Ashley Strong is the heroine of a story by Holly Lamb entitled, “Ashley Strong”. The book starts off with the main character Ashley Strong, a thirty-something year old woman who has moved to New York with her husband Jack. They are originally from Florida but because of the changing social mores in the big city, they have to settle down and become what is commonly called a Real American. Ashley’s social skills are not necessarily the best, however, her good looks do help her attract some decent guys.
However, it is apparent from the start that Ashley is not the best in the department of beauty or in persuading people that she is the woman for them. In fact, she often comes off as insecure and needy which lead one to suspect whether she is really loyal to her marriage or if she is only trying to make it work. Jack, on the other hand, does not seem to realize that Ashley is only trying hard so that he will be more likely to commit to her. This is when their marriage is in danger of coming apart due to their realizations of each other. This book is not for the squeamish as there are very graphic discussions about sex and adultery, as well as a detailed look at marriage from the nationality standpoint.
– A nationality look at a marriage and its effect on international relations. The author makes it clear how being born into one culture can alter the way one views another culture due to differences in physical attributes such as height and hair length. While some cultures may view ‘tall’ and ‘haired’ as a negative stereotype, others find these differences to be of great importance – especially when it comes to national pride and what is viewed as acceptable in certain ways – and what is seen as unacceptable by others.