LOVE AND MARRIAGE June 2026

Oh this is everyone's favorite subject Or maybe not but there are certainly tons of novels about it, I am going to be reading The Semi Attached Couple and semi Detached House by Emily Eden I found it in a bookshop in London And have loved it since.its said that this is the book you read when you are finished with all of Austin's books so they I will be list some books below that might be useful And hope that you also list some books as well Happy reading

sorry, the double post bug is at it again

or something completly different the lobotomists wife or marriage at sea

https://www.goodreads.com/shelf/show/fiction-marriage-relationships

This list has some unusual choices and another

https://www.barnesandnoble.com/b/books/love-relationships-fiction/marriage-ficti...

but please list your own fav

Well, I do have The Marriage at Sea on my TBR, as well as Maggie O'Farrell's The Marriage Portrait, The Marriage of Megotta by Edith Pargeter as well as about a dozen Regency romances. Difficult to choose!

loved marriage of meggota sounds like marriage at sea would be interesting oh i forgot marriage portait know i read it but need to check the synopsis..oh yes, i agree much preferred Ofarrells ending

I may read The Stolen Crown: The Secret Marriage that Forever Changed the Fate of England and/or The Rose of York: Love and War.

>1 cindydavid4: I have that on my TBR and look forward to it.

I'll be kicking around a reread. Not sure just which yet. Wuthering Heights. Shirley, Olive Kitteridge. The Beans of Egypt, Maine. If it's a reread of Wuthering Heights, I'll use the absolutely magnificent Belknap Press Annotated Wuthering Heights edited by Janet Gezari, who also edited the now-canonical Penguin edition of Emily's poems as well as authoring Last Things: Emily Brontë's Poems, a collection of close readings of the poems as well as thematic essays. Gezari's annotations to the Belknap Press edition include substantial material on Emily's poems, reasoning that Emily's and Anne's poems are the only relict we have of their juvenilia to show the relationship between Gondola and Wuthering Heights.

Shirley, I think, is the most underrated Bronte novel. I personally prefer it third after Jane Eyre and Wuthering Heights for its comic elements (though you need to have a fairly good knowledge of the Bronte family biography to catch the comedy).

I'll probably, though, go with either Olive or with The Beans since there are some of Strout's and Chute's novels that I've yet to read and I'm planning a complete publication-order read/reread of both as part of an overall Maine reading project. (i just recently reread Strout's Amy and Isabelle and read her Abide with Me, her two novels that precede Olive.)

As to The Beans, I think there's love in marriage, but it's rough-hewn rather than romantic.

My leaning, in any event, is at this point toward Olive as a quicker read than The Beans, considering that I've fallen woefully behind on my ROOTing. I just haven't been up-to-snuff these past few months and I've been spending sometimes 12, 14, or even more hours a day sleeping in complete exhaustion. Good thing I passed this year on hosting a month's topic.

At this point I am planning on reading The Marriage Portrait by Maggie O'Farrell but plans could change ...

I was originally thinking that I would reread one of Jane Austen's novels, since I would like to get to one this year in honor of her 250th. However, after looking at the book list links, I saw that Ethan Frome shows up a couple of times. I've got that one sitting on my shelf unread, so I will plan to read it. If I find time, I'll try to tackle an Austen as well, but I don't know if I'll have the time.

on again to my reread of the semi attached couple
i had put it aside because i thought all the jokes were stale and i was having difficulty with the names of chractues but i am back in full read and laughing my ass off. i was newly married when i first read it. almost 40 years later im finding more to laugh at

It took a bit of hunting but I found the book I thought would work for this month's read. It is The Marriage Plot.

finished reading: Foster a novella where the marriage is understated as the story focuses on the child the couple look after.

this year, related to this so far I have also read:

Wuthering Heights - 2nd read and I would read again
Hedda Gabbler - taken a couple of reads to see how powerful this play is
Heat 2 - one of the main plots was about Chris Shiherlis's relationship and marriage with Charlene Shiherlis, in the 1995 movie these parts are played by Val Kilmer and Ashley Judd

maybe The Iliad is also relevant? It's focus is war but on the pretext to get Helen, Menelaus’s wife, back.

next month I'm hoping to read:

Stepford Wives
The End of the Affair

currently I'm in the midst of Moby Dick

So far I've read 2 books set in historical settings and 2 books set in contemporary settings to the date of publication.

Martha in Paris (1962) and Martha, Eric and George (1964) are the 2nd & 3rd books in the Eye of Love trilogy by Margery Sharp. Set in Paris during the Vichy regime during WWII, the first book tells the story of Eric, in love with Martha, but Martha is only interested in her art. Eric wants to get married, but Martha will have none of it, and cuts off all contact with Eric. At the beginning of the 3rd book, Eric finds a "gift" on his doorstep: a two-week-old newborn with instructions on how to make formula in Martha's hand. Eric and his mother raise the child, George; some years later Eric is ready to re-marry but does not want to saddle his new bride with George. A rather interesting tale about a woman painter whose passion for her art excludes all other attachments, and raises questions about love, commitments and pursuits of passions, regardless of gender.

