Customer Reviews

Love Don't Live Here Anymore

5 star:		(7)
4 star:		(12)
3 star:		(9)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Love Don't Live Here Anymore. We have heard the song of woe and pain. Another man, another woman feels they have been abandoned in their relationship. This novel captures the essence of a love and marriage gone sour and the path that has brought it to this point.

Husband and wife authors Milner and Chiles, who are known for their nonfiction- he said/she said books on love and relationships, employ the same technique in their first novel. We hear from Randy first, who is in Paris as an advertising executive. He left his disgruntled wife Mekki, a dress designer, back home lonely, frustrated, and dissatisfied. Meanwhile Mekki finds solace in the arms of Marcus, Randy's best friend. A trip to Paris to try to repair the damage that has already been done proves to be disastrous. Can this marriage be saved?

I loved the writing, style and the voices of Randy and Mekki. We got to see their less than perfect personas. All of their fears, dreams, and fantasies were revealed. I didn't always like these characters. In fact, I spent a great deal of time cursing Mekki under my breath. Randy is an overachiever yet he has insecurities and sensitivities that most men will not admit to. I often wondered how these two got together in the first place (he wants children, she does not) because it seemed there was little communication to begin with. A secondary story line involving Mekki's parents' crumbling long time marriage is also a lesson about how precarious and vulnerable our relationships can be.

For me this was a mature read though the protagonists were in their late 20s, early 30s. It methodically detailed a message that was conveyed throughout the novel. Most couples do not put enough time and energy into making a marriage work (divorce statistics prove that). I enjoyed the glimpses of Paris and the differences in work ethics of the French and the Americans as well as the office politics. The one blight for me was Marcus and his reasons for stabbing his best friend in the back. I felt his character was underdeveloped because I had to make assumptions as to why. I gave this book a 4.5 rating but because of this detail I didn't feel comfortable rounding it up to a 5 for this review.

Dera Williams
APOOO Book Club

Most popular Black fiction revolves around relationships and the their inherent drama. I complained about having to read this book the moment it was chosen but I confess it was better than I anticipated.

The book unfolds in an alternate narrative between the Husband and the wife, who open the book physically separated and growing further apart by the word. I will spare you the gory details of their relationship and its dilemmas, but I will say that I found the characters rather predictable and shallow. It is obvious that the authors are quite in tune with the emotional turmoil of a dissolving marriage. It would be remarkable if one author could expose the inner workings of both the male and female mind, but considering this is a book written by a married couple, it is merely acceptable. I believe it will be entertaining and even a bit informative to those struggling in dysfunctional marriages, considering they are honest enough to accept both sides of a complex story.

This was a very different read for me. While reading I felt like I was torn between two friends. Throughtout the book we read two points of views representing the Murphys' marriage. Initially the style was hard for me, but after a while I began to look forward to how they each felt regarding the same situation.

Randy Murphy was working hard at gaining a six-figure salary. In order to become one ot the top Ad Exec making that kind of money his job took him out of the country for months at a time. A fact his wife Mekhi found hard to live with and understand.

As the saying goes "When the mice is away the cats will play" and play is what they both did. An unexpected turn of events forces Randy and Mekhi to almost see a mirror image of themselves in their marriage.

This book is written for anyone who might've forgotten the true meaning of communication and the pain silent agreements can cause. I plan to pick up future books by this husband and wife duo.

The story of Mikhi and Randy Murphy raises the question of whether or not marriage can survive infidelity. It's story that holds your interest just long enough to reveal how the adulters will be found out. Then becomes very predictable afterward. Toward the end of the story I found the book stale. I was simply reading to found out how everything would be put back in it's place. The ending was never questionable. I knew Mikhi would mend her friendship and be reunited with her husband.

There were loose ends that needed closure. Why didn't Mikhi or Randy ever really have a conversation with Marcus to understand his actions? What was Randy's relationship with Eliza after the bathroom deal? How realistic was it that all of the couple's family and friends felt that the marriage could or should be salvaged given the details of what happened.

This story was intersting and at times humorous. The character's were a little to "plastic" for my taste. So many contemperary novels by and about African-Americans center around character's that are top executives at Fortune 500 companies and driving luxury cars while wearing designer dudes. Although that's a nice contrast from the stories of "life in the hood" it's become a predicable setting for so many characters we read about. I wanted to feel something for these characters and the constant "buppie" references and label dropping wasn't impressive. Even while Randy hid in the closet at the high point of the story he mentioned the fact that he was standing on his expensive shoes.I found the constant references to their belongings a distraction right on up to the final chapter.

At first glance, married couple Randy and Mikki have it all. Randy is a thirty something advertising executive and Mikki is a twenty something business owner. Their finances are good and they own their own home. So what's missing?

Shared Goals: Randy wants children and Mikki is no hurry. In fact, she is unsure whether she wants children at all. Mikki wants a husband who doesn't work long hours; whereas, Randy wants a supportive wife.

Communication: They both are afraid to voice their inner feelings. Instead, they guess at what the other is thinking.

They both know that their three year old marriage is failing and they don't know how to repair it.

