Reviews for Hope Street\The Marriage Bed

The average rating for Hope Street\The Marriage Bed based on 2 reviews is 2.5 stars.

Review # 1 was written on 2012-03-21 00:00:00 John Pantages The Marriage Bed - For the most part I liked this story. It was mostly showing the love b/w Bobby and Joelle and the mistakes and things that they had made during the course of their lives. I truly believed that they loved one another and that they were doing the best that they could w/ the circumstances that they had due to the choices that were made. Yes, it would have gone a LONG way if they had been more open to one another sooner in their marriage, but they dealt w/ what they chose. I so felt closer to Bobby in this story though. He had the reactions that I would have felt/expected of Joelle, but she didn't have them. Sure he would have wanted to help the boy, but not at the expense of losing his own family. What I didn't like was Drew. He had a LOT of nerve showing up like that. Not once did he care enough to check on her and see how she was. He claims he looked for her before he had married, but he didn't look that hard. Why did he try to look for her at that point? He could care less about Joelle or if she had the baby. Now he wants something he shows up asking for it. He even tells Joelle that she would like his wife. Um . . . I don't like his wife. I still can't figure out what her angle was in meeting w/ Bobby behind Drew and Joelle's back. I think if he had taken her up on what she was offering she would have been all in for it. Also where does she get off being angry about Drew having a child she knew nothing about almost 10 years before she was on the scene, and then whining at Bobby as though they were best buds? Was she hoping to try one on w/ Bobby and why? I had to chuckle when it stated how she got pregnant though. That would be very embarrassing for a man I would think. Drew just wanted something from Joelle just like he did years ago and I bet he doesn't even stay in touch w/ them later. I so felt like Joelle gave in too easily. I think she should have had a few more choice words to say to him about his wanting her to end the child's life, and now wanting to benefit from said child. They all acted like Claudia wasn't an adult and that they were to just take her in for a blood test! That really bothered me as well. Oh my, even Joelle thought about telling another lie in order to give Drew what he wanted. I understand Joelle saying well if the shoe was on the other foot, yeah makes sense. However, the shoe wasn't on the other foot and she wouldn't have ever told him to get rid of a child because she didn't want to deal w/ it. Of course Claudia gets angry and upset and so does her brother, Mike. But she goes through w/ it and I didn't get to see that transition as to why she even bothered. What about her feelings about Drew not even really wanting her around? Didn't that bother her in some way? There was no true resolution in that. Yes, we know she goes to do the transplant, but we don't get to see if she meets up w/ Drew and Helen or smarmy grandparents. How about them meeting the great grandchildren and what about the recipient? Isn't he upset as well w/ his father? There were so many other things I wanted explored in this story as well. Joelle's need was Bobby's love and his never saying it, but did she say it? Why does she accept so much blame too? Really she let that woman slap her and blame her while she had the gall to defend Drew! If I was Claudia I would have been even more pissed at these people! WTH where is their gratefulness? I wanted more of a conclusion w/ the side story in this too. I wanted to see how Drew's actions impacted any r/s w/ Claudia and Adam or even his parents and I wanted some sorrow on their parts because if Joelle had done what he wanted then Adam would have no HOPE! Hope Street - I liked the beginning, but then by the time the story finished I did NOT care for the H and the h irked me w/ her blame thing. I found Curt to be incredibly selfish and self-absorbed (he didn't even know that she fixes things around the house) on numerous occasions throughout this story. Everything seemed to be about him, how it would affect him or people's perception of him, and even his unburdening of himself was about his needs again! The one time he was w/ OW I could buy - perhaps; the other that seemed to be planned out more was just plain malicious on his part especially after seeing that Ellie had begun to make more of an effort . . . Yeah so NOT going to forgive that one. Then you have his lack of trust in Ellie. I'm not sure why he had this as she didn't give him a reason to doubt her fidelity. Yet he does and he does it in several things. His whole lack of trust in Ellie seemed to be at odds w/ her thoughts that he trusted so easily. He should have shouldered more of the blame for the fall-out of their marriage. He didn't grieve W/ HIS