So Long at the Fair

by Christina Schwarz

The bestselling author of Drowning Ruth returns to the small-town Wisconsin she so brilliantly evoked with this gripping novel about love, marriage, and adultery.


In the summer of 1963 a plot for revenge destroys a career, a friendship, and a family. The consequences of the scandalous event continue to reverberate, touching the next generation. Thirty years later, over the course of one day, Jon struggles to decide whether to end his affair or his marriage. His wife, Ginny, moving closer to discovering his adultery, begins working for an older man who is mysteriously connected to their families' pasts. And Jon's mistress is being courted by a suitor who may be more menacing than he initially seems. As relationships among the characters ebb and flow on that July day, Christina Schwarz illuminates the ties that bind people together -- and the surprising risks they take in the name of love.

As in Drowning Ruth, Schwarz weaves past and present into a richly textured portrait of the secrets and deceptions that simmer beneath everyday life in a small midwestern town. With page-turning intensity and in prose at once lush and precise, she beautifully conjures the emotional labyrinth of a marriage on the brink of collapse and proves that no matter how hard we work to stifle them, the secrets of the past refuse to be ignored.

Betrayal versus loyalty . . . lust versus love . . . infidelity versus honor. Welcome to the complex web of Christina Schwarz's dazzling new novel, So Long at the Fair.

Genres: Fiction, Contemporary, Relationships, Marriage, Book Club, Adult

244 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2008

Reviews

[Carol · Rating 2 out of 5]

It's 1963, and we find ourselves in a small town in Wisconsin. Walter has had sex with Hattie...but she claims that it was rape...and he claims that it was consensual. Hattie’s friend Marie wants her husband, Bud...who is an upcoming golf star, to defend Hattie’s honor. I didn't think that there was much "honor" to defend. Bud refuses as he absolutely believes Walter’s version of the story. Then we find that Marie has her own reasons to want revenge and uses Hattie’s former boyfriend, Clark, to turn Bud against Walter, who is the son of Bud’s major backer. Are we confused yet?

Now we move ahead 40 years to Madison, Wisconsin. Jon, who is the son of Bud and Marie, has been having an affair with Freddi, his co-worker at an ad agency, but he still loves his wife, Ginny. Hattie and Clark’s daughter and Jon became high school sweethearts after Ginny was injured in an accident for which Jon has always felt responsible but which Ginny has always considered her own fault.

With occasional jumps back to 1963, the story covers the crucial Saturday when Jon is deciding whether to stay with Ginny or leave their long marriage for Freddi. As a step toward reconciliation, he plans to take Ginny to a music festival they’ve attended in the past, but Ginny has mixed up her dates and made other, business appointments. Frustrated and hurt, Jon ends up at the festival with Freddi, who of course, carries her own emotional baggage, including a stalker who is convinced that Freddi is his girlfriend. Ginny’s business appointment is with Walter, who readers quickly suspect may be her real father instead of overprotective, doting Clark. Misconnections and misunderstandings mount as all the characters, not just Jon and Ginny, but their parents, their friends and acquaintances all make choices drawing them closer and closer to inevitable disaster.

While the 1963 story line is a minor problem, but the author's portrayal of Jon and Ginny’s supposedly loving but damaged marriage is downright confusing....as is the entire story. After reading this, I now completely understand why I prefer M/M romances.

[Amanda · Rating 1 out of 5]

I was going to skip this review completely, give the book one star, and leave it at that. But as I generally don’t give horrible reviews, I thought I might as well have a low opinion for once. Keep in mind that this is, of course, my own opinion, as I’ve noticed many people really enjoyed this book. However, it did nothing for me as far as entertainment.

The story spans only one day and is told from several different character points of view. The two main characters are the married couple of Jon and Ginny. Jon is having an affair with his co-worker, Freddi, with Ginny getting seemingly closer to finding out. Trailing the co-worker is her stalker, Ethan.

While Jon and Ginny go their separate ways on this specific day, the story sets them up to arrive at the same place, a local fair that neither knows the other is going to be at. Between the narration of this day is another story of something that had happened years ago between Jon and Ginny’s parents and another somewhat disliked local. This story is another one of betrayal, though a different sort all together.