Mikki is on the verge of having an affair with Randy's best friend Marcus, because she is strongly attracted to him. When Randy is assigned to Paris for a long term work assignment, this gives Mikki the incentive to embark an affair with Marcus. She knows it's wrong, but at the same time, the affair fulfills a missing piece of her life.

However, Mikki feels guilty and she tries to end the affair. She goes to Paris to visit Randy in order to renew her commitment to him. Instead, the visit is a disaster. After the visit, Randy has his own affair in Paris.

Mikki must also confront her parents' failing marriage. Her mother just found out that her father fathered a son years ago during their marriage.

LOVE DON'T LIVE HERE ANYMORE takes the reader on an emotional roller coaster ride. Can Randy and Mikki repair their marriage? Or is their marriage doomed to fail?

Readers who like "he said/she said" relationship novels will enjoy LOVE DON'T LIVE HERE ANYMORE.

Love Don't Live Here Anymore is a story of the perfunctory demise of a three year marriage between Mikki and Randy... the typical successful, professionally driven products of baby boomers. Told in first person narrative through alternating chapters that are appropriately titled He/She, the story deals more with the internal, emotional battle and struggle to make sense of things, rather than how to solve the myriad of issues that arise throughout the story. As the marriage spirals downward, each partner tussles with conflicting emotions, illicit needs, and steady guilt. The plot and story line were phenomenal. It was the delivery that left a lot to be desired.

The interspersed psychology of marital problems was tossed in the story along with threads of dialogue that failed to engage me. Like disobedient children on punishment, we were left out of intimate interactions between key characters. We didn't get to experience the characters' actions; instead, we were told most things. The story would have a more sincere impact with more meaningful dialogue.

The outstanding plot suffered because of the underdeveloped story, and extremely static, one-dimensional characters. The dialogue and character interaction was limited and timid, preventing me from honestly getting involved in the story. I never really developed a reader/character connection. I felt very detached from the story and the characters.

I finished reading the story; enamoured with the premise, yet feeling as if I missed something. Nevertheless, it is an enjoyable story with real-life marital issues and obstacles.

Its springtime and relationship novels are in full bloom and overabundance. Denene Millner and Nick Chiles have decided to dun their non-fiction hat and give us a "He Say, She Say" storyline.

Meet Randy & Mikki Murphy. A young married couple...who're not very happy with each other. Randy, an advertising executive, is on a three-month temporary assignment in Paris while his wife, Mikki, feels left behind in NYC. Of course, she could have been in Paris with her husband but she decided to stay behind and run her bridal boutique. While Randy is in Paris he has asked his best friend, Marcus, who's divorced, to look out for his wife Mikki. Marcus and Mikki form a vicarious bond. Additionally, while Mikki is worried whether her marriage will survive she also has to contend with the crumbling marriage of her parents. For Mekhi life is one lesson after another of "why did I even wake up today."

LDLHA is a well-written book but it wasn't very compelling. The characters seemed stiff and lifeless; and they weren't very likable. From page one it was obvious that Randy & Mikki didn't belong together. So when things started to spiral out of control it was difficult to feel any type of emotions for either of these characters...and easy to say "Enuf Already." And then there was Marcus...I wish his character was more flushed out. I knew who he was but I didn't understand why he did the things he did. It was like he appeared and disappeared in the same instance without any explanation as to his reason for being.

LDLHA is for anyone who's an avid fan of relationship novels...for those who want a more compelling and engrossing read...one that covers different territory... then this might not be the book for you.

Love Don't Live Here Anymore was an interesting read that made you want to slap the piss out of Randy and Mikki, the main characters in this entertaining novel. Randy is a successful ad executive who opts to go to Paris to expand his professional horizons, leaving behind Mikki--his bitter wife who is as self-centered as they come.

With thousands of miles of emotional and physical distance between them, there's very little communication, and a whole lot of room to roam. And the one thing that becomes clear to both Randy and Mikki--there's definitely trouble in Paradise. The problem is neither one of them knows how to salvage things, or if what they've shared is even worth saving. Unfortunately, both Mikki and Randy have allowed lusty thoughts and sexual indiscretions to become a part of the equation. And as a result, their marriage becomes wrapped in lies, and accusations that neither are willing to openly admit.

The story is told in alternating voices. And although Mikki's character is sassy, bold and even witty, she can make you want to smack her silly with her righteous, self-serving attitude. And as the saying goes, when the cats away, the mice will play. But when Mikki becomes entangled in a torrid love affair with her husband's best friend, she's the one who gets played in the end.

I like how the authors Denene Millner and Nick Chiles give readers a look at how infidelity, mistrust and a lack of communication can destroy the best relationships.

Not a true page turner. I would check it out from the library vice buying this book. This book is about a selfish woman who never seems to be satisfied with anything that her husband says or do and has an affair with her husbands best friend. This book is also about a man who realizes that his marriage is on the rocks long before he left for a business trip. He ends up having an affair but still seems to want to be with his wife more than having a fling. blah blah blah... Predictable ending...

Although this book had a familiar theme (infidelity/marriage issues)I found it refreshingly witty. I especially liked the creative freedom the authors had to write as if they were speaking directly to the reader in some parts. I read it in a very short amount of time. It was light reading with "laugh out loud" storytelling.