A Crowded Marriage

by Catherine Alliott

Praise for Catherine Alliott"Possibly my favorite writer."-Marian Keyes"Compulsively readable and highly entertaining."-Times"A joy...you're in for a treat."-Daily Express"Hilarious and full of surprises."-Daily Telegraph 'Til death do us part jut might cause you to wring someone's neck... Imogen Cameron can't quite figure out how she and her husband, Alex, have plummeted from living in their beloved London townhouse to scraping by in his exgirlfriend's guest cottage. But although the scenic pastures might inspire her flagging artistic career, and getting out of the city might do their son good, Imogen wonders if all the country air in the world could calm the crowds that are invading her marriage.There's a gaggle of psychotic chickens, an infuriatingly bossy vet, that oh-so-sweet ex-girlfriend-and the feeling that her husband is preoccupied with more than just his job. International bestselling author Catherine Alliott delivers an "intelligent, acutely drawn picture of a difficult marriage" (Daily Telegraph), crafting a witty, sophisticated, and poignant exploration of relationships and family.

Genres: Chick Lit, Romance, Fiction, Contemporary Romance, Humor, Womens Fiction, Relationships

Hardcover

First published September 1, 2006

About the author

Catherine has sold over 3 million bestselling novels worldwide and is translated into eighteen languages.

The first of these novels Catherine started under the desk when she worked as an advertising copywriter. She was duly fired. With time on her hands, she persevered with the novels, which happily flourished.

In the early days she produced a baby with each book - but after three - stuck to the writing as it was less painful.

She writes with her favorite pen in note books, either in the garden or on a sofa.

Home is a rural spot on the Hertfordshire border, which she shares with her family and a menagerie of horses, cows, chickens, and dogs, which at the last count totaled eighty-seven beating hearts, including her husband. Some of her household have walk-on parts in her novels, but only the chickens would probably recognize themselves.

All her novels are published by Penguin Random House internationally, and by No Shooz Publishing in America and will be available in the US in the Fall of 2017.

Reviews

[Obsidian · Rating 1 out of 5]

DNF at page 201 of 468.

I picked up this and the last book I read a few months ago but never got around to reading. One of my resolutions is to get through the glossy pile of books I have not read yet on my shelves (there are a lot of them) so I started going through the pile. Frankly I want to kick myself since so far the books I bought are not that great to me.

I wish that I could get engrossed more in Imogen's story. However, from the parts I read, this character just seems to have built her husband up on a pedestal and excuses all of his faults which look to be legion to me at this point. When you find out the history of how Imogen and her husband got together I ended up losing a lot of sympathy for her since she is super naive.

The writing at times flows, and other times gets clunky. I think that since the author chose to slowly reveal things to the reader actually hurt a bit for this story since you go from feeling for Imogen, to thinking how dumb she is when you go back and see what happened in the past. Not going to lie, I totally skipped to the last two chapters to see if I had called where the book was going to end up when I finally decided to stop reading the book. I was correct on all of my assumptions.

[Nina Draganova · Rating 5 out of 5]

Обичам тази книга. Толкова се смях пак.Трябваше нещо да оправи вкуса и настроението ми .

25.06.2019/
Не мога да повярвам колко отдавна съм чела тази книга за последно. Не е възможно.Та аз я обожавам. Мисля, че все пак тя ми е най-любимата от книгите на авторката,които съм имала шастието да прочета. Въпреки че я знам почти наизуст, самото четене ме прави доволна и щастлива. Такова майсторство трудно откривам. Колкото и клиширано да звучи, отново намерих нови неща, които да ме впечатлят и да ми светнат някои лампи в главата.Независимо , че сме на светлинни години от живота в Англия и никога няма да можем да ги настигнем, трябва поне да вземем опит от тях. Където е възможно разбира се. Защото посоката ни не е правилна.

22.08.2016
Тези дни си припомням някои от любимите ми книги и се оказа,че повечето са пълни с прелюбодеяния :) Явно тази тема ме е облъчила тотално и темата за предателството от най-близки хора.
Катрин Елиът е друга много любима моя авторка, а "Брачна тройка" една от най-любимите ми книги. Не бях се смяла скоро с глас, както тази книга ме кара винаги да го правя. Едновременно с това ме и разплаква на места.
"...дали човек има право да причинява толкова много болка само за да намери удовлетворение за себе си. Имаме ли наистина право да поставяме личното си щастие над всичко и всички? "
"Човек може света да промени, но душата си не. "
"Любовта или загубата на любовта ни кара да вършим понякога странни неща.Променя ни до неузнаваемост,прави ни такива , каквито не сме искали никога да бъдем.И колкото повече се отдалечава тя от нас,толкова по-ужасни ставаме.И ни се струва ,че това никога няма да свърши"
"Бракът с любовница поставя началото на нова сага.Една от ролите остава свободна."
"Когато бариерите падат,виждаш хората в истинската им светлина."

