Book Review - 101 Uses for My Ex-Wife's Wedding Dress by Kevin Cotter

This book had its origin in a blog started by the author after his divorce. His ex-wife left her wedding dress with him and told him he could do what he wanted with it. Kevin had come from a Catholic family where marriages lasted and he was deeply affected by his break-up. He also had time to reflect on how much weddings and dresses cost and why shouldn't they be put to good and further use? Thus he releases his angst by using the dress as a rag, a floor mat, a tow-rope, a turban, a dog toy etc etc., as can be seen in the many photos. On the surface, this is a rather silly book, but Kevin turns out to be more than a man playing dress-ups. He pays tribute to the many family members and friends who helped him through; talks a little of the impact of becoming well-known through his online activity and media interest; and offers up some useful hints to others. Oh, and he does find love a second time around… here's hoping that goes well! Wendy

The Sealed Letter

The Sealed Letter is based on an actual divorce case from 1860s London which caused quite a scandal at the time. Centring on a friendship between two women, one of whom is married and having an affair and one who has defied social convention to work in business and for women's causes, the story chronicles the effect on that friendship of public scandal. Well written by Canadian author, Emma Donoghue, it develops the story from each of the character's points of view as we watch them descend into a tabloid drama that leaves none of them unscathed. The legal system, specifically the divorce laws of the time is the other player in the drama - as one of the characters observes, if you made divorce easier for women, lots of them would leave their husbands. Wendy