wife, but rather hid it from her so that he could appear strong. He did not CLING onto her and he was quick to dip his wick when the offer was on the table from the OW. He didn't even seem to think twice about that. His wants, his needs, his timetable, his desires . . . before Ellie's! He never even seemed to want to really help his wife. She needed to help HERSELF he wasn't about to help her up that mountain. He doesn't even notice when Ellie is making more of an effort before he ran off to be w/ OW. Nope, instead it was his selfishness rearing its ugly head (pun maybe!) once again. Then he WANTED yes WANTED to have his wife sleep w/ the OM then they could have been even! Curt seemed to have found his own strength and of course Ellie needs to find her own, so WTH does she need him then? She found herself in Africa and he didn't seem too pleased by this either. Perhaps because he decided that she helped herself the way he helped himself! According to him and OW, Ellie should save herself!! Curt isn't responsible for her, after all, only himself. I never felt that Curt was willing to fight that hard for Ellie; it was more like the going got tough and Curt went his own way! What did he give up to help her w/? He wouldn't even do couple's counseling either as he didn't have a problem Ellie was the screwed up one! He didn't take care of son's room and he didn't seem to force Ellie to do things, nope felt more like he enabled her repeatedly. Not his job to solve Ellie's problems for her. Nope his job is to stand by her in SICKNESS and HEALTH in GOOD time and BAD times!! However, those must run to his timetable as well! Curt was Ellie's anchor, her support, and he took that away. I thought they were to cling onto one another. Curt claimed they were always honest w/ each other no matter how bad - yet as you read the story and think about it Curt was never really honest w/ Ellie. Heck he even hid his grief and anger from her, but he has no problem opening up to the OW. He didn't take any blame for not sharing w/ his wife either. Wait!! He didn't hide his feelings. He was quite clear about how he felt and what he needed, and it all began and ended b/w his legs. Do you think he was a closet nympho? Does she get a freebie when he suffers from ED? If he is so honest then why did he cheat? That implies an act of deception there in its name. It would have been more honest if he had said - you are not giving me what I want, but this ho bag is willing; no strings attached, see ya in a few when you can pick yourself up because there is no way in hell that I'm doing it for you despite what the marriage vows claimed. The OW so played him. I think she had wanted him for so long and she saw her opportunity and took it. I also think she sort of left the door open in case he wants to come back as well. I'm wondering what happens when she shows up needing a shoulder or a wick dip to comfort her, will good old Curt will be so quick to oblige? He even makes it seem like it is Ellie's fault that he cheated since she locked him out - you know he didn't work that hard at knocking down that door either - and he was so darn horny all because Ellie refused him! Curt wanted to save her, but he needed to save himself first and for some reason that is connected w/ his libido. To me that just sounded like justification for what he did. He could have sought couple's counseling, he could have opened up more instead of trying to repair w/ sex, he could have truly shared and forced her back to life, but he chose the easy way - the FWB - hey you think he trusted too easily w/ OW? When Ellie makes her confession Curt is thinking about OW and the last time he saw her. That seemed so out of place there. I'm thinking he should have been thinking about what his wife is unburdening to him!! He denied using OW before when confessed to Ellie about his infidelity, yet now he is thinking perhaps he had and he is feeling guilty about that. Then he was relieved that OW was as detached as he was w/ the whole thing - so if that is the case then why did he feel guilty about using her? Oh before his big confession he did notice the boy's room but that didn't matter because he needed to rip his wife apart in order to save himself first!! I also noted that he didn't feel to terribly guilty until after he had thoroughly enjoyed himself w/ the OW as well. Why didn't anyone wonder about diseases then? Curt is a POW he thinks he knows how to love - I think he can only love when all is easy and he is catered to - okay and maybe he is in love w/ himself. Ellie harps on his betrayal a bit but then gives in rather quickly in the end - perhaps it was the emotions from the dvd/video and maybe when they move away from that she will remember that he only thinks w/ the little guy and everyone else be damned!

Review # 2 was written on 2018-08-05 00:00:00 Jonathan McQuillen "Back and forth on memory lane" style of writing is not for me.