I've also finished a re-read of Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen, written & set in the Regency era, the classic tale of love and marriage.

And I finished The American Senator by Anthony Trollope (1877), set in the 1870s, with two different love/marriage plots. One involves a young woman who cannot accept her devoted suitor because although she likes him as a friend, she doesn't love him; and the other plot involves an engaged young woman who discovers a more "eligible" (i.e., much wealthier) match and schemes to entrap him, while still holding on to her original fiancee, just in case...

I started The Marriage Plot but it might be slow going. There are no chapters and I've been known to just give up on books arranged that way.

>18 Familyhistorian: I feel for ya! I'm having the same problem with The Marriage of Megotta. There are chapters, but the font size is so small, maybe 6 or 7, that even with glasses I can hardly focus and it's giving me a headache! I ordered it from online so I didn't have any idea of the font size.

>19 Tess_W: Good luck with that, Tess!

>18 Familyhistorian: & >19 Tess_W: Good luck to the both of you. I haven't started The Marriage Plot yet, but I suspect I will also have problems with the format. I am going to hunt down an alternative read just in case. Thanks for the warning!

ETA Whoops, as usual I got it wrong as usual. I am planning on reading The Marriage Portrait not The Marriage Plot!!

I have finished The Marriage Portrait by Maggie O'Farrell. This novel was shortlisted for the Women's Prize for Fiction in 2023. Like the author's most famous novel Hamnet, this is historical fiction, in this case based around the short life of Lucrezia de Medici, daughter of Duke Cosimo of Tuscany, who is married off aged 15 to Alfonso d'Este, Duke of Ferrara. Her husband commissions the painting to mark their marriage, but more fundamentally this novel is about how her young life is taken over by her husband. Initially this happens in quite an affectionate and tender way, certainly by the standards of the time, but acquires more sinister characteristics over time (though the marriage only lasts a year or so), as he reveals the ruthless side of his nature through punishment of his subjects, whether it be his sister and her lover when they are caught, or even a servant for the trivial mishap of tripping over and dropping some papers. Eventually Lucrezia escapes in order to save her life from Alfonso's retribution for the crime of not having fallen pregnant with a son; she is still only 16 when all this happens. The real historical Lucrezia apparently died of tuberculosis at that age, though there were rumours she had been poisoned. As with O'Farrell's other novels, this is beautifully written and tragically evocative, for example in the description of how Lucrezia sees, and at the same time does not see, herself in the finished portrait, and thinks that now Alfonso has the timeless, ageless portrait, he does not need her. As with Hamnet, I occasionally got slightly confused with the jumping about in time, but this is another powerful novel from this author.

I read The Marriage of Megotta by Edith Pargeter a 13th century court intrigue and “romance” novel. The book jacket says it is a true story. There are a few historians that doubt there even was a Megotta. However, most agree that such a person did exist. The story centers around the court of King Henry III. One of his most trusted advisors, Hugh de Burgh, was given custody of Richard de la Clare, a relative of the king. Richard is brought up with Megotta, de Burgh’s younger daughter. They fall in love and secretly exchange vows, probably around age 13 or 14. Trouble breaks out in King Henry’s court and Richard is sent elsewhere to live as de Burgh is now out of favor. Megotta dies shortly after that, from what, we never find out. Eventually, Richard remarries advantageously. Also woven within this story is the “older” and enduring love story of Simon de Montfort and Eleanor, King Henry’s widowed sister. Good read!

Pros: Good evocation of place and time and interesting story line. Cons: So many Henry’s, Richards, and Peter’s, the reader needs a list. (and in fact, the author provides one at the beginning of the book). The font size on this book was either 6-7 which made it difficult and thus irritating to read. I won’t buy another paperback online again because this is about the third time this has occurred. This is book 4/4 in this series. I would read the others if I could find some readable copies. 236 pages 4 stars

>19 Tess_W: oh my thats too bad its such a great story,see if you can return it or if its on kindle

>24 cindydavid4: Neither!

I have also read Marriage, a short (2 act) whimsical play by the 19th century Russian author Nikolai Gogol. This is about a man Ivan Podkolyosin looking for a wife but who is reluctant to compromise in his life, and a woman Agafya Tikhonovna who thinks she is looking for a husband but who also seems reluctant to commit. She is presented by a matchmaker with half a dozen potential suitors including Podkolyosin. Numerous misunderstandings result which make this an amusing and undemanding read unlike many of Gogol's other works.

I finally got around to reading Ethan Frome. I'm glad to have finally read this classic, though it's not my favorite.