[Cititoare Calatoare · Rating 5 out of 5]

Desi subiectul in sine e o drama, este atat de frumos si amuzant scrisa incat rezulta o comedie savuroasa, ce nu te lasa sa pui cartea jos.

[Ieva · Rating 4 out of 5]

Eljota savā žanrā ir ļoti populāra, bet nav īsti sanācis ar viņu "sadraudzēties" (līdz šim). Grāmatu kluba humora mēnesis šķita piemērots laiks dot rakstniecei iespēju. Tikai grāmatas vidū aptvēru, ka šī ir tā grāmata, kura pirms gadiem uz mani nekādu iespaidu neatstāja.
Patiešām neko neatcerējos par galvenajiem varoņiem, pat ne viegls de ja vu neradās, bet māsas sižeta līnijā gan uzreizatcerējos, kas būs.
Neteikšu, ka varēju izsmieties, vietām sapratu, ka joks, vienā vietā ķiķināju. Par kopējo vispārējo pazušanu no atmiņas un nesasmīdināšanu tā zvaigzne nost. Taču domāju, ka kādreiz vēl ko no Eljotas varētu palasīt.

[Jenny · Rating 3 out of 5]

Enjoyable read with good supporting characters. Just a pity that the lead character had some cringe worthy moments which irritated me rather than endear me to her.

[Debbie Viggiano · Rating 5 out of 5]

I adore all Catherine Alliott's books and even more so for the fact that, as a writer too (but not as successful as her!) it is so wonderful to see her also make mistakes that miss proof reading eyes.....a dog goosing in the crutch, eyes on storks, a cottage that has a dishwasher in one chapter but no dishwasher in another, a headmaster who is Mr Hunter in one sentence and Mr Harding in another.....fabulous! But it didn't matter, because Catherine Alliott weaved her magic and entertained me with a novel that I absolutely hated to put down (sadly sleep has to happen at some point though).

Imogen is married to Alex, a gorgeous older man who has been hitched before but parted company from his first wife when a mistress came along. Imogen is a little disconcerted that the now ex-mistress is still a good friend of her husband's. Indeed, just how much of a good friend is something that starts to severely rattle our heroine. And when the chips are down and confrontation calls.....well, I won't spoil it. But let's just say I was totally surprised at what happened next and absolutely loved the twist in the tale.

A highly recommended read.

[Rachel Brand · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book! Why did I ever stop reading Catherine Alliott novels? Wonderful escapism. The premise of this novel is often a typical format for chick-lit novels - happily married mother believes that her husband is having an affair with his ex - but nothing is exactly as it seems. Although the main character wasn't totally likeable to begin with, and could behave rather stupidly (obviously the way to stop some chav from bullying your kid is to invite him home for dinner, according to her!) but she grew and even her mistakes and character flaws were amusing. There were so many laugh-out-loud moments in this novel, and there was a lovely cast of amusing and intriguing secondary characters, such as Sheila, the woman who fostered over half a dozen kids and lived in a trailer, or the main character's father who is determined to annoy his ex-wife by dating younger and younger women. I liked the fact that the plot didn't go down the usual route, and that all of the characters either grew or revealed a secret about themselves. And of course, that this was a lovely, funny, light read. I'll definitely be reading more Catherine Alliott novels in the future! 9/10

[Ruth Ropper · Rating 5 out of 5]

I had read this book a long time ago and on re-reading it was as good as the first time. I like Catherine Alliot's sense of humour through the book which at times makes you laugh out loud! I like the vulnerability of the main character although at times I wished she would just ask the difficult question or face up to the issues. But as with all of us it is easier to give advice to someone else. Sometimes there is a process to go through before we reach a stage in life we can deal with those difficult challenges. However I also loved the way she just got on with things or bumbled her way through situations she was unfamiliar with, definitely can relate to that one!
Would recommend this to anyone who likes a good laugh, a good read and lots of believable characters.

[Nicki · Rating 2 out of 5]

Read a few by Catherine Alliot and quite liked them, even though the characters always seem to be ridiculously stupid. I think Imogen was actually the dumbest so far. I cringed all through the vet stuff and I just had a feeling I knew where that was going too.
It was okay for light reading until half way through. Then Hannah’s little surprise and Eleanor’s similar news. Yuck, lost all interest and it was skating pretty close even before all that. Skimmed to the end at this point as I just wanted the book to end.

[Tina · Rating 2 out of 5]

I couldn't quite bring myself to rate this three stars. I liked some parts, but overall it just wasn't a very good story. It seemed like all of the married people were having affairs and it just got quite confusing after a while as to who was messing around with whom. Not a story I would recommend to others.

