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Atomic Marriage
All marriages are hard. Many of them fail. Brock Lewis, an evangelical businessman turned self-published author, has the answer. Follow his international best-selling book’s 12-point “Atomic Doctrine” - make eye contact with your spouse? Always! Use the bathroom in front of them? Never! - and you, too, can build a marriage that thrives.
What Hollywood power broker Heather Thiesen knows about marriage is that hers is sputtering, anything but romantic, and utterly exhausting. But she still aspires to turn Brock’s book into the blockbuster romantic comedy she knows it can be - now she just has to convince Brock.
Narrated with depth and warmth by Oscar nominee Diane Lane, what follows is a remarkable story about the life partners we choose, the secrets we keep, and the compromises we make by one of America’s funniest and most astute cultural commentators.
What Hollywood power broker Heather Thiesen knows about marriage is that hers is sputtering, anything but romantic, and utterly exhausting. But she still aspires to turn Brock’s book into the blockbuster romantic comedy she knows it can be - now she just has to convince Brock.
Narrated with depth and warmth by Oscar nominee Diane Lane, what follows is a remarkable story about the life partners we choose, the secrets we keep, and the compromises we make by one of America’s funniest and most astute cultural commentators.
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About the author
Curtis Sittenfeld
29 books9,630 followersCurtis Sittenfeld is the New York Times bestselling author of six novels, including Rodham, Eligible, Prep, American Wife, and Sisterland, as well as the collection You Think It, I'll Say It. Her books have been translated into thirty languages. In addition, her short stories have appeared in The New Yorker, The Washington Post Magazine, Esquire, and The Best American Short Stories, for which she has also been the guest editor. Her nonfiction has appeared in The New York Times, The Atlantic, Time, and Vanity Fair, and on public radio's This American Life.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 493 reviews
January 11, 2019
Atomic Marriage is a short audiobook, via Audible Originals, by Curtis Sittenfeld and read by Diane Lane. I’ve been a long time fan of Sittenfeld so I was curious to check this one out.
Heather, a Hollywood movie studio executive, is tasked with visiting Brock Lewis, author of “Atomic Marriage”, in his hometown of Mobile, Alabama. The trip is made in an attempt to persuade Brock to change his stance on some aspects of an upcoming movie, based on his wildly popular book.
The story is just under an hour, and I found it to be amusing and it kept my interest. It had a beginning, middle, and end, and with it being so short, I appreciated the quick pace in progression of the story. That said, I would have liked a little more from the ending - It was a bit flat for my preference. While Atomic Marriage was decent, Lane’s narration was a huge plus - She was excellent!
Heather, a Hollywood movie studio executive, is tasked with visiting Brock Lewis, author of “Atomic Marriage”, in his hometown of Mobile, Alabama. The trip is made in an attempt to persuade Brock to change his stance on some aspects of an upcoming movie, based on his wildly popular book.
The story is just under an hour, and I found it to be amusing and it kept my interest. It had a beginning, middle, and end, and with it being so short, I appreciated the quick pace in progression of the story. That said, I would have liked a little more from the ending - It was a bit flat for my preference. While Atomic Marriage was decent, Lane’s narration was a huge plus - She was excellent!
April 24, 2019
Boring... I finished this, only because it was only an hour long. As much as I like Curtis Sittenfeld, I can't recommend this at all (even if it was free on audible).
January 6, 2019
Chosen as one of my Audible original selections in January, actress Diane Lane kept me interested in this 58 minute story. However, I had tons of questions about it and was more than disappointed that it lacked a sufficient resolution.
January 9, 2019
Well now, that was a waste of one of my Audible Original choices this month....
May 1, 2019
This is a liberal agenda-driven 58 minute vignette about a bored wife who is ready to commit adultery with an arrogant and flirtatious yet unappealing man. Curtis Sittenfeld is capable of beautiful economic prose that immediately captures the reader's attention, but I've yet to read anything of hers that is uplifting. This is truly unfortunate because she has so much talent as a writer. This is the sort of romance story I would have expected to read 30 years ago in "Woman's Day" or "Ladies Home Journal." It was an audible freebie for January and Diane Lane, the narrator, with her gorgeous voice was fantastic.
January 25, 2019
Another free audible original.
Last year You Think It, I'll Say It by same author was selected for the Reese Witherspoon bookclub, so I though this would be a quick way to see if I would like his short stories.
Unfortunately, this was neither here nor there for me. Nothing about it was horrible, and the only great thing about it was Diane Lane's narration.
Last year You Think It, I'll Say It by same author was selected for the Reese Witherspoon bookclub, so I though this would be a quick way to see if I would like his short stories.
Unfortunately, this was neither here nor there for me. Nothing about it was horrible, and the only great thing about it was Diane Lane's narration.
April 29, 2019
This was one of those free downloads from Audible (I am a 1-credit a month subscriber so I get 2 free downloads from a set of short items each month) about a woman visiting a super conservative writer to negotiate a more inclusive cast for an adaptation of one of his books. There are hints of attraction and thoughts of infidelity but the hour long story isn't enough for much to happen. It was fine but I would have liked either more or a bit less.
