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Lover
Home is where the heart is, and Kate thinks a lot about making people feel at home. She works for a global hotel corporation. She has two young children, and a husband of ten years.
Now, both Kate's home and her heart are about to implode: she has discovered a series of emails from her husband Adam to another woman. Probing for answers, she realizes this not the worst possible discovery - in fact, it is only the beginning.
As her family unravels, Kate's job becomes increasingly demanding - but how can she provide the perfect guest experience when her own foundations have been knocked away? She tries to hold things together for her daughters, but doesn't know what to tell them when they ask when Adam is coming home. Who was the man with whom Kate built a life? And what is he to her now?
Told with warmth, wit and grace, Lover is a novel about marriage, family, and work - an unforgettable account of having the strength to find one's place in the world.
Now, both Kate's home and her heart are about to implode: she has discovered a series of emails from her husband Adam to another woman. Probing for answers, she realizes this not the worst possible discovery - in fact, it is only the beginning.
As her family unravels, Kate's job becomes increasingly demanding - but how can she provide the perfect guest experience when her own foundations have been knocked away? She tries to hold things together for her daughters, but doesn't know what to tell them when they ask when Adam is coming home. Who was the man with whom Kate built a life? And what is he to her now?
Told with warmth, wit and grace, Lover is a novel about marriage, family, and work - an unforgettable account of having the strength to find one's place in the world.
336 pages, Kindle Edition
First published March 10, 2016
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815 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 56 reviews
March 24, 2016
When I began this review, I wrote this whole spiel about how I was worried about reading Lover because I loved Raverat's
Signs of Life
so much and I had such high expectations for it and I was (kind of) right to worry because I just found this book to be fine, just fine, and that in itself is depressing when you loved an author's previous book so much you want to shove it into the hands of every self-proclaimed avid reader you meet. But halfway through the review I realised the 'problem' with Lover, the reason I just liked rather than loved it, is simply that it wasn't written for me. It's the grown-up version of Signs of Life, the version that got promoted to director, got married and had kids. Where its predecessor was emotionally eviscerating and raw and powerful, Lover is measured and mature, cool and lightly humorous.
It actually covers similar thematic territory to Signs of Life, albeit from a different perspective. We follow the narrator, Kate, as her family life unravels after the discovery of some suspicious emails on her husband's computer. When she can't stop digging, she uncovers a history of duplicity that seems both endless and unimaginably complex. At the same time, she's floundering in her job, an executive position at a hotel group. This particular thread was my favourite thing about the plot. Struggling to stay afloat in a crowded market, the company adopts a series of increasingly misguided, hare-brained policies, becoming more like something out of a sitcom as the story goes on.
It's all done with a very light touch, but it retains a firm hold on the story it is actually telling. And there are some great lines, such as Kate's spot-on description of a midlife crisis as 'the gap between who you wished to be and who you really are; the life you'd hoped for and the life you actually got'. It's not a revolutionary idea, but I don't think I've seen it presented with quite the clarity and simplicity Raverat employs. Lover is an elegantly told story, a moving examination of relationships, filled with quietly astute observations. For me, it didn't feel remarkable or significant, but I can't claim any experience of its subject matter - discovering a husband's affair, raising a family, negotiating a divorce - and I'm sure for those who see something of themselves in the story, it will prove more memorable, more poignant.
It actually covers similar thematic territory to Signs of Life, albeit from a different perspective. We follow the narrator, Kate, as her family life unravels after the discovery of some suspicious emails on her husband's computer. When she can't stop digging, she uncovers a history of duplicity that seems both endless and unimaginably complex. At the same time, she's floundering in her job, an executive position at a hotel group. This particular thread was my favourite thing about the plot. Struggling to stay afloat in a crowded market, the company adopts a series of increasingly misguided, hare-brained policies, becoming more like something out of a sitcom as the story goes on.
It's all done with a very light touch, but it retains a firm hold on the story it is actually telling. And there are some great lines, such as Kate's spot-on description of a midlife crisis as 'the gap between who you wished to be and who you really are; the life you'd hoped for and the life you actually got'. It's not a revolutionary idea, but I don't think I've seen it presented with quite the clarity and simplicity Raverat employs. Lover is an elegantly told story, a moving examination of relationships, filled with quietly astute observations. For me, it didn't feel remarkable or significant, but I can't claim any experience of its subject matter - discovering a husband's affair, raising a family, negotiating a divorce - and I'm sure for those who see something of themselves in the story, it will prove more memorable, more poignant.
March 10, 2017
Lover is a book about infidelity. The blurb was compelling to me and I wanted to read more.