[Tania Easton · Rating 5 out of 5]

I did not want it to end ...............another good read.

[Natalie · Rating 5 out of 5]

I found this novel absolutely addicting! The writing is great, the settings are lush, and I really feel like I got to know a broad cast of characters, which is great considering it's a first-person narrative. Imogen's anxieties about her family, marriage, friendships and career are balanced neatly with her joys and triumphs. The city girl goes country story works really well here - I nearly SHRIEKED when she called the vet and announced a deadly and contagious disease was at her farm, and that wasn't the only time this book got a physical response from me. Really can't say enough good things about it.

[Paula Bothwell · Rating 4 out of 5]

A Crowded Marriage-PG

Violence-no
Language-100+, including deity
Sex-no

This is the second book by Catherine Alliott I have read; the first one was a sold 5 stars. I felt sorry for the female MC because she was so much in her own head that it messed her up and stunted her happiness in her relationships. I was gobsmacked by the depth of the betrayal she experienced. Emotionally draining.

[Rhyann Dines-Lucas · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book
Never read anything by the author before
A really easy read, several twists and an ending I couldnt have predicted

[Angela · Rating 5 out of 5]

Its been a long time since I've last given a book a perfect score but this book thoroughly deserves it. It starts with a woman named Imogen and her husband Alex who have a son called Rufus. They live in London and across the street from her is her best friend Kate. The economy tanking is the reason why they move out into the country into a cottage where Alex's friend and ex-girlfriend Eleanor owns. The plot moves on from there but in completely unexpected ways and even though things end a little rocky a happily ever after scenario for all the characters involved appear to be well on the way. All in all a really great story.

[Anna · Rating 2 out of 5]

Chick lit. Funny chick lit, but it would be nice if Alliott could move beyond the 'feisty woman with child(ren) moves to rich people country, almost has affair, is betrayed by man, finally gets together with object of her almost-affair.

Been a fan of hers for a while, but I won't be buying her next book unless I'm stuck at an airport and there is absolutely nothing else.

[Izzie d]

Unusual writing style.
Good story in parts, not always quite for me in others.
By the title there is a suspicion of cheating.

[Denisa Claudia Raicu · Rating 3 out of 5]

Cartea ne prezintă în mare povestea lui Imogene, o mama pictorița, care are grija de copil,de casa, care în timpul liber pictează și care spera sa ajute cu bani la întreținerea casei vanzandu-si tablourile..
Ne puteam lipsi de multe detalii, au fost multe pagini care nu își aveau rostul. De ex, nu mi s-a părut ca ar fi trebuit sa știu de ce nu fac copii sora și cumnatul lui Imogene, sau atâtea detalii despre parinti, vecini, profesori, fosta soție a lui Alex.
Viața lui Imogene, Alex si Rufus, fiul lor, se schimba când cei doi adulți își dau seama ca nu mai fac fata datoriilor și traiului în Londra si se muta la țară.
M-am amuzat la reacțiile celor trei în privința animalelor, mi-a părut rău de Imogene pt câte avea de făcut singura.
Mergem cu ei la țară, participam la o cină de bun venit pe nepusa masa, avem parte de peripeții, de un tată care își pune copiii în situații jenante 🤣🤣🤣, de frica de găini și de tot ce înseamnă animale domestice, de o naștere surpriza și de un soc în ceea ce privește bănuielile privind infidelitatea.

Drăguța, ușor haioasă, cu un mesaj puternic care transmite ca prietenia are mai multe fețe și ca de multe ori aparentele inseala.

[Olivia Chapé · Rating 1 out of 5]

I picked this book up as I was looking for an author similar to Jane Green and was sorely disappointed.

This was the second time I gave up on this book. I thought I was only 20 pages in the first time round. However, after my second attempt, I realised that it was more like 120 pages in. I began to doubt myself thinking, "Did I finish this book?" I couldn't bare it any longer. I couldn't do it. I tried speed reading through it a little bit, but it wasn't happening. It simply would not give me the satisfaction I crave from a good book.

The characters were confusing. It may be because of the chosen names, but it appears that I was not the only one who was having problems with this issue after reading the reviews.

The story did not make me feel good, or even intrigued. Although the film, "Requim for a dream" is pretty shocking, this story was somehow more depressing.

My poor experience of this book made me feel that I should avoid this author in the future, as this book gets a big thumbs down from me. I wish I could be nice, but that just ain't happening y'all!!!

[Susan · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love Catherine Alliott’s books. I say this with complete confidence, despite the fact I’ve only read two of them. They aren’t readily available in the US, for some reason.

