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mmkkll's review against another edition
4.0
One of the most quotable recent books I've read; it's a light/easy read, but still thought-provoking and interesting. I picked up a free copy at BEA and couldn't believe I waited until October to read it. It will hit home for New Yorkers, especially those interested in writing, and I didn't think it was as bad as some people have said. I didn't expect it to be a deep book, though.
mary00's review against another edition
3.0
This book was hot and cold for me. There were parts that really dragged for me, but I did care enough about the characters to want to see the book through to the end. I appreciated the ultimate message that marriage is worth it. Some of the dialogue felt a bit contrived to me and the book had its share of bad language. It is also paced very slowly. Slow pacing doesn't bother me in books - but I know some readers prefer fast-paced novels. It was a little disconcerting at times how the story jumped from one characters point of view at one point in time, to a point in time several years in the future from another character's point of view. But in the end, I appreciated how this book seemed to mirror the pacing of life itself. We have times that are full of life changing moments and then we can skip ahead a few years without anything too significant occuring.
perpetualpageturner's review
2.0
*Giveaway on my blog of this book going on until 9/29*
Hard for me to give this one a star rating. I'm going with a 4 as an approximate star rating but you should probably just read my review to determine if you should read it. Not my star rating.
When I received this book, I really wasn't sure that I'd like it. The title turned me off for some reason. I'm weird like that. A title could make me want to pick up a book or pass it by no matter if the book is crap or really great. Am I the only one like this? Anyways, this book was one of those that exceeded my expectations.
This novel centers around Julian Wainwright, a privileged kid that just doesn't fit into the mold of your typical trust fund baby like many of his prep school classmates. Much to the dismay of his investment banker father, Julian is passionate about becoming a writer of great novels. The novel chronicles Julian's life through college and mid-adulthood as he finds friendship, love and success and learns how hard it can be hold on to it all.
I really enjoyed this novel. The pace was perfect for me, for the most part, and the characters were believable and interesting. I thought the relationships between Mia, his girlfriend turned wife, and Carter, his best friend, held the sort of family dynamic that I appreciate as someone who has built a family full of great friends. The familial relationships explored in this novel seemed genuine and I could relate to many of the issues constructed in the novel.
Henkin has a knack for delivering memorable characters. I love when I become fond of a minor character, who might just be in the book for a chapter or two, but their impact on the character weaves itself through the pages of the character's life. I loved Mr. Kang (the owner of the grocery store Julian goes to in college), Mr. Chesterfield (his writing professor) and Henry (a fellow grad student that we only meet for a little bit). These characters were crafted to be those types of people that we all encounter in our lives--the ones that are there for a little while but our memory of them is lasting and we think fondly of them.
I was really interested in how the college life was portrayed as I can never seem to find novels with main characters that are in college. The college life, despite the fact it was set in the late 80's, seemed to be pretty realistic aside from the fact it all seemed so much more formal and sophisticated than my college experience. At the heart of it was those late night pigout sessions at diners, laughing until you cry and doing some of the most random things you will ever do in your life. I also thought Henkin really portrayed that feeling of anxiety at being propelled into the adult world. They are all the things I'm going through right now--the prospect of an engagement, figuring out what I want to do with my life and just finding who I am as an adult.
Some of the reviews I had seen for this book deemed this book as boring and this made me worried. After reading the book, I would have to disagree. I am a fan of quiet stories that deal with ordinary lives but are interesting and thought-provoking in their own way. This book, for me, is like listening to some quiet, soulful woman sitting at a piano in the corner of a lounge. I am relaxed, maybe sipping a glass of wine, and enjoying the soothing sound of the voice in the background as I feel the love or the loss she sings about penetrating deeply within me. I am not entertained in the same way that I would be after attending a flashy, hip shaking Lady Gaga concert. There is a need for both of those in my life.
Similarly, it all depends on what you are looking for in a book when you read this. If you are looking for an action packed "Lady Gaga-esque" book that is plot based and keeps your heart racing, I would not recommend this to you. If you enjoy a novel with a beautiful sense of quietness that peers into the lives of everyday people, then `I think you would really enjoy this novel.
Hard for me to give this one a star rating. I'm going with a 4 as an approximate star rating but you should probably just read my review to determine if you should read it. Not my star rating.
When I received this book, I really wasn't sure that I'd like it. The title turned me off for some reason. I'm weird like that. A title could make me want to pick up a book or pass it by no matter if the book is crap or really great. Am I the only one like this? Anyways, this book was one of those that exceeded my expectations.
This novel centers around Julian Wainwright, a privileged kid that just doesn't fit into the mold of your typical trust fund baby like many of his prep school classmates. Much to the dismay of his investment banker father, Julian is passionate about becoming a writer of great novels. The novel chronicles Julian's life through college and mid-adulthood as he finds friendship, love and success and learns how hard it can be hold on to it all.
