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Debra P. (Belmont, NC)
Relationships
This book is a tangle of relationships and how they are connected and impact one another. The author does a great job developing the characters to the degree one feels part of their family. I especially appreciate her deep understanding of the impact a parents decisions regarding their marriage or love life may have on children. Also how children are deeply affected in their developmental years to assume certain adult roles based on their early relationships with parents and siblings. This book can generate some really deep conversations in a book club because I believe all of us share a certain level of family
…more dysfunction and have stories to tell. I really enjoyed the book and am giving it 5 stars. (less)To paraphrase Tolstoy's opening in Anna Karenina, happy families are all alike, but every unhappy family suffers in its own way. In Mating for Life, Marisa Stapley introduce an extended family with multiple dysfunctional characteristics. Helen, the matriarch, has always been a free spirit - a woman who loved men, but didn't care to marry them. Thus, each of her three daughters had a different father - none of whom are currently in the picture at all. Now, as adults, each of the girls is struggling with their own marriages and/or relationships as well as their connections to each other and Helen. Each chapter of
…more the book deals the issues from a different person's perspective. The chapters are also prefaced with a telling, biological description of the mating habits of birds and other wildlife.
The characters are interesting and well drawn, although their issues tend to be problems of their own making rather than tragedy brought on by outside interests.
I would recommend it to women's book groups and an enjoyable read and discussion subject. (less)
Beth B. (New Wilmington, PA)
MATING FOR LIFE -- Immerse yourself in this one!!
WOW!!! This book is a winner, one I will definitely recommend to anyone who wants to listen to my effusive praise. Marissa Stapley is certainly an author who can build characters, fleshing them out so that you know them and would even want to meet them -- perhaps have cocktails on a patio or deck. Conversation would not falter!! Families, love, relationships, the force of the past and how early years affect individuals, how we are and how others see us are themes that permeate this masterfully created novel.
Sandra L. (Delray Beach, FL)
Mating for Life
Love, love, love this book! As a former 'flower child' I can relate to Helen's mind-frame (as the author so skillfully presents her). Every last character is extremely well developed. I think there is enough meaty insight in this book to last a life time and will recommend it to my book club and to women of all ages. Great read!
Nancy L. (Zephyrhills, FL)
Mating for Life
Mating for Life by Marissa Stanley has a lot going for it. We follow three sisters and their mother as they navigate their way through broken marriages, short-lived flings, and new loves. Early on, I became attached to these women and, at times, they felt like my friends. I loved their feistiness and their courage as they struggled with their relationships. At times I wanted to slap some common sense into them, while at other times I cheered for them as they came to an important decision.
There is something here for everyone, including family secrets, passionate affairs, sweet romance a rustic cottage on the
…more lake, and a family matriarch who is always addressed as "Helen", never "Mom" or "Mother". I didn't want the book to end. I wanted to know what the future holds for these strong women. (less)A delightfully charming novel about love in all its form. It is ultimately a hopeful novel with complex characters that the reader comes to care about. The novel is told through a variety of narrators, and I enjoyed watching how the various strands of the stories were woven together to create a complex, beautiful tapestry. It would make a fine book group book as it raises all sorts of questions about love and families and what makes a marriage work.
Caryl L. (Williamsburg, VA)
Mating for Life
A lovely book - the story of Mother, Helen, and her three daughters and their marital problems.
Helen has led a bohemian life; wild, opinionated, three children by three different men. She is contemplating marriage to a very traditional man and wonders if she can be happy and supportive in this role.
Fiona, the eldest daughter lives a very traditional life with her husband and two children. When her husband reveals a terrible secret he has been harboring all these years, Fiona feels her life falling apart. She must deal with this secret and with her own problems and secrets. She is fighting to keep her ordered
…more life and marriage together.
Ilsa. middle child and artist, feels unhappy and unfulfilled. Her art is suffering and her husband is very busy with work and barely pays attention to her. She has two small children whom she must consider.
Liane, the youngest, is in love with a man who has an ex-wife and two children. She is not sure how she is going to deal with this situation and feels fearful about going ahead with this marriage.
Marissa Stapley has been able to, through her beautiful prose with great understanding, bring together a book that could have been depressing. This is very pleasant read. (less)For the first two chapters I found myself struggling a little bit to get into the book. For some reason, I could not quite keep straight who all of the different women were. However, there was something compelling about these realistic, less-than-perfect women that made me want to know what was going to happen. I think that the author captured well the mistakes people make as they search for happiness and fulfillment. This book might provide some good soul searching to people who think they are ready to leave a relationship or do something that would endanger one which they do not really want to lose.I
…more particularly enjoyed one passage in which a daughter bemoans the fact that her mother is more like a girlfriend, as the mother joins in on a conversation about a short but passionate fling after a party. It brought a smile to my face; I think many daughters are overly critical of their mothers - as long as the mothers are alive. As a side note - I'm not sure that the introductory paragraphs about the mating habits of various animals ads anything to this book (and I am an animal lover.) (less)
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