- Paperback: 288 pages
- Publisher: Jonathan Cape Ltd (13 Mar 1997)
- Language English
- ISBN-10: 0224044265
- ISBN-13: 978-0224044264
- Product Dimensions: 21.2 x 13.8 x 2.4 cm
- Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
- Amazon Bestsellers Rank: 1,562,192 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
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Product Description
Product Description
In the beginning there was an ordinary family - Ben, Rose and their three children. Then, one morning, without warning, Ben leaves and Rose is left to face life alone. This is the story of Rose and Ben's marriage before he leaves, and of how Rose struggles to reinvent her life when he has gone.
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
6 of 6 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
this book is one of those you can't stop reading. The story itself is very simple: Ben leaves Rose because he is in love with someone else and there she is left with three children. What is so peculiar about this book is how well all the relationships among the characters are described, you do start to know Rose and her children bit by bit and you get the feeling that this might be your friend going through the biggest defy of her life: building a new life without a husband, who was basically the pillar of the entire family. Rose has to start from anew: in her relationship with her children, with her husband but above all with her own life. It seems to me that the way the character evolves in the story is absolutely true. One little step after the other Rose is able to re-conquer all that she thought she already had. But this time she is definetly more self conscious and it feels like she is getting the reins of her life back into her own hands. Sha can cope without Ben...
Format:Paperback
This book starts brilliantly; Ben has just walked out on Rose after some 20 years of marriage, with no discussion, no explanation. The novel then switches between Rose's attempts to cope, and the early days of their relationship back in the 70s. The format works well, as in the present day Rose discovers just how far she's been betrayed.
Many people will be able to identify with this story, especially women. And Dunne places it in a national context too, such as views on divorce in Ireland.
But about half way through, the format falls apart and no longer works. We have bits and pieces from Ben's perspective - and even more unconvincingly from the mystery woman as well - and the story generally meanders and slows down.
At first the simplicity of the writing is its strength, but then it becomes rushed and clichéd ridden
Many people will be able to identify with this story, especially women. And Dunne places it in a national context too, such as views on divorce in Ireland.
But about half way through, the format falls apart and no longer works. We have bits and pieces from Ben's perspective - and even more unconvincingly from the mystery woman as well - and the story generally meanders and slows down.
At first the simplicity of the writing is its strength, but then it becomes rushed and clichéd ridden
5 of 7 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
Rose is a traditional housewife, who has never worked outside the home since her marriage and devoted all her life and energy to her husband and children. (Do such women really exist?) Ben, her husband is a chauvinist who dumps Rose for another woman. He really has no redeeming features, and the reader is longing for him to get his come-uppance. I found this book rather annoying in that the story moved back and forth in time. Dates as titles for each chapter were intended to show the reader where the marriage was at, but I was too keen to get on with the story to take notice of them, so lost track.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
Very Good
A simple story but so well told and more compelling reading than some thrillers I've read -quite an achievement by the author.
Published on 25 April 2000
A gripping read
This is an author who know exactly what she is saying and just how to say it. She transforms the everyday into the special; the book is deep without being heavy.
Published on 8 Dec 1998
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