Cracks in My Foundation: Bags, Trips, Make-up Tips, Charity, Glory, and the Darker Side of the Story [Paperback]

Marian Keyes (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 6, 2005

Go further under the covers and stay in bed a little longer with Marian Keyes in this winning follow-up to her smash essay collection, Under the Duvet. Written in the witty, forthright style that has earned her legions of devoted readers, Cracks in My Foundation offers an even deeper and more candid look into this beloved author's mind and heart, exploring such universal themes as friends and family, home, glamour and beauty, children, travel, and more. Marian's hilarious and thoughtful take on life makes her readers feel they are reading a friend, not just an author.

Marian continues to entertain with her reports from the trenches, and throws in some original short fiction as well. Whether it's visiting Siberia, breaking it off with an old hairdresser, shopping (of course!), turning forty, living with her beloved husband, Himself (a man beyond description), or musing on the F word (feminism), Marian shares the joys, passions, and sorrows of her world and helps us feel good about our own. So grab a latte and a pillow and get ready to laugh your slippers off!

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Bestseller Keyes does what she does best in this collection of stories and essays: wax comic about shoes, hairdressers, makeup, travel, family and romance in prose as light and sweet as a sugar-dusted angel food cake. Her essay "They Say You Always Remember Your First Time..." offers a glimpse of Keyes's love affair with makeup, and while it reads like an enthusiastic letter to the product pages of Vogue, it's also sprinkled with endearing bouts of self-deprecation ("If face creams were husbands, then I am Elizabeth Taylor"). While most of the short stories stick solidly on the side of fun, Keyes makes a few attempts to tackle more serious topics, from divorce in the odd "A Woman's Right to Shoes," to domestic abuse in the far graver "Under." While the book feels even less substantial than the average chick lit confection, Keyes's winning voice and her focus on the basic business of life and how to live it happily should appeal to female readers caught between Sex in the City and The Golden Girls.
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About the Author

Marian Keyes is the author of ten bestselling novels and two essay collections. She lives in Ireland with her husband and their two imaginary dogs.

Product Details

• Paperback: 368 pages
• Publisher: William Morrow Paperbacks (September 6, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0060787031
• ISBN-13: 978-0060787035
• Product Dimensions: 7.9 x 5.3 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 7.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (11 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #449,609 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Marian Keyes lived in London for ten years before returning to her native Dublin. After receiving a law degree and studying accounting, she began writing short stories in 1993. She is the author of three previous novels--Watermelon, Lucy Sullivan Is Getting Married, and Rachel's Holiday--all major bestsellers around the world.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

13 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A witty novel every woman can relate to, October 21, 2005

By 

Bookreporter (New York, New York) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Cracks in My Foundation: Bags, Trips, Make-up Tips, Charity, Glory, and the Darker Side of the Story (Paperback)

If you are already a Marian Keyes fan, having devoured her modern and witty novels such as SUSHI FOR BEGINNERS, THE OTHER SIDE OF THE STORY and LUCY SULLIVAN IS GETTING MARRIED, as well as her collection of essays titled UNDER THE DUVET, then you know what I know --- Marian Keyes has wit, style, verve and intelligence. If you're not familiar with her, get ready for a great read and an introduction to an author whose other books you'll want to run right out and grab from your local bookstore.

CRACKS IN MY FOUNDATION echoes thoughts shared by women everywhere --- thoughts on beauty, health, family, friends, home, and just about anything else of interest to the gentler half of the population. Keyes says out loud what a lot of us only dare to think, and it's liberating to know we're not alone.

For instance, her love of cosmetics is shared by women the world over. "The love affair has never waned: makeup always makes me feel better. With it I am more confident, more articulate, more amusing. Without it, I'm like Samson without his hair." Truer words were never spoken. What woman doesn't feel a boost of confidence with her face on? Remember the time the plumber made it to the door before you were properly made up? It's an awful feeling!

What about the dilemma of whether to leave one's underwear on at a spa or take it off? Who among us hasn't struggled with this? Of course there are some who are not afraid, who willingly fling their panties aside and let complete strangers see their bare bum, but then there are the rest of us who debate the issue. "A vexed area, without a doubt: to leave on or take off. If you leave them on, discomfort could mar your enjoyment, but if you take them off, there's nowhere to run, nowhere to hide -- - every bit of you will be on display, in all your cellulitely glory (if you're me)."

What about cooking? While cooking used to be something every woman did and took pride in, those days are gone. Cooking is something you either love or hate. There's no in-between, and those of us who do it grudgingly are a growing majority. "See, we all have our gifts and cooking isn't one of mine. But it's not just the thought of sticking my hand up inside a turkey that I dread, it's the coordination involved in preparing a meal --- having to have everything ready at the same time gives me a knot in my stomach." Amen.

When I read this book, I wanted to be Marian Keyes: a successful writer, a world traveler, a spa patron, even Irish! While Keyes is funny in a self-deprecating way, you can tell that she basically likes herself. She knows that we all have our issues and that hers are what make her unique. I love that in a person.

My suggestion to you: Pick up this book, gather up the chocolate, potato chips, or whatever your favorite splurge is, call in sick to work, and climb into bed with this book and enjoy yourself. We all have cracks in our foundation. Why not make the most of them?

--- Reviewed by Amie Taylor

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars This is HILARIOUS!, October 11, 2005

By 

Eirelandogrl "hard to please reader!" (Orlando, FL) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Cracks in My Foundation: Bags, Trips, Make-up Tips, Charity, Glory, and the Darker Side of the Story (Paperback)

This books is hilarious, I have never, not even once laughed out loud at a book and I promise you I haven't been able to stop laughing with this book. I am a huge fan of Marian Keyes, she has a humorous way of relating to something in all women. I am Irish and find the irish humor brillant. I can relate to her so much in all of her short stories. My only wish was that Marian Keyes would write more short stories! This is definatly a enjoyable and hard to put down read. If you haven't read it, read it now!! You'll love it!!

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Quite enjoyable, February 20, 2006

By 

Chick lit fan (PA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Cracks in My Foundation: Bags, Trips, Make-up Tips, Charity, Glory, and the Darker Side of the Story (Paperback)

Having read all of Marian Keyes' other books (except "Under the Duvet") I decided to gove this a try while I wait for her newest work of fiction arrives. I didn't expect to like it. I thought that I really would not be interested in the personal essays. Turns out that I was wrong. A good writer is a good writer whether she is writing long fiction or a short story or a 4 page essay on finding a great hairstylist. If you enjoy Marian Keyes you will enjoy this book.

I admit that I haven't devoured this book like I do most other books. I just keep it around and read a little bit at a time. But, that works out quite nicely for me some days.