Customer Reviews

The Last Year Of Being Married (Red Dress Ink Novels)

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The flow of writing in this book is dreadful. I honestly don't understand how this was published.

I've read 40 pages into it and the book is mostly narrative dialogue.. but in the few instances where it's descriptive.. the writing style doesn't change. No attempt is made at transitioning from event to event and it's very unrealistic at best. It doesn't seem like a normal conversation with normal associated emotions. Flat and unappealing.

I do not recommend this book whatsoever.

Granted, Sarah and Paul's marriage was so - so; she'd cheated on him more than once, but one time had been prior to their marriage. They slept together seldom, but had managed to produce a son. Still, when Paul decided he wanted out, it hurt. The results of Sarah's coping with that decision and putting her life back together are chronicled in this book.

** At the high spots, it is funny, and at the lows it gets a bit mean spirited, just like life. **

Reviewed by Amanda Killgore, Freelance Reviewer.

It's hard to be enthusiastic about a book with such an unattractive main character. Having had an affair during her engagement, our 'heroine' decides to tell her new husband all about it on their honeymoon. Unsurprisingly this causes a bit of a rift. The husband doesn't feel inclined to sleep with her after this announcement, so she has another affair.

When the husband eventually files for divorce, our heroine presents herself as a wounded victim. She rejects a divorce settlement which the judge deems perfectly reasonable and we're expected to cheer as she wins a much more generous settlement. We're then treated to stories of some fairly boring new relationships and some mundane sex in the house in France she won in her divorce.

I couldn't work out why the author had written such a banal story with such an uninspiring main character. Then I noticed that the 'herione' has a good deal in common with the author. I'm guessing this 'novel' is actually an autobiographical attempt to wreak still more revenge on her real-life husband, and to seek sympathy and self-justification for some fairly dubious behaviour. Not a very inspiring read, and pretty ineptly written too.

Dreadful, insipid, poorly written drek..Truly--how did this author get published, much less have a prequel? I wanted to like it, and tried, really-- but couldn't. The main character is in no way interesting or likeable, but shallow and narcissistic, shocked to find her marriage on the rocks after confessing to one affair while on her honeymoon, later taking up with another lover only to be caught by her her husband via an email. She hangs onto her husband pathetically while he wants out, is seeing another woman, and pines for him even though he is emotionally abusive and their sex life is nil. Of course, our heroine is unable to eat and borderline anorexic which translates to fragile beauty and there seems to be no man unable to resist her. Poor poor Sarah. She ends up with a gorgeous home in France (basically a compound which she is remodeling) and the house in London, which she sells for an amazing cottage there. She treats herself to a new car (of course the salesman wants to nail her as does every man she meets). Its difficult to feel sorry in any capacity for this woman who never has to consider how to get by on her own, rent a dingy apartment and feed her kid mac and cheese while she waits out a modest divorce settlement, which is more realistic. The last third of the book is all about her sexual reawakening and we have to get through pages and pages of nonstop lovers who are entranced by her supposedly gorgeous body, and her non stop orgasms. Ridiculous. As another reviewer wrote, it's obviously a poorly contrived auto biograpy by the author, who happens also to be named Sarah. I have never bothered to write a book review in the past, but this one was so bad, I had to. Do NOT waste your time. Any of Anne Tyler's books or Anna Quinlan, etc. are much better. However, if you are into poorly written (the typos and grammar and style is unbelievably awful) romance novels, this might be just your style.

This book is proof positive that you don't have to have any talent to write a book and get it published. Ms. Tucker is not even aware of how to write a narrative, instead formatting her book like a script or a play. I find it even more amazing that people are actually buying it.

In London though they had quite a lengthy courtship, their marriage started off badly when a drunken Sarah informs her spouse Paul that she had an affair while they were engaged. Over the next few years, Paul rarely had conjugal visits with his wife though three plus years ago on vacation together they did produce a son Ben. However, Paul decides he has enough of marriage to Sarah and informs her that he wants a divorce. He calmly asks for Sarah to move out and take her son with her.

Sarah is stunned by the D revelation having weathered storms for seven married years and five courtship years with Paul. She turns to finance advisor Kim Bradshaw who tells her to stay put and make Paul leave as he is filing and he refuses the kid. As Sarah adjusts to THE LAST YEAR OF BEING MARRIED, her solicitor tries to insure she and Ben come out of this quite nicely.

Sarah Tucker provides a deep look at divorce from the perspective mostly of the female protagonists in this sequel to THE LAST YEAR OF BEING SINGLE. However, the story line at times feels repetitive as Sarah tells her friends and solicitor the same anecdotes that she places in her diary. Still this fine chick lit tale offers a solid look at the decline of a relationship that has no happily ever after.

Harriet Klausner