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Married Sex: A Love Story
When a husband convinces his wife to join him in a tryst with another woman, there are unintended consequences in this sharply observed erotic tale about the challenges of modern marriage
As a divorce lawyer for Manhattan’s elite, David Greenfield is privy to the intimate, dirty details of failed marriages. He knows he’s lucky to be married to Blair—a Barnard dean and the mother of their college-age daughter, she is a woman he loves more today than he did when they tied the knot.
Then seductive photographer Jean Coin asks David to be her lover for 6 weeks, until she leaves for Timbuktu. Tempted, David reasons that “it’s not cheating if your wife’s there.” A 1-night threesome would relieve the pressure of monogamy without wrecking their marriage. What harm could come of fulfilling his longtime sexual fantasy?
As a divorce lawyer for Manhattan’s elite, David Greenfield is privy to the intimate, dirty details of failed marriages. He knows he’s lucky to be married to Blair—a Barnard dean and the mother of their college-age daughter, she is a woman he loves more today than he did when they tied the knot.
Then seductive photographer Jean Coin asks David to be her lover for 6 weeks, until she leaves for Timbuktu. Tempted, David reasons that “it’s not cheating if your wife’s there.” A 1-night threesome would relieve the pressure of monogamy without wrecking their marriage. What harm could come of fulfilling his longtime sexual fantasy?
178 pages, Kindle Edition
First published August 25, 2015
34 people are currently reading
752 people want to read
About the author
Jesse Kornbluth
31 books32 followersJesse Kornbluth was an American magazine writer and author. His book Notes from the New Underground is an anthology of articles he compiled from counterculture newspapers. He also wrote Airborne, a biography of Michael Jordan, and Highly Confident: The Crime and Punishment of Michael Milkin. His articles appeared in The New York Times Magazine, Vanity Fair, and many other magazines. He was a graduate of Harvard University.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 88 reviews
August 26, 2015
LIVE on AMZ!-http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00U...
5+++ Extraordinary Stars!
Married Sex was one of those books I went in completely unaware. I'd saw the book on NetGalley and it was in a genre I've dappled in here and there (literature/fiction)...not my typical romance or erotica. The book blurb just drew me in and let me say this and I'll be 100% clear- THIS BOOK WAS ALL KINDS OF AWESOME! It's that instance where you're starting to read the writing style and you just KNOW it's different. I had zero clue who Jesse Kornbluth was. Was the author a man or a woman? My suspicion was right because the writing is just...different. It was highly educated, a bit deep, thoughtful and embracing. It was FABULOUS. I was right- Jesse Kornbluth is, in fact, a man and one hell of a writer. Don't let the lack of books he's written deter you. He's wrote screenplays for Robert Deniro. Editor at Vanity Fair. He's not "new." But I love the fact that THIS is his debut novel. It just took family and friends years to push him to publish it! Thanks to Jesse's friends and family!
I remember years ago when I first read a book by male author, Sylvain Reynard. It was Gabriel's Inferno, and quite honestly my favorite love story. That book, amidst the FSoG era, was tagged, "smart person porn" (or something like that). THIS, my friends, is SMART person writing. I won't use the word "porn" because it isn't all about sex, unlike the title makes it seem. The title, by the way...yuck. Right there with the book cover. A book this caliber deserves a fittingly awesome title and book cover. But I digress...
So, these are the first words by David in this book. How could I NOT fall for this man?
So, what's Married Sex about? In a nutshell...life. Marriage. Love. Mistakes. Pain. Hope. David and Blair Greenfield are a married couple living in Manhattan. Married for over twenty years, in their mid-forties, daughter off to college- their life is good. Stable. David is a successful matrimonial attorney (fancy term for divorce lawyer) and she is a Dean of studies. Successful and happy in their empty nest. Or are they? Sex is great and frequent. Routines are fairly set but enjoyable. Most importantly, after twenty years, they're still very much in love. So what throws their world off balance?
David meets Jean Coin, a world famous photographer, at a local art gallery. Their connection was instant. She has a proposition for David...an affair. Six weeks. Defined time frame. Starting point and ending point. Early on in their marriage, he'd had a brief affair and he and Blair had vowed that if the time ever came where one might stray, there was one rule set in stone...
If you're going to stray, bring that person home.
So that's what he did. He brought Jean Coin home to his wife. Surprisingly enough, Blair agrees to the one night of sexual exploration. The three of them...getting it out of his system and move on. If only things were sophysically and emotionally simple.
This book sounds all kinds of erotic. Ménage? How can it not be erotica? Well, there's sex. Yes, there's ménage in this story but it's not THE book...so far from it. Let me be clear, THIS IS NOT PORN. It's tasteful, but not super erotic. The sex pales in comparison to the depth of their story. The way it's written immerses the reader into David's world. Written completely in his POV, I felt as if I was a voyeur in his life. It's clear the author lives in Manhattan because his depiction of NYC was spot on and I felt as though I was there walking alongside David. I watch his world crumble. I felt his grief. I saw the landscaping of the world that went on around this man.
I cannot say enough how much I enjoyed this. I hate to do this twice (mentioning other authors/books) but I will anyways because I feel it's a great comparison to an equally great novel. Those who read and loved After I Do should try this. The plotline is very similar. Is it a love triangle? I don't think so. Everything was consensual. Not like the love triangles that make you want to pull your hair out in typical romances. Calling this a romance seems almost elementary for the stature I put this book up to.
Inevitably, the question became this: If the triangle is the strongest shape in nature and the most successful formation in sports, why isn't it the strongest form of human relationships?
The writing style is almost poetic...like a sort of lyrical prose. It's intelligent and engrossing. I'd HIGHLY recommend this book for someone who's looking for MORE out of their reading experience- not just basic romance or erotica with some angst thrown in for good measure. It's TRULY set above the rest. This novel made me think and also made me reflect on my OWN marriage of twenty years. Even when things are seemingly perfect on both the inside and outside, are we truly what we COULD be? Did how we act those first months of love set the groundwork or foundation of how the following years shall pass between us? Or can we tear up that groundwork and start anew? I loved that these characters are older, mature, yet none the wiser. Until life throws them a curveball. The ball they thought they had the "perfect swing" for. When the curveball comes, will it be grand slam out of the ballpark or be a miserable strike out? Step up to the plate, my friends, and find out. (Sorry for the baseball euphemism. Baseball is my life these days)
So I've been asked if this book ends in a happily ever after for this couple...that quote above should say it loud and clear but....
***This book, unfortunately doesn't come out till August 2015. But as of 4/22/15 this book is still on NetGalley under literature/fiction.
Advanced reader's copy received by Open Road Integrated Media via NetGalley in exchange for my honest review.
For more reviews follow us at...
5+++ Extraordinary Stars!
Married Sex was one of those books I went in completely unaware. I'd saw the book on NetGalley and it was in a genre I've dappled in here and there (literature/fiction)...not my typical romance or erotica. The book blurb just drew me in and let me say this and I'll be 100% clear- THIS BOOK WAS ALL KINDS OF AWESOME! It's that instance where you're starting to read the writing style and you just KNOW it's different. I had zero clue who Jesse Kornbluth was. Was the author a man or a woman? My suspicion was right because the writing is just...different. It was highly educated, a bit deep, thoughtful and embracing. It was FABULOUS. I was right- Jesse Kornbluth is, in fact, a man and one hell of a writer. Don't let the lack of books he's written deter you. He's wrote screenplays for Robert Deniro. Editor at Vanity Fair. He's not "new." But I love the fact that THIS is his debut novel. It just took family and friends years to push him to publish it! Thanks to Jesse's friends and family!
I remember years ago when I first read a book by male author, Sylvain Reynard. It was Gabriel's Inferno, and quite honestly my favorite love story. That book, amidst the FSoG era, was tagged, "smart person porn" (or something like that). THIS, my friends, is SMART person writing. I won't use the word "porn" because it isn't all about sex, unlike the title makes it seem. The title, by the way...yuck. Right there with the book cover. A book this caliber deserves a fittingly awesome title and book cover. But I digress...
So, these are the first words by David in this book. How could I NOT fall for this man?
So, what's Married Sex about? In a nutshell...life. Marriage. Love. Mistakes. Pain. Hope. David and Blair Greenfield are a married couple living in Manhattan. Married for over twenty years, in their mid-forties, daughter off to college- their life is good. Stable. David is a successful matrimonial attorney (fancy term for divorce lawyer) and she is a Dean of studies. Successful and happy in their empty nest. Or are they? Sex is great and frequent. Routines are fairly set but enjoyable. Most importantly, after twenty years, they're still very much in love. So what throws their world off balance?
David meets Jean Coin, a world famous photographer, at a local art gallery. Their connection was instant. She has a proposition for David...an affair. Six weeks. Defined time frame. Starting point and ending point. Early on in their marriage, he'd had a brief affair and he and Blair had vowed that if the time ever came where one might stray, there was one rule set in stone...
If you're going to stray, bring that person home.
So that's what he did. He brought Jean Coin home to his wife. Surprisingly enough, Blair agrees to the one night of sexual exploration. The three of them...getting it out of his system and move on. If only things were so
This book sounds all kinds of erotic. Ménage? How can it not be erotica? Well, there's sex. Yes, there's ménage in this story but it's not THE book...so far from it. Let me be clear, THIS IS NOT PORN. It's tasteful, but not super erotic. The sex pales in comparison to the depth of their story. The way it's written immerses the reader into David's world. Written completely in his POV, I felt as if I was a voyeur in his life. It's clear the author lives in Manhattan because his depiction of NYC was spot on and I felt as though I was there walking alongside David. I watch his world crumble. I felt his grief. I saw the landscaping of the world that went on around this man.
I cannot say enough how much I enjoyed this. I hate to do this twice (mentioning other authors/books) but I will anyways because I feel it's a great comparison to an equally great novel. Those who read and loved After I Do should try this. The plotline is very similar. Is it a love triangle? I don't think so. Everything was consensual. Not like the love triangles that make you want to pull your hair out in typical romances. Calling this a romance seems almost elementary for the stature I put this book up to.
Inevitably, the question became this: If the triangle is the strongest shape in nature and the most successful formation in sports, why isn't it the strongest form of human relationships?
The writing style is almost poetic...like a sort of lyrical prose. It's intelligent and engrossing. I'd HIGHLY recommend this book for someone who's looking for MORE out of their reading experience- not just basic romance or erotica with some angst thrown in for good measure. It's TRULY set above the rest. This novel made me think and also made me reflect on my OWN marriage of twenty years. Even when things are seemingly perfect on both the inside and outside, are we truly what we COULD be? Did how we act those first months of love set the groundwork or foundation of how the following years shall pass between us? Or can we tear up that groundwork and start anew? I loved that these characters are older, mature, yet none the wiser. Until life throws them a curveball. The ball they thought they had the "perfect swing" for. When the curveball comes, will it be grand slam out of the ballpark or be a miserable strike out? Step up to the plate, my friends, and find out. (Sorry for the baseball euphemism. Baseball is my life these days)
So I've been asked if this book ends in a happily ever after for this couple...that quote above should say it loud and clear but....
