What readers think of An American Marriage, plus links to write your own review.

This is my favorite kind of book: long on characters and short on plot.

Expertly written by Tayari Jones, the book's characters are so real and so fully developed that they just pop off the page. The plot is heartbreaking: Celestial and Roy have a passionate and fiery marriage. Emotions run high—be it love or anger. When he is incarcerated for a crime he did not commit, Celestial must go on with her life. Enter Andre, her best friend since childhood and (literally) the boy next door, who is—just to complicate matters—best friends with Roy. That's the plot. But the genius of the book is in the writing: Each of the three characters narrates various chapters in the first person, so the reader fully appreciates and understands each one's point of view. Jones delves deep into what it means to be committed to love, how it feels to be betrayed and what it takes to forgive.

While this is first and foremost a love story, it is also a human story—an enchanting and beguiling one that explores what it means to be a black, college-educated professional in a Southern society that still judges in tones of black and white. Read it! It's incredible!

An American Marriage has been on my TBR list for some time. The librarian who leads our local book club at my branch library chose An American Marriage for our Feb discussion. I already had a copy, so I began reading it following our last meeting. I was unable to put the book down. The characters tugged at my heart; they are well-drawn and they quickly became people I cared about. They find themselves in a terrible situation through no fault of their own. The story is heartbreaking and redemptive at the same time.

Great book from Tayari Jones. The characters are well rounded. She's a great writer.

Tayari Jones does not sugar coat her stories. They are raw, they are real. In her latest book “An American Marriage” her characters deal with the realities of their place in this world.

The characters are well developed – all with flaws, all with positive qualities. There were times I wanted to embrace a character and then later I felt like asking the same character “What were you thinking?!!” No one was all good, nor all bad. They were real! I had no idea how I wanted the story to go. I kept changing my mind. And I was never sure how the author would end their story.

This is the story of Roy and Celestial Hamilton who met through her best friend Dre. Roy and Celestial married and were deeply in love when after only 18 months of marriage had their world turned upside down. Roy goes to prison for a crime he did not commit. While he is away Celestial turns to Dre for support. Then when he is released he returns to different life. Has his marriage survived? Love, race, trust, loyalty, honesty, family obligations are all explored. This is a heartfelt story, nothing flashy. Ms. Jones wrote in such a way that I could feel the pain the characters felt over the decisions they had to make. No one was going to escape untouched.

‘An American Marriage” is perfect for book clubs. It lends itself to an amazing discussion of the choices made, the consequences, the interactions, race inequality, feminism, family definition.

Mistakes are made, loved ones are betrayed, the term family is redefined, and emotions are laid bare. This is real life.

I read this book for a book club discussion. I found it a little difficult to get into at first but then was caught up in the story. Our lives often seem to be following a plan, but one action, one moment, can change everything not only for the victim of injustice, but also for those around him. I thought the characters were well drawn, even the minor ones, but there were situations in the book that did not seem realistic to me (I am not being specific because of spoilers). I did, however, like the ending. That did seem realistic to me. I already know that some people in my book group did not like the book and others did so I expect an interesting discussion. And that is what book clubs are all about right?

The writing is delightful but the characters did not connect or resonate with me. The character development was weak and I did not feel passionately about them either way. Celeste was weak and selfish.