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A Dream Life: A Memoir by Wendy Swift at Abbey's Bookshop,
A Dream Life: A Memoir
— —
Wendy Swift

A Dream Life

A Memoir

Wendy Swift

$42.95   $36.71

Paperback

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English
Vine Leaves Press
12 May 2026
Biography: general; True crime; True stories of heroism, endurance & survival; Corporate crime; Family & relationships
""A brutally honest portrayal of the emotional, psychological, and economic struggle to keep one's family intact while enduring the acute financial betrayal and emotional abuse of a rogue spouse."" Lisa Lawler, Founder of The White-Collar Wives Project

When Wendy Swift discovers a letter demanding nearly two million dollars in restitution from her attorney husband, she realizes that her life as a suburban stay-at-home mother has been built on illusion. Despite mounting evidence to the contrary, she believed the quintessential dream life she shared with her husband and three daughters was secure and enduring. A Dream Life traces Swift's search for validation through marriage, motherhood, and social mobility, and the unraveling that follows.

After her husband begins his incarceration in the 1990s, Swift becomes solely responsible for supporting her three young daughters as they navigate loss, shame, and uncertainty. Her path forward is uneven and hard-won, revealing resilience, reflection, and growth, as well as the perils of blind materialism.

This powerful memoir illuminates the complex challenges families face when confronted with addiction, mental illness, and incarceration. Swift blends unflinching truth-telling with wry self-reflection, awakening readers to the consequences of denial and the restorative power of self-possession. A Dream Life ultimately affirms that anyone can unknowingly fall prey to false beliefs, but once the truth is revealed and the fear of dislocation and upheaval is faced, renewal and strength can emerge.
By:  
Imprint:   Vine Leaves Press
Country of Publication:   Germany
Dimensions:   Height: 229mm,  Width: 152mm,  Spine: 19mm
Weight:   358g
ISBN:   9783988322104
ISBN 10:   3988322105
Pages:   296
Publication Date:  
Audience:   General/trade ,  ELT Advanced
Format:   Paperback
Publisher's Status:   Active

Wendy Swift is the author of a memoir, A Dream Life, as well as essays published in HuffPost, Memoir Magazine, Grub Street Literary Magazine, Barely South Review, Yellow Arrow Journal, Brevity Blog, and Lonesome Press. In 2006, Swift earned the Press Club of Long Island Award for her essay ""Ritter's Pond,"" and in 2022, she earned Honorable Mention from the Connecticut Press Club for ""The Sentencing."" In addition, Swift is a mentor with We Are Not Numbers, a writing platform for Palestinian writers. Swift serves as a fiction reader for Mud Season Review. She lives in Connecticut and when she is not writing or thinking about writing, she is walking wooded trails with her hound, Lulu. Visit wendyswift.com.

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