***This book, unfortunately doesn't come out till August 2015. But as of 4/22/15 this book is still on NetGalley under literature/fiction.
Advanced reader's copy received by Open Road Integrated Media via NetGalley in exchange for my honest review.
For more reviews follow us at...
December 18, 2015
3.5 "I've been loving you too long to stop now" stars
David and Blair are a couple in their 40s, enjoying their married life now that their daughter is off to her studies. Wine, books, music, dinners and sex are parts of their life. He's a matrimonal lawyer and she's a Dean in a college.
One day David meets Jean, a famous photographer/artist who asked him to be her lover for a couple of weeks until she's off to Timbuktu. He proposed another offer to her instead, since he had made an agreement with his wife long ago to bring the lover to them when they feel tempted to have sex with someone else.
What happens when theory is much different than reality? Things can get messy and complicated and with this threesome they will fall into a maze that won't be easy to get out of it.
I have to admit that I had high expectations from this book and even though I enjoyed it, I can't say I loved it. I liked how realistic it was and it gave me the feeling of reading a memoir instead of fiction.
I appreciate the fact that it gave an unusual twist in the turn of the events, but not entirely impossible. Even though I wasn't a fan of the writing style, I still managed to feel for the hero, even though I wasn't fond of him at first and I truly believe he was the one to blame for the problems that occured to them.
Last but not least, I was also a bit disappointed by the ending, because it felt unbelievable to me, but I do believe many of my friends will probably love this book. I'm not married, so maybe I just didn't feel connected with the characters because of that.
ARC kindly provided by the publisher via Net-Galley in exchange for an honest review.
David and Blair are a couple in their 40s, enjoying their married life now that their daughter is off to her studies. Wine, books, music, dinners and sex are parts of their life. He's a matrimonal lawyer and she's a Dean in a college.
One day David meets Jean, a famous photographer/artist who asked him to be her lover for a couple of weeks until she's off to Timbuktu. He proposed another offer to her instead, since he had made an agreement with his wife long ago to bring the lover to them when they feel tempted to have sex with someone else.
What happens when theory is much different than reality? Things can get messy and complicated and with this threesome they will fall into a maze that won't be easy to get out of it.
I wasn't sick of Blair. I didn't crave a new thrill. I didn't feel that years of fidelity entitled me to a no-fault affair. I had success in my work and stability in my home and, most of all, I loved Blair even more than I did on our wedding day- I envied my own life... So why get involved with Jean Coin?
I have to admit that I had high expectations from this book and even though I enjoyed it, I can't say I loved it. I liked how realistic it was and it gave me the feeling of reading a memoir instead of fiction.
I appreciate the fact that it gave an unusual twist in the turn of the events, but not entirely impossible. Even though I wasn't a fan of the writing style, I still managed to feel for the hero, even though I wasn't fond of him at first and I truly believe he was the one to blame for the problems that occured to them.
Last but not least, I was also a bit disappointed by the ending, because it felt unbelievable to me, but I do believe many of my friends will probably love this book. I'm not married, so maybe I just didn't feel connected with the characters because of that.
ARC kindly provided by the publisher via Net-Galley in exchange for an honest review.
May 13, 2015
4.5 Stars
Honestly - I wasn't sure if I was going to make it through this entire book.
The reason?
Reality ...
Harsh, Stark, Raw, Daring
Reality.
This book is extraordinarily well written.
It is candid without being crass. It is expressive without being ornate. It is thought provoking without preaching. The feelings of love and devotion are earned - as are the feelings of hurt and omission.
At the half way point I felt like the book was headed in a direction that I wasn't certain I was going to be able to handle. I am not a prude ... I consider myself open to ideas ... but I found myself drawing so many parallels to my own marriage, that some of the concepts presented felt intrusive ... there are just some thoughts and feelings that are hard to face - hard to admit to - even to one's self. Thankfully, I powered my way through my own discomfort and came away with a new perspective on married sex. Married life.
This book did one more fabulous thing for me ... it lead to a wonderful conversation with my husband. We are generally very open with each other about all things - but I now feel we are just a little more connected than we were before. And I think I may have (almost) convinced him to read a book! lol
Honestly - I wasn't sure if I was going to make it through this entire book.
The reason?
Reality ...
Harsh, Stark, Raw, Daring
Reality.
This book is extraordinarily well written.
It is candid without being crass. It is expressive without being ornate. It is thought provoking without preaching. The feelings of love and devotion are earned - as are the feelings of hurt and omission.
At the half way point I felt like the book was headed in a direction that I wasn't certain I was going to be able to handle. I am not a prude ... I consider myself open to ideas ... but I found myself drawing so many parallels to my own marriage, that some of the concepts presented felt intrusive ... there are just some thoughts and feelings that are hard to face - hard to admit to - even to one's self. Thankfully, I powered my way through my own discomfort and came away with a new perspective on married sex. Married life.
Change? We say we want to be different, to be better, but we don't want to change; we want to be changed - we want to download the app and let the device do it all for us.
This book did one more fabulous thing for me ... it lead to a wonderful conversation with my husband. We are generally very open with each other about all things - but I now feel we are just a little more connected than we were before. And I think I may have (almost) convinced him to read a book! lol
Sex isn't how you say thanks to the guy who pays your rent. It isn't what you give up when you become a parent. It isn't what you ration, and it isn't what you live without because you don't want your kids to grow up in a broken home.
Sex is, at the very least, the reward we get for surviving the day; at the very most, it's the life force.
Read
October 9, 2015DNF @ 20% For Now
I've tried, really I have to got into this but for some reason it's just not working for me. The subject matter intrigued from the beginning and I was so ready for a novel the treated me like an adult. You know, more wine and cheese than frat and beer. My problem stems from the fact I just don't relate to David, the lone POV. There's a level of pretension I'm having a hard time getting past and I'm finding myself uninterested. I have several friends who've loved this and I do plan to pick this up again in the future, but now's obviously not my time.
ARC provided by publisher in exchange for an honest review
I've tried, really I have to got into this but for some reason it's just not working for me. The subject matter intrigued from the beginning and I was so ready for a novel the treated me like an adult. You know, more wine and cheese than frat and beer. My problem stems from the fact I just don't relate to David, the lone POV. There's a level of pretension I'm having a hard time getting past and I'm finding myself uninterested. I have several friends who've loved this and I do plan to pick this up again in the future, but now's obviously not my time.
ARC provided by publisher in exchange for an honest review
June 8, 2015
****4.5 Sexy Stars*****
(ARC provided by Netgalley)
Reading this book was a very unique experience, it's definitely a different take on marriage life and for anybody who's in a committed relationship and reads it, will cause to open up a lot of conductive conversations, perhaps a few that you never thought to have with your significant other.
David and Blair have been married for a long time, he's a divorce lawyer and she is the dean of a university. David considers himself lucky to have a successful career, a beautiful and smart wife who he loves and desires passionately, even after so many years of marriage. They have a wonderful daughter who just left home to go to college, so now they are adjusting to a new life as empty nesters who are still young in their mid forties.
One day on at an art show, David meets a intriguing woman, photographer Jean Coin. They strike an easy conversation and even though David notices how attractive and smart this woman is, he doesn't think anything else of it. Imagine his surprise when Jean calls him a few days later to proposition him to have a tryst before she's goes away, out of the country on a job assignment. Being a divorce lawyer David is familiar with the dirty stories between couples but he is really attracted and intrigued by Jean, so he decides come clean to his wife Blair and ask her if perhaps she's open to the possibility of bringing Jean into their bed for only one night.
As you read through the pages of this book you wonder, why would David would want to have a threesome with this other woman? He' is happily married to Blair and he acts like he can't get enough of his wife. They really seemed to have a perfect marriage but we all know that is an illusion because a flawless relationship just doesn't exist. Is only after they bring this other woman into their bed that their lives begin to unravel in a negative way and issues start to surface.
I gotta give props to this author because one; his writing style is superb and two he created a very provocative and unique story that kept me intrigued until the very end. Is always very interesting to me to read a romantic story from the pen of a man and this guy really created a total winner. I would totally recommend this book to every single one of my friends.
Note: There is no cheating in this book. These are all very mature and complex characters who discuss and decide together to participate in all the situations stated in the story.
(ARC provided by Netgalley)
Reading this book was a very unique experience, it's definitely a different take on marriage life and for anybody who's in a committed relationship and reads it, will cause to open up a lot of conductive conversations, perhaps a few that you never thought to have with your significant other.
David and Blair have been married for a long time, he's a divorce lawyer and she is the dean of a university. David considers himself lucky to have a successful career, a beautiful and smart wife who he loves and desires passionately, even after so many years of marriage. They have a wonderful daughter who just left home to go to college, so now they are adjusting to a new life as empty nesters who are still young in their mid forties.
One day on at an art show, David meets a intriguing woman, photographer Jean Coin. They strike an easy conversation and even though David notices how attractive and smart this woman is, he doesn't think anything else of it. Imagine his surprise when Jean calls him a few days later to proposition him to have a tryst before she's goes away, out of the country on a job assignment. Being a divorce lawyer David is familiar with the dirty stories between couples but he is really attracted and intrigued by Jean, so he decides come clean to his wife Blair and ask her if perhaps she's open to the possibility of bringing Jean into their bed for only one night.
As you read through the pages of this book you wonder, why would David would want to have a threesome with this other woman? He' is happily married to Blair and he acts like he can't get enough of his wife. They really seemed to have a perfect marriage but we all know that is an illusion because a flawless relationship just doesn't exist. Is only after they bring this other woman into their bed that their lives begin to unravel in a negative way and issues start to surface.
I gotta give props to this author because one; his writing style is superb and two he created a very provocative and unique story that kept me intrigued until the very end. Is always very interesting to me to read a romantic story from the pen of a man and this guy really created a total winner. I would totally recommend this book to every single one of my friends.
Note: There is no cheating in this book. These are all very mature and complex characters who discuss and decide together to participate in all the situations stated in the story.
August 31, 2015
3.5 Stars
This is a book about one of the hardest things to experience in the world: Marriage. Enough said right?
