6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
The right balance, April 27, 2009
This review is from: Love in Condition Yellow: A Memoir of an Unlikely Marriage (Hardcover)
I loved this book! Memoirs are hard - and Sophia Raday has written an engaging one that feels complex enough to keep a reader intrigued even if they didn't directly relate to her experience. Interweaving politics, romance, love, marriage, setting, and history, I felt she added depth and weight to what has the potential to be the most flyaway of topics - "this is how we fell in love". There are so many ways in which her story can be relevant to a myriad of readers. I find her writing to be introspective without being narcissistic and particularly enjoyed the structure of the chapters - each with its appropriate reference lead-in. I definitely recommend it and would read it again.
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3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
A fascinating read on acceptance and learning to love your reflection in another's eyes, May 17, 2009
This review is from: Love in Condition Yellow: A Memoir of an Unlikely Marriage (Hardcover)
Love weaves an unlikely path in this beautifully written story. A truly honest exposure of the heart and a naked view of the complexity of marriage and relationships. It made me look at my own weaknesses and preconceived ideals and see a tapestry that I was not expecting. I could not put this book down and am anxiously waiting for another book by Raday. Bravo.
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2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Anatomy of a complex relationship, July 4, 2009
This review is from: Love in Condition Yellow: A Memoir of an Unlikely Marriage (Hardcover)
The cover of this book says it all: a pair of combat boots next to a pair of sandals. Sophia Raday, feminist activists, meets and ultimately marries Barrett McAllister, who's all elements of the right wing combined into one terrific guy: West Point grad, Ranger, infantry Army officer, and Oakland police officer.
Somehow Sophia connects with Barrett and most of the book is about how they make their differences work. Sophia enters a foreign culture while living at Fort Carlisle while Barrett attends Army War College. He's honored to be invited while her friends gasp, "War College? What's the point?" Meanwhile Barrett feels alien in Berkeley, where he won't stop at a grocery store in his uniform on the way home from work.
The first part of the book was a little exasperating as Raday reviewed her breakup with Nathan. As she introduces, her strong writing keeps the book from degenerating into a cliche. After all, stories of opposites are hardly new; for instance, we've had many memoirs and even sitcoms of city women who moved to a farm and interfaith marriages.
Sophia and Barrett maintain their belief systems yet come together as a family. It's more like a couple who come from different religions and maintain separate belief systems. In fact, Sophia uses her belief systems, such as her Buddhist readings and her Nia dance class, to deal with the differences.
I was a little surprised that Sophia doesn't encounter even one soulmate from Barrett's world. Of course, most of the time she remains in Berkeley with her old friends. At Carlisle, she describes a homophobic Colonel and wives who are warm and friendly but solidly Republican and pro-war.
By way of contrast, I would recommend Elizabeth Samet's book, A Soldier's Heart. Samet describes some very sensitive soldiers, includingt a few who carried poetry into the war. I also liked Standing By, by a woman who married a Naval officer. Books like these give a more diverse view of the military.
Less directly, Saday raises the question of what gets sacrificed in a marriage and how each partner honors the other's goals. Barrett willingly entered marriage counseling and participated enthusiastically. Sophia supported his decision to go to Army War College and accept a high-status police job, even though she wanted him to spend more time at home. She didn't seem like the whiny, self-centered type. Barrett in turn encourages her to pursue her writing dream. Most readers will be glad she did.
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