Kate is a wife, a mother and a working woman. She has what she thinks as the perfect life. Two lovely adorable girls, a loving husband and a promising career that she loves. Going through Adam’s, the husband, emails by accident, there is no limit to what she can find. And it’s only the iceberg.
This book started out very promising. I even started reading it right away once I received it though I had a couple of other books on hand. However, midway through the book, it started to be a bit boring. We were trapped in Kate’s thoughts while nothing was really happening. Not to say that it was bad. However, not what I thought.
Nevertheless, reading the book was enjoyable. The writing style was good. I even liked the ups and downs of Kate. Kate was even funny sometimes. The book was realistic and thoughtful.
Finally, Lover was a nice read. The point to me was that the idea could have taken half the pages. I had read a similar book before, so to me that was not what I was looking for in the first place.
** Special thanks to NetGalley & Sarah Crichton Books for supplying my copy of this book in exchange for an honest and unbiased review **
For all my reviews please visit http://www.meshascorner.net
Kate is a wife, a mother and a working woman. She has what she thinks as the perfect life. Two lovely adorable girls, a loving husband and a promising career that she loves. Going through Adam’s, the husband, emails by accident, there is no limit to what she can find. And it’s only the iceberg.
This book started out very promising. I even started reading it right away once I received it though I had a couple of other books on hand. However, midway through the book, it started to be a bit boring. We were trapped in Kate’s thoughts while nothing was really happening. Not to say that it was bad. However, not what I thought.
Nevertheless, reading the book was enjoyable. The writing style was good. I even liked the ups and downs of Kate. Kate was even funny sometimes. The book was realistic and thoughtful.
Finally, Lover was a nice read. The point to me was that the idea could have taken half the pages. I had read a similar book before, so to me that was not what I was looking for in the first place.
** Special thanks to NetGalley & Sarah Crichton Books for supplying my copy of this book in exchange for an honest and unbiased review **
For all my reviews please visit http://www.meshascorner.net
March 14, 2016
Meh. This reads like chick lit only without any drama. I was disappointed - Anna Raverat's first novel, Signs of Life, was excellent: a nuanced portrayal of the aftereffects of trauma, with an interesting fractured timeline and and a dramatic ending. So I had high hopes of this one, which unfortunately is a let down. It's fine, there's the odd bit of nice writing, and it didn't take me long to read. But there is really no story at all. Married woman finds out husband is having an affair, is upset, leaves him, then slowly gets over it. That is it. Nothing more. There's also a bit of predictable stuff about the main character's job - corporate greed bad, kindness and humanity good - but again, this strand is lacking in drama.
The main character is reasonably well drawn, but I didn't feel the depth of her pain, and the other characters are pretty flat, especially her ex-husband. At one point she describes him as 'volatile' and I just thought - really? He hasn't done one single thing which isn't entirely dull and bland, though clearly we're meant to think of him as a bit more edgy than he is, because he rides a motorbike.
If this had had a plot, I'd have forgiven it the other flaws because it was a quick and easy read. But if you're going to write a plotless book it has to have incredible characters, gorgeous writing and real emotional depth, and this didn't have any of those things. A pity.
The main character is reasonably well drawn, but I didn't feel the depth of her pain, and the other characters are pretty flat, especially her ex-husband. At one point she describes him as 'volatile' and I just thought - really? He hasn't done one single thing which isn't entirely dull and bland, though clearly we're meant to think of him as a bit more edgy than he is, because he rides a motorbike.
If this had had a plot, I'd have forgiven it the other flaws because it was a quick and easy read. But if you're going to write a plotless book it has to have incredible characters, gorgeous writing and real emotional depth, and this didn't have any of those things. A pity.
March 12, 2016
"There is no such thing as a broken heart.
The heart is a muscle, not a vase."
These are the words spoken by Kate's boss Trish. Kate would like to disagree with Trish as the pain that she is feeling, deep inside, feels pretty real to her. It started when she found the emails addressed to 'Prince Charming' on her husband Adam's computer, and it hasn't gone away.
In Lover, Anna Raverat has told the story of the break-down of a long and seemingly happy marriage. Kate and Adam and their two children have a fairly ordinary life, they are busy with work, with school events, with the elderly dog Charlie, just busy, like thousands of families across the UK.
Yes, there have been difficult and trying times. When Adam had a break-down because he couldn't bear his job any more. When he started up a new business, working for himself, Kate supported him and was there for him. Their two small girls are bright and funny and sometimes their demands can be stressful, and Kate's new job is important and pressurised. She often works away for days at a time, but Adam is always there for her. Well, that's what she thought, what she really believed.
