The Story of a Marriage

Every once in a while a book comes along that is so good but packs so much surprise that you don't want to even talk about what it is about. You just want to say 'READ THIS!' and thrust it into your friends' hands. Greer recounts this story of a marriage and so much more with poignancy and beautiful turn of phrase. Yet this does not detract from the underlying tension carried throughout his novel. Go get your copy, your sunscreen, lawn chair and beverage. The book will grab you from the first sentence and not let you go until the last. Then march over to your neighbor's house and say 'READ THIS!' I guarantee you will want them to, so that you can talk about this fantastic book.

Andrew Sean Greer es un gran escritor, sutil, sencillo, delicado, contenido y evocador. Si me emocionó y sorprendió con su novela 'Las confesiones de Max Tivoli', con 'Historia de un matrimonio' lo ha vuelto a conseguir. Después de leer este libro, pienso en las injusticias que se cometen con los Pulitzer, porque parece que para conseguirlo se ha de escribir un tocho de cientos de páginas contando la historia norteamericana, mejor si hablas de dinastías familiares a lo largo del tiempo. Pero Greer ha conseguido contarnos una historia durante la posguerra, la guerra de Corea y la segregación racial, de manera simple y profunda, en tan solo doscientas páginas.

Pearlie Cook, en primera persona, nos cuenta su relación con su marido show more Holland, delicado de salud tras su regreso de la guerra. Parece que lleva una vida feliz y armoniosa, hasta que alguien llama a su puerta. Pero mejor que nos cuente Pearlie:

"[...] Esta es una historia de guerra, pero no debería haberlo sido. Empezó como una historia de amor, la historia de un matrimonio, pero la guerra se ha adherido a ella, igual que el polvo de vidrio. No es el clásico relato de hombres en el frente, sino de quienes no fueron a luchar. Los cobardes y fugitivos; los que se ampararon en un error para eludir su deber, los que se escondieron, los que se negaron abiertamente; incluso es la historia de aquéllos que aún eran muy niños para saber que un día también huirían de su propio país [...] La historia de estos hombres y de una mujer que no podía hacer más que mirar por una ventana."

Es una historia hermosa y perfecta, con varios giros y sorpresas durante la narración, que se devora y disfruta como pocas veces he hecho. show less

The Story of a Marriage is an intimate meditation on the unknowability of other people, even people we love, as in spouses, friends, or relatives. A housewife in mid-20th Century San Francisco assumes that she understands her husband, knows who he is, and knows he loves her. This challenging novel is an example and an exercise in finding out how wrong such assumptions are bound to be. As stiff a challenge as this piece was to write, Andrew Sean Greer handles all the structural and all the narrative-order issues with a sure hand, never missing a beat or a cue. The result is convincing and memorable, and satisfies the reader that the author’s powers were equal to the task. The result has satisfying twists and turns which make a show more gratifying whole.

The story weds Holland, a strikingly handsome man who effortlessly captivates everyone, and Pearl, a woman whom Holland finds beautiful, much to her surprise. They seem destined to be together: they were teen sweethearts in wartime Kentucky before Holland was conscripted; they meet again a few years later by utter chance at Ocean Beach in San Francisco. They embark on married life and have a son, but a few years into this son’s life, a man comes to Pearl’s home and introduces himself as someone who knew Holland during the war.

Thus begins the heart of the novel. It takes quite a bit of time for Pearl to learn why this man, himself handsome, well-dressed, and mannerly, visits their home. Once she does, however, she feels her life begin to spin away from her, her young family and her way of life in jeopardy of disintegrating. The novel consists of her reaction to this realization, the dear assumptions she must abandon, and a suspenseful discussion as she readies herself for wrenching change.

All this is, as I say, very competently handled by Greer. However, Holland remains a cipher throughout most of the book. He’s the fulcrum, the nucleus of the story, and without knowing his mind, or how to read the signs of how he feels, we are held in suspense. The ultimate reveal occurs very near the end of the narrative, but even after the result is made known, this character remains mysterious.

And perhaps that is Greer’s pièce de résistance, the fact that we as the readers remain just as much in the dark about this man as do the characters in the book.

This novel is disciplined, logical, and satisfying. We dwell for a long time in a woman’s mind, a woman who suddenly has a lot to lose, and she comes believably across in that role. It evokes the zeitgeist of the time (the U.S. just as the Korean War winds down, but the Cold War remains at its peak) to a T, and has twists and turns enough to surprise and give us reason to appreciate the work as well-handled.

https://bassoprofundo1.blogspot.com/2023/10/the-story-of-marriage-by-andrew-sean... show less

After loving the novel LESS, I picked this book to explore more of Andrew Sean Greer’s fiction. Although this one displays a similar mastery of prose - it fell short in many other ways.

