American Wives — Barbara H. Solomon

An anthologist and chairperson of the English department at Iona College, Solomon has chosen 30 short stories about married women in the United States whose subjects include, among other things, the conflicts between marriage, motherhood and self-actualization as well as the challenges of dealing with insecurity, destructive husbands, infidelity, dependency and aging. Some of the older stories explore issues that for most people are no longer issues. Others are very contemporary: in Florence Trefethen's ``Infidelities,'' a wife talking to her son's girlfriend envies the younger woman's involvement in a relationship with uncertain outcome. A particularly poignant story is ``Plastic Edge to Plastic Edge'' by Mary Hedin, in which a long-married couple salute whatever has enabled them to remain faithful to one another. (December)