Please don't assume my 3 stars meant that I hated it, I didn't love this one, but I for sure didn't dislike it either. It's realistic, harsh reality as it deals with pain, mistakes, sexual issues, cheating. But golly this was a hard read for me. I was torn between liking it and wanting to throw my kindle across the room. I don't like cheating books, but I can't say that this book is about cheating because both adults are consensual. David and Blair live in Manhattan (I absolutely loved the New York and fashion references), they have an older daughter and they do things a little differently than most couples. If one of them wants to cheat, well then they're allowed to bring them home. David meets Jean and without giving too much of the story away David, Blair and Jean start a consensual threesome relationship.
This book very much read like a magazine article or even a memoir. The writing style was nice, I can tell the author has had years of previous writing experience, but it does take some time getting used to.
I do believe this book is better suited for a BR or book club. This was one of those reads where I had questions and my own opinions about certain parts and I think if I had bounced them off someone else I may have seen things in a different light. There were some nice truths nestled in this story that I had me highlighting like crazy, but as a whole I just couldn't stomach the threesome thing.
I can see this being enjoyable for some people, I feel like it's one of those books you have to read at a certain time in your life and it will just click. I have a feeling this will be one of those books I will read again in a few years and totally come away from it with a fresh new perspective.
Favorite Quotes:
"The most beautiful woman in the world is reading a book."
"Sex isn't how you say thanks to the guy who pays your rent. It isn't what you give up when you become a parent. It isn't what you ration, and it isn't what you live without because you don't want your kids to grow up in a broken home.
Sex is, at the very least, the reward we get for surviving the day; at the very most, it's the life force. It's intimate touch, souls connecting through flesh"
****ARC kindly provided by the publisher via Net-Galley in exchange for an honest review.****
This is a book about one of the hardest things to experience in the world: Marriage. Enough said right?
Please don't assume my 3 stars meant that I hated it, I didn't love this one, but I for sure didn't dislike it either. It's realistic, harsh reality as it deals with pain, mistakes, sexual issues, cheating. But golly this was a hard read for me. I was torn between liking it and wanting to throw my kindle across the room. I don't like cheating books, but I can't say that this book is about cheating because both adults are consensual. David and Blair live in Manhattan (I absolutely loved the New York and fashion references), they have an older daughter and they do things a little differently than most couples. If one of them wants to cheat, well then they're allowed to bring them home. David meets Jean and without giving too much of the story away David, Blair and Jean start a consensual threesome relationship.
This book very much read like a magazine article or even a memoir. The writing style was nice, I can tell the author has had years of previous writing experience, but it does take some time getting used to.
I do believe this book is better suited for a BR or book club. This was one of those reads where I had questions and my own opinions about certain parts and I think if I had bounced them off someone else I may have seen things in a different light. There were some nice truths nestled in this story that I had me highlighting like crazy, but as a whole I just couldn't stomach the threesome thing.
I can see this being enjoyable for some people, I feel like it's one of those books you have to read at a certain time in your life and it will just click. I have a feeling this will be one of those books I will read again in a few years and totally come away from it with a fresh new perspective.
Favorite Quotes:
"The most beautiful woman in the world is reading a book."
"Sex isn't how you say thanks to the guy who pays your rent. It isn't what you give up when you become a parent. It isn't what you ration, and it isn't what you live without because you don't want your kids to grow up in a broken home.
Sex is, at the very least, the reward we get for surviving the day; at the very most, it's the life force. It's intimate touch, souls connecting through flesh"
****ARC kindly provided by the publisher via Net-Galley in exchange for an honest review.****
October 20, 2015
4.5 stars
Anyone who has ever been married knows just how complicated marriage is and how much work it entails. No matter how perfect a relationship appears to be on the outside, are both parties truly happy and equally satisfied? Is the marriage healthy and strong? These are questions raised in Married Sex.
Before I go any further, I have to say the cover—which suggests some sort of light, comedic story—does a disservice to this amazing, thought-provoking book. If I had a dollar for every ill-advised cover…
David, a divorce attorney, and Blair, a dean of women’s studies, have been happily married for 20 years. They seem to have it all: a daughter in college, an apartment off Central Park, thriving careers, a comfortable routine, affection, and regular sex. David is more in love with his wife than when they first met.
Early on in his marriage, David had an affair and he and Blair came to an agreement. If one of them felt the urge to stray, they would bring that person home. Their theory is that if both of them are involved in the hookup it isn’t cheating. David’s happily married but what could be the harm in indulging in his fantasy? When David brings Jean home, a one night meaningless ménage à trois winds up having unintended consequences.
The story is told entirely from David’s point of view and his pain is palpable. I was completely engrossed in his efforts to comprehend his culpability in the state of his marriage.
This book is gorgeously written and while it is about sex, it is in no way erotic. It is an intelligent, poignant, unflinching story and, if you so desire, an excellent talking point for married couples.
** ARC provided in exchange for an honest review. Quotes are taken from the pre-published copy and may differ from the final version. **
Anyone who has ever been married knows just how complicated marriage is and how much work it entails. No matter how perfect a relationship appears to be on the outside, are both parties truly happy and equally satisfied? Is the marriage healthy and strong? These are questions raised in Married Sex.
Before I go any further, I have to say the cover—which suggests some sort of light, comedic story—does a disservice to this amazing, thought-provoking book. If I had a dollar for every ill-advised cover…
David, a divorce attorney, and Blair, a dean of women’s studies, have been happily married for 20 years. They seem to have it all: a daughter in college, an apartment off Central Park, thriving careers, a comfortable routine, affection, and regular sex. David is more in love with his wife than when they first met.
“When we met, it wasn’t difficult to pry Blair from her boyfriend. He didn’t really care what she thought, read, wondered about. I did. I still do—all these years later, as much as Blair now seems to think that all I want to do is fuck her, I believe that’s a distant second to wanting to lean over and press my head to hers, as if I could download her clarity.”David meets Jean, a famous photographer, at an art gallery opening and the two sense a connection. Jean propositions him—an affair for just six weeks, until she leaves the country.
Early on in his marriage, David had an affair and he and Blair came to an agreement. If one of them felt the urge to stray, they would bring that person home. Their theory is that if both of them are involved in the hookup it isn’t cheating. David’s happily married but what could be the harm in indulging in his fantasy? When David brings Jean home, a one night meaningless ménage à trois winds up having unintended consequences.
The story is told entirely from David’s point of view and his pain is palpable. I was completely engrossed in his efforts to comprehend his culpability in the state of his marriage.
This book is gorgeously written and while it is about sex, it is in no way erotic. It is an intelligent, poignant, unflinching story and, if you so desire, an excellent talking point for married couples.
** ARC provided in exchange for an honest review. Quotes are taken from the pre-published copy and may differ from the final version. **
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October 20, 2015
Uhh...ok?!?!
DNF - NO RATING
The writing wasn't bad and the idea of the book was good but it just wasn't my cup of tee.
Better luck next time right? ;)
*ARC generously provided by Netgalley in exchange for an honest review*
August 10, 2016
Kornbluth constructed an impressive read. The characters are intelligent and complex. If you're hoping for endless steamy sex scenes, you might be mildly disappointed. Yes, sex is described but it's not the meat of the narrative, rather it's about the unnoticed hairline fracture, of by all appearances, a healthy stable contented marriage until the addition of a welcomed third party turns the fracture into a full fledged compound fracture.
David and Blair were both fascinating and irksome. Great they developed this 'cheating pact' but I'm surprised this cerebral couple failed to discuss or form a 'aftermath pact.' Apparently these two forgot the simplicity of once the damage is done it's a challenge to reverse, if at all a possibility. David needs a backbone, he also lacked the skills of persuasion post threesome with Blair. Blair signed on, held back in round one, wanted to be more participatory in round two and then pulled the stunt she did after all was said and done. Her behavior was unfair to David as well as immature. Obviously their stellar communication and respect originally in existence was nonexistent at this juncture.
The bottom line, their marriage had issues, possibly more than this couple realized or were willing to admit, the addition of Jane was the fuel igniting the blaze. If it wasn't for Jane someone else or something else would have shaken this couples silently teetering foundation eventually.
I love the fact Kornbluth put Blair in the position of exiting instead of going the traditional path of the man needing to quench his curiosity. Also this put a zesty spin on the cast and narrative. Would Blair have been waiting or as forgiving if reversed? I'm thinking not so much, but with this liberal couple who knows. Plus what if there was insatiable chemistry between Blair and Jane, would the outcome been different, probably. With these questions along with many others, I respect the way Kornbluth left ambiguity and wonderment hanging in the air, leaves much for the reader to question and discuss.
Great glimpse into appearances and a cautionary tale of is it worth turning a fantasy into a reality without discussing ramifications on what you believe to be a solid relationship. What's done is done, no redo's. Consider the aftermath before you open your marriage and bedroom to others. Perception can be very deceiving.
Loved the way Kornbluth forced this reader to consider so much, great writing, wonderful theme along with content. Be fabulous to revisit David and Blair to see what their singular futures hold as well as their marriage, too much left dangling by the clever hand of Kornbluth, my curiosity piqued.
David and Blair were both fascinating and irksome. Great they developed this 'cheating pact' but I'm surprised this cerebral couple failed to discuss or form a 'aftermath pact.' Apparently these two forgot the simplicity of once the damage is done it's a challenge to reverse, if at all a possibility. David needs a backbone, he also lacked the skills of persuasion post threesome with Blair. Blair signed on, held back in round one, wanted to be more participatory in round two and then pulled the stunt she did after all was said and done. Her behavior was unfair to David as well as immature. Obviously their stellar communication and respect originally in existence was nonexistent at this juncture.
The bottom line, their marriage had issues, possibly more than this couple realized or were willing to admit, the addition of Jane was the fuel igniting the blaze. If it wasn't for Jane someone else or something else would have shaken this couples silently teetering foundation eventually.
I love the fact Kornbluth put Blair in the position of exiting instead of going the traditional path of the man needing to quench his curiosity. Also this put a zesty spin on the cast and narrative. Would Blair have been waiting or as forgiving if reversed? I'm thinking not so much, but with this liberal couple who knows. Plus what if there was insatiable chemistry between Blair and Jane, would the outcome been different, probably. With these questions along with many others, I respect the way Kornbluth left ambiguity and wonderment hanging in the air, leaves much for the reader to question and discuss.
Great glimpse into appearances and a cautionary tale of is it worth turning a fantasy into a reality without discussing ramifications on what you believe to be a solid relationship. What's done is done, no redo's. Consider the aftermath before you open your marriage and bedroom to others. Perception can be very deceiving.
Loved the way Kornbluth forced this reader to consider so much, great writing, wonderful theme along with content. Be fabulous to revisit David and Blair to see what their singular futures hold as well as their marriage, too much left dangling by the clever hand of Kornbluth, my curiosity piqued.
