The Other Woman
Private Secretary to a Daughter of Exxon Oil
by
Karen Chadwick
The book is an
intimate memoir of the private secretary to an extraordinarily wealthy citizen
of the 20th century, Jane Blaffer Owen, a daughter of Exxon Oil,
grande dame of Houston, and largest property owner in a small town on the banks
of the Wabash River. The “other woman” narrative shifts to one woman of wealth
and power versus another woman of vulnerability and her gumption to stand in
the face of power. One had it all, the other had hope.
The Other Woman opens with a letter to
Chadwick’s granddaughter and readers get a short introduction to the legendary town,
New Harmony, Indiana, and the volatile notorious family who “Granny” found
herself grappling with. The scene changes to a frank woman-to-woman account of
a most unusual situation. Join two friends as they go to a local brewpub,
Bell’s Eccentric Café in Kalamazoo, Michigan. There, while enjoying good beer
and fine art, Chadwick recounts her life, loves, 14-hour workdays and party
nights for over six years.
The
real-life fairy tale has elements of human spirituality and frailty, from the
in-depth depiction of the powerful employer’s best traits to the evil
characters who wrought havoc on underlings. Readers see how Chadwick, a wounded
massage therapist, turned into a valued assistant and then was turned out. And
yes, she did have opportunity to become “the other woman.” Did she?
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