Customer Reviews

A Crowded Marriage

5 star:		(1)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I enjoyed this light, funny book. It was a gift from a friend and I am searching for more books fom this author. Perfect light reading for Summer.

Edited to add: I notice one person found this review unhelpful. Let's see if I can improve it. I had not wanted to write down the plot and spoil the story. But here is the blurb from the back of the book which I thought Amazon would have provided:

"There are already three people in artist Imogen Cameron's marriage - herself, her husband, Alex, and their son, Rufus - and that's just the way she likes it. But all that's about to change! When the Camerons hit dire financial straits they are forced to move out of London and accept an offer from Eleanor Latimer of a rent-free cottage on her estate. Ordinarily, the offer of a free home in the country is not to be sniffed at but as Eleanor just happens to be Alex's beautiful, rich and frankly flirtatious ex, Imogen is very sniffy indeed. And with good reason. Once installed in Shepherd's Cottage, Imogen's life is suddenly full to bursting with surly locals, psychotic chickens, mountains of manure, visits from the infuriatingly bossy vet, and of course Eleanor; who seems to be permanently at Alex`s side. As far as Imogen`s concerned, two's a marriage, three's a family and this - well, this is just silly, someone's going to have to go. The question is who?

The book made me laugh out loud. On the UK's Amazon it has 18 reviews averaging 4 stars.

At first I thought this was going to be typical of its genre, mildly entertaining and a fast read. But to my surprise I laughed out loud several times. That doesn't happen very often!

A crowded marriage implies one ... one crowded marriage (ha ha ha - channelling my inner Count here. And throwing in a little foreshadowing) And in this fun, British romp, Catherine Alliott must have been channelling her inner Shakespeare. That's what this novel reminded me of: a zany, mixed-up, laugh-out-loud, Shakespearean comedy - with totally understandable language.

I fell completely in love with Imogen and her whacked-out family. They were so lovable that their foibles managed to make them seem relateable and endearing rather than just bizarre. I could totally see myself caught up in the same sorts of ridiculous situations Imogen found herself in.

What was bothersome about the characters was their total inability to face the truth in each of their lives. This did make for some hilarious moments but it also, occasionally, made me want to shake some sense into them. I was also not fond of the underlying theme that threaded its way through the novel.

Despite some serious moments, 'A Crowded Marriage' is not a book to be taken seriously. I would have been thrilled with a different ending but the ending, as it sits, works OK too.

Looking for something to read while you lay out in the sun this summer? 'A Crowded Marriage' by Catherine Alliott may be just the thing.

I have to admit that the story started off pretty slowly. In fact, in the first 150 pages I wondered if I'd be able to finish it. I didn't feel very connected to Eleanor, with her strangely muted relationship with her husband. Was this a cultural gap that I'd missed, or was Eleanor's relationship truly of a different sort? Her husband seemed a lot older to me, aloof, and just not engaged in marriage to begin with. He seemed as though he liked everyone else around him, but his wife, except at random "playing house" moments. Odd. Honestly, I wanted her out of that marriage from the get go!

Once we get past the background stories we need to move forward, the story really gets going and the tension in Eleanor's marriage and relationships take on new meaning. Although you start to feel you know where the story is heading, it doesn't all play out exactly as you might think. We can't help but hate the husband's best friend, as she seems way too involved in their marriage. Yes, you realize the marriage is falling apart, and yes, you hope that people get what's coming to them. The surprising bit is how everyone reacts, and how things fit together. In that way, the last 100 pages were pretty difficult for me to put down. (Although, maybe it was the hot, yet slightly grouchy veterinarian that captured my attention?)

On the whole, I really did like this book. It was hard getting the groundwork set, but once I could clearly see the connections between our characters, the story snapped into place and I cared about what would happen. Subtle humor is applied in spots, with crazy misadventures that didn't seem as funny as they might have been (considering the topic), but overall it rang true to me. This book is a great getaway book for a vacation, with plenty of drama and relationships to consider.