MarriageTag Archives

Wife 22 by Melanie Gideon

Order from:

 

Reason for Reading:

I also recommend:

Summary from GoodReads:

Maybe it was those extra five pounds I’d gained. Maybe it was because I was about to turn the same age my mother was when I lost her. Maybe it was because after almost twenty years of marriage my husband and I seemed to be running out of things to say to each other.

But when the anonymous online study called “Marriage in the 21st Century” showed up in my inbox, I had no idea how profoundly it would change my life. It wasn’t long before I was assigned both a pseudonym (Wife 22) and a caseworker (Researcher 101).

And, just like that, I found myself answering questions.

My Review:

Okay, so if you are anything like me, you look at the title of this book and think this is a book about a man with multiple wives – 22 (at least) of them in fact.  Well.. that’s not what Wife 22 is about so throw those preconceptions out the window because what I’m about to tell you will, hopefully, have you rushing to the store or library to check this book out.

Wife 22 begins as one of your typical chick-lit type stories about a man and a woman and their marriage.  But what makes this one stand out from the crowd, and it is a crowd – there’s a lot of mediocre chick-lit out there folks, is the humor and intelligence displayed throughout the novel.

Alice Buckle is a modern woman – and this story is told through a variety of mediums: Facebook (status and messages), emails, acts of a play, short stories, and regular prose.  There is never a dull moment and the method of communication between Alice (Wife 22) and Researcher 101 teases the curiosity until the questions being asked just don’t matter anymore because you want to read the answers.  Kind of like Jeopardy – maybe…okay, so not but you get the idea.

Alice has a husband, a daughter (Zoe) and a son (Peter..er Pedro..er…, you’ll understand).  She deals with things that any modern mother would deal with, worries about eating disorders, the sexuality of her son (he’s 12.. but she’s trying so hard), and how to handle that first time that her daughter comes home drunk (it’s brilliant).  But behind it all she is struggling, and her struggle is so real, and her support system so incredible, that I could not help but feel pulled in and wanting to find out how it is all resolved.

This was a fun, quick read and perfect for a day at the beach, or sitting out on your porch enjoying some sunshine.  It’s a book that made me feel as if my time wasn’t wasted, and I count that a win when it comes to light fiction like this.

 

Don’t just take my word for it! Check out what these bloggers say!

Well Read Wife | S. Krishna’s Books | At Home with Books

Pin It
Lydia
20 June, 2012
Contemporary, reviews, Social Issues
0 comments
, , ,

The Replacement Wife by Eileen Goudge

Order from:

 

Reason for Reading:
  • I was in the mood for a little bit of chick lit, and matchmaking has always been a topic of interest to me.

I recommend:

Summary from GoodReads:

Camille Hart, one of Manhattan’s most sought-after matchmakers, has survived more than her fair share of hardships. Her mother died when she was a young girl, leaving her and her sister with an absentee father. Now in her forties, she has already survived cancer once, though the battle revealed just how ill-equipped her husband Edward is to be a single parent. So when doctors tell Camille that her cancer is back—and this time it’s terminal—she decides to put her matchmaking expertise to the test for one final job. Seeking stability for her children and happiness for her husband, Camille sets out to find the perfect woman to replace her when she’s gone.

But what happens when a dying wish becomes a case of “be careful what you wish for”? For Edward and Camille, the stunning conclusion arrives with one last twist of fate that no one saw coming.

My Review:

When I read the summary for The Replacement Wife by Eileen Goudge, I got a little bit of a thrill inside. It’d been a while since I had read a straight-up chick lit book and I was craving some emotional, doesn’t-require-a-lot-of-thought, reading and thought this would fit the bill perfectly.

What I was unprepared for was the completely unseen twist that the book would take halfway through and send me spiraling into rage instead of pleasure.

But I cannot blame that on Eileen Goudge, or the story, because when all was said and done, the book delivered what it was supposed to deliver. There was romance, heartbreak, contemporary themes about marriage, struggles and triumphs – I just didn’t like who experienced some of these things.

Y’all, I’ve never been so disappointed in a character in my life. Just bad, bad choices and all I could think is – why? Why did you do this to these poor, innocent people in the book, Ms. Goudge?!

I think if you are looking for a summer read that has the potential to get you worked up in a rage sort of way, The Replacement Wife is a good choice. I didn’t cry while reading this book (I sob like a baby when I read Cecelia Aherns and was hoping for a similar reaction here), but it did inspire a reaction from me. I’m just glad I wasn’t on the beach when I started yelling at the pages.

 

Don’t just take my word for it! Check out what these bloggers say!

