Customer Reviews

Happenstance: Two Novels in One About a Marriage in Transition

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

 

 

I'm surprised at the way the Kirkus review above mischaracterizes this wonderful novel. I read the husband's half of the story first, since Shields wrote that one first. The author does a masterful job of not repeating herself at all, amazing considering she's covering the same basic period of time as experienced by two halves of a single marriage (though the wife is away for several days at a conference -- an event that is a delight to read about if you've ever been to a conference yourself). Shields handles the everyday, tiny moments of a family's life with such searing poignancy that I had to stop reading every so often and reflect -- and that is, to me, the sign of a very good piece of literature. I love the way she uses the wife's quilting to explore the creative process (and her writer's block segment, when the husband fiddles away his 'free' day, is priceless and oh-so-true). The marriage feels real, the feelings of the mother for her teen children are absolutely genuine in their crushing intensity and occasional ambivalence, and the resolution of the book is the kind I like best: not neat, not melodramatic, not resolved once and for all, yet leaving you with a sense that you've shared a life and gained something permanent from the experience. Subtle, funny, and though it was first published in the early 80s, this unusual double novel is universal in its themes.

Susan K. Perry, Ph.D., author of WRITING IN FLOW

In a court of law, the judge and/or the jury listens to the plaintiff and the defendant before making a decision. It is important to listen to both sides of a story to get the real picture of what is going on. Nowhere is this more true that when it comes to man-woman relations.

I love books that have unusual formats. This one immediately caught my eye. I read Brenda's story first, then Jack's. Amazingly enough, after 20 years living together, they are still somewhat strangers to each other, yet they have a fine marriage, with harmony, peace, fulfilling sex, the works. Brenda goes away for one week to a quilters' convention and both she and Jack are presented with itchy temptation. The most entertaining point of the novel for me is their feelings towards the other's creativity. In her absence, Jack meditates about Brenda's quilts and her determination, and feels rather jealous about it. In his absence, Brenda thinks about Jack's book and his writer's block, and feels rather irritated about his sloth. The array of miscellaneous characters are interesting, although some are extremely annoying (the convention organizers, for example). Not a bad novel by an excellent author, who nevertheless has created better works.

A story about a short period in a long marriage, Carol Shield's tackles the interior monologues of both husband and wife with a unique style - half the story is the wife's take and the other half the husband's.

It's all those things you think about your partner, but don't say because you truly want to stay together. The "oh, he's doing that again, how embarrassing" sort of interior monologue, but with some nice introspection on the part of each character.

Some slightly funny bits, but more in line with the absurd things that happen in a real life.

All in all, an absorbing read.

Just read this book at the behest of a friend who pointed out how the author uses a technique I've considered for a book of my own. The core of the story has already been repeated in prior reviews so please allow me to digress with my thoughts.

Just as a women will notice many more items seen in a room they've just visited, men will list far fewer. The same goes for words used per day with woman logging four or five times as many as men. The same is true in the authors depiction in this novel about a few days within a marriage. Married 20 years and living in a middle class suburb of Chicago, Brenda (the wife) is invited to and attends a quilting bee convention in Philadelphia while her husband Jack stays home with the children. Both entertain notions of an affair even though their marriage has been pretty good. In fact, something would be amiss if couples didn't think of sexual liasons with old lovers from time to time. Even Jimmy Carter admitted to lust in his heart, but the key here is restraint because that's what separates us from the apes. And that's at the core of this storyline.

The story is rather simple, but the words used to describe it are overly descriptive. They just go on and on making you want to stuff a sock in it if you could just figure out where. Brenda, the wife, has a fling, one with a small "[...]" while hubby Jack, who has stayed home with the children, dreams of a pre-marital lover. As an academic his life is pedestrian and somewhat frustrating while hers has some upside due to her talent as a creator of interesting quilts. The convention she attends has a feminist tilt to it and the author shows her leanings by referring to phrases such as "alienation" and "truth to power" but she treads lightly to the point that the reader hardly notices.

