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The Color Purple (1985)
8.7
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Movie Watch
The emotional film follows a young woman who has been abused, neglected and taken advantage of her...
DW
Divorce, Why Me? - Why Not!
Book
"Divorce, Why Me? Why Not!" chronicles the single life, travesties in marriage, and one man's...
Jane Campion recommended Scenes from a Marriage (1973) in Movies (curated)
Cori June (3033 KP) rated An Ignorance of Means in Books
Feb 2, 2022
Not my normal genre I quite enjoyed this adventure of this completely sheltered girl who entered into a marriage that was not at all what she expected. The journey that I went on in this intrigued me and had me wondering what was going to happen next.
Sometimes I wanted to shake the main character and I feared for what was going to happen and routed for her all the way.
Sometimes I wanted to shake the main character and I feared for what was going to happen and routed for her all the way.
Kristy H (1252 KP) rated Good Company in Books
Apr 15, 2021
Well-written albeit slow going look at marriage and motherhood
Flora Mancini has been happily married for twenty years. But that foundation crumbles when she finds her husband's wedding ring--the one he claimed he lost when their daughter was five--in the back of a drawer. Now she wonders what exactly Julian has kept hidden from her all these years. Is their whole marriage, their whole life, based on a lie?
This is such a hard book to review, because I loved Sweeney's THE NEST so very much. And GOOD COMPANY, while a nice book, is just not THE NEST. Don't get me wrong, it's not a bad book, it just did not move me as much as THE NEST.
GOOD COMPANY offers a thoughtful look into marriage and relationships. It's one of those interesting novels where it feels like not much happens, yet it truly covers the span of an entire relationship--a whole marriage. But there is a lot of ruminating, a lot of speculation, and a lot of angst. It's a very New York sort of book, even if Flora and Julian move to Los Angeles when their daughter, Ruby, is young.
This book is well-written, of course. Sweeney is a wonderful writer. It switches between time periods (the present, and going back in Flora and Julian's relationship) and various points of view, which include Flora, Julian, Ruby, and Flora's best friend, famous actress Margot Ledder. I probably felt the most for Ruby--it's hard to really sympathize much for the adults here. And this is a very "theater" book, with Flora, Julian, and Margot all being in the business. If that's not your thing (it's not mine), it's a little harder to feel engaged in some of the story.
Overall, this is an interesting read, but it can be slow going at times and hard to feel engaged with all the characters. If you like introspective, character-driven reads or you're a theater geek, GOOD COMPANY may be for you. 3 stars.
This is such a hard book to review, because I loved Sweeney's THE NEST so very much. And GOOD COMPANY, while a nice book, is just not THE NEST. Don't get me wrong, it's not a bad book, it just did not move me as much as THE NEST.
GOOD COMPANY offers a thoughtful look into marriage and relationships. It's one of those interesting novels where it feels like not much happens, yet it truly covers the span of an entire relationship--a whole marriage. But there is a lot of ruminating, a lot of speculation, and a lot of angst. It's a very New York sort of book, even if Flora and Julian move to Los Angeles when their daughter, Ruby, is young.
This book is well-written, of course. Sweeney is a wonderful writer. It switches between time periods (the present, and going back in Flora and Julian's relationship) and various points of view, which include Flora, Julian, Ruby, and Flora's best friend, famous actress Margot Ledder. I probably felt the most for Ruby--it's hard to really sympathize much for the adults here. And this is a very "theater" book, with Flora, Julian, and Margot all being in the business. If that's not your thing (it's not mine), it's a little harder to feel engaged in some of the story.
Overall, this is an interesting read, but it can be slow going at times and hard to feel engaged with all the characters. If you like introspective, character-driven reads or you're a theater geek, GOOD COMPANY may be for you. 3 stars.
Kristy H (1252 KP) rated Rock Paper Scissors in Books
Sep 16, 2021
An excellent twisty thriller
Adam and Amelia Wright win a weekend away to Scotland--and this romantic getaway might be the only thing to save their rocky marriage. Screenwriter Adam spends most of his time working, much to the frustration of Amelia. Adam also suffers from prosopagnosia, or face-blindness, and sometimes Amelia wonders if he'd even recognize his own wife in a crowd. They know this weekend could make a huge difference in their marriage, but what they don't know: they didn't win this trip. And someone really doesn't want them to save their marriage.
