The Divorce Party (Hardcover)

~ (Author)
Key Phrases: laura dave, divorce party, red velvet cake, New York, Red Hook, Champ Nathaniel Huntington (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Review

"I'm looking forward to reading [The Divorce Party] Laura Dave's latest book."
--Emily Giffin, USA Today

“A revealing, honest portrait of how love binds us together -- and drives us apart. Laura Dave understands the affections and contradictions within the human soul. I love this book!”
—Kate Jacobs, author of FRIDAY NIGHT KNITTING CLUB

"In lustrous, supple language and with breathtaking acuity, Laura Dave explores the intricate inner lives of two women as they struggle to know the men they love… they face the same thorny question: how many lies—and how much truth—can love bear?"
—Marisa de los Santos, author of LOVE WALKED IN

Praise for LONDON IS THE BEST CITY IN AMERICA:
“Endearingly quirky . . . [a] charming, offbeat debut . . . that winningly explores the romantic choices we make.”
—USA Today

”Incredibly deft, utterly satisfying, a triumph of a first novel.”
—Melissa Bank

”Such a satisfying read . . . The relationships among her cast are complicated, fraught and tender. Her story reads sweet but real.”
—The Washington Post

Product Description

A novel about loyalty, loss, and the endurance of love

On their 35th anniversary, Gwyn Huntington and her husband Thomas have invited friends and family to their Montauk home. Instead of celebrating their decades-long love, they are toasting their divorce. This also marks the weekend that their son brings home his fiancée, Maggie Mackenzie, for the first time. Maggie thought she was joining a perfect family, but she is about to reckon with some uncomfortable truths about the man she wants to marry.

A multi-generational story about what it means to share a life with someone, The Divorce Party brings us two immensely appealing women: Gwyn who is stumbling upon the end of her marriage, and Maggie, her future-daughter-in-law, who is trying to navigate the beginning of hers. With emotional candor and surprising humor, these two women find themselves trying to answer the same questions: Can you ever really know someone? When should you fight for the person you love most, and when should you begin to let him go?

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 256 pages
• Publisher: Viking Adult (May 15, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0670018597
• ISBN-13: 978-0670018598
• Product Dimensions: 8.2 x 5.5 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 13.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (29 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #298,583 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

14 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A lovely and moving read, June 16, 2008

By	Margaret - See all my reviews

The Divorce Party is one of the most oddly moving books I've read in a long time. Since I finished reading it, I have been trying to sort out what, exactly, makes it work so well. Certainly, it captures the emotions of complex people in complex relationships in incredibly lovely prose. It is funny, and surprisingly heartwarming, and hard to put down. And yet it goes beyond that somehow, in a way that so few books do. There is some little bit of magic that it delivers. It leaves you hopeful for your own relationships, and for your ability to embrace your future, whatever it has in store.

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Wonderful, May 18, 2008

By	UES - See all my reviews

Set in Montauk, this novel tells the story of two women, Gwyn, who's getting ready to end her 35-year marriage, and her future daughter-in-law, Maggie, who's learning just how little she knows about her fiancé. Smart, insightful, and gorgeously written, The Divorce Party is a must-read for anyone who appreciates good fiction.

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Fantastic Book!, May 26, 2008

By	Book Addict (Portland, OR) - See all my reviews

Laura Dave is an amazingly talented writer. Her first book, London is the Best City in America was incredible, and this one might even be better if that's possible. Once again, the insight into the many layers of each of the characters is impressive and makes you realize how so many things in life are simple and complex at the same time. Even though the book takes place over a single day, by the end it seems that you've known the characters for a long time.