Women readers will find this book interesting for its character building and detail. Men? This isn't their fare. The crescendo in the plot should be directed by Sofia Coppola as it's delicately done with a high observance of discretion. The movie, "Lost in Translation" had this quality of restraint that women seem to prefer. Sex scenes for men are like the chicken counter at the butcher's, all [...] and thighs, but women are far more nuanced and thats the way Carol Shields describes Brenda's dalliance at the convention. In another sense this is a book where the wife assumes the role that used to go to the male. She goes to the convention and has the fling while he stays home with the kids and dreams of the type of escapade that his wife, unbeknownst to him, is having. It's female liberation in a Hef-esce world.

Even though I'm a guy, I enjoyed the way it was done. Sensitive? Me or the scene? Take your pick. If you're female, read the book, you'll like it.

After 20 years of living together, Brenda and Jack Bowman have perfected the careful balance of being intimate, friendly and supportive while at the same time being complete strangers to one another.

The current edition of "Happenstance" is printed with the two novels back-to-back. They were originally published as separate pieces in the early 1980s -- Brenda's story as "A Fairly Conventional Woman," and Jack's story as "Happenstance."

Read the summary elsewhere on this page - I won't repeat what's already been said over and over again. What makes "Happenstance" particularly unique and enjoyable is Shield's use of language and experimental style of narrative, more so in Brenda's story than Jack's. This may be because Shields grew as a writer (Brenda's story was published two years afterwards) or she was more familiar with her character (as she had already envisioned Brenda when creating Jack's work), but Shields' style of writing is heavily reflected in Brenda's internal presence much more so than in Jack's, in which Shields writes more straight-forward narrative.

For example (no spoilers here, don't worry), the first night of Brenda's conference, Shields writes the entirety of the interactions between Brenda and her fellow quilt makers in dialogue, minus dialogue tags most of the time, which is initially confusing. Shields does the same thing when Brenda meets Barry, a married metallurgist with whom Brenda makes an intimate connection, by taking out the dialogue tags when they talk to each other. In the first case, the lack of tags brings about the frenzied feel of a crowded atmosphere, in which one remembers bits and pieces of what people say but never the people themselves. In the second, the flow of dialogue brings about a sense of unity - it doesn't matter whether Brenda or Barry is speaking because of how fluidly their thoughts interweave. Shields uses language flawlessly, and it's important to note that she isn't just forgetting to note who said what - she writes (and omits) everything with a purpose.

Shields even makes quilt making interesting: one lecturer discusses quilting in terms of sexuality. Another woman uses each one of her quilts to tell a story, and Brenda's conversation with her is yet another step in Brenda's road to self-discovery.

This book is anything but an average, sentimental couple story. Shields injects power into tiny moments, bundling them together to create a sincere portrait of a marriage and - as another reviewer has said - leaves you with a sense that you've truly gained something by reading it.

This was chosen for our book club by one of our members. I personally did not really know any of the author's books nor had I ever heard of her either. I started out excited due to the synopsis. I was so wrong, in fact in my almost 50 years of reading, there are very few books I start and Fail to finish...

This was one of them. It was boring from beginning to middle (because that is as far as I got).

I mean , I could not take any more of her descibing how she sewed her quilts and how she came up with the patterns and designs. I guess it will appeal to you if you sew quilts and go the quilt conventions....

Other than that, I would not recommend it. Not one person in our Book Club finished reading it.

In fact even the person who chose the book, sent an email out, that she withdrew her choice and we could skip over her book, she could not continue reading it.

My favorite read of 2002. It's the story of the daily happenings in a marriage told both from the husband and the wife's points of view. Brilliant. Thoughtful.

this is not one of carol shields best efforts. however,it is immensely readable.the story of a marriage from two points of view is a triumph.it would make an excellent movie.

Happenstance was the selected book for our book club...first it took a couple of weeks to get it from Amazon then I had to power thru it. Cool concept of having a man's version and flip it over and you get the woman's version but you are kept waiting...and waiting...and

Wouldn't recommend this book.

A husband,a wife,a marriage...two stories. The first book reveals the wife's goings on and her marital reflections. The second book ditto for the husband.All in the same time frame. Not one of Carol Shields best efforts. Kind of unmemorable. The same dissatisfaction I felt from reading The Box Garden.