This Side of Married [Mass Market Paperback]

Rachel Pastan (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: May 31, 2005

The comedy of domestic manners gets a delightful update in this intoxicating novel that suggests a latter-day Pride and Prejudice transplanted to an affluent suburb of Philadelphia. Well-meaning but domineering Dr. Evelyn Rubin has one consuming wish, that her three daughters be happily married. Alice, the eldest, is about to tumble into a speedy engagement. Sensible Isabel is already married, and having second thoughts. Tina, the baby, remains blithely single, though always dreams of a perfect wedding down the line. As various men—some good, some fascinatingly bad—enter from the wings and the romantic complications mount, This Side of Married stands unveiled as a novel that’s as heady as good champagne and as rich as a genuine Sachertorte.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

The venerable Jane Austen would no doubt be astonished to find herself compared via back cover copy to the author of this dreary, plodding tale of matrimony and mishegas in modern-day Philadelphia. Dr. Evelyn Rubin became a doctor at a time when women simply didn't become doctors, but in her 60s, her only source of pleasure is getting her own daughters safely married off. She's succeeded with the middle child, Isabel, who hasn't been able to get her husband to impregnate her; but her bitter disappointments are goody-goody Alice, the eldest, 38, and woefully single, and wild-child Tina, the youngest, who subscribes to the blow-and-throw disposable-man school of dating. Men of varying degrees of suitability wander in and out of the story, upsetting the lives of our three heroines in various ways. Unfortunately, neither the men nor the ensuing turmoil are interesting enough to sustain readers' interest. Sedate to the point of colorlessness ("Still, she did not actually broach the subject with him but asked instead, 'So, when did you first become interested in me?' "), this is an excellent lesson in the difference between going through the motions and pulling out the stops; the ranks of wedding lit won't be improved by this addition.
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Booklist

"Love at first sight," "whirlwind courtship," and "happily ever after" are not mere cliches in the Rubin household; they are the truisms that Dr. Evelyn and Judge Rubin have fed their three daughters throughout their legendary 40-year marriage. They have, therefore, unwittingly set impossibly high standards, ones each daughter despairs of ever achieving for herself. Unable to conceive a child, Isabel's marriage to Theo is failing rapidly, while Alice chalks up yet another in a long string of disappointing relationships, and Tina becomes engaged to a man who is still legally married. You can almost hear their parents asking, "Where did we go wrong?" Smart and insightful, with just the right combination of common sense and cynicism, each daughter ultimately follows her heart to her own, rather than her parents', storybook ending. Pastan cunningly reveals the myriad sides of being married--the good, the bad, and the ugly--in an engaging look at the current state of love and courtship. Carol Haggas
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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Product Details

• Mass Market Paperback: 272 pages
• Publisher: Penguin (Non-Classics) (May 31, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0143035436
• ISBN-13: 978-0143035435
• Product Dimensions: 7.6 x 5 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 7.2 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (12 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,263,987 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Choose this for your next book group--, June 18, 2005

By 

Donna Silver - See all my reviews

This review is from: This Side of Married (Mass Market Paperback)

I would highly recommend This Side of Married by Rachel Pastan as an ideal book for any women's book group.
The story, set in Philadelphia, revolves around three sisters and their overbearing mother. The mother's goal is to see each of her daughters happily married and pregnant. The daughters, each in her own way, struggle to obtain the good life, which includes finding the ideal spouse. The book is fast-paced and very enjoyable. My book group had one of its livelier discussions about family dynamics and marriage.

7 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A compelling read, June 18, 2005

By 

Lisa Cohen (Brooklyn, NY USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: This Side of Married (Mass Market Paperback)

I loved this book! When I finished it, I found myself missing the characters something awful. Pastan has successfully updated Austen's Pride & Prejudice by exploring the age-old issues of meddling mothers, jealous sisters, disappointing suitors and the drive to mate with humor, wit and intelligence. The story draws you in and deftly adds characters and plot twists that keep you engaged throughout.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars I am missing soemthing with the Jane Austen comparison!, May 24, 2005

By 

Samantha W. Mckevitt "longislandgirl" (Dix Hills, NY United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: This Side of Married (Hardcover)

What do these 3 whiny selfish sisters have to do with Austen's classis sparkling comedy of manners? Mrs. Bennett was neither cold nor bullying of her brood of British daughters? The characters in Pride and Prejudice are likable unlike this horror. I was delighted to pick this up, but it turned out to be so disappointing.

The sisters and their mother, "Doc". are so thinly drawn. The author labels each one and we never see beyond that. The mother was so exaggerated she could never garner any sympathy. The men from the father to the assorted husband/boyfriend/fiance types were also like paper dolls, nothing was there. I never cared about these people.

If you want a book about marriage and sister, reread Jane Austen!