A couple of days ago, I finished Americanah, which I read for my RL book club. That book is about a lot of things, but Adichie said it was basically a love story, so I think it also counts for this challenge. That was a long book, especially compared to the short Ethan Frome, but I enjoyed it more.

>27 atozgrl: loved her books

They Were Sisters by Dorothy Whipple (1943) is a novel about 3 sisters and a look at each of their marriages, both good and bad. Dorothy Whipple is a very readable author and kept me turning pages, even though sometimes we watch as not everything works out for the sisters.

I also finished a (many times) re-read of Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte (1847), the ultimate love & (and eventually) marriage story. Interestingly, it is historical fiction, as it is set circa 1800-1810, but was written in 1847.

>15 AnishaInkspill: Re Hedda Gabler - for anyone with access to BBC iPlayer, the 1972 version with Janet Suzman is available to watch and it's excellent. https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m002q7sc

I recently watched it with my mother because we started watching the recent adaptation ("Hedda", on Prime), and both hated it, so we broke off and watched 1972 instead. The recent adaptation tries to modernise it but takes out every hint of subtlety.

I am reading Mansfield Park which has plenty of unhappy marriages. I was hoping to get to Marriage by Susan Ferrier but I think I am timed out this month.

i finished the semi detached couple'. this is a reread from way before i was married. enjoyed the book then , but probably glossed over things unknown Reading it now,it was very apparent that i did.the plot will be recog nized to any one married or not. there is love, jealosy, nosy neighbors desire grief, abuse illness,bribery,identity theft, joy, a little bit of english politcs....you get the idea. .a few characters trying to tear the couple into others providing wise lessons. the ending was nicely done. thing that surprised me tho was the age of the brides. There is plenty of gossip, secrets, and satire in The Semi-Attached Couple.all in all a rather splendid read and and highly recommend it to any austen fans looking for something new definitly a 5*

Miss Read's Winter in Thrush Green 3***and News from Thrush Green 3½***. The Thrush Green series has plenty of "love and marriage" all through it (although sexton Albert and his wife Nelly are one marriage without a whole lot of love).

There seem to be comparisons made between Miss Read and Jane Austen, although I don't see that much of it. (Granted, though, I'm absolutely not a Jane-ite to begin with.) I see a lot more of Cranford in the Thrush Green series, although I certainly wouldn't put Miss Read on the level of a Victorian near-great like Elizabeth Gaskell.

In any event, even though I've only given the Thrush Green books that I've so far read an average to slightly above-average rating, I'll probably finish the series since I just subscribed to Kindle Unlimited (two months free trial, thereafter $11.99/month, can cancel any time, and they've got some otherwise pricey scifi and other books on there that I want to read without necessarily buying) and the entire series is available on there as a freebie.

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Also, finished Nancy Milford's magnificent Savage Beauty: The Life of Edna St Vincent Millay 5*****, a June completion of a several-month read and which I read because of the Millay tie to the state of Maine. If you're looking for polyamory (with genuine love) within a marriage, you'll find that in the Millay biography.

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Back in April and May I read the first two books in Elizabeth Coatsworth's The Incredible Tales quartet, The Enchanted and Silky, both having some applicability to this month's theme, though I haven't counted them among this month's read. I was going to go on to Mountain Bride and The White Room but I'm going to save them for July's "wives" theme.

Coatsworth's a very interesting Maine writer, a lot of children's books as well as children's and adult poetry, with The Incredible Tales quartet being adult-but-child-readable novels. Her daughter Kate Barnes was Maine's first poet laureate.

Coatsworth (class of '15) and Edna Millay (class of '17) would likely have crossed paths at Vassar, if nowhere else in the school's drama productions, which were a major student activity and for which Millay did some writing. Millay was actually about fifteen months older than Coatsworth but started college late because of financial needs. They may not have been in the same college "circles" together, though, since Coatsworth seems to have been the "good girl" who graduated as salutatorian.

I'm still reading my way through The Marriage Plot and hope to finish it by the end of the week. We'll see.

>31 wandering_star: oh thanks, I'll try and find time to watch this weekend, I've read it twice this year now.

>25 Tess_W: So glad you were finally able to get it even if it was very small print and I agree with you I get very tired of that.In terms of historical the Queen Elenore of Castill married the son of Henry III Based on what I know of his history I have no doubt that this story happened btw Eleanor of castelle had a very interesting l.ife. when she died her husband edward I commissioned 12 memorials around London in her memory. their marriage was a love storu

i have no idea why i posted Neither below tessas post above tried to delete and unable to do that, in case you were wondering

The Marriage Plot was definitely not an advertisement for marriage. It was about a couple meeting and marrying and trying to make a go of it. But the woman half of the couple was left wondering if it was worth it as she tried to cope with her partner’s manic depression.