July 18, 2015
David and Blair have been married for 20 years.
"The most beautiful woman in the world is a woman reading a book"......is the very first
sentence of this story. The author had my attention.
In that first chapter he goes on to describe 'Blair'...,(at this point I didn't know who Blair was ...or that David was the narrator...or that this couple was married for twenty years).
The first chapter keeps unfolding... David tells us more about Blair...followed by a
passionate sex interlude, ....until we come to the end of the chapter, in which
David says: "with that, bliss flooded through me, and I reared back one final time and
drained myself into my beloved wife of twenty years".
The rest of this novel, David tells us about about his experience with their long term marriage.
Including...their sex life in the bedroom. He doesn't feel he needs to justify his actions to anyone. What he and Blair do are their business.
David happens to also be a divorce attorney in Manhattan. Most of his clients are wives
married to wealthy husbands. As these women share with him about the things that are lacking
in their marriage, especially with their sex lives, he feels he is lacking, too, because he's 'not' 'wealthy' as 'they' are.
He says he and Blair are lucky in that they both enjoy sex. They seem to have enough money for the many pleasures they enjoy in New York.
Blair is a dean at Barnard College....and they have one college age daughter.
The more David listens to wives share the truth to him about their un-satisfying
sex lives with the men they want a divorce from...he concludes that lack of sex, or empty sex,
makes for a dead marriage. So?, He's wondering... "What makes great sex"?... wishing for a more steamy-fresh- variety himself.
Time to explore? Introduce risky interludes? Stretch the limits? 20 year itch?
David introduces the idea of a threesome. I wasn't sure Blair was as enthusiastic about the idea as David, but she agrees.
Jean ... enters the couples bedroom. The sex scene is hot, ( graphic - but easily skippable to those who rather not feel like a voyeur ). All seemed to be having a great time....with this 1-night threesome...fulfilling a long time sexual fantasy.
Yet, at this point...we've only read half of this novel.
What happens next? How has the relationship changed between David and Blair?
Think you know what direction this story is going? Don't be so sure!!
Some people will love this book. Others will be mildly interested.
A few will be completely turned off.
I liked it. The author is a natural storyteller. I felt there were many realistic dialogs.
I found it especially interesting hearing the wives share their inner dissatisfactions,
.....( secrets, and un- communicated thoughts ), to David ....( things I wondered if they 'even' tried to tell their own husbands).
If sexual human beings - married or single - tell the truth to themselves....there 'is' value to be found in this novel. It may or may not fit everybody's taste and style...yet, some 'nerves'
in your body- mind- or spirit will be awaken. This is not a silly - as in 'haha' book...rather
a realistic look a 'some' modern marriages... ( at least David's and Blairs)
Thank You to Open Road Publishing, Netgalley, and Jesse Kornbluth.
"The most beautiful woman in the world is a woman reading a book"......is the very first
sentence of this story. The author had my attention.
In that first chapter he goes on to describe 'Blair'...,(at this point I didn't know who Blair was ...or that David was the narrator...or that this couple was married for twenty years).
The first chapter keeps unfolding... David tells us more about Blair...followed by a
passionate sex interlude, ....until we come to the end of the chapter, in which
David says: "with that, bliss flooded through me, and I reared back one final time and
drained myself into my beloved wife of twenty years".
The rest of this novel, David tells us about about his experience with their long term marriage.
Including...their sex life in the bedroom. He doesn't feel he needs to justify his actions to anyone. What he and Blair do are their business.
David happens to also be a divorce attorney in Manhattan. Most of his clients are wives
married to wealthy husbands. As these women share with him about the things that are lacking
in their marriage, especially with their sex lives, he feels he is lacking, too, because he's 'not' 'wealthy' as 'they' are.
He says he and Blair are lucky in that they both enjoy sex. They seem to have enough money for the many pleasures they enjoy in New York.
Blair is a dean at Barnard College....and they have one college age daughter.
The more David listens to wives share the truth to him about their un-satisfying
sex lives with the men they want a divorce from...he concludes that lack of sex, or empty sex,
makes for a dead marriage. So?, He's wondering... "What makes great sex"?... wishing for a more steamy-fresh- variety himself.
Time to explore? Introduce risky interludes? Stretch the limits? 20 year itch?
David introduces the idea of a threesome. I wasn't sure Blair was as enthusiastic about the idea as David, but she agrees.
Jean ... enters the couples bedroom. The sex scene is hot, ( graphic - but easily skippable to those who rather not feel like a voyeur ). All seemed to be having a great time....with this 1-night threesome...fulfilling a long time sexual fantasy.
Yet, at this point...we've only read half of this novel.
What happens next? How has the relationship changed between David and Blair?
Think you know what direction this story is going? Don't be so sure!!
Some people will love this book. Others will be mildly interested.
A few will be completely turned off.
I liked it. The author is a natural storyteller. I felt there were many realistic dialogs.
I found it especially interesting hearing the wives share their inner dissatisfactions,
.....( secrets, and un- communicated thoughts ), to David ....( things I wondered if they 'even' tried to tell their own husbands).
If sexual human beings - married or single - tell the truth to themselves....there 'is' value to be found in this novel. It may or may not fit everybody's taste and style...yet, some 'nerves'
in your body- mind- or spirit will be awaken. This is not a silly - as in 'haha' book...rather
a realistic look a 'some' modern marriages... ( at least David's and Blairs)
Thank You to Open Road Publishing, Netgalley, and Jesse Kornbluth.
November 16, 2015
3.75 Stars - Don't let the title discourage you from reading this book. It was a fast paced, engaging, soft-core read with a decent storyline. Very entertaining.
March 4, 2016
2 stars
This book and I did not jive very well, I know some of my friends really enjoyed this, so I was pretty happy to add it to my list to read and review, but I felt like I was missing the bigger picture throughout the entire book. I didn't get the humor, the sarcasm, the intellect or the rationale behind it. Pretty much it made me feel dumb, oh well I can't love them all.
ARC kindly provided by Open Road Integrated Media, via NetGalley, in exchange for an honest review.
***Quotes above are taken from the ARC version of the book and may differ upon publication.
This book and I did not jive very well, I know some of my friends really enjoyed this, so I was pretty happy to add it to my list to read and review, but I felt like I was missing the bigger picture throughout the entire book. I didn't get the humor, the sarcasm, the intellect or the rationale behind it. Pretty much it made me feel dumb, oh well I can't love them all.
ARC kindly provided by Open Road Integrated Media, via NetGalley, in exchange for an honest review.
***Quotes above are taken from the ARC version of the book and may differ upon publication.
Read
September 10, 2015 3.5 stars!
David loves his wife. His love for Blair has deepened as years passed. He loves her smartness, her beauty, everything about her.
They're a married couple that seems to have it all.
One day, though, David meets Jean Coin at an art show. A few days later, Jean proposes him to be her lover for six weeks, and after that, she'll leave.
David is shocked at first, but he can't get this woman out of his mind.
Blair and David once promised each other that in case another person entered their life, they would bring her/him home. David respects the promise and brings Jean home..and they propose her a one-night threesome.
What could come out of this situation?
When I read the blurb, my reaction was "Holy sh*t! This sounds so damn interesting!". It was for sure something different from what I read usually and I was really looking forward to reading it.
I really liked the writing and the thing I loved the most was that the story felt real.
However, I have to admit that I didn't click much with the story or the characters, that's why I couldn't rate it higher.
Overall, it was a good book and something different ( finally! ). Recommended read.
Arc kindly provided by NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
David loves his wife. His love for Blair has deepened as years passed. He loves her smartness, her beauty, everything about her.
They're a married couple that seems to have it all.
One day, though, David meets Jean Coin at an art show. A few days later, Jean proposes him to be her lover for six weeks, and after that, she'll leave.
David is shocked at first, but he can't get this woman out of his mind.
Blair and David once promised each other that in case another person entered their life, they would bring her/him home. David respects the promise and brings Jean home..and they propose her a one-night threesome.
What could come out of this situation?
When I read the blurb, my reaction was "Holy sh*t! This sounds so damn interesting!". It was for sure something different from what I read usually and I was really looking forward to reading it.
I really liked the writing and the thing I loved the most was that the story felt real.
However, I have to admit that I didn't click much with the story or the characters, that's why I couldn't rate it higher.
Overall, it was a good book and something different ( finally! ). Recommended read.
Arc kindly provided by NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
Want to read
January 10, 2016MARRIED SEX is LIVE * Amazon US * Amazon UK *
This part of the blurb intrigued me--->
When a husband convinces his wife to join him in a tryst with another woman, there are unintended consequences in this sharply observed erotic tale about the challenges of modern marriage
I'll be reading very soon!
Advanced copy provided via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
This part of the blurb intrigued me--->
When a husband convinces his wife to join him in a tryst with another woman, there are unintended consequences in this sharply observed erotic tale about the challenges of modern marriage
I'll be reading very soon!
Advanced copy provided via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
June 27, 2015
Maybe the unexamined life isn't worth living, but life examined to death doesn't seem like the way to go either. Married Sex is titled most appropriately, it's about a married couple who decides to spice things up with a threesome and like plans best laid, it goes totally snafu, quite contrary to the husband's/threesome instigator's expectations. This is precisely what is sometimes described as a first world problem meaning that there is no problem, really. It's about a married couple who have been together for 2 decades and are still in love, in lust, well to do, comfortable and happy. Until they start overanalyzing it. The thing with happiness is that it's such an ephemeral ethereal concept that it doesn't really hold up to scrutiny and so is best left alone. Subsequently this book is only as likable as its protagonists. It's well written and a very fast read (only a few hours), it entertains sufficiently, but it doesn't delight or wow. It does serve as a cautionary tale about wish satisfaction and interfering with a perfectly functioning situation. Thanks to netgalley for a free reading copy.
January 30, 2018
I received this book via NetGalley in return for my fair and honest review.
The idea of of a happily, long-married couple having a threesome is a very provocative basis for a book. It is with that premise that I hurtled through the chapters of this book, keenly interested in all the complexities such a scenario entails. I'm also not ashamed to admit that I was looking forward to being a fly on the wall in the bedroom during the sexual encounters. However, both these and the resultant relationships fell a bit flat and left me wanting. Both the physical and mental journey could have used more fleshing out. However, this read was not boring and it was a very quick read. It's just that in the end, I wondered why I was running when I could have walked.
The idea of of a happily, long-married couple having a threesome is a very provocative basis for a book. It is with that premise that I hurtled through the chapters of this book, keenly interested in all the complexities such a scenario entails. I'm also not ashamed to admit that I was looking forward to being a fly on the wall in the bedroom during the sexual encounters. However, both these and the resultant relationships fell a bit flat and left me wanting. Both the physical and mental journey could have used more fleshing out. However, this read was not boring and it was a very quick read. It's just that in the end, I wondered why I was running when I could have walked.