There are several reasons I didn’t like this book. The characters are either wooden or whiny. Ginny gives me nothing to work with, nothing to like. Even the characters I should have disliked didn’t do anything. Jon was annoying as a character, constantly debating all the ways in which his cheating is wrong. The back story, while having a slight connection to the present story, really wasn’t needed. It was silly and felt forced.
Besides that, it dragged on and was overall very boring. There was nothing new to it. Everything I read felt familiar, not original. And the ending…well, let’s just say that had the rest of the book been enjoyable for me, I would have found it disappointing. Since the whole thing was a disappointment, I guess it was par for the course.

[Melissa · Rating 2 out of 5]

I wanted to love this book - I had such high expectations for it! I read 2 very positive reviews for it in major publications, I had it on hold at the library for months, read positive reviews for it on Amazon, I figured it must be good. It wasn't. It was ok… which is frustrating because it could have been great.

The books takes place in the span of 1 day with lots of flash backs telling the back story of how the main characters met and also telling a story from 1963 that involved their parents and how they are linked together from 1 event. Sounds good, huh? I thought so too...

I love reading books that have interwoven stories or back stories told through flash backs. When this is done right it’s like getting 2 books in one. Hasn't everyone read a book that has flash backs chapters that you find yourself flipping ahead a few chapters to see what happens next? I didn’t want to skip a head in this book – I really didn't care if I was in present or past - neither story grab me or was all that interesting. I kept waiting for the big climax, it never came.

So Long at the Fair was an easy read (read it in less than a week) with a good idea, just didn't work for me.

[Elaine · Rating 4 out of 5]

The main story in So Long at the Fair takes place over the course of one Saturday in the lives of Jon and Ginny, a married couple who had been high school sweethearts. Their relationship has stagnated and Jon is having an affair with a co-worker, which has progressed to the point where Jon must make his choice between the two women. Jon begins his day hoping to re-ignite his passion for Ginny during a day-long road trip to a nearby county fair, but ends up stomping off in anger to spend the day with his paramour (Freddi) instead, when he finds out that Ginny wants to re-schedule their outing because of previous business commitments.

In addition to the main story, we have the flashback story of Jon’s parents (Clark and Hattie) and Ginny’s parents (Bud and Marie) in 1963 as Clark and Marie try to force Bud into a confrontation with the local playboy (Walt) who refuses to admit that he raped Hattie.

Through the course of this single Saturday, both Ginny and Jon reminisce about their high school days and the accident that injured Ginny and brought the two of them together. Meanwhile a second co-worker of Jon’s (whose wife previously cheated on him) conveniently sets the stage for Ginny to discover Jon’s affair with Freddi. And if that isn’t enough going on already, an old boyfriend of Freddi’s is stalking her (and now Jon) in a deluded attempt to win her back.

Obviously there is a lot going on in this book and sometimes I found it necessary to go back and re-read a chapter or two to make sure I had the story and the relationships straight. Each story ends with a subtle twist and a sense of openness that makes it seem more like the beginning of a story which is yet to come.

[Sandie · Rating 3 out of 5]

This mercurial story of love and adultery in a small Wisconsin town spans the course of three decades and serves as undeniable proof positive that people don't always learn from their mistakes or the mistakes of others.

Two stories, inextricably linked, are related to the reader in alternating chapters. Each of the plotlines is character driven and telegraphs a sense of foreboding. Agilely pivoting between one fateful night in 1963 and a single hot July day some thirty years later, Schwartz deftly intertwines the two stories to give us an evocative portrait of sympathetic individuals caught up in unsympathetic situations.

When a writer of Schwartz's caliber has proven her ability to produced jewels such as All is Vanity and Drowning Ruth one tends to view future offerings with a more critical eye. Although better than a lot of writer's best work, one always expects more from those whose obvious talent sets them apart from the rest. For this reason, this reader found So Long at the Fair to be a little heavy handed in its resolution and definitely lacking the insight into the foibles of the human animal so accurately and flawlessly characterized in her previous works. For this reason.........3 stars.

[Emi Yoshida · Rating 1 out of 5]

I don't have much to say about this book... I liked that it's set in Madison, WI since I went to school there and recognized a lot of the setting. But, I'm just not impressed with Christina Schwarz the author.
This story is about a couple having marital problems, he's having an affair at work. It turns out their parents knew each other growing up, and they were all involved in some kind of dastardly scheme which is only vaguely hinted at before the book flips back to present day, where description of the affair drones on and on until there is reference made to some mysterious accident and this flipping from modern day back to their childhood just wasn't done artfully. The whole book is just a constant to and fro from unclear situation in the past to unclear situation present day, ad nauseum. At first I kept flipping back and forth re-reading to figure out who was who past and present, but then I got irritated with it all and just freaking stopped caring. By the end of the book with its big whatever reveal, I was just sick of the whole dang deal.

