Customer Reviews

The Man I Should Have Married

5 star:		(17)
4 star:		(6)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(5)

 

 

When Kennedy's husband of nearly a decade decides to leave her for his former lover, a surfer named Sunny no less, Kennedy is forced to move on and raise their children as a single mom.

Her surly teenager Maya is in desperate need of several bars of soap for her smart mouth and wants to meet her birth father; her youngest just wants everything back to normal; and her five-times married mother wants her to get her groove on and find a new man. Ex-husband Frank announces that he is going to quit his lucrative law practice to become a yoga instructor, and Kennedy is faced with having to move to a smaller place. A fixer upper has her salivating and her family and friends ready to run for the hills.

When she goes back to the Greenwich Village tavern she worked at prior to getting married, she hooks up with the lust of her life, bartender/owner Declan McGlynn. As they share yet another one night stand, both are feeling a bit more for each other, though neither is willing to admit it, but tentatively start a relationship. When Declan admits that there is someone else in his life, Kennedy gives him an ultimatum, and doesn't like his choice. When she is given a chance for reconciliation with Frank, will she take it?

Satran's debut is a slick and sexy novel about a women's journey to right the wrongs of her life in a path of self-discovery. She has peppered it with a flawed heroine, great secondary characters, and conversational dialogue that never seems forced.

Thank you Amazon.com! This book was recommended to me when I logged on to buy something else and boy, am I glad. I probably wouldn't have given it more than a passing glance in the bookstore, but I read the other reviews here on Amazon and was impressed. I finished this book wanting more. I was drawn into the lives of Kennedy and Declan and have been wondering since finishing the book just last night: What would have happened between this couple if the book was just a bit longer? Don't get me wrong, the ending was quite satisfying as was the whole reading experience, but I for one wasn't ready to let the story end.

Kennedy Burns very quickly finds herself as a single mother when her husband Frank leaves her as well as his job at a lucrative law firm to become of all things, a yoga instructor!! Kennedy also happens to be dealing with a very difficult teenage daughter who wants to find her real father. This premise has been dealt with in lots of women's fiction before this, but I really felt that this book dealt all these things in a fresh, new way.

At first, I really couldn't relate to Kennedy. I thought her character was flat and there didn't seem to be a connection between her and her daughters or for that matter, what was happening in her life. I felt that the author was just simply telling a story and as the reader, I was just reading the words printed on the page, I wasn't becoming involved. But that is the beauty of this novel. I continued to change my opinion as Kennedy changed, matured and grew into her new life. A nice thing to see was that Kennedy, who was once very dependent transformed into someone very self-reliant.

Because of the cover art and the title one might think that this is just another run of the mill chick-lit book. Really, there is something deeper and more satisfying at work here. You will be sad when this one ends!!

The Man I Should Have Married could use an edit to the super-long title, but the novel is practically perfect. It follows the story of Kennedy Burns, who takes her life into her own hands after her husband, Frank, leaves her for another woman. Kennedy is faced with raising two daughters, renovating a dilapidated house, and reconnecting with two men from her past.

The novel goes by quickly, too quickly. I could not put it down! It's a romantic fantasy and would make a wonderful film!

Beach season has almost begun -- thus, there are various books that you might want to take with you on vacation. The Man I Should Have Married is one of them.

After her husband leaves her for another woman, Kennedy feels that a fun and feisty single life is long overdue. She is determined to regain the independence she had before settling with life in suburbia. A meaningless fling with Declan -- her former boss and friend, not to mention object of her desire -- might do the trick. But she hadn't envisaged the fact that there's more to her attraction to Declan than meets the eye. To make matters worse, her teenage daughter has become insubordinate and seeks love and attention from her wayward father. There are various twists in the novel.

The Man I Should Have Married is a fun novel to read on the beach. The realistic situations within the story are above most of today's women's fiction. Thus, I recommend it most highly...

Now I love 'chick' books. You know, they make you cry, make you laugh, make you want to fall in love all over again and sometimes tell your mom you're sorry...... you know what I mean. I thought this book looked fun, and I was right. I snatched it up (have I menetioned I love this fun size of paper back and I thought the cover was cute?) and rushed home to start it. here are the things I loved about this book-
It is not tough to keep up with the dialogue, characters, or plot. That being said you may chalk it up for the perfect travel read, or pool side mind grabber. It does deliver a little bit of action... you know, romantic style, so it has it's hot moments you enjoy, and it has quite a bit of fun humor, without trying too hard to be funny.