Anna Raverat's superbly observed telling of the sudden impact of realisation, and the physical effects on Kate's body and brain is really excellently done. The way that Kate's whole world seems to fly up into the air and rain down on her in jagged and sharp pieces is at times, extremely painful to read, yet there is also a subtle humour in the words, that prevents this novel from descending into continuous despair and pity.
Most women who read Lover will recognise aspects of Kate's behaviour and feelings. That slow dawning of realisation and dread that can make you question everything that you have ever believed in. Lover is told in the first person and Kate's voice never wavers, her feelings for Adam turn from love, to hate, and back again and again, and her recollection of the time that she set eyes on him for the very first time, whilst short is quite overwhelming. Those words say everything about her shock, despair and total enveloping fear about their crumbling, almost dead relationship.
Alongside the break down of Kate's family is the devastation being wrought by her boss to the company that Kate loves and is loyal too. The reader can compare and contrast the pain that Kate feels when her colleagues are mistreated and double-crossed, and the startling similarities to her personal life add depth to the story. Whilst Kate is the main voice, the lead character, and the centre of Lover, the author has also created some wonderfully realistic and complementary supporting characters. From the back-street, second-hand goods dealers, to the wonderfully perceptive book shop assistant to Kate's cold Mother, each of them contribute hugely to this haunting, compelling and witty novel.
http://randomthingsthroughmyletterbox...
The heart is a muscle, not a vase."
These are the words spoken by Kate's boss Trish. Kate would like to disagree with Trish as the pain that she is feeling, deep inside, feels pretty real to her. It started when she found the emails addressed to 'Prince Charming' on her husband Adam's computer, and it hasn't gone away.
In Lover, Anna Raverat has told the story of the break-down of a long and seemingly happy marriage. Kate and Adam and their two children have a fairly ordinary life, they are busy with work, with school events, with the elderly dog Charlie, just busy, like thousands of families across the UK.
Yes, there have been difficult and trying times. When Adam had a break-down because he couldn't bear his job any more. When he started up a new business, working for himself, Kate supported him and was there for him. Their two small girls are bright and funny and sometimes their demands can be stressful, and Kate's new job is important and pressurised. She often works away for days at a time, but Adam is always there for her. Well, that's what she thought, what she really believed.
Anna Raverat's superbly observed telling of the sudden impact of realisation, and the physical effects on Kate's body and brain is really excellently done. The way that Kate's whole world seems to fly up into the air and rain down on her in jagged and sharp pieces is at times, extremely painful to read, yet there is also a subtle humour in the words, that prevents this novel from descending into continuous despair and pity.
Most women who read Lover will recognise aspects of Kate's behaviour and feelings. That slow dawning of realisation and dread that can make you question everything that you have ever believed in. Lover is told in the first person and Kate's voice never wavers, her feelings for Adam turn from love, to hate, and back again and again, and her recollection of the time that she set eyes on him for the very first time, whilst short is quite overwhelming. Those words say everything about her shock, despair and total enveloping fear about their crumbling, almost dead relationship.
Alongside the break down of Kate's family is the devastation being wrought by her boss to the company that Kate loves and is loyal too. The reader can compare and contrast the pain that Kate feels when her colleagues are mistreated and double-crossed, and the startling similarities to her personal life add depth to the story. Whilst Kate is the main voice, the lead character, and the centre of Lover, the author has also created some wonderfully realistic and complementary supporting characters. From the back-street, second-hand goods dealers, to the wonderfully perceptive book shop assistant to Kate's cold Mother, each of them contribute hugely to this haunting, compelling and witty novel.
http://randomthingsthroughmyletterbox...
July 23, 2017
The book summary and the first 1/3 of the book had me excited. After that, the first 100 pages or so the book didn't seem to go anywhere and just contained various ramblings about the cheating husband and how the wife had to go on from there. The book didn't have much of a plot, and I was left happy at the end of the book to finally finish it. The book seemed to have great potential at the beginning but turned out to be quite boring and a disappointment.
December 1, 2023
So, I definitely picked this book out at my local library in the Year of Taylor Swift 2023 because the title and the cover aesthetic evoke her Lover album. The book's content, however, does not align with the album's bubbly, romantic theme.
Instead, it's a sensitive, introspective treatment of what it's like to experience infidelity. The main character Kate pushes herself to be a good mom and to manage the luxury hotel chain she works for. Then she finds her husband's emails to another woman and feels herself losing her footing.
I thought the book did a good job of showing that cheating doesn't always lead to instant rage and drama. I experienced cheating in a relationship several years ago, and this book was closer to my experience in that respect than most fiction I've encountered. Everyone I talked to expected me to be angry, but I couldn't feel everything intensely right away. The world doesn't stop to give you time to cry on the bathroom floor; life moves too fast for everything to surface, much less be processed, right away. Moreover, significant betrayal can make you question whether you can trust yourself. It can be easier to minimize the damage or to take responsibility/blame upon yourself than to cope with a glaring lack of character in someone you've loved and trusted. Certainly some folks harmed by cheating will be angry right away, but others, especially women conditioned to appease and care for their loved ones, may find it hard to muster the expected decisive anger. This book showed the sense of numb confusion that I learned is also a valid reaction to a cheating partner.
I thought Kate's growth in self-discovery and career fulfillment in the aftermath was poignant, too. Both reflecting and keeping busy with meaningful work are essential components of healing. So is sleep, however, something Kate neglects to an almost unbelievable extent. She also buys a lot of self-help books, which are one of my pet peeves (there are exceptions, but I think most oversimplfy complex issues for the author's profit & ego). She doesn't read them, though, she just collects them as physical manifestations of the qualities and goals she aspires to. Since she works for a luxury hotel chain, I guess she can afford to do this, but as a lower-middle-class book-lover it pained me to think of someone purchasing piles of books with no intention of reading them.
While I appreciated many parts of Kate's journey, the end of the book fell flat for me. Kate's two big revelations are 1. That she brought the demise of her marriage upon herself by turning a blind eye and neglecting herself, and 2. That she married someone who was her lover but not her friend, and that was a poor basis for a lasting relationship. I take issue with her first insight because while continued investment from both parties is necessary for a loving and healthy relationship, cheating isn't justified when a relationship is struggling. Kate could certainly have communicated better, or could have cultivated better self esteem to indicate higher standards for her husband's behavior. Her failure to do those things does not justify his actions. He chose to abandon his commitment rather than to confront or encourage her, and that's on him. I think the author was trying to salvage the husband's image as he was still going to be Kate's co-parent, but his total lack of accountability or remorse left me with no sympathy for him.
I think I'm even more ticked off by her second conclusion, though, for entirely pedantic reasons. To me, a lover must by definition be a good friend. This probably wouldn't bother me quite so muxh if it wasn't the premise for the book's title: for me that draws too much attention to the inaccuracy. I believe wordsmiths especially ought to be intentional with language. Especially as us poor English speakers have only one word for love, wasting it on Kate's douchebag husband irks me. I like using bell hooks' definition of love: "Love is a combination of care, commitment, knowledge, responsibility, respect, and trust" (All About Love). Not one but all these ingredients were missing from Kate's husband's attitude toward her; therefore, he didn't deserve to be called her lover.
Even if I concede to using "lover" to denote a relationship based on sexual attraction, I actuallt don't think that attraction is a poor starting point for a loving relationship. It's just a poor stopping point. My purity culture upbringing drew such a strict dichotomy between love and lust, and I've worked hard throughout my engagement and marriage to carve out room for healthy sexual attraction to be something that compliments love, not love's opposite. I highly recommend that if you bother with romantic love at all, choose someone who doesn't make you feel like you're choosing either love or attraction...make it both or nothing.
Ultimately, I'm still rooting for Kate, and I think my complaints are rather idiosyncratic, but this one wasn't my cup of tea.
Instead, it's a sensitive, introspective treatment of what it's like to experience infidelity. The main character Kate pushes herself to be a good mom and to manage the luxury hotel chain she works for. Then she finds her husband's emails to another woman and feels herself losing her footing.
I thought the book did a good job of showing that cheating doesn't always lead to instant rage and drama. I experienced cheating in a relationship several years ago, and this book was closer to my experience in that respect than most fiction I've encountered. Everyone I talked to expected me to be angry, but I couldn't feel everything intensely right away. The world doesn't stop to give you time to cry on the bathroom floor; life moves too fast for everything to surface, much less be processed, right away. Moreover, significant betrayal can make you question whether you can trust yourself. It can be easier to minimize the damage or to take responsibility/blame upon yourself than to cope with a glaring lack of character in someone you've loved and trusted. Certainly some folks harmed by cheating will be angry right away, but others, especially women conditioned to appease and care for their loved ones, may find it hard to muster the expected decisive anger. This book showed the sense of numb confusion that I learned is also a valid reaction to a cheating partner.
I thought Kate's growth in self-discovery and career fulfillment in the aftermath was poignant, too. Both reflecting and keeping busy with meaningful work are essential components of healing. So is sleep, however, something Kate neglects to an almost unbelievable extent. She also buys a lot of self-help books, which are one of my pet peeves (there are exceptions, but I think most oversimplfy complex issues for the author's profit & ego). She doesn't read them, though, she just collects them as physical manifestations of the qualities and goals she aspires to. Since she works for a luxury hotel chain, I guess she can afford to do this, but as a lower-middle-class book-lover it pained me to think of someone purchasing piles of books with no intention of reading them.
