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3.66 AVERAGE
3.66 AVERAGE
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
relaxing
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
hopeful
informative
inspiring
lighthearted
relaxing
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Following the successful launch of their children to college study abroad programs, retailer Nicole can finally be honest with her husband Jason about the year-long sabbatical his company is offering: she actually does NOT want to join him on a year-long travel adventure of motorcycling, hiking and surfing, she’s rather take a silversmithing course in New Mexico. On the heels of a disastrous dinner party with their poly neighbors who enlightened them to the concept of the Five Hundred Mile Rule, they decide to open up their marriage. With the guidelines of weekly emails only, no extracurricular details, no STDs, no pregnancies, and no falling in love, they depart for the southwest, and Patagonia.
This literary novel explores a marriage’s quarter-life crisis. Nicole is tired of making nightly dinners, working retail, and prioritizing her hair over sex; Jason, who owns a small press niche publishing house and now manages the parent company in a job that has grown exponentially, wants to write his own Great American Novel and recover from the pandemic and the loss of his best friend.
Doran’s writing is richly detailed, but the narrative is mostly exposition and telling instead of showing. Scenes from the past help develop their story and characters and inform the present. We have a direct feed into the heart and minds of both characters due to the omniscient point of view, which I found less exciting and in the moment than action and dialogue, or even alternating points of view. The author literally hits the reader over the head with the denouement that Nicole is not having a midlife crisis but a midlife triumph as she navigates a new career, new jewelry making skills, and a lover with honesty, integrity, and boundaries. The spouses like and miss each other, and like Dorothy, both Nicole and Jason have to travel away and apart to recognize what they have and that there is no place like home.
I received a free, advance reader’s review copy of #TheMarriageSabbatical from #NetGalley.
This literary novel explores a marriage’s quarter-life crisis. Nicole is tired of making nightly dinners, working retail, and prioritizing her hair over sex; Jason, who owns a small press niche publishing house and now manages the parent company in a job that has grown exponentially, wants to write his own Great American Novel and recover from the pandemic and the loss of his best friend.
Doran’s writing is richly detailed, but the narrative is mostly exposition and telling instead of showing. Scenes from the past help develop their story and characters and inform the present. We have a direct feed into the heart and minds of both characters due to the omniscient point of view, which I found less exciting and in the moment than action and dialogue, or even alternating points of view. The author literally hits the reader over the head with the denouement that Nicole is not having a midlife crisis but a midlife triumph as she navigates a new career, new jewelry making skills, and a lover with honesty, integrity, and boundaries. The spouses like and miss each other, and like Dorothy, both Nicole and Jason have to travel away and apart to recognize what they have and that there is no place like home.
I received a free, advance reader’s review copy of #TheMarriageSabbatical from #NetGalley.
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I actually wished it had ended differently. Felt that the growth of Nicole was wiped out in the end.
lighthearted
adventurous
hopeful
lighthearted
relaxing
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
hopeful
lighthearted
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I enjoyed this book but it was weird because I didn't think they would actually follow through on the marriage sabbatical part, I either thought they were going to miss each other the whole time and not do anything, or split up because they found other people. It surprised the heck out of me to read that they both slept with other people and still got back together! No jealousy, no toxicity, nothing of the sort. And with the flashbacks and everything I still feared they were going to break up cause he was being a real shit head but I think those flashbacks were just faking me out. Happy for this fictional couple that it worked out for them.
lighthearted
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Great read to pass the time. Definitely a fictional reflection on where I’m sure alot of relationships found themselves post lockdown.
adventurous
emotional
funny
inspiring
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated