The
Other Woman
Private
Secretary to a Daughter of Exxon Oil
By
Karen Chadwick
Here
is an intimate memoir of the private secretary to an extraordinarily wealthy
citizen of the 20th century, Jane Blaffer Owen, a daughter of oil
money from both parents and a Grande dame of Houston, Texas. She was also a
developer, art patron, largest property owner, hostess extraordinaire, and
businesswoman with 160 employees in a historic town on the banks of the Wabash
River. Additionally, she was a wife, mother, grandmother, Episcopalian, and
Republican with immense power in many circles of American culture. She was old
oil money and made a point to snub new oil money Barbara Bush for a passionate
cause. The “other woman” image shifts to one woman of wealth and power versus
another woman with gumption to stand in the face of power.
The Other Woman opens
with a letter to a young friend, Kate, with a simple introduction to the
legendary town, New Harmony, Indiana, and the new people Chadwick met. The
scene changes to a frank woman-to-woman account. Join two friends at 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 yes, she did have opportunity to become “the other woman.” Did
she?
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