While I appreciated many parts of Kate's journey, the end of the book fell flat for me. Kate's two big revelations are 1. That she brought the demise of her marriage upon herself by turning a blind eye and neglecting herself, and 2. That she married someone who was her lover but not her friend, and that was a poor basis for a lasting relationship. I take issue with her first insight because while continued investment from both parties is necessary for a loving and healthy relationship, cheating isn't justified when a relationship is struggling. Kate could certainly have communicated better, or could have cultivated better self esteem to indicate higher standards for her husband's behavior. Her failure to do those things does not justify his actions. He chose to abandon his commitment rather than to confront or encourage her, and that's on him. I think the author was trying to salvage the husband's image as he was still going to be Kate's co-parent, but his total lack of accountability or remorse left me with no sympathy for him.
I think I'm even more ticked off by her second conclusion, though, for entirely pedantic reasons. To me, a lover must by definition be a good friend. This probably wouldn't bother me quite so muxh if it wasn't the premise for the book's title: for me that draws too much attention to the inaccuracy. I believe wordsmiths especially ought to be intentional with language. Especially as us poor English speakers have only one word for love, wasting it on Kate's douchebag husband irks me. I like using bell hooks' definition of love: "Love is a combination of care, commitment, knowledge, responsibility, respect, and trust" (All About Love). Not one but all these ingredients were missing from Kate's husband's attitude toward her; therefore, he didn't deserve to be called her lover.
Even if I concede to using "lover" to denote a relationship based on sexual attraction, I actuallt don't think that attraction is a poor starting point for a loving relationship. It's just a poor stopping point. My purity culture upbringing drew such a strict dichotomy between love and lust, and I've worked hard throughout my engagement and marriage to carve out room for healthy sexual attraction to be something that compliments love, not love's opposite. I highly recommend that if you bother with romantic love at all, choose someone who doesn't make you feel like you're choosing either love or attraction...make it both or nothing.
Ultimately, I'm still rooting for Kate, and I think my complaints are rather idiosyncratic, but this one wasn't my cup of tea.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
May 22, 2017
I enjoyed this story. It was well written. At times I thought that some of the content didn't further the story along, but when I took a moment to think about it, there was meaning in the story. I enjoyed reading how the heroine worked through the pain of learning of her husband's infidelity. I would have liked to have read more about the aftermath of his betrayal. But the author was consistent on how the heroine behaved, so I expected nothing more. I felt sorry for her, rooted for her, and at times was angry with how she coped with the loss of her ideal family life. The story elicited a lot of emotions from me. I was left wondering how I would deal with infidelity and single parenthood, feeling like I wouldn't be capable of juggling it all alone. All in all, I hope to read future novels from this author.
skimmed
March 4, 2024Skimmed. Not really my cup of tea - the hero is an unforgivable lying cheat and Transitions were pretty abrupt, some things were skipped over, and I didn't feel the angst.
August 1, 2024
I read a review of this book that said it sounded like chick lit but without the drama. I would say that was accurate but for me that wasn’t a negative thing. I liked the story of Kate’s heart healing and walking through her emotions with her.
November 23, 2015
Is this a serious novel with funny bits? Or a funny novel with real emotion? Can it be both? (hint: yes)
Kate Pedley has just gone back to full-time work as the Director of Business Innovation at a leading chain of international hotels when one evening, two young daughters tucked up in bed, she discovers a flirty email exchange on husband Adam’s unlocked laptop.
To paraphrase, ‘all affairs are alike; each unhappy affair is unhappy in its own way.’
We follow Kate over the next year and a half as she struggles to keep the possibility of her marriage alive while simultaneously watching the incompetent turds of corporate life floating past her to the top.
So, not exactly a story that’s never been told before but the difference is Kate. I should hate Kate and her perfect middle-class life that is never financially at risk in spite of her temporary split from the errant Adam. But I don’t.
It’s Raverat’s forensic eye for the tiny, seemingly superficial details of life, that lift this potentially ho-hum account of adultery and corporate angst into a story we can care about.
Kate tries to find salvation through self-help books, but she guiltily orders these online while ensuring that the books she buys from her local store are good and worthy ones, a mimicking of her very decision to use her local bookshop in the first place.
In the end, it is a quite unexpected sort of book that ushers her way out of her marital funk and if there’s one thing that GoodReads readers know, it’s the redemptive powers of a good book. And this is a good book - serious, emotional and funny.
Kate Pedley has just gone back to full-time work as the Director of Business Innovation at a leading chain of international hotels when one evening, two young daughters tucked up in bed, she discovers a flirty email exchange on husband Adam’s unlocked laptop.