Kennedy is likable, sometimes reminding you a little of yourself, sometimes reminding you what you wish you could be (just walk in and say "hi" to that old love just like it is the most casual thing in the world....) As she is working thorugh divorce and the troubles it brings (single child rearing... house buying/ selling/ fixing up) you will watch her grow. There are fun twists, fun friends, and of course, the never ending mother issues.... but it's all fun while being just touching enough at the same time.

This is a fun, light, romantic book, and if you are looking for that this summer, or for your next road trip, pick this up. It will let you enjoy your reading time and give that much needed escape from your own daily tasks!

I bought this book because it was suggested in the New York Times along with other contemporary novels, by and about women. One of the other books, The Wife by Meg Wolitzer was among the prized company it was in. Therefore, I thought this book would be of that ilk, written in the same high standard but boy was I mistaken.
The plot was ridiculous, the reading level was Junior High and there was no character development at all. I wasn't even cheering for Kennedy because I didn't respect her and didn't see what this great chemistry between her and Declan was all about. This book was a total waste of my time in every sense. You are suppose to come away from a book learning something. For me, it passed the time on a long train ride, that's about it. Gravely disappointing.

As her neat suburban world crumbles Kennedy Smith dreams of her carefree days in Lower Manhattan before she married and became responsible, dependable, practical. Her marriage is over as her husband of ten years has met a much younger surfer. They had one child together five year old Amanda. Her oldest daughter teenage Maya (from her first relationship) is rebelling and wants to meet her biological father, Marco Rivera.

With no hope for alimony since her ex-husband gave up law for yoga, Kennedy seeks the last man she ever had a one-night fling with, her former boss at a lower Manhattan bar, Declan McGlynn. She finds the bar and sees Dec still tending it. She explains she left him because she did not want to be his babe of the month so instead married Frank. Dec informs her she would not have been a one nighter because he loved her. As they get reacquainted with one another, they realize they love one another, but she believes he is incapable of committing so sometime soon she will have to end this relationship.

THE MAN I SHOULD HAVE MARRIED is an enjoyable relationship romp that centers mostly on Kennedy. The super lead protagonist has woes that would trample anyone, but she stoically deals with all of them as best as she can. Her ex husband makes no sense even with his mid age crisis and Maya is too cute in a nastily teenage way. The delightful Kennedy is the center that holds the plot together hooking readers to root for her to make it preferably with Dec.

Harriet Klausner

Are you bored by most contemporary women's fiction? Then check this out: here's an intelligent, well-written novel with characters you can really relate to and a contemporary love story that is romantic without being stupid and sexy (very!) without being offensive. As a comparison, Laura Zigman is intelligent too, and funny, but her characters are too New York City neurotic for me. Here, the heroine is a suburban wife with an okay-but-not-great husband, so already I'm identifying more. But this wife is a lot hipper and a lot more like people that you actually know--she has the kind of past most 40-year-olds have nowadays, even those of us who live in the 'burbs. And I love the title--how many of us, even those who are happily married, don't respond to the idea of the man in your past who maybe you should've/could've/could still marry? Here's another plus: A lot of this book is about the other great love experienced by women over 35: love of houses and house renovations. If you like to ride around your neighborhood on Sundays going to real estate open houses, trust me: you'll love this book.

I read it in one day! I picked this book up so that I could have some fun and easy reading, and it really filled the bill.

I so loved this book. The author doesn't just tell a story-she paints a picture for you about a woman whose marriage has fallen apart and she has to rebuild a live for herself and her child. Actually, it kinda hit close to home for me, but she, Kennedy, becomes reacquainted with an old flame who still makes her feel something, not that!! He makes her feel that spark, that hard to find emotion we are very lucky to ever find once in a lifetime with someone. And there is this house...this wonderful dreamy house that she restores to its former glory and the way she writes this book...I could envision the house crystal clear in my mind. This book is wonderful.