[Libraryscat · Rating 3 out of 5]

Thank you to Doubleday for the opportunity to read and review this galley. [return][return]Author Christina Schwarz, who also wrote Drowning Ruth, tells the story of a marriage and an affair. Jon and Ginny struggle with the minutiae of their relationship, while each of them also struggles with the past which has shaped their future. Two things make their lives even more difficult Ginny is trying to get pregnant and Jon is having an affair with a co-worker. While this might be enough drama for some, the author tells us another story. It is the story of Jon and Ginny s parents told in alternating chapters of the book. Does the past dictate the future? Is the marriage on the brink of disaster? [return][return]To be honest, I found this book a little confusing. Even so, I enjoyed it. And I liked it enough to read it again with a who s who chart! Why? Because the emotion and struggles are so well developed by Schwarz that the novel is worth a second read for full understanding. The characters are likeable and the suspense builds to a somewhat satisfying conclusion.

[Amy · Rating 3 out of 5]

I have sort of mixed feelings for this book. First, I didn't love the ending. After this build up I want to know what happens and how the characters react. Second, for a fairly short book (244 pages for the version I read) there was a lot going on, too much going on in my opinion. There was the main story with Ginny and Jon, then their parents story is weaved in. Add to that Ginny's coworker with the child, Ginny working for a man Jon hates who also is a large focus of the parent's storyline, plus Jon's coworker (Mark who is also called Kaiser at times) whose wife cheated and seems to be in love with Ginny, and Jon's mistress and her stalker. I mean seriously? None of that could have been cut down a bit?

When I ignored all this, I really liked parts of the book. It was written well and it was engaging reading.

[Heidi · Rating 1 out of 5]

I am so disappointed. Partly I can understand that it's hard for a new author to come in at the top (Drowning Ruth was on the Oprah bookclub and show) and try to sustain that level of success but this book was completely disappointing. It's as though the book ended BEFORE the climax and it leaves you wondering why you wasted the time to read half of a story. I even thought that maybe she was being rushed to get this book into publishing so she just ended it maybe even thinking that this will promote discussions or make her seem creative. Christina Schwarz became my favorite author after Drowning Ruth and I was ok with her second novel but honestly, this book may have ruined everything for me because I'm not sure I want to put any energy into reading another novel of hers. Her novels continue to get worse and worse.

[Cheryl · Rating 3 out of 5]

I have mixed feelings about this book. It was very well written, interesting characters, and she does a brilliant job of weaving the past and present together and bringing everything together. I however hate it when books leave an open ending. A large event happens and that is how the book ends. I want to know how the characters react to that event, what happens to everyone after. Some people I'm sure don't mind it when books leave off like that, but I really don't. So good writing, good book, hate the ending.

[Janet · Rating 4 out of 5]

There are many stories going on at the same time but all, as are the characters, related in many ways. Schwarz writes as if she knows these people & is just retelling their stories. There are no false moments, no exaggerations for the sake of moving the story forward, no side stories that distract - it's an honest, believable story with honest, believable people. At first I wanted more from the ending - I wanted to follow these people into their futures - I wanted to know they would be OK. I felt I was invested in their lives & what more can you ask from a book?

[Elisa M · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good character development, and a good plot....although I found it hard at times to keep straight how the past related to the present. Also, like others before me, I found the ending somewhat unsatisfying. At first I liked the ambiguity, as it allows the reader to create their own ending. When I thought about it later, it felt more like a cop-out to me- like maybe the author wasn't quite sure where she wanted it to go, so she just kind of left it hanging. I'm still not sure where I stand on that.

[Rebecca · Rating 5 out of 5]

I started the book this weekend and could not put it down! The intertwining stories link the characters together amazingly and the book ends with a perfect amount of resolution and mystery.
Perhaps this would be difficult to follow if you could only read bits and pieces at a time.
Check out the link to the Reader's Guide. It provides some excellent thought provoking questions that really enhance the enjoyment of the story.

[Sarka · Rating 4 out of 5]

I still can't decide if I loved it or hated it hahaha. Bloody Contemporary Authors hahaha. I didn't flow with this one. Didn't really have the energy to read it full pelt and yet, The story had me Very intricate literature where you can lose track if you don't pay attention but very clever writing to sum it all up. Think I need one of my usual Genres now hahaha. But I'll give it a 3.5 out of 5. Maybe 4 on a generous day hahahaha.