Imogen is an artist and stay at home mom to Rufus. As much as she loves her art, she gave it up for years to be admin and eventually lover and wife of Alex. When his career hits a downturn, they are forced to rent out their London house and accept temporary tenancy in the cottage of Alex’s longtime friend and onetime lover, Eleanor. Imogen struggles with her new responsibilities (caring for livestock about which she knows nothing), her suspicions about Eleanor’s motives (she knows all too well how easy it is to be obsessed by Alex), and her handsome neighbors, the schoolmaster and veterinarian.

Imogen wiggles her way out of some hilarious predicaments (and uncomfortable shapewear), emerging happier and more content than ever. I love Imogen’s wacky, cringey family. Alex, not so much, but that’s kind of the point of the story.

[Paula Nichols · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was another work second hand book borrow, which will go on sale in the new year!!

Never read a Catherine Alliott book before, and to be honest I was expecting more of a chick lit rom com than this was. This was not one of those, but it wasn't an out and out romance either. The story of Imogen, married to Alex with an older than his years son Rufus starts off typically rom-commy: couple struggling move to the country to live in a twee cottage owned by the lady of the manor, who happens to be hubby's ex lover. But this turns into so much more. With Eleanor being public enemy number one, it is easy to see how Imogen reaches the conclusions she does. The additional characters of her family and her best friend, as well as the vet, add colour to the whole story. It also shows you can't judge books by their covers too, as people don't turn out to be like they seem.

A good story, nice characters and well written. Although I did find the Hannah and Eddie rather annoying!!

[nyan · Rating 4 out of 5]

I surprisingly loved the book?

Imo was fun and quirky, and I love that after like 70% of the book, there has been nonstop revelations and twists you didn’t see coming!! I love love loveee those kinds of surprises.

The ending was a bit rushed though? Like her relationship with Pat could be a bit less forced just to get a happy ending? And I didn’t see punishment enough for Alex, or idk maybe it was better to leave him hanging.

Overall, it was wonderful. Couldn’t put the book down after 50% already. Loved it!!!!

[Carole · Rating 1 out of 5]

Have read 120 pages, and cannot read any more of this awful trashy book, which is an insult to people's intelligence. The characters are shallow, stupid, annoying, and the plot totally ridiculous. I probably shouldn't mark it as read, but surely I need some compensation for the few hours I've wasted on it. I'm glad I only spent 99p on it from a charity shop - it's going back. It's the first Catherine Alliott I've tried to read, and the last.

[Amanda · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ripped through this delightful rom com in a day. There are colourful characters aplenty, hammy humour which was pretty cringy but helped keep the pace light and breezy given the topic's potential for gloom. Alliot keeps the suspense creeping and nails the insidious nature of infidelity and that feeling of "just knowing without evidence" so beautifully - from the male and female persepective, in various scenarios and with great insight. She has me hunting for more of hers to read now.

[Katie Ingram · Rating 1 out of 5]

This book hasn’t aged well at all and makes for some cringe inducing reading. The main characters are judgmental, body shaming snobs who look down on others who are less well off than them. The whole book reeks of white privilege. I had to put it down when the slightly jaundiced new born baby was referred to as “slightly Chinkie.” I know this book is 15 years old but it’s hard believe those racists slurs were allowed to published not that long ago.

[Samantha Ng · Rating 5 out of 5]

The first time I read it I didn't like the slow start. Recently decided to give this book a second chance...wow! I got blown away by it. The story was about wife suspecting husband is having affair, moving from city to countryside, having to make new friends in the village. the fun starts when Imo's family moved to the countryside. I would definitely love another book from Catherine.

[Jill · Rating 2 out of 5]

I found the main character Imogen to be rather silly. It started well and was entertaining but once they moved to the country the storyline “jumped the shark” not just once, but several times! I almost gave up on finishing. Even the end was totally stupid. I gave it 1 start for an amusing start and 1 star for finishing. Lots of other better reads out there. Don’t waste your time on this one.

[Annie Leadley · Rating 5 out of 5]

Full of fun , laughter , tears & life

A lovely story about love & what we often mistake as love sometimes in our lives & relationships ! I laughed out loud a lot , couldn't wait for Imogen to realise what a sleaze bag Alex was , & at the same time what a wonderful son Rufus was in a very grown up manner

[Angela Wilson · Rating 4 out of 5]

This novel would have made a good Brian Rix farce. It was a case of juggling who's with who. Quite funny in places. One of the tabloid papers said it was 'an addictive cocktail of wit, frivolity and madcap romance' and it certainly filled all three categories.' A book to read when you don't want a serious read.

[Cindy · Rating 3 out of 5]

The voice was authentic and there were several laugh-out-loud moments. "Crowded Marriage" was a light read and a mood lifter, for sure! It was, however, about 100 pages too long, and I often questioned the decisions of the main character while finding the results of those questionable decisions predictable. Still great for a weekend at the beach, though!