eye for both the political and art worlds, as well as modern family life, and writes top-notch dialogue. I especially enjoyed that it was their son, Jeremy who was the one who was most supportive of Ashley's decision. And most of all, I loved the ending. THE RELUCTANT FIRST LADY is a book I highly recommend for its intelligence and fine writing.