Domestic Pleasures: A Novel [Paperback]

Beth Gutcheon (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: December 4, 2001

After her ex-husband dies in a plane crash, Martha Gaver is horrified to learn that the executor of Raymond's estate is Charlie, the conservative, insufferable lawyer who represented Raymond in their bitter divorce. Yet soon after they reenter each other's lives, Martha, Charlie, and their teenage children find they have more in common than they imagined as they struggle to rebuild their lives...and that opposites really do attract.

Engaging,, witty, and entertaining, Domestic Pleasures is a touching, piercing tale of love lost, found, and embraced once again.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

If Rosamunde Pilcher lived in 1980s Manhattan, she might come up with a romantic novel like this one. A large cast of characters is involved in various sorts of relationships; at the center are illustrator Martha Forbes and lawyer Charlie Leveque. Following the death of her ex-husband, Raymond, in a plane crash, Martha is dismayed to learn that Charlie, the lawyer who handled Raymond's hostile divorce proceedings, is now in charge of the estate. Although the two have little in common--except broken marriages and one teenager apiece--they're forced to work together. Gradually, the superficial barriers between them fall and they find themselves in love--and beset by other problems. Gutcheon's gift for witty dialogue and her canny observations propel the generously proportioned story. A particular strength is her sharp depiction of the teens and their relationship. Gutcheon ( Still Missing ) perfectly captures the milieu of upper-middle-class Manhattan, and the result is a vivid, entertaining novel. BOMC alternate; first serial to Ladies' Home Journal; movie rights to Pathe.
Copyright 1991 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

From Library Journal

Domestic Pleasures is a tender, heartwarming story of love and life in the Nineties. When Martha Gaver's ex-husband is killed suddenly in a plane crash she is forced into contact with his divorce lawyer--now the executor of his estate. Both are single parents struggling to raise teenagers and manage a life after divorce. They discover in each other differences that bring insight to their own struggles. Gutcheon, author of Still Missing ( LJ 6/ 15/81) and The New Girls ( LJ 10/1/79), reaches inside her characters and brings them to life. She manages to put us in the hearts and minds of not just the adults but the teenagers as well. This is an intricate weaving of several stories with many characters, but Gutcheon makes us care about them all. A wonderful portrayal of marriage, divorce, and relationships, realistic yet optimistic and touching. This has been optioned for a film with Sally Field. Highly recommended. BOMC alternate.-- Kathy Ingels Helmond, Indiana Univ.
Purdue Univ. at Indianapolis Lib.
Copyright 1991 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 368 pages
• Publisher: William Morrow Paperbacks; First Edition edition (December 4, 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 006093476X
• ISBN-13: 978-0060934767
• Product Dimensions: 8.1 x 5.3 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (13 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #903,568 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Better late than never..., August 6, 2000

By 

Carolyn "Author of Every Little Step She Take... (Sherrill's Ford, NC USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Domestic Pleasures (Paperback)

I know this book was published some time ago, but it's new to me and if you can't find it in print, go to your public library! The characters and situations are so real, so engaging. I like that they are people who fight their own shortcomings, that they're flawed and imperfect and that their lives are full and messy and complicated. Things turn on small events like the flu or bad weather, just like in real life. I really enjoyed this and am now going to read Ms. Gutcheon's other books.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A masterpiece of life in the 90s, March 12, 1999

By 

Hollis Fuller Morris (New York, New York USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Domestic Pleasures (Hardcover)

Beth Gutcheon has written a contemproary masterpiece about life and love in the 90's. I have read this book so many times I have lost count and cannot believe it is currently out-of-print - I want to send this book to every woman friend I have. Her characters are so believable and her use of dialogue - within every age group - is true to life. By far her best and most honest work.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A multi-tiered love story involving every human relationship, October 5, 1998

By A Customer

This review is from: Domestic Pleasures (Paperback)

Love between parent and child, sisters, friends, ex-spouses, and new lovers... a web of feelings and yearnings that touched my soul. This story of the web of people surrounding one deceased, divorced dad interconnects and builds, revealing nuances of love and life in the 90's.

The use of language was wonderful! "The children fell about laughing."

I finished in a rush to find out how it would end, then turned to page one and read the whole book again!

My favorite quote: "There are a few people who are really made for each other and a lot of people who just really don't want to be alone."