August 30, 2017
To start with, this book is about sex. Specifically about a threesome (man, his wife, and a woman). And this book has sexual references and is explicit in parts, although it's not an erotic novel as such. This book though is much more than just a book about a threesome. It's about marriage and relationships, about testing the limits of those relationships and reflecting on decision made.
Set in NYC, a successful, attractive, happily married couple in their early 40s decide to explore one of his fantasies. He meets an equally attractive and successful woman at her photography show. She's about to set off on a 6 month long trip and decides she wants a lover for 6 weeks. He decides he can't have an affair and asks his wife if she might participate in one night of fun. She agrees and, without spoiling the plot too much, it doesn't go according to his plan, particularly after a second meeting between the three.
It's a relatively short novel, and moves at good speed to engage the reader. I would recommend it and thank Netgalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read the book.
Set in NYC, a successful, attractive, happily married couple in their early 40s decide to explore one of his fantasies. He meets an equally attractive and successful woman at her photography show. She's about to set off on a 6 month long trip and decides she wants a lover for 6 weeks. He decides he can't have an affair and asks his wife if she might participate in one night of fun. She agrees and, without spoiling the plot too much, it doesn't go according to his plan, particularly after a second meeting between the three.
It's a relatively short novel, and moves at good speed to engage the reader. I would recommend it and thank Netgalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read the book.
November 14, 2024
Married Sex: A Love Story pleasantly surprised me. I like stories that delve beneath the surface and bring up hidden truths and desires from its characters.
Told from David’s point of view, Married Sex had somewhat of a slow start but once the momentum picked up, I was up late reading. Although I was not attached to any of these characters, the David/Blair/Jean triangle intrigued me and I just had to know how it would all end. Not only is this couple married, but all three of these people are in their forties. These aren’t some young college kids experimenting. Without giving away too much, the author surprised me with the turn of events in the story.
There are some sex scenes, but they did not overtake the story and I wouldn’t classify this as erotic fiction. This was about a married couple and a choice they make together and the consequences of that choice.
Told from David’s point of view, Married Sex had somewhat of a slow start but once the momentum picked up, I was up late reading. Although I was not attached to any of these characters, the David/Blair/Jean triangle intrigued me and I just had to know how it would all end. Not only is this couple married, but all three of these people are in their forties. These aren’t some young college kids experimenting. Without giving away too much, the author surprised me with the turn of events in the story.
There are some sex scenes, but they did not overtake the story and I wouldn’t classify this as erotic fiction. This was about a married couple and a choice they make together and the consequences of that choice.
September 9, 2015
Smart, funny, perceptive, and a great read. Also fun for people who've lived in Manhattan and/or wish they had.
August 8, 2017
I like Jesse Kornbluth on www.headbutler.com, so I wanted to read his novel, which is, naturally, literate & witty. You can enjoy the good & plenty sex scenes in the first half of the book, which wouldn't be out of place on Literotica.com; or you can enjoy the social commentary on Manhattanites -- I'm not sure Kornbluth is as satirical as he might have been, but he's very good at characterizations and has a good eye for detail. Almost every time the characters go flat, Kornbluth tries to fill them out again.
However, sometimes he thinks the detail has told use more than it has. It connects to something he has in mind about a character or plot line, but we don't get the connection. Remarks aren't literature: Kornbluth's many cultural references, quotations, and allusions are a kind of of anthology of his Head Butler recommendations, but they can't make up for a lack of narrative craft.
The story is about a seemingly very happily married couple -- almost Tracy & Hepburn -- who have a seemingly happily sexy threesome with a happily sexy woman, and then -- Well. Moral of the story: Be careful what you wish for, because you may get it. Also: "You mustn't force sex to do the work of love, or love to do the work of sex" (Mary McCarthy).
Some flaws: The wife, Blair, seems vengeful, not just questing for self-realization, but also projecting blame for reasons not quite clear, as though her sexual confusion is her husband's fault. The husband, David, is unfailingly uxorious -- he adores everything about his wife -- but also passive, easily chastened, even timid, accepting rebukes from his wife, his law partner, his daughter, and himself. Their lover, Jean, seems something of the mythical unicorn in these situations, not entirely realistically motivated, so at the end she becomes either pathetic or nearly villainous, instead of being an irresistible attraction.
The second half of the book feels somewhat rough-cut, unfinished, the parts laid out but not quite fully assembled. You expect more out of Blair and David's conversations, expect some connections to be made, some things to be resolved regarding their personal growth or understanding, instead of just left hanging. As someone on Goodreads.com said, we want more -- more sex, more of what the characters are thinking and feeling, esp. Blair. It's all right for characters to be confused, but not the novelist. And it's all right for characters to conceal things from each other, but here, half the story is concealed from the reader. It's as though part of the book was cut out. Our expectations are thwarted. Love stories are supposed to end in certain ways: death, marriage, reunion -- one way or another we see what happens to the lovers. But Kornbluth doesn't do that, simply shuts things down.
Was Kornbluth leaving room for the movie version to make some changes? The ending seems rushed -- there's an awkward timing issue with Jean's final meeting with David, a kind of glaring error which Kornbluth just ignores. Did he just stop working on the second half once the book was optioned for film or hastening to finish it? Did he try to stuff in some leftovers from an earlier, abandoned film script about a divorce lawyer, and so squeezed out the details needed for this story?
There are several stray threads in the second half, scenes or passages that don't seem to belong to the characters or even don't belong in the story at all, and lines of dialog out of place. For example, at one point, Blair refers to a Pema Chodron anecdote saying she's choosing to feed her marriage. This is absurd, because at the time she has her marriage on a starvation diet: she's left David and is staying with Jean.
In several places Kornbluth seems to be probing, testing possible lines, as though he's unsure, still drafting. And there are some cringe-worthy scenes, such as David's use of a sex-assignation web site, rather improbable for a savvy lawyer. Seems to be just part of Kornbluth's nerdy interest in technology. Likewise a political digression in the middle of David & Blair's discussion about Jean.
Frustratingly the book doesn't live up to its promise, and easily could have. Blair leaves David for a 6-wk fling with Jean because the threesome has detonated a sexual attraction and a recognition of her unhappiness with her life, with her marriage, with herself; so, presumably, she hopes Jean, the dedicated artist and independent woman, will guide her journey to the "wilder shores of love" just as Blair tells her students at the start of the book. But we really don't see this transformation in her -- we don't see her relationship with Jean, their attraction, their conflicts, Blair's "growth." We never see how Jean helps Blair -- other than revenge sex -- and never learn why Blair stays with Jean for 6 wks, apparently unhappily, even after she and David seem to make a kind of peace. Presumably, she's simply in love with Jean. But Kornbluth wants her to be punitive and angry. This is key point: why Blair stays with Jean puzzles David, even puzzles Jean, so Kornbluth must have had something in mind. We don't see it.
Every objection David has about Blair's going off with Jean is reasonable, and her counter-arguments seem like clichés about self-realization, a way to excuse having an affair. Everything he says to her about reconciling also seems reasonable, but she dismisses or ignores, and remains hostile and accusative. The characters' behavior doesn't come out of what we know of them, but out of the author's driving the plot. Was Kornbluth unsure of the motives to assign to Blair -- revenge or self-realization? He turns away from her story to focus on David's self-recrimination and remorse. We get punished, deprived of Blair, just like David.
So the chief architectural flaw of the book is we're largely stuck inside David's head as he glumly, passively awaits Blair's return, while the important action, sexual and emotional, happens out of sight. He's unfailingly supportive of her -- never expresses anger even to himself, interprets her every word and action positively, and contritely accepts her criticisms which sort of come deus ex machina: we never learn how Blair arrives at her analysis of what's been wrong in their relationship or wrong with David. And like David, we simply have to accept what she says which is almost entirely remonstrative. He goes through all this suffering while she's with Jean, and then she tells him that when she comes back, there're all these faults in him to work on. It's not a reconciliation: it's a continuation of a kind of punishment, and it avoids the ethical question of whether one spouse simply declare a time-out and expect the other spouse to accept it?
One of the worst flaws in fiction is telling, not showing. We don't get enough of Blair. There's not much communication from her, so we miss her voice which was so appealing in the first half of the book. We really need to see, or hear from her, how she untangles and resolves her anger with David, her self-doubts, her understanding of the flaws in their marriage, in her husband, in herself. "You're not entitled to know," she tells him. Is this Kornbluth dodging out of writing difficult scenes? Why doesn't Blair tell David exactly what "it" has been like with Jean, how she arrived at her assessment of their marriage's problems, how being with Jean was "growth" and her "real" self. She should be saying, "Ask me anything, I'll tell you, no more secrets, but don't ask any question you don't want answered." Instead, she remains unknown -- for David and for us -- so we're left with a tale of a wife's revenge sex told from the perspective of the guilt-ridden husband.
Without getting Blair's story, what little she says sounds like complaint and accusation, not self-discovery. Why is she so joyless and angry even while she's on her journey with Jean? She has two people in love with her, but is pissed off about it -- why? Blair goes from being the most interesting and appealing character in the first part of the book to the least appealing in the second part -- the stereotype angry professor of women's studies who goes on a lesbian fling because it's a thing to do, while her self-effacing husband waits patiently for her return; and David goes from being a little icky and shallow to somewhat sympathetic or at least pitiable, if a little effete. Hard for a happy resolution with this kind of imbalance and disjunction.
And whatever changes in David is also poorly spec'd. At the end of the book, he seems to reject the crass, shallow greediness of the p eople who've been his law clients for years, but stops short of seeing how the crassness, shallowness, and greed are related to his sexual appetite -- he (or Kornbluth) doesn't connect the two. David blames himself for some sort of blindness toward Blair, but it's hard to make a case for that, given how he describes her holding things in or holding back, and given how he responds to her even after she leaves for her 6 wk stint with Jean.
David's story is an atonement, but the real sin isn't clear, nor is his reformation. Why doesn't he ever get angry or resentful? If he protested, if Blair had to face a conflict between her girl crush and the possible loss of her marriage, that would be a more interesting (and plausible) story. As it is, there's no real risk here, at least not for Blair who knows her husband is dutifully waiting for her to return. No risk for Kornbluth either: the narrative is simpler. He doesn't have to put himself into a female character's mind, just stays with David's guilt and penance.