To paraphrase, ‘all affairs are alike; each unhappy affair is unhappy in its own way.’
We follow Kate over the next year and a half as she struggles to keep the possibility of her marriage alive while simultaneously watching the incompetent turds of corporate life floating past her to the top.
So, not exactly a story that’s never been told before but the difference is Kate. I should hate Kate and her perfect middle-class life that is never financially at risk in spite of her temporary split from the errant Adam. But I don’t.
It’s Raverat’s forensic eye for the tiny, seemingly superficial details of life, that lift this potentially ho-hum account of adultery and corporate angst into a story we can care about.
Kate tries to find salvation through self-help books, but she guiltily orders these online while ensuring that the books she buys from her local store are good and worthy ones, a mimicking of her very decision to use her local bookshop in the first place.
In the end, it is a quite unexpected sort of book that ushers her way out of her marital funk and if there’s one thing that GoodReads readers know, it’s the redemptive powers of a good book. And this is a good book - serious, emotional and funny.
June 24, 2016
This book is a rollercoaster of emotions, one minute you will laugh out loud and the next you will be feeling quite sad and down.
The children seem so funny in the book, and you can't help but love the main characters. It isn't what I thought the book was going to be like at first, it was much better.
The children seem so funny in the book, and you can't help but love the main characters. It isn't what I thought the book was going to be like at first, it was much better.
May 7, 2020
Maybe it’s just because I’m having a hard time right now but this book and it’s discussions of happiness, complacency, and personal responsibility really got me. Not a book for everyone, for sure. There isn’t too much drama or intrigue, but it’s a quiet book filled with emotion and introspection.
September 25, 2021
I find it hard to describe why I like this book. The voice, maybe, which is dry, funny, delicate. The tone which is emotional, bittersweet and at times funny. If you like slice of life stories this is a such a good one.
November 16, 2021
Such a great book.
Showing that when life gets tough there is always a way out and being bold and strong. Doing what you need to do to get by.
Really uplifting book. I really liked the short chapters as well.
Showing that when life gets tough there is always a way out and being bold and strong. Doing what you need to do to get by.
Really uplifting book. I really liked the short chapters as well.
December 10, 2018
I couldn’t finish this book. But still might give it a second chance.
March 5, 2016
Brilliant from start to finish. So true to life and well written.
March 13, 2017
This book was so beautiful. I don't mean to keep giving out 5 stars, I've just been so lucky to receive fantastic choices for the eARC's I wanted to review! After reading this, I will happily read anything Anna Raverat writes.
This was not a subject (or book) that I expected to enjoy. It doesn't exactly have "feel-good" written all over it. But I could not put this book down. Her sensitivity and insight and wit are what kept me reading. I think the thing that really speaks to me is that Raverat does not shy away from the parts of an affair that make you squirm, or the the fact that so much lies in gray area. She explores fact that the two people of the original couple have such a different experience inside the same relationship and how working this out takes time because, although the original transgression may be the definite wrong, everything leading up to it and everything spilling away from it afterwards, is just simply gray area. Paralyzing, surreal, gray area where no real wrongs or rights seem to exist.
I expected this to be quite bleak, (or alternately, quite sexy) but Raverat has a way of looking at these things in a very saturated reality that has all the highs and lows, tiny joys, and frustrations of actual life. Which means, that yes, our protagonist Kate, has a whole other life away from her marriage, and no, while the affair may bleed into all aspects of her life, it does not have to govern what happens everywhere else. Raverat can make the mundane seem so full just by virtue of the fact of it being so true. She perfectly masters that sense that each relationship is unique but there are little things that we can all relate to that knit us together in our common experience. I ached so badly for Kate in this book. But I couldn't bring myself to hate Adam either.
MILD SPOILER BELOW:
The ending was utterly surprising for me. I think because she writes such an honest journey for Kate, and because with an affair, often one or both partners still love the other, it truly made it hard for me to predict how this would turn out. I think I would have been surprised either way honestly. Because really, these things are just so difficult.
Thank you to NetGalley, Anna Raverat and Farrar, Straus & Giroux for the opportunity to read and review an eARC of this book.
This was not a subject (or book) that I expected to enjoy. It doesn't exactly have "feel-good" written all over it. But I could not put this book down. Her sensitivity and insight and wit are what kept me reading. I think the thing that really speaks to me is that Raverat does not shy away from the parts of an affair that make you squirm, or the the fact that so much lies in gray area. She explores fact that the two people of the original couple have such a different experience inside the same relationship and how working this out takes time because, although the original transgression may be the definite wrong, everything leading up to it and everything spilling away from it afterwards, is just simply gray area. Paralyzing, surreal, gray area where no real wrongs or rights seem to exist.
