Marriage [Paperback]

Gloria Nagy (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 1, 1996

Recounts a year in the lives of Annie and Mickey Wilder, who move to California after Mickey's success in a TV series and encounter adultery, betrayal, and financial ruin. Reprint.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Bright, witty and brisk, Nagy's (A House in the Hamptons) latest puts a refreshing, thoughtful spin on a Hollywood marriage in turmoil. It's Thanksgiving Day and travel writer Annie Wilder's 45th birthday. Her family is gathering for what she's certain will degenerate into a celebration worthy of a "Jewish Eugene O'Neill." Even worse, her husband, sexy TV detective Mickey Wilder, may be having an affair. Sweethearts since the age of six, Annie and Mickey have two grown kids, a big house outside Santa Barbara, Calif., and a marriage considered invulnerable. But in a matter of days, their comfortable, predictable world begins to crumble. Annie both discovers the unlikely object of Mickey's sexual obsession and has a passionate encounter with Oliver Taylor, an English art dealer; and Leonard Lewis, "investment advisor to the stars," absconds with all of their money. Determined to take control of some aspect of her life, Annie vows to find Leonard and reclaim their savings. Before she can, however, Mickey's TV series is canceled, the family goes on a tension-filled Christmas vacation to a Mexican Club Med and Annie has a rendezvous with Oliver in London. Although Nagy puts a saccharine twist on the tragedy that forces Annie finally to choose between Mickey and Oliver, most readers will find this smart and swiftly enjoyable novel just right for a summer weekend around the pool.
Copyright 1995 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Product Details

• Paperback
• Publisher: Kensington (October 1, 1996)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1575660989
• ISBN-13: 978-1575660981
• Product Dimensions: 6.7 x 4 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4.8 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,531,435 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Gloria Nagy is a novelist and screenwriter. She is the author of nine novels including the best selling, "A House In The Hamptons" Her critically acclaimed novel, "Looking for Leo," has been adapted as a mini-series for CBS. Her last novel, "The Beauty" is set in Newport and Cape Cod and has been called "a terrific fable about the futility of escape, the inevitability of evil and the power of redemption." She is currently working on an independent film adaptation of her novel, "Virgin Kisses," and a musical review for women entitled, "Where Do I Go Now?". Ms. Nagy has just completed her latest novel "The Cruise".

Gloria Nagy is a member in good standing of the Authors Guild, Author League and the Screenwriters Guild of America. She is a frequent speaker at the TED Conference in Monterey, California (Technology, Entertainment & Design) and has been interviewed on social issues by Nightline. She has appeared frequently on television and has done over fifty radio interviews on subjects relating to her work and how her themes intersect the zeitgeist. Critics have called her "the social chronicler of her time" and "The female Tom Wolfe" for her ability to "stick pins in all the hot air balloons." Her opinions and observations have been expressed in reviews and articles for national magazines such as Lears, Traveler, Self and Cosmopolitan, as well as in speeches and writing seminars.

Her novels have been published around the world and translated into numerous languages including German, Japanese, Hebrew, Russian and Dutch.

Titles by Author:

"Virgin Kisses" - Warner Books/Penguin International - 1978
"Unapparent Wounds" - William Morrow & Company, Inc., 1981
"Natural Selections" - Villard Books, 1985
"Radio Blues" - St. Martin's Press 1988
"A House in the Hamptons" - Dell Publishing, 1990
"Looking for Leo" - Delacorte Press, 1992
"Marriage" - Little, Brown and Company, 1995
"The Wizard Who Wanted To Be Santa" - Sheer Bliss
Communications LLC, 2000
"The Beauty" - Peter Mayer/Overlook Press, June 2001

Ms. Nagy lives in Newport, Rhode Island with her husband Richard Saul Wurman. They have four children, six grandchildren and three dogs: Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great Book!!, February 5, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Marriage (Paperback)

This is great story about the Wilders, a happily married couple who have it all. He's an actor and she's a writer, and they love each other deeply. On her 40th birthday all hell breaks loose in her life. Annie's almost perfect husband Mickey is having an affair with a wretched artist, there's a death in her family, her brother is mugged and on and on it goes. Annie tries to evaluate her life and make sense of it all with insights that will have you nodding your head in agreement or make you look into yourself a little for some answers. This is as real as characters get. You'll laugh, and get angry and root for Annie who is truly any woman who has ever had her life turn haywire. The author has a real feel for her characters and this book just rolls along, it almost reads its' self. This is about love and relationships, anger and forgiveness, and the acceptance of our imperfections as well as the imperfections in those we love.This couple searchs to find what they really want, only to find that maybe that was what they already had. The author does a fine job of making the characters see each other clearly, then finally seeing themselves clearly. This book is filled with wit, warmth and some very keen observations, and well worth your time.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Sobering, heartwarming and uttterly compelling, August 3, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Marriage (Paperback)

Less than two minutes ago I reached page 428 of "Marriage" a truly awesome, compelling book. Throughout my reading I experienced emotions never brought about before whilst delving into a book. At times I felt like Annie and certainly by the final chapter I too was in floods if not torrents of tears. I thank Goria Nagy for allowing me the opportunity through reading to reflect on my life as a 34 year old mother of two with a steadfast and understanding partner. At this point I feel it ought to be known that I rarely read for pleasure but more often read for my degree. With "Marriage", which from the start dragged me kicking and screaming towards it, I had no choice but to devote all my spare time to its entire consumption.

So without going into detail about my life I want it to be known that I enjoyed "Marriage" immensely and because there are many comparisons between mine and Annie's character, I thank Gloria Nagy for bringing them to my attention.

I look forward to reading more of Ms Nagy's work in the future and am certain that in terms of my creative writing prospects she will be my inspiration.

0 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Still a Great Read, July 14, 2008

By 

Scoots "A Reader" (Florida) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Marriage (Paperback)

My luck was stumbling across Nagy's "Marriage" 13 years after it first published. A wonderful story, both entertaining and thought provoking. I think readers will identify with the characters on many levels.

A delicious novel of romance, infidelity and struggle. "Marriage" delves at length into the complicated phoenomenons of long term marriage, lust and greed. But the story doesn't stop there. Nagy skillfully slips readers right into the shoes of twenty-somethings who are both bound by and seeking independence from their family; adult siblings who harbor childhood scars and a yearning to give and get approval from each other; sandwich generation parents dealing with aging parents and kids who aren't kids anymore. A host of friends, business associates and a beloved pet round out the cast, helping to shape the story and keep the plot moving in interesting directions.

What started out as another light summer novel proved to be an exceptional book that really moved me. I think "Marriage" is an excellent selection to share and discuss among friends or at a book club. It is still as fresh and relevant today as it must have been when originally written.