Yeah, being more specific or more detailed has a risk of didacticism, of making the characters mere case studies, although in the end, that's sort of what Kornbluth does with David. But Blair and David are intelligent, articulate people whom we expect to explain themselves, to explain what breakthrough they've achieved during the 6 wks of separation. They simply don't communicate enough during their separation -- not with each other, not with the reader. As narrator, David tells us how hard it is for him to know what's on Blair's mind, and yet he never says this to her. Whatever self-discovery or self-improvement they achieve comes separately and without their communicating to each other. Clearly, he's hurt her, but she's also hurt him and never acknowledges that, never criticizes herself. Blair remains terse, angry, and punitive. Is that a deliberate choice by Kornbluth, or a limitation on his part?
So I wish we knew more of Blair's story, and that Blair's and David's respective self-discoveries were less murky and gloomy, their reconciliation a little clearer and more satisfying. During her stay with Jean, Blair communicates with David only three times, not counting his going to see her. She's terse, accusative, dismissive. This is wrong: it's not the character we saw in the first part of the book. The woman who tells her students about leading an honorable life never reconsiders her justification for her affair with Jean. Blair doesn't choose David or her marriage over Jean (or even in addition to).
David doesn't win back Blair, there's no loving reconciliation. Blair may not have been happy living with Jean, but she stays, and returns when Jean has left and their tryst has reached its time limit. And what will happen when Jean returns from Africa? Or with someone else? Blair's tangle of justifications for her going off with Jean -- her argument that one can take a time-out from marriage to requite some irresistible curiosity or attraction -- are never refuted or affirmed. Kornbluth just leaves the ethical questions unsettled. We never get an endorsement of monogamy, if that's what Kornbluth thinks the book is doing. Perhaps he's conflicted. Perhaps David is meant to be an unreliable narrator (see *The Good Soldier*) who's mistaken about Blair's return, mistaken about her being in love with Jean. Blair gives him a quote from Kundera about lovers starting off with a contract for their relationship, and David says at one point Blair is setting out a new contract. Well, maybe that new one is to allow either partner a kind of hall pass any time there's a claim of living one's "real" life.
We're sort of set up for an epistolary novel, two literate, articulate people at a distance, working their way back together, perhaps exploring some issues about sexuality, about fidelity to self and to another -- but we don't get that. Blair should be sending him more messages, working through her anger and confusion, and likewise some of what David tells the reader, he should telling her so that she gets to see how he's changed. David is a lawyer, Blair is a teacher: we expect them to talk a lot, to talk about themselves, to make a case, but Kornbluth doesn't have them do that. There are lots of issues to explore: female sexual fluidity, male sexual fantasy, conflicts between the demands of one's self and the obligations to one's marriage: Kornbluth instead opts for a confused psychobabble. Three characters who were appealingly smart in the first half of the book all seem to lower their IQs in the second half.
Also, the timeline is a little indistinct. Going backwards from Blair's last message to David to her first, we can sort of, kind of infer the end of her girl crush, but absent more from her, we still don't know why she stays with Jean, why she's so hostile towards David. Kornbluth just doesn't fill in enough details. Maybe he lived with the story and the characters for so long, he understands them in ways he doesn't manage to convey to the reader. All of Blair's explanations of what's been wrong in their marriage or their lives or in David could easily be reversed -- applied to her -- or replaced by some other explanations. They simply don't grow out of what we have seen of the characters, but seem grafted on.
Kornbluth remarked in an interview that the book has a happy, Hollywood ending. It doesn't. There's no emotional symmetry between Blair's leaving and her return. The ending is muted, muddled, and perhaps tentatively written, again as if he was testing possibilities in a draft, not setting out a conclusion, or not knowing what the resolution is. (Suggestion: Watch any number of Hallmark love stories on TV for the happy, Hollywood ending.)
What almost redeems the book is that it's so literate and cultured -- terrific allusions and citations of various books and music; and the characters are, initially, so appealing -- David is, presumably, Kornbluth's alter ego, and Blair is, initially, a kind of idealized figure. Those qualities have a kind of momentum which propels the book and perhaps blurs its flaws until you realize how, in the second half of the book, two smart people suddenly become stupid, and how an engaging story becomes a mess. There was an opportunity here for a smart book on sex and love: opportunity missed.
So it's not too harsh to give this précis: After David and Blair have a threesome with Jean and the two women end up smitten with each other, Blair announces that she's going to spend 6 wks with Jean, a sexual and emotional affair which he's obliged to accept, to stay home and wait for her, don't-call-me-I'll-call-you. When David tries to reconcile with Blair, she's grudging, hostile, dismissive, and self-focused; tells him that their marriage has been shallow, superficial, and tepid, and that he's timorous, almost unmanly, and sexually selfish. Despite his being supportive, conciliatory, and contrite, she expresses almost no fondness or affection and utterly no self-criticism. Her assessment of his failing is almost silly and doesn't connect with what we've seen of him. When she returns, it's not that she has chosen to go back to her husband, but simply the 6 wks are up and Jean has gone to Africa. There's no catharsis, no triumph of love over adversity, no re-discovery or other resolution, just her list of things she's decided are wrong with their marriage or with David.
One more thought: Is there a kind of semi-hidden agenda in the book -- a kind of deprecation of masculinity? The only male character besides David is a gay friend of Blair's. Another male friend is mentioned in an anecdote where he behaved badly and the friendship ends. When we finally get Blair's assessment of their marriage, and of David, she points out they're both cloistered, separated from the world of men -- she's a professor of women's studies at Barnard, he's a divorce lawyer who represents women, and, it appears, he's damaged by some hurt earlier in life which he seeks to escape through sex. And he's, well, wimpy -- the book goes from one popular porn genre (threesomes) to another (lesbians, albeit unseen, and cuckold). Kornbluth seems to be making a point here about male sexuality or something -- not really clear what it is. Probably not clear to him. Odd to have a woman having a lesbian fling tell her husband what's wrong with their marriage and what's wrong with him, is a lack of the masculine.
The book is like a murder mystery in which the crime is so cleverly done, the author struggles to find a way for the detective to solve the case. Kornbluth put his characters in a situation he couldn't figure a good way out of it. Maybe it'll get fixed in the movie version, if there is one.
In some ways Kornbluth is Blair, sexy and enchanting, but then punishing. In some ways, he's Jean, seducing us, taking advantage of our affections for a while, and then leaving behind just a cropped picture. Still a good read -- obviously I liked it enough to obsess about it for this long review (revised several times). Would make a good book club choice for the moral or ethical questions it raises, if indistinctly.
However, sometimes he thinks the detail has told use more than it has. It connects to something he has in mind about a character or plot line, but we don't get the connection. Remarks aren't literature: Kornbluth's many cultural references, quotations, and allusions are a kind of of anthology of his Head Butler recommendations, but they can't make up for a lack of narrative craft.
The story is about a seemingly very happily married couple -- almost Tracy & Hepburn -- who have a seemingly happily sexy threesome with a happily sexy woman, and then -- Well. Moral of the story: Be careful what you wish for, because you may get it. Also: "You mustn't force sex to do the work of love, or love to do the work of sex" (Mary McCarthy).
Some flaws: The wife, Blair, seems vengeful, not just questing for self-realization, but also projecting blame for reasons not quite clear, as though her sexual confusion is her husband's fault. The husband, David, is unfailingly uxorious -- he adores everything about his wife -- but also passive, easily chastened, even timid, accepting rebukes from his wife, his law partner, his daughter, and himself. Their lover, Jean, seems something of the mythical unicorn in these situations, not entirely realistically motivated, so at the end she becomes either pathetic or nearly villainous, instead of being an irresistible attraction.
The second half of the book feels somewhat rough-cut, unfinished, the parts laid out but not quite fully assembled. You expect more out of Blair and David's conversations, expect some connections to be made, some things to be resolved regarding their personal growth or understanding, instead of just left hanging. As someone on Goodreads.com said, we want more -- more sex, more of what the characters are thinking and feeling, esp. Blair. It's all right for characters to be confused, but not the novelist. And it's all right for characters to conceal things from each other, but here, half the story is concealed from the reader. It's as though part of the book was cut out. Our expectations are thwarted. Love stories are supposed to end in certain ways: death, marriage, reunion -- one way or another we see what happens to the lovers. But Kornbluth doesn't do that, simply shuts things down.
Was Kornbluth leaving room for the movie version to make some changes? The ending seems rushed -- there's an awkward timing issue with Jean's final meeting with David, a kind of glaring error which Kornbluth just ignores. Did he just stop working on the second half once the book was optioned for film or hastening to finish it? Did he try to stuff in some leftovers from an earlier, abandoned film script about a divorce lawyer, and so squeezed out the details needed for this story?
There are several stray threads in the second half, scenes or passages that don't seem to belong to the characters or even don't belong in the story at all, and lines of dialog out of place. For example, at one point, Blair refers to a Pema Chodron anecdote saying she's choosing to feed her marriage. This is absurd, because at the time she has her marriage on a starvation diet: she's left David and is staying with Jean.
In several places Kornbluth seems to be probing, testing possible lines, as though he's unsure, still drafting. And there are some cringe-worthy scenes, such as David's use of a sex-assignation web site, rather improbable for a savvy lawyer. Seems to be just part of Kornbluth's nerdy interest in technology. Likewise a political digression in the middle of David & Blair's discussion about Jean.
Frustratingly the book doesn't live up to its promise, and easily could have. Blair leaves David for a 6-wk fling with Jean because the threesome has detonated a sexual attraction and a recognition of her unhappiness with her life, with her marriage, with herself; so, presumably, she hopes Jean, the dedicated artist and independent woman, will guide her journey to the "wilder shores of love" just as Blair tells her students at the start of the book. But we really don't see this transformation in her -- we don't see her relationship with Jean, their attraction, their conflicts, Blair's "growth." We never see how Jean helps Blair -- other than revenge sex -- and never learn why Blair stays with Jean for 6 wks, apparently unhappily, even after she and David seem to make a kind of peace. Presumably, she's simply in love with Jean. But Kornbluth wants her to be punitive and angry. This is key point: why Blair stays with Jean puzzles David, even puzzles Jean, so Kornbluth must have had something in mind. We don't see it.
Every objection David has about Blair's going off with Jean is reasonable, and her counter-arguments seem like clichés about self-realization, a way to excuse having an affair. Everything he says to her about reconciling also seems reasonable, but she dismisses or ignores, and remains hostile and accusative. The characters' behavior doesn't come out of what we know of them, but out of the author's driving the plot. Was Kornbluth unsure of the motives to assign to Blair -- revenge or self-realization? He turns away from her story to focus on David's self-recrimination and remorse. We get punished, deprived of Blair, just like David.
