Reviews for Family happiness

The average rating for Family happiness based on 2 reviews is 4.5 stars.

Review # 1 was written on 2017-08-18 00:00:00 New Rulz I've read this book several times at different stages of my marriage, and there is no getting away from the fact that I overly identify with its protagonist Polly Solo-Miller Demarest. I've underlined many passages in this book, and as I reread at 50 it occurs to me that those marked passages are as revealing as a diary would be. Why do some women feel that they must always serve, and be as perfect as possible, in order to be loved? I don't think my own daughters will suffer from this affliction; in fact, I'm sure they will not. And I'm glad they will never demand so little and put up with so much. Polly whines and agonises too much - for me, that repetition is the only flaw of the novel - but of course guilt and impossibly high moral standards are at the heart of her character. Colwin is an elegant stylist and I love her New York City setting and her gift for domestic and cultural detail. So many phrases from this novel, so perfectly worded, have stuck with me forever.

Review # 2 was written on 2014-09-24 00:00:00 Arthur Fier Update for 20th read (give or take): Seriously, can someone else besides me read this book and tell me why I like it so much when so many other people hate it? One of my all-time absolute favorites. I read it every couple of years. It influenced me as both a reader and a writer. And you know what? Everyone I've recommended it to hated it. I mean they loathed it. I can appreciate why but I don't know why everything that irritated the shit out of them appealed to me. I love this book. I don't want to be overly dramatic and say this book changed my life, but something about it resonated. That, to me, is the key definition of a Good Book: it has passages that ring the bell in the cathedral of your soul, make you mark pages, reach for a pencil or post-it to jot down passages. A book that makes you thump your forehead with your palm, thinking "Yes…yes exactly…that's just what I felt but I didn't have the words." Read my full blog post about Laurie Colwin here: