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Susan F. (Louisville, KY)
Separating throughout Life
What an ironic title for a novel about a beatnik hippy, Helen, who wanted nothing to do with monogamy. Her three daughters, from three different men, are all struggling with relationships in single life, married life, steamy affairs, and waning careers.
While the story has a lot of potential, I was disappointed in the lack of depth of the characters, I didn't feel like I knew them. Reading is a passion for me, and I long for a book that draws me in from the beginning and keeps me enthralled throughout. Sadly, this is not one of those novels.
Laura L. (Providence, RI)
Not as deep as the title
I choose to review this book as the title interested me, but I found that the story lacked depth. I am drawn to stores that go deep into the characters thoughts and this book did not satisfy me. There were several characters and the stories were similar so at times I had to look back to see which character was talking. I also feel that it lacked what it advertised, an understanding of mating. Instead it focused on why people separate. It is not a book I would have continued to read if I didn't have to finish it for this review. I rated it a three as I think a lot of people might like this light read, it just was not for me.
Cindy J. (Hastings, NY)
Mating for Life
This book examines relationships between mother - daughters, sisters, husbands, lovers, and friends and compares them to mating patterns of wildlife. I didn't hate this book, but I didn't love it either. I felt like there were too many characters when I would have enjoyed a deeper development of a few of the characters and their relationships.
Laura P. (Atlanta, GA)
Mating for LIfe? Maybe
Mating for Life is something of an ironic title for this novel, since it's something none of its characters seem to do very well. And are there characters! Meet hippie folksinger mom Helen, her three daughters (all by different fathers, none of whom married mom), their spouses and lovers and kids, the guy who runs the marina and his current live-in honey (and why are they even part of this story?), the local agriculture expert, the illegitimate daughter of one of the husbands who lives in Vienna, and a random few friends and neighbors. This book contains too many people for the amount of character development
…more the author is willing to invest. Too many characters, too many subplots - the book has a very scatter-shot feel. the vignettes at the beginning of each chapter on the mating habits of a variety of non-human animals was interesting, but increased the feeling that what one was likely to find in Mating for Life was anything but. (less)This was not at all a bad read, but it didn't live up to the promise of the first part. I found it touching and realistic until somewhere around the last third, at which point many new, less believable characters entered the picture, the action felt far more rushed, and the ending especially felt somewhat forced and trite. It was worth reading for me as I related to one of the characters in a way that is rare for
Susan K. (Dartmouth, MA)
Just not my cup of tea...
What I liked best about this book were the descriptions of the mating habits of various birds and animals at the beginning of the chapters, and then trying to see how they often tied in to the chapters. What I didn't like was the lack of clarity, the awkward run-on sentences, the characters themselves, and on and on....
I forced myself to read the last half of the book; I just didn't care about the characters, and had a hard time remembering which daughter had which problems. The language used was also too cut and dried for my taste, almost like reportage. I can appreciate that others like that style, but it's
…more just not for me (I actually would like to give this a 2 star rating, but don't want to be so mean-spirited in my review.) (less)The mating style of different animals at the beginning of each chapter was an interesting way to tie the book to the title.
I am not sure how why everyone on the family had to have marital problems, even if the author tried to relate it to their upbringing.
Book clubs would have a lively discussion as their is usually someone who could relate to one of the characters. The book did not speak to me however.
Liz B. (Fairview, TX)
Good, not Great
This is a fairly quick read focusing on the relationships of three sisters and their mother. I found the title to be a bit misleading as most of these characters have had multiple relationships with men and do not appear terribly successful at "mating for life". The story flows nicely as the chapters rotate among the different women. The opening blurbs about wildlife at each chapter are interesting, if a bit unnecessary. This is a book that would work for book club or make a light read for a weekend vacation at the lake.
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