A Great Marriage by Frances Mayes

Frances Mayes is one of my mom's favorite writers. She's read Under the Tuscan Sun numerous times and loves the movie version so much that I once woke up during an overseas night-flight and she was watching the movie without headphones and just whispering the lines.

All of that said, Frances Mayes may become one of my favorite writers as well. "A Great Marriage" is the story of a few months in 1995 when a wedding is called off suddenly and the former bride goes on an exploration of who she wants to be vs who she REALLY wants to be, and the groom moves back to London after upsetting news.

The relationships depicted in A Great Marriage are all discussed and explored. Rich and Lee, Dara's parents, have a loving and supportive marriage, where they both are free to be creative in their careers. Charlotte aka Mimi, is Lee's mother and has literally written the book on marriage. She's had two marriages - one with a prominent Senator who died on his front porch. She now lives in a cottage and is having a love affair with an old sailor.

While Austin is dealing with the repercussions of one drunken night, he's also dealing with an unimaginable tragedy, all while nursing his heartache. Dara, our bride, goes to California to visit friends and then spends the summer helping restore a historic hotel. Their hearts pull for each other, and they yearn for each other, but they both need the time to see how much they truly need each other.

This is a beautiful book and the writing is the typical Mayes format of humor, warmth, and intimacy.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for the opportunity to read and review this book.