A Casual Reader’s Blog | Bibliophile By The Sea | Melissa’s Eclectic Bookshelf

Pin It
Lydia
14 June, 2012
Chick-Lit, Contemporary, reviews
2 comments
, , ,

Make It Stay by Joan Frank

Order from:

 

Reason for Reading:
  • The summary caught my eye.

I also recommend:

Summary from GoodReads:

In the tree-nestled Northern California town of Mira Flores, writer Rachel (“an aging typist with an unprofitable hobby”) and her Scottish husband Neil prepare dinner for a familiar “crew” of guests – among them Neil’s best friend, the burly, handsome Mike Spender, an irrepressible heodnist – and Mike’s wife Tilda Krall, a hard-bitten figure who carries her dark unknowability like an accusation.

Mike and Tilda have produced an enchanting daughter, Addie – who will also appear, unexpectedly, that night. As they ready the meal, Rae begs Neil to retell her the strange, twisted story of the Spenders – to include Mike’s secret life, and what happened once Tilda learned of it. Neil and Rae cannot guess how the shock waves from that story will threaten to destroy their own marriage – after a mysterious catastrophe propels all five individuals into uncharted realities.

Recounting three love stories, Make It Stay explores the vision of an era – and how perception expands, as mortal limits draw near.

My Review:

Make It Stay is a short, compact tale told through the recounting of stories between a husband and a wife.

Neil and Rachel are married – they met later in life than is the “norm”, and Neil comes with the “baggage” of friendship in the form of Mike and Tilda.

Mike is a larger than life character – vibrant, colorful, filled with character. The reader is introduced to him through Neil’s eyes, as the story between Mike and Tilda is told to Rachel.

So not only does Mike and Tilda’s relationship tie in to Neil and Rachel’s, then there is the addition of Addie (Mike and Tilda’s daughter) and her husband.

I found the description of this book to be somewhat misleading. I went into it expecting a sort of around the table story-telling session, but instead got a bit of a hokey retelling in the form of a story within a story (it’s hard to put into words, just felt a bit like a gimmick). The summary also promises three romance stories – but Addie’s was hardly present, and the two characters in that relationship were flat and one-dimensional.

The characters of Mike, Tilda and Rachel really carry the story. Even Neil I found to be a bit predictable and boring – but the story is worth reading just for those main three characters. It gave me quite a bit to think about – about friendship, legacies left behind, and the fleeting span of life.


About the Author

  • Information regarding Joan Frank:

For more reviews on Make It Stay by Joan Frank, please follow the book tour.

 

 

Pin It
Lydia
1 May, 2012
Contemporary, reviews
2 comments
, , , ,

Delicacy by David Foenkinos

Order from:

 

Reason for Reading:
  • The cover has Audrey Tautou on it.  That’s a big hook for me.

I also recommend:

Summary from GoodReads:

Reminiscent of novels by Nick Hornby, Muriel Barbery, and Jonathan Tropper, internationally acclaimed novelist David Foenkinos delivers a heartfelt and deftly comedic tale of new love brightening the dark aftermath of loss–and of wounded hearts finding refuge in the strangest of places. After her husband’s unexpected death, Natalie has erected a fortress around her emotions–and Markus, clumsy and unassuming, will never be her knight in shining armor. Yet slowly but surely, an offbeat romance begins between these two mismatched, complex souls, and contrary to everything Natalie knows of affection, her perfect suitor may turn out to be love’s most unlikely candidate–the fool, not the hero, who is finally able to reach her heart.

My Review:

This is a beautiful, touching, whimsical, heartbreaking, and oh so very French story.

What do I mean by that last? It’s hard to describe – but I think it’s the combination of refined/whimsical/slightly stuck-up mixed with not-so-neatly wrapped endings.

Delicacy was all that. And, much like it’s title suggests, it’s a delicate story.

I loved so much about this book – I loved the way the relationships are wrote about, and the breaks in the story to feed the reader random facts about what is happening. I found it utterly charming, and laughed and cried my way through it all.

For such a thin little book, this one packs a punch, and I hope you give it a chance – now.. I need to get my hands on the film!

About the Author

  • Information regarding David Foenkinos:
David Foenkinos (born 1974) is a French author and screenwriter. He studied literature and music in Paris. His novel La délicatesse is a bestseller in France. A film based on the book was released in December 2011, with Audrey Tautou as the main character. (From Wikipedia)

For more reviews on Delicacy by David Foenkinos, please follow the book tour.

 

 

Pin It
Lydia
14 February, 2012
Contemporary, reviews
1 comment
, , ,

Domestic Violets by Matthew Norman

Order from:

 

Reason for Reading:
  • The book blogger community got me interested in checking this one out.