[A.C. · Rating 4 out of 5]

I loved the characters and thought the author did an excellent job at drawing the reader into their lives. The past and present events were interweaved brilliantly to add to the mystery, drama, heartbreak and hope of the novels look at love, marriage and adultery. I have recommended this book to all of my friends.

[Allison · Rating 4 out of 5]

Her characterization is so deft and complex that I was halfway through the book before suddenly realizing that not a whole lot of action was taking place but I was thoroughly engrossed. Brilliant at exploring guilt and desire, how people fool themselves and manipulate others, some unconsciously and some not.

[Libby · Rating 3 out of 5]

I have finally finished my pile of library books and am now starting on the pile that people have lent me. So many books ...

I have read three Christina Schwarz books lately and this was the one I liked the most. There was a depressing feeling about the characters and their lives which seemed very real.

[Heather · Rating 3 out of 5]

So Long at the Fair is the story of pivotal day in the Life of Jon and Ginny. The couple are high school sweethearts who found their connection due to a devastating accident and have been married for several years. Ginny is a lovable pack rat whose gardening business is beginning to flourish, while Jon is a typical type-A advertising executive, driven and focused on Freddi, a woman outside of their marriage. The novel frames an intense day when Jon must decide whether to abandon his fledgling affair, or to continue it and leave Ginny behind. Sprinkled throughout this story is the story of Bud and Marie, Jon's parents, whose actions are told in flashback. Bud and Marie's actions have had repercussions that have impacted Jon and Ginny's life, and brought them where they are today. As the couple spends the day separated by an argument, both examine the relationship and and remember the events that ultimately brought them together. In between we learn of Freddi's attempts to dissuade a persistent admirer who doesn't seem to know when to let go, and Ginny's decision to do business with a man who has a shadowy connection to her past.

This book had a strange effect on me. I found the tenuous construction of the plot to be very difficult to keep track of. Many times it was confusing as to when in the specific time period action was taking place, or who the characters were in relation to one another. This was particularly so in the flashback portions of the book. The modern sections were more easily construed, but those sections had their difficulties as well. In particular, the way the back story was woven together was a little annoying. Instead of getting the full story at one time, the author chose to distribute the information in several bits, alternating between Jon and Ginny. Many of the secondary characters seemed to be underdeveloped and hazy as well, and I found most of the characters in this book to be very unlikable, especially Freddi. She seemed to have quite an attitude of self-importance, and her personality teetered between smugness and insecurity for most of the book. The male characters too were unsatisfying, as I found them to be unfeeling and somewhat uncommunicative. The only character that I felt any affinity for was Ginny; she seemed to be more expressive and her motives were more realistic. It is possible that the instances of infidelity were what turned me off in this book, but I rather think it was the way the situation was portrayed and the callousness of the characters that bothered me. Despite all this, I found that the story moved along with a great amount of force and direction, and I was compelled to keep reading. The author did a good job of maintaining the tension and urgency of the story despite the structural and character flaws. The ending was somewhat of a slow deflation of the story, and I think in some ways it worked, but in others it ways was anticlimactic. I am of two minds about the ending of this book because it gives the reader the opportunity to draw their own conclusions as to what happens next, but at the same time, after following the events leading up to the moment, it seems a bit of a cop-out for the resolution to be withheld.

All in all I found this book to be one I liked very much, and at the same time not at all. There was a lot going on structurally that I felt could have been done more evenly and efficiently, but at the same time there was a great driving force behind the narrative that kept me focused on the important elements of the story. I found that immediately after finishing the book I felt cold towards it, yet after a few days of thinking and digesting it, I liked it more. I would recommend this book with one caveat: this book needs to be appreciated as a whole, because the individual parts can be dissatisfying on their own.

[Jackie Trimble · Rating 3 out of 5]

My review takes nothing away from Christina Schwarz, it's just that I didn't love the subject matter. I couldn't jump into the book whole-heartedly when I was reading about adultery.

I got this book from my mom's house - she had shared Drowning Ruth with me ages before this and so when I saw she had this book, too, I took it home to read it "someday."

My poor husband is picking all my books this year for me to read because I have so many in my TBR pile, I let him pick. He doesn't check what they are about - I don't know his process - but I can tell you it's not perfect! For example, I asked him to pick me a "beach read" in March when we were headed to spring break, and let's just say it was no where NEAR a beach read! I had to school him on beach read covers.

