Original Essays by Terry McMillan, Joyce Maynard, Laura Fraser, Ann Hood, Martha McPhee and Many More
Edited by Andrea Chapin and Sally Wofford-Girand
I think my husband panicked for a minute when he saw this book on the dining room table and read the "D-word" in its title. This is not a self help book or one about relationship problems (so he has nothing to worry about!) It is a collection of essays written by women that tries to answer the question, "What makes or breaks a marriage?"
To me, these stories are an honest look at both the romance of falling in love and what happens after the fairy tale wedding. Some stories are about leaving but some are about sticking it out. All the essays reveal that marriage is complicated and often involves making some agonizing and difficult choices. Although its never a simple decision, some of the relationships in this book do end in divorce but many grow stronger as a result of adversity. The women in this book endured all kinds of challenges, including infidelity, abuse, mental illness, and financial problems, just to name a few. I especially enjoyed Stories We Tell by Joyce Maynard, A Real Catch by Isabel Rose, Love Me Do by Ann Hood, In Sickness by Pamela Bol Riess and My Fair Student by Kim Barnes. I could have done without Terry McMillan's bitter, monotonous, 13 page rant about her unfaithful husband and Zelda Lockhart's long, tedious tale about deciding she was a lesbian. All in all, this is a nice collection that would appeal to all women whether they are single, married or divorced, and remind them that no honeymoon lasts forever.
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