I also recommend:

Summary from GoodReads:

Tom Violet always thought that by the time he turned thirty-five, he’d have everything going for him. Fame. Fortune. A beautiful wife. A satisfying career as a successful novelist. A happy dog to greet him at the end of the day.

The reality, though, is far different. He’s got a wife, but their problems are bigger than he can even imagine. And he’s written a novel, but the manuscript he’s slaved over for years is currently hidden in his desk drawer while his father, an actual famous writer, just won the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction. His career, such that it is, involves mind-numbing corporate buzzwords, his pretentious archnemesis Gregory, and a hopeless, completely inappropriate crush on his favorite coworker. Oh . . . and his dog, according to the vet, is suffering from acute anxiety.

Tom’s life is crushing his soul, but he’s decided to do something about it. 

 

My Review:

Another smart, witty comedy by a male author – I am on a roll this year and loving it.  I fully admit to being one of those readers who is lured by pretty, magical covers and I dodged around this book numerous times in the bookstore because it just didn’t grab me – but then I started seeing reviews.. and those reviews spoke really, really well of this book.

So … I gave it a shot.

I am so glad I did.  Once again, I am reminded never to judge a book by its cover.  This story had me in tears, it had me groaning with pity, it had me just completely entertained for hours and hours.  I savored the story, enjoying how well-crafted it was and I felt like I was reading a book that didn’t pull its punches.  When I finally read the final page I felt as if I was saying goodbye to friends, and that, folks, is story-telling.  I connected with these characters and I wanted more.

I’ll definitely be looking for more stories from Mr. Norman – which I hope is soon, because I do not necessarily want to be reading his book on developing web applications!

Check this one out if you enjoy smart contemporary stories.

Check out these reviews!

Feeding My Book Addiction

S. Krishna’s Books

Pin It
Lydia
16 November, 2011
Comedy, Contemporary, reviews
2 comments
, , ,

Stiltsville by Susanna Daniel

Order from:
Reason(s) for Reading:
  • I’ve seen this title around the blogosphere and wanted to give it a shot.

Summary from Goodreads:

When Frances accepts an invitation to visit Stiltsville, a community of houses built on pilings in Biscayne Bay, she has no idea that her simple ”yes” to a new friend will determine the course of her life for the next two dozen years. Set in Miami from the late ’60s to the 1990s, Stiltsville is a sweeping journey seen through the eyes of one woman as she experiences love, motherhood, friendship, hurricanes, racial tension, and finally, a tragic death in slow motion. In her debut novel, Daniel describes the experiences of three generations in one family whose spiritual heart is centered in a modest bungalow built a few feet above the water.When Frances meets and marries Dennis, she learns to live her life on the water, from bay to ocean to everglade to bayou. She navigates through it all — infidelity, empty-nest syndrome, and debilitating illness — sometimes with grace and humor, sometimes with anger and bitterness, but always with the same people by her side.

 

My Review:

I love being surprised by a book.  When I first cracked open Stiltsville and read the opening chapter, I formed an opinion of the book and was a little hesitant to move forward.  The actions by the key character touched close to home for me and I didn’t know if this was a book I’d be able to get into, let alone give a fair shot.

But then I kept reading, because I needed to know more.  I needed to know why people were still talking about this book.  Plus, there was something about Frances and her friend Marse that hooked me.

So while I expected a book that would deal with a broken friendship, what I got was a look at everlasting friendship, a look at marriage that survives despite disappointing jobs, loss of children, debilitating disease, infidelity and more.  In short, in Stiltsville I got a dose of really hard reality told in the most gentle way possible.

Sometimes, books that deal with these heavier issues can seem a little “fairy-tale like”.  Things magically go right, the right events happen, the story is manipulated by the author to give the reader a sense of closure.  Susanna Daniel managed to give me that sense of closure without any of the fairy-tale nonsense.  Not only that, but she dabbled in things that had me dreading turning the page, but she didn’t go there – because she didn’t need to.  Just the touch, the very idea that a wrong choice might be made was enough to shock me into realizing just how precarious life can be and how fragile relationships are if not treated correctly.

While this isn’t a light summer read, the setting of Miami, the descriptions of the water, the house on stilts – all these add up to a read that will make you think, but still give you that summertime feeling.  Look Stiltsville up if you are wanting a break from fluff.

About the Author

 

For more reviews on Stiltsville by Susanna Daniel, please follow the book tour.

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from TLC Book Tours. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

Pin It
Lydia
28 June, 2011
Contemporary, reviews
0 comments
, , , ,