Recipes for a Perfect Marriage [Hardcover]

Morag Prunty (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: April 26, 2006

A tender, funny, heartfelt novel about an uncertain bride and the Irish grandmother who teaches her the unexpected ingredients of marital happiness

Tressa is sure of almost everything -- her career as a successful food writer, her great friends, and her sophisticated New York lifestyle. She has never been so sure of men, however, and as she hits her late thirties, the prospect of never marrying looms large. When Dan shows up on her doorstep, she hopes that he's "the one," and soon they are married. There's just one problem: With all the excitement of finding him, and then the wedding, Tressa is struck with an awful idea -- maybe he's not the one after all. Into this mess of uncertainty comes an unexpected life preserver -- the journals and recipes of her grandmother Bernadine. Bernadine and her husband, James, had the kind of marriage that Tressa always believed she should have -- the perfect marriage. Or so Tressa thought.

In Recipes for a Perfect Marriage the unexpected secret to marital bliss unfolds through the voices and recipes of Tressa and Bernadine. They are generations and oceans apart, yet in this charming, beautifully imagined novel, they learn that marriage, like brown bread, is both sturdy and fragile, and never to be taken for granted.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Afraid she is too old to wait for "The One," successful 38-year-old food writer Tressa Nolan marries the next man who asks her—her building super, amiable, kindly, not-very-educated Dan Mullins. Less than two months into her marriage, she realizes she does not love her husband, and never has. Horrified by his blue-collar habits, his desire to move from their Upper West Side apartment to Yonkers and his combative mother, Eileen, Tressa wishes desperately for the counsel of her late Irish grandmother, Bernadine, who taught her to cook and whose 50-year marriage to grandfather James seemed like the model of the perfect relationship. Along with old-fashioned recipes (e.g., Slow-Roasted Clove Ham and Honey Cake), Bernadine's tale, set in 1930s and '40s Ireland, is interspersed with Tressa's, in 2004 Manhattan. The two stories run parallel, each woman learning that as food too hurriedly made is inferior to its long-cooking counterpart, so the passionate love that immediately strikes the heart may be pale in comparison to the slow-growing, long-lasting love of marriage. A fine point, and nicely illustrated, but the mirror chapters becomes predictable, as whatever happens to one woman is sure to happen, in similar form, to her counterpoint. (May)
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

From Booklist

Thirty-eight-year-old food-writer Tressa Nolan marries her building super, Dan Mullins, but after only two months--as she wrestles with his desire to move from Manhattan to Yonkers, with his teeming horde of relatives, and with his daily, lumbering presence--she is horrified to realize that she does not love him. Tressa is haunted by memories of her grandmother Bernadine's seemingly idyllic marriage. Bernadine's story, set in Ireland during the 1930s and '40s, is interspersed as well as old-fashioned recipes for honey cake and rhubarb tart. As Tressa gradually realizes the depth of compromises required in marriage, she gains an appreciation for the kind of love that grows slowly and lasts as opposed to more passionate but temporary liaisons. Beautifully illustrating her points with domestic scenes of confrontation and reconciliation, Prunty proves to be a surprisingly astute observer of marriage in all its complications. Lacking the boisterous humor of Marian Keyes' novels but similarly appealing for its warmth and Irish charm, this would make a fine choice for women's reading groups, where it is sure to provoke lively discussion. Joanne Wilkinson
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 18 and up
  
• Hardcover: 304 pages
• Publisher: Hyperion (April 26, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1401301975
• ISBN-13: 978-1401301972
• Product Dimensions: 8.5 x 6 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (23 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #948,529 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

11 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Should be required reading for couples - and the recipes are excellent!, August 6, 2006

By 

K. Corn "reviewer" (midwest, United States) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (TOP 100 REVIEWER)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Recipes for a Perfect Marriage (Hardcover)

This novel is a gem, exploring the mysteries of marriage in sections which touch upon some of the traits that help maintain commitment (Chemistry, compromise, sacrifice, endurance, shared joy, etc). Don't fear that this book will be "preachy" - it is not. Instead, it is a very penetrating, realistic look at marriage through the eyes of two women, Tressa and Bernadine.Tressa lives in today's world. Bernadine "speaks" to her only through journal entries but that is enough to reveal the marriage she had, a marriage Tressa mistakenly believed was perfect.

