Watermelon [Mass Market Paperback]

Marian Keyes (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: July 1, 1999

At twenty-nine, fun-loving, good-natured Claire has everything she ever wanted: a husband she adores, a great apartment, a good job. Then, on the day she gives birth to her first baby, James visits her in the recovery room to inform her that he's leaving her. Claire is left with a beautiful newborn daughter, a broken heart, and a body that she can hardly bear to look at in the mirror.

In the absence of any better offers, Claire decides to go home to her family in Dublin. To her gorgeous man-eating sister Helen, her soap-watching mother, her bewildered father. And there, sheltered by the love of an (albeit quirky) family, she gets better. A lot better.

In fact, so much better that when James slithers back into her life, he's in for a bit of a surprise.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Claire Webster, heroine of this breezy Irish bestseller, thinks hubby James is the man of her dreams until he ditches her for an older woman (Claire herself is 29) two hours after their daughter is born. Mother and child repair to Dublin, where there's hope of solace and sustenance in the bosom of an eccentric family, while Claire downsizes from watermelon to wisp and struggles over the hurdles of blues and booze. When she attracts a handsome young lover and considers dumping the suddenly repentant James, it's clear a happy ending's in sight. Or is it? There are a few surprises and plenty of sassy girltalk in this slick if sometimes silly take on what it's like to be female. Much of the hilarity generated by Claire's funky family?airhead sisters who squabble over clothes and men, a mother who'd rather watch soap operas than cook, a father perpetually bewildered by the women in his life?wears thin, but readers will identify with Claire's flaws, applaud her irreverent wit and rejoice at her triumphant recovery. Like the fruit it's named for, this overlong novel is short on nutrition but long on refreshment.
Copyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Library Journal

Claire Webster's got it all-a perfect marriage to a handsome husband who provides well and now a darling baby girl-until the morning after she gives birth, when her husband, James, informs her that he's having an affair with their downstairs neighbor and deserts her and his child. Claire flies back to Dublin and the dubious security of her wacky family to sort out her life. A too-handsome hunk of younger man named Adam-whose motives in pursuing her must be suspect, mustn't they?-enlivens this story of survival in the face of crushing blows to one's self-esteem. Hilarious interior monolog, with Claire's refereeing the warring segments of her obstreperous psyche, puts this first novel on the Gen-X "must-read" list. It will appeal to mainstream, women's fiction, and romance fans, too. Highly recommended.?Jo Manning, Univ. of Miami Lib., Coral Gables, FL
Copyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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Product Details

• Mass Market Paperback: 448 pages
• Publisher: Avon (July 1, 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0380796090
• ISBN-13: 978-0380796090
• Product Dimensions: 6.8 x 4.1 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8.8 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (281 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,673,972 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Marian Keyes lived in London for ten years before returning to her native Dublin. After receiving a law degree and studying accounting, she began writing short stories in 1993. She is the author of three previous novels--Watermelon, Lucy Sullivan Is Getting Married, and Rachel's Holiday--all major bestsellers around the world.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

33 of 34 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Marian Keyes Excels With Biting Humor and Great Characters, July 6, 2002

By 

Antoinette Klein (Hoover, Alabama USA) - See all my reviews
(TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Watermelon (Paperback)

Having already read LAST CHANCE SALOON and LUCY SULLIVAN IS GETTING MARRIED, I continue to be thrilled at the biting edge of dark humor Marian Keyes brings to chick lit. She lifts these books up from a banal girl-looking-for-guy novel and gives then something more, namely unforgettable characters the reader truly comes to care about.

Who could be more vulnerable than Claire whose husband James tells her on the day she gives birth to their first-born that he is leaving her for another woman in their apartment building? Thus begins Claire's often sad, often comical, but always interesting saga. She grabs her newborn and flies from London to the safe harbor of her parents home in Dublin. There we meet her hilarious mother and father as well as two of her four sisters: the self-involved Helen and the lovably flakey Anna. (Guess Rachel was busy starring in RACHEL'S HOLDIAY and MAGGIE was caught up in her story as told in ANGELS.) The Walsh family is not a model family, but it is one that you'll love being a part of --- the fights, the squabbles, the sisterly ritual of stealing clothes from one another, the tension amidst the camaraderie, the freezer with frozen food and the mother's aversion to home-cooked meals---all make Claire's stay less than peaceful.

Will she ever come to terms with what has happened to her? Can she pull herself up from her quagmire of despair over losing James? Can she be a fit and loving mother to Kate? Will she stop toying with the idea of stealing her sister's boyfriend and just go ahead and do it? Will Claire come to her senses and tell James off for good or will she go back to him?

Claire will steal your heart as her easy, conversational tone speaks to you just as she would to her best friend, in a breezy, self-deprecating style that keeps you eagerly turning the pages.

23 of 25 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Funny fast read, January 6, 2000

By 

Catherine (Gisborne, New Zealand) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Watermelon (Hardcover)

I was looking forward to reading "Watermelon" as I have been in a similar situation to Claire myself. I found it to be a really good light (but not trashy) read. The book is written as if Claire is talking to you, which means you really identify with her and all her insecurities. It was great when Claire realized that she was fine just the way she was and that she didn't need anyone in her life who couldn't accept that. Claire's family were excellent secondary characters, I can't wait to read "Rachel's Holiday" to hear more about them. Adam seemed a bit too good to be true, or maybe I'm just looking in the wrong places! The only reason I gave this 4 stars instead of 5 is that I have also read "Lucy Sullivan Is Getting Married" and it had quite a lot more plot and was heaps longer than "Watermelon". Marian Keyes' books are so enjoyable to read, it's disappointing to have them end as quickly as "Watermelon" did.

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars one of the BEST books ever!, August 12, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Watermelon (Hardcover)

i LOVED this book! i was browsing thru barnes & nobles one day and came across this book. the cover is what caught my eye first. i read the back and decided it was worth trying-i LOVE reading and am always onthe lookout for fabulous reads. i picked it up and didn't want to put it down once i got started. this is by far one of the BEST books i have ever read. marian keyes writes in such a way that i was able to easily get into the characters emotions. i laughed out loud several times, one time to the point i had tears-which hardly ever happens. i finished the book in the span of 4 hours. some of the scenes are uproariously hilarious and i enjoyed the way the book was in first person. it makes you more able to get into the feelings of the person. funny, tender, sad, and a bit triumphant for those of us who go through losing a significant other to someone else. the book is in all a fabulous read! i can certainly sympathise with what claire goes through. her support network of family and friends are, themselves, a little off the wall sometimes, but isn't that what real life is in the first place? i wish they would get her books over to america faster. we are just now (aug 1999) getting lucy sullivan got married-in hardcover. those are the only two books of hers that we have over here. what's the hold up?