So the chief architectural flaw of the book is we're largely stuck inside David's head as he glumly, passively awaits Blair's return, while the important action, sexual and emotional, happens out of sight. He's unfailingly supportive of her -- never expresses anger even to himself, interprets her every word and action positively, and contritely accepts her criticisms which sort of come deus ex machina: we never learn how Blair arrives at her analysis of what's been wrong in their relationship or wrong with David. And like David, we simply have to accept what she says which is almost entirely remonstrative. He goes through all this suffering while she's with Jean, and then she tells him that when she comes back, there're all these faults in him to work on. It's not a reconciliation: it's a continuation of a kind of punishment, and it avoids the ethical question of whether one spouse simply declare a time-out and expect the other spouse to accept it?
One of the worst flaws in fiction is telling, not showing. We don't get enough of Blair. There's not much communication from her, so we miss her voice which was so appealing in the first half of the book. We really need to see, or hear from her, how she untangles and resolves her anger with David, her self-doubts, her understanding of the flaws in their marriage, in her husband, in herself. "You're not entitled to know," she tells him. Is this Kornbluth dodging out of writing difficult scenes? Why doesn't Blair tell David exactly what "it" has been like with Jean, how she arrived at her assessment of their marriage's problems, how being with Jean was "growth" and her "real" self. She should be saying, "Ask me anything, I'll tell you, no more secrets, but don't ask any question you don't want answered." Instead, she remains unknown -- for David and for us -- so we're left with a tale of a wife's revenge sex told from the perspective of the guilt-ridden husband.
Without getting Blair's story, what little she says sounds like complaint and accusation, not self-discovery. Why is she so joyless and angry even while she's on her journey with Jean? She has two people in love with her, but is pissed off about it -- why? Blair goes from being the most interesting and appealing character in the first part of the book to the least appealing in the second part -- the stereotype angry professor of women's studies who goes on a lesbian fling because it's a thing to do, while her self-effacing husband waits patiently for her return; and David goes from being a little icky and shallow to somewhat sympathetic or at least pitiable, if a little effete. Hard for a happy resolution with this kind of imbalance and disjunction.
And whatever changes in David is also poorly spec'd. At the end of the book, he seems to reject the crass, shallow greediness of the p eople who've been his law clients for years, but stops short of seeing how the crassness, shallowness, and greed are related to his sexual appetite -- he (or Kornbluth) doesn't connect the two. David blames himself for some sort of blindness toward Blair, but it's hard to make a case for that, given how he describes her holding things in or holding back, and given how he responds to her even after she leaves for her 6 wk stint with Jean.
David's story is an atonement, but the real sin isn't clear, nor is his reformation. Why doesn't he ever get angry or resentful? If he protested, if Blair had to face a conflict between her girl crush and the possible loss of her marriage, that would be a more interesting (and plausible) story. As it is, there's no real risk here, at least not for Blair who knows her husband is dutifully waiting for her to return. No risk for Kornbluth either: the narrative is simpler. He doesn't have to put himself into a female character's mind, just stays with David's guilt and penance.
Yeah, being more specific or more detailed has a risk of didacticism, of making the characters mere case studies, although in the end, that's sort of what Kornbluth does with David. But Blair and David are intelligent, articulate people whom we expect to explain themselves, to explain what breakthrough they've achieved during the 6 wks of separation. They simply don't communicate enough during their separation -- not with each other, not with the reader. As narrator, David tells us how hard it is for him to know what's on Blair's mind, and yet he never says this to her. Whatever self-discovery or self-improvement they achieve comes separately and without their communicating to each other. Clearly, he's hurt her, but she's also hurt him and never acknowledges that, never criticizes herself. Blair remains terse, angry, and punitive. Is that a deliberate choice by Kornbluth, or a limitation on his part?
So I wish we knew more of Blair's story, and that Blair's and David's respective self-discoveries were less murky and gloomy, their reconciliation a little clearer and more satisfying. During her stay with Jean, Blair communicates with David only three times, not counting his going to see her. She's terse, accusative, dismissive. This is wrong: it's not the character we saw in the first part of the book. The woman who tells her students about leading an honorable life never reconsiders her justification for her affair with Jean. Blair doesn't choose David or her marriage over Jean (or even in addition to).
David doesn't win back Blair, there's no loving reconciliation. Blair may not have been happy living with Jean, but she stays, and returns when Jean has left and their tryst has reached its time limit. And what will happen when Jean returns from Africa? Or with someone else? Blair's tangle of justifications for her going off with Jean -- her argument that one can take a time-out from marriage to requite some irresistible curiosity or attraction -- are never refuted or affirmed. Kornbluth just leaves the ethical questions unsettled. We never get an endorsement of monogamy, if that's what Kornbluth thinks the book is doing. Perhaps he's conflicted. Perhaps David is meant to be an unreliable narrator (see *The Good Soldier*) who's mistaken about Blair's return, mistaken about her being in love with Jean. Blair gives him a quote from Kundera about lovers starting off with a contract for their relationship, and David says at one point Blair is setting out a new contract. Well, maybe that new one is to allow either partner a kind of hall pass any time there's a claim of living one's "real" life.
We're sort of set up for an epistolary novel, two literate, articulate people at a distance, working their way back together, perhaps exploring some issues about sexuality, about fidelity to self and to another -- but we don't get that. Blair should be sending him more messages, working through her anger and confusion, and likewise some of what David tells the reader, he should telling her so that she gets to see how he's changed. David is a lawyer, Blair is a teacher: we expect them to talk a lot, to talk about themselves, to make a case, but Kornbluth doesn't have them do that. There are lots of issues to explore: female sexual fluidity, male sexual fantasy, conflicts between the demands of one's self and the obligations to one's marriage: Kornbluth instead opts for a confused psychobabble. Three characters who were appealingly smart in the first half of the book all seem to lower their IQs in the second half.
Also, the timeline is a little indistinct. Going backwards from Blair's last message to David to her first, we can sort of, kind of infer the end of her girl crush, but absent more from her, we still don't know why she stays with Jean, why she's so hostile towards David. Kornbluth just doesn't fill in enough details. Maybe he lived with the story and the characters for so long, he understands them in ways he doesn't manage to convey to the reader. All of Blair's explanations of what's been wrong in their marriage or their lives or in David could easily be reversed -- applied to her -- or replaced by some other explanations. They simply don't grow out of what we have seen of the characters, but seem grafted on.
Kornbluth remarked in an interview that the book has a happy, Hollywood ending. It doesn't. There's no emotional symmetry between Blair's leaving and her return. The ending is muted, muddled, and perhaps tentatively written, again as if he was testing possibilities in a draft, not setting out a conclusion, or not knowing what the resolution is. (Suggestion: Watch any number of Hallmark love stories on TV for the happy, Hollywood ending.)
What almost redeems the book is that it's so literate and cultured -- terrific allusions and citations of various books and music; and the characters are, initially, so appealing -- David is, presumably, Kornbluth's alter ego, and Blair is, initially, a kind of idealized figure. Those qualities have a kind of momentum which propels the book and perhaps blurs its flaws until you realize how, in the second half of the book, two smart people suddenly become stupid, and how an engaging story becomes a mess. There was an opportunity here for a smart book on sex and love: opportunity missed.
So it's not too harsh to give this précis: After David and Blair have a threesome with Jean and the two women end up smitten with each other, Blair announces that she's going to spend 6 wks with Jean, a sexual and emotional affair which he's obliged to accept, to stay home and wait for her, don't-call-me-I'll-call-you. When David tries to reconcile with Blair, she's grudging, hostile, dismissive, and self-focused; tells him that their marriage has been shallow, superficial, and tepid, and that he's timorous, almost unmanly, and sexually selfish. Despite his being supportive, conciliatory, and contrite, she expresses almost no fondness or affection and utterly no self-criticism. Her assessment of his failing is almost silly and doesn't connect with what we've seen of him. When she returns, it's not that she has chosen to go back to her husband, but simply the 6 wks are up and Jean has gone to Africa. There's no catharsis, no triumph of love over adversity, no re-discovery or other resolution, just her list of things she's decided are wrong with their marriage or with David.
One more thought: Is there a kind of semi-hidden agenda in the book -- a kind of deprecation of masculinity? The only male character besides David is a gay friend of Blair's. Another male friend is mentioned in an anecdote where he behaved badly and the friendship ends. When we finally get Blair's assessment of their marriage, and of David, she points out they're both cloistered, separated from the world of men -- she's a professor of women's studies at Barnard, he's a divorce lawyer who represents women, and, it appears, he's damaged by some hurt earlier in life which he seeks to escape through sex. And he's, well, wimpy -- the book goes from one popular porn genre (threesomes) to another (lesbians, albeit unseen, and cuckold). Kornbluth seems to be making a point here about male sexuality or something -- not really clear what it is. Probably not clear to him. Odd to have a woman having a lesbian fling tell her husband what's wrong with their marriage and what's wrong with him, is a lack of the masculine.
The book is like a murder mystery in which the crime is so cleverly done, the author struggles to find a way for the detective to solve the case. Kornbluth put his characters in a situation he couldn't figure a good way out of it. Maybe it'll get fixed in the movie version, if there is one.
In some ways Kornbluth is Blair, sexy and enchanting, but then punishing. In some ways, he's Jean, seducing us, taking advantage of our affections for a while, and then leaving behind just a cropped picture. Still a good read -- obviously I liked it enough to obsess about it for this long review (revised several times). Would make a good book club choice for the moral or ethical questions it raises, if indistinctly.
July 2, 2015
Received an ARC from Open Road Integrated Media via Net Galley in return for an honest review
I loved this book. It is well written, thought-provoking, brutally honest at times, and leaves you thinking about it days after you’ve finished.
The book provides a glimpse into the inner workings of David and Blair’s happy, seemingly perfect marriage and the fallout that occurs when David and Blair enter into a “one time” threesome with Jean Coin, a well-known photographer.
This book is about so much more than that. David is a man who believes he is happy in his work, and marriage. He believes he knows everything there is to know about a woman he’s been married to for twenty years. Not until his world is rocked by consequences of the choice he made to bring Blair into the threesome, does he realize that he needed more from his life, and that Blair needed more from him.
Without giving anything away, there is a pretty good plot twist after they experience the threesome. I honestly, did not think it was going to go the route that it did. The plot twist, in my opinion, is necessary for David to actually see his wife for who she is as a person, for the first time in their marriage.
I love how Jesse Kornbluth takes you on a tour of the city of New York ,throughout the book. The city becomes a character in and of itself. Whether it’s coffee near the sail boat pond, from Kerb’s Boathouse, hot chocolate from a vendor at Wollman Rink in the middle of winter, a brisk walk up 5th Avenue, or seeking solace at the Cathedral of St. John the Divine. When David, Blair and eventually Jean, visit these places the author’s descriptions, make these locations so visually clear.
