A Happy Marriage: A Novel
- ISBN13: 9781439102305
- Condition: NEW
- Notes: Brand New from Publisher. No Remainder Mark.
Product Description
A Happy Marriage is both intimate and expansive: It is the story of Enrique Sabas and his wife, Margaret, a novel that alternates between the romantic misadventures of the first weeks of their courtship and the final months of Margaret’s life as she says good-bye to her family, friends, and children — and to Enrique. Spanning thirty years, this achingly honest story is about what it means for two people to spend a lifetime together — and what makes a happy marriage.
Yglesias’s career as a novelist began in 1970 when he wrote an autobiographical novel at sixteen, hailed by critics for its stunning and revelatory depiction of adolescence. A Happy Marriage, his first work of fiction in thirteen years, was inspired by his relationship with his wife, Margaret, who died in 2004. Bold, elegiac, and emotionally suspenseful, even though we know what happens, Yglesias’s beautiful novel will break every reader’s heart — while encouraging all of us with its clear-eyed evocation of the enduring value of marriage.
A Happy Marriage: A Novel
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Sounds great but I will wait until the Kindle price drops to where it should be and was promised to be, below ten bucks.
Lee Smith
Rating: 2 / 5
A Happy Marriage: A Novel
This is supposed to be a love story and it probably is, but I could not read long enough to find it. The pace of this story is excruciatingly slow. There doesn’t seem to be enough of a story to support a book. The characters just didn’t seem real to me - more like stereotypical cut outs than real people. I kept waiting for them to start acting like real people.
I would pass on this book.
Rating: 2 / 5
A Happy Marriage: A Novel
When I first started reading this book, I had no idea it was an autobiography (I just skimmed over the first paragraph of the description to see if it was something I thought I might like). One day (after I had read about 4 chapters) I realized that the author was writing about himself and his wife, not as a true story, but a fictional account based on a true story. The chapters alternate between the present time and the first three weeks of their relationship, so you get a sense of who they were, who they are now and what brought them there. Though this book has is on a heavy topic, there are also lots of light-hearted memories shared. Not only was he sad about his wife’s illness and impending death, he began to realize what it actually MEANT that she was dying. Not only would she be gone, but the future he had envisioned for them together was dying too. I’d definitely recommend this book.
Rating: 5 / 5
A Happy Marriage: A Novel
A brilliantly crafted novel. It is an honest and intimate exploration of a long relationship. The characters are developed through the book’s clever structure of alternating the first 3 weeks of the couple’s, Enrique and Margaret, relationship and 27 years later as Margaret prepares to die. The vulnerability of the characters and the range of emotions the reader experiences makes one feel deeply connected to them. The author constantly surprises throughout the book with twists and turns thereby creating a suspense for the reader. The book will certainly make you think about life and relationships long after you have finished the final pages.
Rating: 5 / 5
A Happy Marriage: A Novel
This appears to be an autobiographical novel chronicling courtship, marriage and eventual death of a partner. Reading parts of this was akin to riding the cyclone at Coney Island. One chapter is terribly tragic while the next might be light and breezy. This reviewer feels that this structure diminished the importance of the characters, as well as the story.
Yglesias seems most successful in his characterizations of Margaret [the wife], her affluent family, Enrique [the husband], and his parents. Some of his scenes are poignant, and I especially thought that the writing was at its best when Enrique informed the Cohen’s of Margaret’s wishes for burial. However, the prose was often pedestrian while at other times it seems utterly pretentious. One example: `And surrounding the pulp of his simmering resentment, like the thick skin of a tropical fruit, was shame at his complaint.’ [Page 237]
It was extremely difficult to connect with any character although one honestly feels for Margaret. The reader is brought to the grim realities of dying. Enrique often seems exceedingly self-centered. In general, these did not appear to be multi-dimensional characters.
This was not a portrait of a happy marriage. It is an enduring marriage spanning almost three decades. Two young artists meet [one a writer, one a painter/photographer], court, fall in love, marry and have two children. At some point, they are on the brink of experiencing some financial hardships. The Great Neck Cohen Family comes to their rescue. Later, the husband [Enrique] appears disenchanted with parts of his life. There is marriage counseling, etc. The pivotal point, for this reader, was Margaret’s cancer and the process of dying. This was graphic and touching.
The only part of the Village that was captured here is the maze of streets surrounding the area of Christopher and Grove streets. There were no New York rhythms. Where was the sound of NYC?
Yglesias appears to be adept at creating some scenes. However, as above-mentioned, the writing is not lyrical or fluid. On occasion, it is dull. This reader/reviewer did not find this to be a particularly compelling or insightful read.
[2+ to -3]
Rating: 2 / 5
A Happy Marriage: A Novel