I really enjoyed this novel. The pace was perfect for me, for the most part, and the characters were believable and interesting. I thought the relationships between Mia, his girlfriend turned wife, and Carter, his best friend, held the sort of family dynamic that I appreciate as someone who has built a family full of great friends. The familial relationships explored in this novel seemed genuine and I could relate to many of the issues constructed in the novel.
Henkin has a knack for delivering memorable characters. I love when I become fond of a minor character, who might just be in the book for a chapter or two, but their impact on the character weaves itself through the pages of the character's life. I loved Mr. Kang (the owner of the grocery store Julian goes to in college), Mr. Chesterfield (his writing professor) and Henry (a fellow grad student that we only meet for a little bit). These characters were crafted to be those types of people that we all encounter in our lives--the ones that are there for a little while but our memory of them is lasting and we think fondly of them.
I was really interested in how the college life was portrayed as I can never seem to find novels with main characters that are in college. The college life, despite the fact it was set in the late 80's, seemed to be pretty realistic aside from the fact it all seemed so much more formal and sophisticated than my college experience. At the heart of it was those late night pigout sessions at diners, laughing until you cry and doing some of the most random things you will ever do in your life. I also thought Henkin really portrayed that feeling of anxiety at being propelled into the adult world. They are all the things I'm going through right now--the prospect of an engagement, figuring out what I want to do with my life and just finding who I am as an adult.
Some of the reviews I had seen for this book deemed this book as boring and this made me worried. After reading the book, I would have to disagree. I am a fan of quiet stories that deal with ordinary lives but are interesting and thought-provoking in their own way. This book, for me, is like listening to some quiet, soulful woman sitting at a piano in the corner of a lounge. I am relaxed, maybe sipping a glass of wine, and enjoying the soothing sound of the voice in the background as I feel the love or the loss she sings about penetrating deeply within me. I am not entertained in the same way that I would be after attending a flashy, hip shaking Lady Gaga concert. There is a need for both of those in my life.
Similarly, it all depends on what you are looking for in a book when you read this. If you are looking for an action packed "Lady Gaga-esque" book that is plot based and keeps your heart racing, I would not recommend this to you. If you enjoy a novel with a beautiful sense of quietness that peers into the lives of everyday people, then `I think you would really enjoy this novel.
ifersinklings's review against another edition
3.0
I enjoyed this book, although I found myself kinda bored with the main two characters about halfway through the book. I also found one of the main characters to be rather whiney, self centered and just generally annoying. But even with its short falls, the story line was good.
debnanceatreaderbuzz's review against another edition
3.0
When you have just finished reading a book (yesterday) and almost nothing hangs in your mind about it, what does that say?
The book is called Matrimony, but it didn’t really seem to about matrimony. Ultra-rich Julian befriends middle class Carter at their liberal and anti-establishment college. Both marry and move on in life. It is Carter who is unexpectedly successful, making millions in the corporate world, while Julian slaves away for years over a novel that he cannot seem to complete. A rift breaks up the friends when Julian learns that Carter slept with Julian’s then-girlfriend, now-wife while in college, though the rift over such an inconsequential event seems forced.
The book just drifts away at the end, almost as though Henkin had trouble ending the book. It didn’t seem so compelling that I couldn’t stop reading it and I wouldn’t push it off on others. I didn’t take much away from it. In short, a disappointment for me.
The book is called Matrimony, but it didn’t really seem to about matrimony. Ultra-rich Julian befriends middle class Carter at their liberal and anti-establishment college. Both marry and move on in life. It is Carter who is unexpectedly successful, making millions in the corporate world, while Julian slaves away for years over a novel that he cannot seem to complete. A rift breaks up the friends when Julian learns that Carter slept with Julian’s then-girlfriend, now-wife while in college, though the rift over such an inconsequential event seems forced.
The book just drifts away at the end, almost as though Henkin had trouble ending the book. It didn’t seem so compelling that I couldn’t stop reading it and I wouldn’t push it off on others. I didn’t take much away from it. In short, a disappointment for me.
ibeforem's review against another edition
5.0
The first emotion this book invoked in me was nostalgia… It actually made me miss my own college creative writing class. I want to know the rest of Professor Chesterfield’s 117 commandments! But this book isn’t about writing, it’s about relationships — between friends, between husbands and wives, between parents and children, between siblings, with ourselves — and how imperfect they can be. And I think it’s also about how the life you picture when you are young is nothing like the life you will live. My one complaint was that I wanted to know more about what happens with Mia during the times she and Julian are apart. I rather enjoyed this, and despite the turmoil in the story, it was a very smooth read that I definitely recommend.
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