Customer Reviews

Recipes for a Perfect Marriage: A Novel

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In "Recipes for a Perfect Marriage" Kate Kerrigan transcends the genre of women's fiction, and has produced a novel for everyone - man or woman - who has ever loved only to hesitate on the brink of commitment, or to doubt a commitment already made.

In a tale spanning three generations, Kerrigan illuminates the differences and similarities in the roles of women and men in marriage, and in the way we view marriage itself, today and in our grandparents' generation. Along the way - in a captivating tale that is also a genuine page-turner - Kerrigan displays a unique insight into the highs and lows of romantic love, and the deeper and more complex rewards of committing oneself to another.

Read it, and ask your partner to read it, too.

I picked this up on a trip to Dublin and was surprised at how good it was. It is similar to "Like Water for Chocolate" in that there is a recipe that introduces each chapter. The recipes reflect the relationships in the book. Somewhere in the chapter either the flavor, the difficulty of preparation, or something in the recipe will be important in the progression of the story line. This beautifully written story tells how on her wedding day, a young bride receives her grandmother's recipes and diaries. The bride, who thinks she has made a mistake in her choice of a husband, had always thought that her grandparents had a perfect marriage. Through reading her grandmother's diaries she discovers what a "perfect marriage" really is and how different it is from what we think we are looking for in a mate.

An ode to marriage the "old-fashioned way", where loyalty and commitment and `realistic' love are so much more important than romance, passion, or being swept off one's feet.

Sweet and heartwarming and though very much about `the right thing to do' it just manages to escape becoming `preachy'.

i am saying this because i bought this book when i was engaged and read it again when i was married. it helped me a great deal. there are two parallel stories, one in the past and one in the present. they both contain some really valuable and true advice.
such as, not letting the little things that annoy you get in the way of your relationship. trust is the most important thing in a marriage. the comittment to love is stronger than feelings, and lasts a lifetime. these are just a few of the priceless bits of wisdom this book has to offer.
it really helped me in the beginning of my marriage. i think it would be helpful no matter what stage of your life you are in.

I bought this for my wife (honestly!!), but picked it up one day myself and found it thoroughly engaging. The intertwining stories of love over different generations whilst still maintaining true to the era was refreshing and surprisingly current...It will make you ponder as you see reflections of your own situation in those of the subject content. A grandmother and granddaughter's lives so terribly different but still the same when it comes to the struggles of the heart...warmly written and easy to pass from page to page...