I expected this to be quite bleak, (or alternately, quite sexy) but Raverat has a way of looking at these things in a very saturated reality that has all the highs and lows, tiny joys, and frustrations of actual life. Which means, that yes, our protagonist Kate, has a whole other life away from her marriage, and no, while the affair may bleed into all aspects of her life, it does not have to govern what happens everywhere else. Raverat can make the mundane seem so full just by virtue of the fact of it being so true. She perfectly masters that sense that each relationship is unique but there are little things that we can all relate to that knit us together in our common experience. I ached so badly for Kate in this book. But I couldn't bring myself to hate Adam either.
MILD SPOILER BELOW:
The ending was utterly surprising for me. I think because she writes such an honest journey for Kate, and because with an affair, often one or both partners still love the other, it truly made it hard for me to predict how this would turn out. I think I would have been surprised either way honestly. Because really, these things are just so difficult.
Thank you to NetGalley, Anna Raverat and Farrar, Straus & Giroux for the opportunity to read and review an eARC of this book.
July 3, 2018
Kate discovers her husband has had what he describes as an "inappropriate friendship" with another woman, but then this turns out to be the tip of the iceberg. While dealing with the failure of her marriage, Kate is also grappling with deteriorating conditions at work.
Apart from a bit of a sag in the middle during which I considered abandoning Kate to her misery, I enjoyed reading this. Kate had her flaws, but overall was a sympathetic character, and some of the scenes where she interacted with her daughters were very amusing. I particularly enjoyed the scene where she seeks to reassure them that their father leaving is not their fault, only to be countered with their take on the situation. The narrative was entirely from Kate's viewpoint, so we never got to hear Adam's perspective, and there was so little focus on the time before Kate discovered his infidelity that it was hard to assess whether Kate really had missed signs she should (could?) have picked up on or not. It mostly seemed as if Adam had been a very accomplished liar.
I found the parts dealing with hotel management interesting, although Kate's actual job seemed to fluctuate between on the one hand being really quite high powered and on the other involving the micromanagement of individual staff members at specific hotels. I will always rinse the cups in my hotel room before using them from now on...
Apart from a bit of a sag in the middle during which I considered abandoning Kate to her misery, I enjoyed reading this. Kate had her flaws, but overall was a sympathetic character, and some of the scenes where she interacted with her daughters were very amusing. I particularly enjoyed the scene where she seeks to reassure them that their father leaving is not their fault, only to be countered with their take on the situation. The narrative was entirely from Kate's viewpoint, so we never got to hear Adam's perspective, and there was so little focus on the time before Kate discovered his infidelity that it was hard to assess whether Kate really had missed signs she should (could?) have picked up on or not. It mostly seemed as if Adam had been a very accomplished liar.
I found the parts dealing with hotel management interesting, although Kate's actual job seemed to fluctuate between on the one hand being really quite high powered and on the other involving the micromanagement of individual staff members at specific hotels. I will always rinse the cups in my hotel room before using them from now on...
August 11, 2018
I thought this is just another normal summer read romance (or not) novel to talk about a mid-age working mom dealing with a cheating husband. But surprise! This book was written more like a broken heart journey and self RE-discovery journal style which is quite refreshing and carefully minimised personal judgement on her actions of choice. Perhaps the best thing are all insights of the main character’s job and organization analysis of the mega hotel chain that resonates with my own job situation. It is true that life as a wholesome of all the roles we play in: no matter whether you are a daughter, a wife, a mom, a customer, a boss, a friend, a subordinate, a team member, a lover... what matters really is how you are treated x3. I would have rate this book 4.5 but 0.5 add on because of all the children comments, they are so funny but hurts at time as they could be quite mean but all are SO real.
January 3, 2021
4.5
Another quick read for me. I’d never heard of this author before but when I read the synopsis I was instantly drawn in. I love a fiction, but there’s something special about ‘real life’ stories. It’s simple. This is something that I feel connected to and not because I’m married and in the same shoes (because I’m not) - but because I feel like we could all relate to this story somehow. This is a story about real people and how one day, this could easily happen to us. The writing was beautifully done and the characters were so raw and honest. I felt like I knew Kate, that she was a friend of mine and that what I was reading, she was telling to me, personally. It was a massive joy to read this book and I really hope that others out there who have read/ want to read it get the same joy out of it as I did. I’m not giving it the full 5 ⭐️ for some reason (I’m a tough critic) - but a thoroughly good book and I might even add it back on the list to re-read.
