The Half-life of Happiness
by John Casey
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Description
From the winner of the 1989 National Book Award (for Spartina), a major new novel--wise, sad, and richly comic--about the meltdown of a marriage against the backdrop of a gloriously awful congressional campaign. Charlottesville, Virginia, 1978: Mike is a successful forty-something lawyer, a onetime congressional staffer who's had it with Washington; Joss, his wife, is a filmmaker. They're Virginia liberals with a clan of close-knit friends--a bright, edgy, flirty, games-playing group, show more spinning like a Catherine wheel around Mike and Joss. But the sparks that fly between the two are getting hotter and more dangerous, as Joss' restlessness turns to impatience and then anger. When one of the group introduces them all to the woman he wants to marry, things suddenly explode--this new arrival and Joss fall passionately in love, and their whole world careens out of control. What ensues is tragicomedy, as Mike tries to allay his rage and misery by letting himself get sucked into a trial run for a seat in Congress. He wants to be a hero to someone; instead he becomes the unwitting star of a political farce. Meantime, Joss is struggling with her new life, and their two young daughters (who form a lovingly unmerciful Greek chorus commenting on the action) have to navigate a turmoil in which one parent is a public joke and the other a private scandal. Rarely has the undoing of love been chronicled with such large-hearted humanity. show lessTags
Recommendations
Member Reviews
This is the story of Mike Reardon, a lawyer in Virginia. He is happily married with two daughters he adores. He lives on seven acres and rents a cottage and a bungalow to people who have become close friends. Life is good.
And then a close friend commits suicide. HIs wife leaves him for her lesbian lover. And Mike runs for congress, which affects everyone's life.
This is an interesting story, told well. At times, it is so funny; at other times, very poignant. The characters are well developed. I found the book a bit slow at times, but never slow enough to lose interest in Mike and the others.
And then a close friend commits suicide. HIs wife leaves him for her lesbian lover. And Mike runs for congress, which affects everyone's life.
This is an interesting story, told well. At times, it is so funny; at other times, very poignant. The characters are well developed. I found the book a bit slow at times, but never slow enough to lose interest in Mike and the others.
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Author Information
8+ Works 1,167 Members
John Casey was born in 1939 in Worcester, Massachusetts. He received a B.A. from Harvard College in 1962, a LLB from Harvard Law School in 1965, and M.F.A. from the University of Iowa in 1968. He is a professor of English literature at the University of Virginia. He is also a novelist and translator. His novel Spartina, a classic tale of a man, a show more boat, and a storm, won the National Book Award in 1989. His other works include The Half-Life of Happiness, An American Romance, and Compass Rose. (Bowker Author Biography) show less
Awards and Honors
Awards
Common Knowledge
- Original title
- The Half-Life of Happiness
- People/Characters
- Mike Reardon; Joss Rogers; Edith Reardon; Nora Reardon; Bonnie One; Bonnie Two (show all 15); Ganny; Fiona; Charlotte Fenton; Bundy; Tyler; Evelyn; Edmond; Jerry Medina; Grandma Rogers
- Important places
- Virginia, USA
- First words
- For no reason he could think of, Mike felt terrific.
- Last words
- (Click to show. Warning: May contain spoilers.)Nora and Dad started laughing again.
- Blurbers
- Moore, Lorrie; Ghosh, Amitav; Settle, Mary Lee
Classifications
Statistics
- Members
- 133
- Popularity
- 245,577
- Reviews
- 1
- Rating
- (3.71)
- Languages
- English, Korean
- Media
- Paper, Ebook
- ISBNs
- 4
- ASINs
- 1