The year is 1953 in San Francisco. American society is still recovering from World War II and sending more young men to fight in Korea. Pearl is four years into a less than passionate marriage to Holland Cook, a ex-soldier she first fell for years ago in school. Holland is one of those beautiful men whose good looks make him noticed wherever he goes. And they have a young son.

The Cooks are introduced in a way that makes you think they will typify young families of the era. That is until a former Army acquaintance of Holland’s shows up at the show more door.

What the novel does well is place the reader smack in the middle of 1950s America. With so many delicious details about commonplace objects that it can let loose a flood of memories, if you happen to be old enough to remember that era.

It also explores some rich topics from 1950s society. Like the hidden world of gay bars, polio, draft dodging, the Julius and Ethel Rosenberg trial, McCarthyism, and race relations just a year before the landmark Brown vs. Board of Education decision.

There is not, however, all that much “action” in this story. The book was much too cerebral to me. Most of the time, I felt stuck in a character’s mind as they were observing details, exploring deep thoughts, or considering the minutia of making a decision. Almost as though the author was overly fixated on creating an authentic time and place, at the expense of the storyline.

I will try another Greer novel at some point. Because I so admire his use of language. But I didn’t find this particular novel very compelling. Of course, if it speaks to you, it is short. So go for it. show less

“Holland and I had talked about our friends and our childhoods and movies and books and politics—we had agreed and disagreed and had our fights and merry moments over a beer—but I think it’s fair to say we had never spoken honestly in all ours lives.” This quote from A Story of a Marriage by Andrew Sean Greer prettily sums up the story’s central conflict. The narrator, Pearlie a young mother and wife to her high school sweetheart, Holland grapples with her marriage in 1950’s San Francisco. She says, “I loved you like a field on fire,” in reference to Holland, and yet her marriage and commitments are tested by the appearance of a dapper stranger.

It does the novel a disservice to reveal any more about the plot, as its show more secrets are revealed in well timed waves. In fact the book’s only draw back is its brevity as its simple prose endears readers page by page. It’s an unconventional love story written with graceful restraint and vibrant characters.
The Story of a Marriage is as perfect a novel as any I've read. show less

The Story of a Marriage is one of those rare books where the prose outshines a very good plot. Simply put, Greer's writing is why people read (or should read). Post WWII America, complex relationships, and sexuality are entertwined in this novel as the author takes the reader on a emotionally complex roller coaster of a ride. Like all good roller coasters, you hate for the ride to end. What is love? What is the price of love? Do actions speak louder than words? These are the kinds of superficial questions that are probed much deeper through this impactful book. I am glad to add a new favorite writer to my "must read" list.

Pearlie loves Holland. She has since they were growing up in Kentucky, before he went into service during World War II. Despite all odds, they run into each other in San Francisco after the war. Holland is hesitant to start a relationship, but eventually he gives in to Pearlie's desire to take care of them. Very quickly they marry and ease in to San Francisco suburbean life. She believes that she has found happiness and purpose in her life as wife and mother until Buzz, a man from Holland's past, arrives and calls into question everything she knows about her life, her husband, and marriage.

This novel, which is the first I've read by Greer, is all about misconceptions and assumptions. The misconceptions and assumptions people have about show more each other, marriage, and family life, but also the assumptions and misconceptions readers bring to the stories that they read. As I eased my way into The Story of a Marriage, I discovered that I assumed certain things about Pearlie and Holland simply because I wasn't immediately told otherwise. Coupled with that, I was quite wrong in what I guessed about thekind of trouble heading toward Pearlie and Holland's marriage. Time and again I was shown that what I believed I knew about their story in advance was inaccurate. Like Pearlie, I kept on assuming. It's such a human thing to do. Do we really want to know the truth about ourselves and others because we're comfortable in reality that we imagine?

I thoroughly enjoyed The Story of a Marriage. It was as interesting as it was challenging. There is no question that I will read more of Greer's work. I look forward to reading novels that take you places you didn't see beforehand with characters who are as believable and as human as Pearlie Cook. Instead of using nearly unbelievable circumstances and larger than life plot twists to do this, Greer stays close to home. Close to where the real drama of life can be found. When you read The Story of a Marriage, you can put yourself in Pearlie's place. You might not face the same circumstances in your life and marriage, but you most certainly can fill in those areas. If you've ever made a decision about what is best for someone other than yourself instead of talking about it with everyone involved, you are Pearlie Cook and you should read this novel.

http://literatehousewife.com/2009/05/163-the-story-of-a-marriage/ show less