Another quick read for me. I’d never heard of this author before but when I read the synopsis I was instantly drawn in. I love a fiction, but there’s something special about ‘real life’ stories. It’s simple. This is something that I feel connected to and not because I’m married and in the same shoes (because I’m not) - but because I feel like we could all relate to this story somehow. This is a story about real people and how one day, this could easily happen to us. The writing was beautifully done and the characters were so raw and honest. I felt like I knew Kate, that she was a friend of mine and that what I was reading, she was telling to me, personally. It was a massive joy to read this book and I really hope that others out there who have read/ want to read it get the same joy out of it as I did. I’m not giving it the full 5 ⭐️ for some reason (I’m a tough critic) - but a thoroughly good book and I might even add it back on the list to re-read.
August 7, 2017
Lover is about a woman named Kate who is a wife, a mother of two, and a senior executive at a multinational hotel company and feels she leads a content life. However, when she opens her husband’s computer to find a series of email exchanges with an unknown woman, it all begins to fall apart. After ten years of marriage, Kate is forced to take a closer look at her relationship with her husband, and finds herself at a crossroad in her marriage, her career and life in general.
Although it was well enough written, it read simply and borderline trite; perhaps best categorized as a summer beach book which I typically don't read.
Although it was well enough written, it read simply and borderline trite; perhaps best categorized as a summer beach book which I typically don't read.
October 24, 2017
I wanted more from this book. It is beautifully written but there’s something missing. Perhaps I wanted to see more of a change in Kate at the end? I have finished it and I just feel glum. It’s a sad tale about a marriage spiralling out of control and then dying. It’s depressing in places and highlights the dangers of sticking your head in the sand in the hope problems will disappear.
Adam frustrated me. I wanted him to explain his actions. I needed to know why he was so callous to Kate.
At times I wanted to shake Kate.
The hotel scenes were good and gave the reader some respite from the marital issues.
Adam frustrated me. I wanted him to explain his actions. I needed to know why he was so callous to Kate.
At times I wanted to shake Kate.
The hotel scenes were good and gave the reader some respite from the marital issues.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
September 21, 2021
Kate is a wife and mother of two that finds out her husband has been having an affair. The story follows along as she tries to come to terms with her life and her new circumstances both with her family and her work. I was really enjoying the story until the end. The ending was so abrupt, I thought maybe I had missed something. I would have liked to have a better conclusion in regard to the hotel franchise and the ex-husband. All in all it was an okay book. 3 stars. Thank you NetGalley for the eARC.
September 9, 2018
This book was... Meh.
For the most part, it's internal monolog, which feels like a never-ending stream of thoughts. Not much excitement, and I found the imagery to be bland. The synopsis was well-written enough to gage my interest, but the payoff is prolonged. Basically, the beginning of the first act just didn't do it for me. I'm sure lots of people enjoy her writing style, but I'm going to have to pass.
For the most part, it's internal monolog, which feels like a never-ending stream of thoughts. Not much excitement, and I found the imagery to be bland. The synopsis was well-written enough to gage my interest, but the payoff is prolonged. Basically, the beginning of the first act just didn't do it for me. I'm sure lots of people enjoy her writing style, but I'm going to have to pass.
May 8, 2017
Not something I'd typically read (romantic-drama-ish) but I loved the writing style and main character Kate. It's a quick and easy read but it has some lasting themes and touching moments that stay with you. I think it's a book that speaks to any woman who has had a relationship that just didn't turn out as expected. I'd definitely recommend this to friends, especially as a summer/beach read!
June 9, 2017
What do you do when you find out your husband is cheating on you? For Kate, she has to find out all the details, then try to declutter everything from their apartment while raising her daughters, and flying all over the world as a hotel executive. She is surrounded by a village of supportive, helpful people who try to help her navigate her new world.
October 20, 2017
This was a really good book but it was slow burn, I expected something much more shocking to happen all the way through. Having said that I loved this book, it was like a diary of a betrayal and a break up. A great book and I have been thinking about it since I finished it. It is a simultaneously sad and uplifting book and I believe the right thing happened in the end.
October 30, 2017
I think this book had a hard time deciding what it was, exactly. It was the story about an affair, but then it was also a story about the workplace, and while of course you can have both - this book didn't seem to do that well. It seemed to be two completely separate storylines that never actually connected.
January 31, 2020
It was a nice story. A nice progression of events and self growth. It was enjoyable, yes. It was just messy and I didn’t really like the ending. it was just too abrupt in my opinion. It was nice, kind of relaxing book. It was thrilling but it was more of a sit down with some tea if you have a spare 30 minutes to read. yk?
February 23, 2018
Ugh. I hate these books where they woman is incredibly empowered everywhere but home. And this case was no exception. Though I really did appreciate the descriptions of what it feels like to watch expectations and love fall apart. Otherwise I found it irritating.
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