Although the two women are generations apart - but shared a similar dilemna, learning to love their husbands after marrying them.

Tressa is newly married and already wondering what she has gotten herself into. As Tressa continues to struggle with her own doubts, she starts to read her grandmother's journal and glimpes the truth behind the facade of perfection in her grandmother's marriage.

Both of the women's lives in this book are believable and the author doesn't shy away from hard truths - that love, even in the best of marriages, can wax and wane, that it may have to grow over time and that commitment and hanging on through times of deep, deep doubt and stress may be what separates those who stay married from those who do not. Enduring some periods of lovelessness and animosity may even be normal.

What I like best about this book (besides the wonderful writing) is the point that the author returns to time and again...that there is no one formula for success in building a successful marriage - but there ARE goalposts along the way, characteristics that temper youthful romance and build a mature union.

In showing the growth of these two women as they struggle with doubt about whether they truly love their husbands or not, the author, Morag Prunty, reveals how the deepest love may come from LEARNING how to love as a marriage goes along and in turning away from romantic fantasies to the hard reality of the work it takes to maintain commitment and build a history.

This is the world of real love, not fantasy, not formula romance - and it should be required reading for many couples, married or single. It raises so many questions: what IS the basis of a good marriage? How important is just "hanging in there" when all seems hopeless? When is it time to walk away? How is one's personal growth affected by learning to tolerate someone with habits which may be very different from one's own?

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars * A MUST READ *, May 4, 2006

By 

Nicole "Nicole" (San Francisco, CA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Recipes for a Perfect Marriage (Hardcover)

Rarely does an author know how to write a book about love and commitment in a way that is palatable for both sexes. But Morag Prunty had both my boyfriend and me reading Recipes for a Perfect Marriage from cover to cover - with no desire to put it down. And that is rare. Perhaps because Prunty articulates what men and women from all generations can so easily relate to: the fear of commitment and the challenges of relationships. And perhaps because it is refreshingly more pro-male than most books about love. Recipes delivers honest, beautiful messages. It will surely hit an emotional chord with anyone who has ever been in a relationship, or afraid to take the plunge. Both serious and funny at times, I would highly recommend Recipes for both male and female audiences.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Married?...You'll LOVE this novel!!, December 11, 2006

By 

Reading my way thru life "Sharing what I read" (VA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Recipes for a Perfect Marriage (Hardcover)

I LOVED this novel! Anyone who's married will enjoy this! The story is about Tressa, a newly married professional woman who is thinking that her marriage was a mistake from the beginning. All she can see are the imperfections in her new husband and their relationship. The story is mixed with letters from her grandmother that recount her own marriage. Then, there are recipes throughout that seem to perfectly advise or depict the aspects of marriage just by the directions or ingredients! The author hooks you from the beginning, then you will want to devour it in one sitting! I found myself anxiously wanting to get back to the story of Tressa's grandmother's marriage while reading Tressa's story. (The chapters mostly alternated between the two.)

You'll be thinking about your own marital relationship while reading this story. I think we get so busy comparing, analyzing and gauging what we've got and wanting it to look identical to the fairytale that we too often don't allow ourselves to realize or enjoy what a prize we really do have. Isn't it really about what you make of it anyway?

I loved the language in this book. There were many times I wanted to stop reading and go write down an excerpt from the book.

I don't buy many novels because I am not usually that interested in re-reading them, so I usually check them out from the library. This is one I would definately want to read again, and I want to try out the recipes! Buy the book, it's money well spent!

This is a great read!