The Break
Ratings7
Average rating3.3
15
Ratings7
Average rating3.3
*** CONGRATULATIONS TO THE BRITISH BOOK AWARDS AUTHOR OF THE YEAR 2022*** THE SUNDAY TIMES NUMBER ONE BESTSELLER FROM THE BESTSELLING AUTHOR OF GROWN UPS, MARIAN KEYES 'JUST BRILLIANT' SUNDAY TIMES ___________ 'Myself and Hugh . . . We're taking a break.' 'A city-with-fancy-food sort of break?' If only. Amy's husband Hugh says he isn't leaving her. He still loves her, he's just taking a break - from their marriage, their children and, most of all, from their life together. Six months in South-East Asia. And nothing she says can stop him. But when does a break become a break-up? A lot can happen in six months. And it's enough to send Amy and her family of gossips, misfits and troublemakers teetering over the edge. When Hugh returns, if he returns, will he be the same man she married? Will Amy be the same woman? Because if Hugh is on a break from their marriage, then . . . isn't she on one too? _____________ 'Mercilessly funny' The Times 'I laughed . . . I cried' Daily Mail 'Full of darkness and light, this is Keyes at her classic and most brilliant best' Red Winner of 'Author of the Year' at the British Book Awards May 2022
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I guess 3,5 stars would be more fair because there were 567 pages that kept me tuned with Amy and her troubles. And it's written well and with the characteristic sense of humor mMaryan Keyes has and I love. But it seemed more of a cliche in some aspects,be it how desirable apparently Amy was to all men in her life or how dignified Hugh was when she lashed out on him - even guilty, not very ordinary. Don't know exactly what bugs me, but something does.
Marian Keyes was one of the first Brit Chick Lit authors and she is still one of the best. The Break isn't always an easy read, especially if you are in a long-term marriage, but it is funny, heartbreaking, and ultimately hopeful. The fun part, as with all of Keyes' novels, are the secondary characters and the family relationships. Amy's mother gets an “old person acting wacky” plot that never patronizes her, and Amy's co-worker Alastair is always on hand for a snarky quip. Somehow each of the members of Amy's large family have their own distinct personality, and I wouldn't mind a spin-off about her siblings, like Keyes did with the Walsh family ([b:Watermelon 9300 Watermelon (Walsh Family, #1) Marian Keyes https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1345767584s/9300.jpg 912230], [b:The Mystery of Mercy Close 12724978 The Mystery of Mercy Close (Walsh Family, #5) Marian Keyes https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1340719307s/12724978.jpg 17861299], etc). It's not all fun and games, however. The bottom line is that the book is about what happens when a marriage falls apart, and whether the wounds can ever heal. It gave me a few uncomfortable moments as I saw myself in Amy; while it's easy to blame her husband Hugh for taking a six month hiatus, it takes two to make or break a marriage, and Keyes very carefully shows Amy's part in the process without casting blame. It helps that we get to see Amy being very good at her public relations job - competence porn is so much more enjoyable than ditsy clueless heroines. There's also a subplot about the challenge of obtaining an abortion in Ireland that comes across as possibly a little too political, but it does have ramifications for the larger plot so it doesn't feel completely shoehorned in to make a point.It's been too long since Keyes' last novel, [b:The Woman Who Stole My Life 22009741 The Woman Who Stole My Life Marian Keyes https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1428674566s/22009741.jpg 41322201]. I had to order my copy of The Break from England because it hasn't been published in the US. I hope that is only a temporary condition, because American readers deserve the opportunity to see why Keyes is still one of the most engaging authors in the business.
This is an interesting concept and made for an interesting book. I often at times found the main character Amy quite annoying but I also sympathised with her. Towards the end of the book I was feeling less and less invested or interested and quite sad actually but the ending was totally worth it and what I wanted from this story. A happy ending.
