What do readers think of Mating for Life by Marissa Stapley? Write your own review.

It took me a while to get into this book. When that happens I just put it aside and begin again. I am so glad I did. I loved this book with it's many characters and all the problems that everyone has, including resolutions that are not always blue sky but reality. Don't miss this one!

I found this book delightful. It is full of strong, yet very real female characters. I enjoyed the paragraphs at the beginning of each chapter describing different animal mating habits. Those, to me, were a great tie back to the title of the book. I was fully drawn into the lives of the characters and was rooting for their problems to be resolved. The author was able to portray many different personalities smoothly and clearly. This book was a fun, engrossing story. I look forward to reading more by this author!

Marissa Stapley's debut novel, Mating For Life, should be on every avid readers summer list and a priority for reading groups. I had to keep checking to make sure I was correct in reading that it was her first novel. The choice of subject matter and subsequent unfolding of the plot surprised, delighted and kept me reading. This novel takes a common theme of mothers and daughters and creates a family unique in their personalities and choices when it comes to love. We are then
provided a perfect vantage point to watch life begin to unfold at the annual summer cottage weekend. The reader is witness to each women …more arriving at her own truth after much soul searching and admissions of past mistakes. The novel's quick pace and witty dialogue will not disappoint. (less)

Does the use of the word "mating" in the title of the book tried to get people to relate to their animal-like behavior and negotiate that response to a contemporary interpretation of a "human" response.

I had no preconceived idea of animal instinct when I began to read the book but I did find characters in the book lacking in a number of ways: lack of responsibility for their weak behavior with the important people in their life and the shallowness of their character. But later when I read further into the story I began to feel that a turn-around was beginning to take place in character development by a change in …more their outlook.They began to allow themselves to think about interactions with family relationships and begin to have more positive and honest feed-back in these relationships as well as to understand their responsibilities as an adult.

I liked the idea of an introductory paragraph to each chapter in which an animal's behavior is tied to the character(s) entering the story at that point and their resemblance to the animal's description in the opening paragraph. This is a good idea carrier and the reader is sure to get the message. I also think the animals' introduction is part of the reason for the word "mating" in the title. This vehicle describes characters' psychology in animal terms which is a turn-about from their original orientation. It's as if they don't have a choice in their actions because they were brought up that way and it gives us a better understanding of their behavior--is it also possible that mating is more of an important meaning because people need the touch of others more than they need a slip of paper (legal contract). In the end they become true to their proclivities and responsible in an honest and mature way to their lifes' problems and experiences. That understanding is reached at novel's end.

I progressed from feeling a distaste of the characters and their behavior to a full acceptance of their final emotional state Book is certainly worthwhile reading, especially to see how the character evolution takes place. My eyes were opened wider to see how the characters fulfilled the reality of their transformation. (less)

One of the best books I've read in a very long time! Great characterizations and a good story. It was hard to put down and I will be looking forward to seeing more books from Marissa Stapley in the future!

Reading this book was sheer pleasure. The characters are well defined and I didn't find myself constantly trying to remember who was who. The sisters are so different and yet they have a common bond that I felt they got from their mother. As in real life, not all of their stories were wrapped with a big bow, but they were realistic and made sense for them. Not just a beach read.

As an only child who lost her mother fairly early in life, I found this story of mothers, daughters and sisters, delightful and insightful. Stapley's literary style is bright and breezy and the character's she creates for us are diverse and well rounded. My only complaint was sometimes when a chapter began I had to go back and remind myself of who the woman was being featured. If life had allowed me to read it straight through, that probably wouldn't have happened. All in all, this book left me with a longing for my mother and regret that I grew up without sisters.

I really enjoyed the format of this book. Each chapter is told from the viewpoint of that particular character. I feel like as a reader this helps you to learn each character in the story in a more intimate way, versus just from the voice of a narrator. It was also exciting to have heard about a character from others and then get to the chapter where you got to hear from "them" and their side of the story. It felt almost like you were finally getting to "meet" somebody you'd only heard about.
I think the story did a beautiful job of exploring the different relationships of mother and daughter, sisters, husband …more and wife, and parent and child. There were a lot of characters to build different dynamics, but not so many that you lost track of who was who or felt like they took away from the story.
It's been a few days since I finished reading this book and I find myself missing the characters, wishing I had more pages to read to revisit them again. (less)