The Amateur Marriage: A Novel: Amazon.ca: Books

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Front Cover | Copyright | Table of Contents | Excerpt | Back Cover

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5 Reviews

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4.8 out of 5 stars (5 customer reviews)

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5.0 out of 5 stars Amateur to Non-Expert, Jan 2 2008

By	Marion Marchetto "author of Honeysuckle Hill" (Florida USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This review is from: Amateur Marriage (Mass Market Paperback)

In this novel by Anne Tyler two attractive young people rush into marriage at the beginning of World War II. Over the years they experience the same things as their friends but can't seem to mend differences unlike other couples. When they finally move to an upscale neighborhood only Pauline (the wife) is happy; Michael misses his friends and the area where he grew up. Too soon they find themselves responsible for a grandchild but instead of this drawing them closer it broadens the gap between them. A return trip to the old neighborhood some thirty years later finally convinces Michael that you can't go home to the same things you once knew.

In this book author Anne Tyler rounds out her characters with such depth that this reader felt on an intimate basis with them. While the story touches on everyday aspects that everyone will recognize, the characters are sure to evoke a sense of rightness with the way they are brought to life.

A pleasure to read. Recommended: all of Anne Tyler's other works.

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5.0 out of 5 stars You Will Love It, Feb 23 2005

By	Derek Leonardi (Steamboat Springs, CO (80488)) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Amateur Marriage (Mass Market Paperback)

I am a big fan of this book. So if you are looking for a negative review, you can stop reading now. "The Amateur Marriage" is artistic and creative, one of the best books I have read in recent years. So if you enjoy well written, easily absorbed fiction like "The Five People You Meet in Heaven," "About a Boy," "Wicked," "The Curious Incident of Dog in Night-Time," "The Time Traveler's Wife," and "My Fractured Life," then you will love this book.

At the beginning of World War II, Michael is a good boy in a Polish neighborhood working at his family's grocery store. One day in comes a banged and bruised Pauline. He jumps into hero mode and patches her up, saves the day, becomes her husband and so begins the Hell of a marriage neither one has any business being in. But like so things, this little Amateur Marriage survives...for a while. Like The War of the Roses, what makes the couple work is the love-hate, tug of war. They live off bitterness.

But don't get the references to bitterness deter you. It is an excellent book and one that uses the bitterness as a source of entertainment. It is a fine book that I truly can't say enough about. Probably more in common with "My Fractured Life" and "About a Boy" then "The Five People You Meet in Heaven" and "The Time Traveler's Wife" in terms of tone, but in terms of enjoyment and writing quality it is on par with all of them. This is just a great book. I loved it.

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4.0 out of 5 stars Why not five stars?, Oct 27 2004

By	Neal Holland (B.C.) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Amateur Marriage (Hardcover)

If you're wondering why I didn't give this book five stars, it's simple: I don't give anyone five stars. Four is my highest rating. Not since McCrae's "The Bark of the Dogwood" have I read such an enthralling and riveting book. Tyler's "The Amateur Mariiage" will go down on my list of books to recommend to friends. This deeply probling look at a marriage is just the thing for today's political, emotional, and materialistic climate. It is a marriage of opposites. Both partners are deeply disappointed in things and they have no idea of how they're going to rectify the situation. There are great moments of depressing scenes and at one point I was totally overwhelmed by the sadness I felt, but in the end it was worth it. I would also recommend the completely different book, "The Bark of the Dogwood," for anyone interested in a look at a very dysfunctional southern family during the civil rights era. Very funny and moving.

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Most recent customer reviews

5.0 out of 5 stars Nothing amateur about it
A riveting read with excellently drawn characters and movement, this book had me from page one. I must say that I found it to be one of the most disturbing books I've ever read,... Read more

Published on Jul 24 2004

5.0 out of 5 stars A definate read
I just finished this book and was completly saddened when it was finished. It is an excellent book about life and marriage that brings the readers in to really think they are a... Read more

Published on April 11 2004 by Lu