"We both know this weekend away is a last chance to fix things. Or at least to try. He hasn't forgotten that."
This was a really fun thriller, honestly! Just one of those creepy and mysterious reads that kept me guessing most of the entire time. It's told from the point of view of both Adam and Amelia and interspersed with Amelia's letters that she writes to Adam each year on their anniversary (but does not let him read). We also have a third point of view, from a mysterious other character. How does everyone fit together? Enjoy trying to figure it out!
"My husband doesn't cheat on me with other women, or men, he has love affairs with their words."
Everyone is keeping secrets in this mystery, leading to a wild ride. The setting is amazing, a cold, dark, and snowy atmospheric Scotland that serves as another character in our twisty thriller. Every thing seems ominous and foreboding, as Adam and Amelia traverse the snowy countryside and mysterious house they are staying in.
Overall, this is a great and thrilling mystery, which keeps you guessing. It's a surprising page-turner, that also delves into the themes of marriage and writing. 4+ stars.
I received a free ARC of this book from Macmillan in exchange for an honest review.
"We both know this weekend away is a last chance to fix things. Or at least to try. He hasn't forgotten that."
This was a really fun thriller, honestly! Just one of those creepy and mysterious reads that kept me guessing most of the entire time. It's told from the point of view of both Adam and Amelia and interspersed with Amelia's letters that she writes to Adam each year on their anniversary (but does not let him read). We also have a third point of view, from a mysterious other character. How does everyone fit together? Enjoy trying to figure it out!
"My husband doesn't cheat on me with other women, or men, he has love affairs with their words."
Everyone is keeping secrets in this mystery, leading to a wild ride. The setting is amazing, a cold, dark, and snowy atmospheric Scotland that serves as another character in our twisty thriller. Every thing seems ominous and foreboding, as Adam and Amelia traverse the snowy countryside and mysterious house they are staying in.
Overall, this is a great and thrilling mystery, which keeps you guessing. It's a surprising page-turner, that also delves into the themes of marriage and writing. 4+ stars.
I received a free ARC of this book from Macmillan in exchange for an honest review.
Haley Mathiot (9 KP) rated Playing Hurt: A Guy's Strategy for a Winning Marriage in Books
Apr 27, 2018
Playing hurt is basically a marriage manual for men. But it's not a book on how to "win" the game of marriage against your wife: it's how to win with your wife. It's not how to change your wife so you can be happier: It's on how to change yourself so you can better glorify God through beautifying your wife.
I am, obviously, not a man. So you may be thinking "Haley, why are you reading a men's marriage book?"
well I've got a few answers:
1. I'm a writer, and I like reading things from a man's perspective so I can better write from their perspectives.
2. I'm hoping to get married one day, and it would be nice to understand how my husband thinks.
3. If I understand the ways women usually hurt men and understand men's weaknesses, I can avoid hurting my husband and support him in his weaknesses.
So those are the reasons I personally read this book. I found a lot of good information, and I got to see the other side of the relationship.
Recommendation: I definitely recommend Playing Hurt to men, but their wives can get something out of it as well. Sometimes as women we don't understand that we've hurt our man. But our words cut deeper than we know. It reminds me a lot of For Men Only and For Women Only (very good books by the way!).
I am, obviously, not a man. So you may be thinking "Haley, why are you reading a men's marriage book?"
well I've got a few answers:
1. I'm a writer, and I like reading things from a man's perspective so I can better write from their perspectives.
2. I'm hoping to get married one day, and it would be nice to understand how my husband thinks.
3. If I understand the ways women usually hurt men and understand men's weaknesses, I can avoid hurting my husband and support him in his weaknesses.
So those are the reasons I personally read this book. I found a lot of good information, and I got to see the other side of the relationship.
Recommendation: I definitely recommend Playing Hurt to men, but their wives can get something out of it as well. Sometimes as women we don't understand that we've hurt our man. But our words cut deeper than we know. It reminds me a lot of For Men Only and For Women Only (very good books by the way!).
The Year of Magical Thinking
8.5
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From one of America's iconic writers, a portrait of a marriage and a life - in good times and bad -...
Pray the Gay Away: The Extraordinary Lives of Bible Belt Gays
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In the Bible Belt, it's common to see bumper stickers that claim One Man + One Woman = Marriage,...
Relat(Able) Study Guide: Making Relationships Work
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From the time we are born, relationships are constantly shaping who we are and how we engage with...