So, anyway, here we are over Memorial Day weekend, camping near where this book takes place and I'm reading about a man who is cheating on his wife. I kept joking, "WHY DID YOU PICK THIS BOOK - WHAT ARE YOU TRYING TO SAY??" Poor soul!

[Elaine Cline · Rating 2 out of 5]

So Long At The Fair by Christina Schwarz is a book written from multiple character point of views and it switches back and forth in time between the present or 2008 ish when the book was published, and 1963. The story in current times is about the events of one day. Jon, the husband is having an affair with a coworker, and is grappling with staying with his wife Ginny or leaving her for Freddi. The characters in the portions of the book that go back to 1963 are the teenaged parents of Jon and Ginny. Throw in a stalker character too- Ethan-- who is stalking Freddi. I started off the book enjoying it and finding it easy to read. But as I got into the book, between the jumping around in time, and point of views, I realized that I didn't really like the characters. The story line of what takes place in 1963 is hard to follow. For me, the ending was not very satisfying. I feel the writing, is all quite good- I just didn't like the characters and their actions - at all.

[Kristi · Rating 2 out of 5]

I absolutely loved "Drowning Ruth" so I was looking forward to reading another book by Ms. Schwarz. Maybe I am simply too old at 74, but I have long ago lost any empathy for cheating husbands or wives. I cannot say that I have never done anything because of sexual attraction that I now consider wrong. I am, however, a firm believer in the idea that when you know better you do better. Cheating instead of therapy or leaving the relationship is cowardly and selfish. I did not like Jon. He was a wimp who, if he was unhappy in his marriage, did not end it. I am not certain that he was actually unhappy with Ginny, he was simply bored and narcissistic. He wanted his cake and to eat it too. Personally I think Ginny should have kicked his a** to the curb when he was so absent from their relationship. I still like Ms. Schwarz's writing style, but did not like this book. Kristi & Abby Tabby

[Katie · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book started out promising. I loved drowning Ruth - highly recommend but this book falls flat in comparison.
The main characters are ok, Although the pace of their development is really slow. The secondary characters are a waste of words. Ethan ... I dont understand this character at all. I get he’s a stalker. Freddie has no clue? Isn’t freaked out? WTF. Also would have been better to expand his creepiness or something.
The 1960s plot line is soooo drawn out and not with good story lines. It’s as if the author needed a higher word count and didn’t want want the story to be done in 5 pages. Honestly the whole book could be summed up in detail in less than 10 pages.

The end leaves so many loose ends it’s ridiculous. The last chapter is almost like a why the hell not add more weird history.

[Bev · Rating 2 out of 5]

This is quite honestly boring. I finished it because I was in a train with nothing else to read and the writing is decent, but I honestly couldn't have cared less about the story. The affair is totally cliche and the story from the past seemed entirely unnecessary. Also, the synopsis is misleading in that regard - it says Ginny is getting "closer and closer to a thirty year olds secret" but there's never even the slightest hint of her finding out anything about the past. A disappointing read.

[Pat · Rating 2 out of 5]

This story takes place in Wisconsin in the space of one day with memories of the past impacting the lives of the married couple, Jon and Ginny. Jon is having an affair with a coworker, vacillating between her and his wife. Thirty years earlier, the events of one summer still impact the lives of many people.

I chose this book because I still remember how much I liked Drowning Ruth by Christina Schwarz, so I was disappointed. The shifting times lines became confusing. I also felt little empathy for the characters in the past or the present.

[Reader · Rating 2 out of 5]

I found it confusing and hard to follow. I don’t mind stories that go back and forth between past and present, but this one just didn’t feel cohesively done.

There was also not one single character that I actually liked or felt invested in. I read Drowning Ruth many years ago and loved it, so I was expecting something better from this one. I only finished it because I am four books short of my reading goal for the year and have only two weeks left to get them in; otherwise this one probably would have been a DNF for me. Which is rare.

[Cspindel · Rating 2 out of 5]

Very slow, kept waiting for it to get better, and I didn’t feel like it ever really went anywhere.

[Stacey · Rating 3 out of 5]

contains sexual violence, though not graphic

[Angie Torres]

Slow Heat in Heaven Sandra Brown

[Stephanie · Rating 2 out of 5]

Very good writing, but not sure about the point.

[a love letter to books · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'm a big fan of Christina's books "All is Vanity" and "Drowning Ruth" so I picked up this one at the library. It definitely had her voice to it, and I enjoyed it very much.