One of the other themes, I really enjoy in book is Jesse’s choice of music references. Setting the mood and the tone of the scenes. For me, as a reader, adding a musical reference, speaks to the emotional side of the story.
If you are in need a quick read, with heart and substance, I would definitely recommend this title.
I loved this book. It is well written, thought-provoking, brutally honest at times, and leaves you thinking about it days after you’ve finished.
The book provides a glimpse into the inner workings of David and Blair’s happy, seemingly perfect marriage and the fallout that occurs when David and Blair enter into a “one time” threesome with Jean Coin, a well-known photographer.
This book is about so much more than that. David is a man who believes he is happy in his work, and marriage. He believes he knows everything there is to know about a woman he’s been married to for twenty years. Not until his world is rocked by consequences of the choice he made to bring Blair into the threesome, does he realize that he needed more from his life, and that Blair needed more from him.
Without giving anything away, there is a pretty good plot twist after they experience the threesome. I honestly, did not think it was going to go the route that it did. The plot twist, in my opinion, is necessary for David to actually see his wife for who she is as a person, for the first time in their marriage.
I love how Jesse Kornbluth takes you on a tour of the city of New York ,throughout the book. The city becomes a character in and of itself. Whether it’s coffee near the sail boat pond, from Kerb’s Boathouse, hot chocolate from a vendor at Wollman Rink in the middle of winter, a brisk walk up 5th Avenue, or seeking solace at the Cathedral of St. John the Divine. When David, Blair and eventually Jean, visit these places the author’s descriptions, make these locations so visually clear.
One of the other themes, I really enjoy in book is Jesse’s choice of music references. Setting the mood and the tone of the scenes. For me, as a reader, adding a musical reference, speaks to the emotional side of the story.
If you are in need a quick read, with heart and substance, I would definitely recommend this title.
September 9, 2015
So, after looking at the other reviews, it feels sort of like I must have read something totally different than everyone else.
I received this book via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. The description intrigued me -- who wouldn't be interested?
For me, this book didn't quite work as well as I'd hoped. I felt the basic idea was really interesting, however the execution was rather mundane.
The story is told from David's point of view and, to be frank, David is simply not interesting enough to narrate a story. Neither is Blair, for that matter.
I am all about digging into Fucked Up Family dynamics - that is my wheelhouse and I love it to pieces. If you're gonna do Fucked Up Family dynamics, you have to dig deep - I don't think Kornbluth went deep here.
Everything is very, very surface level. David, Blair and Jean are basically cardboard cutouts and don't have any real personality or depth.
The scope of this novel is very, very particular - it's not about a marriage in shambles all together. No, it's really about how a particular choice affects a married couple.
This is two different things and aught to be handled in different ways.
With the former, simply the marriage in shambles, that allows you to be more surface; there's more to explore there. When you pin point a novel directly on how a particular event shapes the rest, well it's time to dig.
I feel like we didn't know enough about David and Blair's relationship to really care what happened to them. I think that's my main problem with this - I was so incredibly unconcerned about the married couple that it made it hard to continue on.
All I kept thinking is "Damn, I don't care." I didn't like or dislike any of the characters - I was so indifferent to them because I felt like I knew nothing about them other than really surface stuff. They bored me. 'Married Sex' bored me in general.
I received this book via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. The description intrigued me -- who wouldn't be interested?
For me, this book didn't quite work as well as I'd hoped. I felt the basic idea was really interesting, however the execution was rather mundane.
The story is told from David's point of view and, to be frank, David is simply not interesting enough to narrate a story. Neither is Blair, for that matter.
I am all about digging into Fucked Up Family dynamics - that is my wheelhouse and I love it to pieces. If you're gonna do Fucked Up Family dynamics, you have to dig deep - I don't think Kornbluth went deep here.
Everything is very, very surface level. David, Blair and Jean are basically cardboard cutouts and don't have any real personality or depth.
The scope of this novel is very, very particular - it's not about a marriage in shambles all together. No, it's really about how a particular choice affects a married couple.
This is two different things and aught to be handled in different ways.
With the former, simply the marriage in shambles, that allows you to be more surface; there's more to explore there. When you pin point a novel directly on how a particular event shapes the rest, well it's time to dig.
I feel like we didn't know enough about David and Blair's relationship to really care what happened to them. I think that's my main problem with this - I was so incredibly unconcerned about the married couple that it made it hard to continue on.
All I kept thinking is "Damn, I don't care." I didn't like or dislike any of the characters - I was so indifferent to them because I felt like I knew nothing about them other than really surface stuff. They bored me. 'Married Sex' bored me in general.
January 11, 2016
When a husband convinces his wife to join him in a tryst with another woman, there are unintended consequences in this sharply observed erotic tale about the challenges of modern marriage
As a divorce lawyer for Manhattan’s elite, David Greenfield is privy to the intimate, dirty details of failed marriages. He knows he’s lucky to be married to Blair—a Barnard dean and the mother of their college-age daughter, a woman he loves more today than when they tied the knot.
But when seductive photographer Jean Coin asks David to be her lover for six weeks until she leaves for Timbuktu, David is tempted, reasoning that “it’s not cheating if your wife’s there.” A one-night threesome would relieve the pressure of monogamy without wrecking their marriage. What harm could come of fulfilling his longtime sexual fantasy?
--My thoughts. What harm could come you ask? Very poetic and beautifully written. Doesn't take long to read. How it comes about, so strange and yet, seems so, simple. I'd like to take a lover until then, for six months, until I leave. -- Sure okay.. ;)
Makes you think about your own life... Hard to believe this is Kornbluth's first book...not going to say any more, just read this book, and you will be reflecting on your own marriage.
As a divorce lawyer for Manhattan’s elite, David Greenfield is privy to the intimate, dirty details of failed marriages. He knows he’s lucky to be married to Blair—a Barnard dean and the mother of their college-age daughter, a woman he loves more today than when they tied the knot.
But when seductive photographer Jean Coin asks David to be her lover for six weeks until she leaves for Timbuktu, David is tempted, reasoning that “it’s not cheating if your wife’s there.” A one-night threesome would relieve the pressure of monogamy without wrecking their marriage. What harm could come of fulfilling his longtime sexual fantasy?
--My thoughts. What harm could come you ask? Very poetic and beautifully written. Doesn't take long to read. How it comes about, so strange and yet, seems so, simple. I'd like to take a lover until then, for six months, until I leave. -- Sure okay.. ;)
Makes you think about your own life... Hard to believe this is Kornbluth's first book...not going to say any more, just read this book, and you will be reflecting on your own marriage.
January 7, 2017
Hrdinovia tejto knihy spolu žijú už krásnych dvadsať rokov. Prežili toho mnoho a ich vzťah to utužilo. Keď niekto spolu vydrží toľké roky, nebude to len pre zvyk, alebo rezignácia, naopak, je to pre to, že si jeden druhého vážia, že sa stále ľúbia a že neustále pre svoj vzťah niečo robia. Vždy sa vyskytnú situácie, kedy si poviete, že to viac nestojí za to, no všetko sa dá vyriešiť a kde nechýba komunikácia a úprimnosť, tam je možné aj nemožné.
"Tanga. Považuju je za největší módní pokrok od minisukně. Vždycky mě nadchnou. Předčí všechno ostatní. Přikazují: Sem se budeš dívat!
Silný muž jim dokáže odolat, ale já nejsem silný."
David a Blair si nažívajú svoj pokojný život. Všetko sa zdá byť v poriadku do okamihu, kým sa David nezoznámi s Jean. Tá mu totiž navrhne, aby sa stal jej milencom. Iba na šesť týždňov, kým neodíde za prácou. David nechce byť neverný svojej milovanej Blair a podľa ich dohody Jean povie, že spolu môžu niečo mať iba ak bude pri tom aj jeho manželka. Nečaká, že Jean bude súhlasiť. Alebo čaká? Zvyšok recenzie nájdete tu: http://kokina1.blogspot.sk/2016/05/ma...
"Tanga. Považuju je za největší módní pokrok od minisukně. Vždycky mě nadchnou. Předčí všechno ostatní. Přikazují: Sem se budeš dívat!
Silný muž jim dokáže odolat, ale já nejsem silný."
David a Blair si nažívajú svoj pokojný život. Všetko sa zdá byť v poriadku do okamihu, kým sa David nezoznámi s Jean. Tá mu totiž navrhne, aby sa stal jej milencom. Iba na šesť týždňov, kým neodíde za prácou. David nechce byť neverný svojej milovanej Blair a podľa ich dohody Jean povie, že spolu môžu niečo mať iba ak bude pri tom aj jeho manželka. Nečaká, že Jean bude súhlasiť. Alebo čaká? Zvyšok recenzie nájdete tu: http://kokina1.blogspot.sk/2016/05/ma...
January 29, 2016
In a mutually agreed-upon move to avoid infidelity, a man in a seemingly perfect marriage brings a woman home to have a threesome with his wife, with disastrous consequences. It sounds intriguing and intense and, above all, complicated-- so why was I so bored? I think what fell flat for me about this one was something that the author made a concerted effort to produce-- narrator David's inability to take women seriously, highlighted from his reactions to his wife's work (as a women's studies professor) to his own (as a divorce attorney specializing in female clients) to the passages where he muses on the ramifications on the differences between his wife sleeping with a woman versus sleeping with a man. It's very deliberate, and I think Kornbluth intends to use it to make a point about how David can never be a truly good man or a truly good husband until he confronts these issues in himself-- but, for me, it never quite gets there, and leaves me feeling a bit skeeved out.
August 27, 2016
** 2-2,5 STARS **
DNF@33%
I tried, but after realizing I was just checking my progress every 10 minutes and getting upset when I saw I've read only 4% more...the decision to give up was inevitable.
** ARC provided via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review **
March 21, 2016
Halfway through this story I was clapping with glee! Finally a book I can relate to....then the story did not continue how I thought it would. The ending left me with too many questions. This was very well written, and it flowed well, but lacked background info. on the characters. At least to me. I needed more history.
April 20, 2017
The first half is all male fantasy, being propositioned/having a three-way; the second half is all about how sex and poor communication negatively affects a marriage. The communication is so oblique that the reader can't even tell what they are talking about. Apart from some steamy sex scenes, this book isn't really worth it.
January 6, 2016
I had high hopes for this book, and I enjoyed the first half. The second half collapses into stereotypical fears about what must happen when we step outside the bounds of traditional marital relationships. Also, the skinny legs and big boobs descriptions of the women are tiresome.
December 2, 2015
Some great lines and nice writing. The story just got a bit off the rails towards the end.
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