January 10, 2019
This was really good! Got for free through Audible first reads and duh, it's Curtis Sittenfeld so I knew it would be good. Heather is a working mom married to a guy named Nick who is a musician who is "working on his music" and being a stay at home dad to their 3 year old.
Heather's job- I kind of forget but it has to do with a movie company and she works in Hollywood and for the sake of this story her company wants to produce a movie based on a runaway bestselling book called Atomic Marriage written by an evangelical dude who has a prescription for a successful marriage. The company wants to buy the rights to use the book as the basis for a movie but the movie would include three couples using this book and one of the couples is gay and guess what? the religious dude is against allowing gay people being attached to his book for fear that his followers won't be okay with it.
So the whole story takes place around a trip Heather takes on behalf of work to talk this guy into allowing them the freedom to do it their way.
And maybe his marriage isn't all that awesome. Maybe it seems as if he may or may not be following his own advice. Maybe Heather's marriage isn't all that awesome and she's looking for help, or a rendezvous. Who knows. If you have an hour, listen to the book. :)
Heather's job- I kind of forget but it has to do with a movie company and she works in Hollywood and for the sake of this story her company wants to produce a movie based on a runaway bestselling book called Atomic Marriage written by an evangelical dude who has a prescription for a successful marriage. The company wants to buy the rights to use the book as the basis for a movie but the movie would include three couples using this book and one of the couples is gay and guess what? the religious dude is against allowing gay people being attached to his book for fear that his followers won't be okay with it.
So the whole story takes place around a trip Heather takes on behalf of work to talk this guy into allowing them the freedom to do it their way.
And maybe his marriage isn't all that awesome. Maybe it seems as if he may or may not be following his own advice. Maybe Heather's marriage isn't all that awesome and she's looking for help, or a rendezvous. Who knows. If you have an hour, listen to the book. :)
January 11, 2019
Really interesting and thought provoking! I also loved Diane Lane as the narrator. Hopefully she continues to work with audible.
January 24, 2019
Well, that was interesting. In reality a performance, in content not so much a book but a short story.
One thing I can give Audible credit for with its free Audible Originals monthly offerings is because there is a limited number of choices and I hate to turn down free stuff, I end up picking up productions that I probably never would've even glanced at otherwise. I think it's good for me to stretch now and then.
This is a story about two people, neither of whom I can remotely relate to, in a situation that I can't remotely relate to, with a plot that, had it been a subplot in a book I was reading, I would've forgotten five minutes after reading it. I guess there's a point to it but I think I'm just the wrong audience. It is, however, mercifully short
It's certainly well produced, and if you like this sort of thing, I suppose you'll enjoy it.
One thing I can give Audible credit for with its free Audible Originals monthly offerings is because there is a limited number of choices and I hate to turn down free stuff, I end up picking up productions that I probably never would've even glanced at otherwise. I think it's good for me to stretch now and then.
This is a story about two people, neither of whom I can remotely relate to, in a situation that I can't remotely relate to, with a plot that, had it been a subplot in a book I was reading, I would've forgotten five minutes after reading it. I guess there's a point to it but I think I'm just the wrong audience. It is, however, mercifully short
It's certainly well produced, and if you like this sort of thing, I suppose you'll enjoy it.
January 8, 2019
It is a delightful and very short vignette. Hardly even a short story. I love Sittenfeld's other short stories and liked this one too, but would have liked just a smidge more to make it more fully formed
March 11, 2019
Thank God this book was free. This book was equivalent to reading the prologue and then flipping the page to see "The End". It had a great premise and everything but it just felt like the author just got sick of writing the book and ended it before it even got started.
January 10, 2019
Loved this. So much subtle tumult!
February 11, 2019
This a novella and very quick listen (under an hour). It looks like I'm in the minority for liking it as much as I did but I listened to it as a palate cleanser after I finished Circe. The stories are both about women who draw life lessons from the people around them, even those that they aren't sure they like.
January 27, 2019
Okay, I’m not sure what I just read/listened to, but I know I didn’t like it.
I was expecting a cute and quirky romantic comedy story. What I got was some weird, almost-adulterous short story that I’m not entirely sure what the point of it was.
Heather (Hollywood executive) goes to Alabama to try and persuade Brock (author whose marital self-help book is being turned into a romcom movie) to consent on some changes the production company wants to make to the structure of the movie (namely, they want to add a same sex couple in the storyline for more inclusivity).
On this overnight trip, Brock shows Heather a little bit of specialized attention, including putting sunscreen on her face, and she immediate becomes obsessed with the idea of sleeping with him/cheating on their spouses with each other (Brock and Heather and BOTH married).
1. Why does the woman have to turn into an obsessed, willing home-wrecker simply because a man touched her arm and put sunscreen on her face?
2. Brock is obviously a hypocrite and doesn’t follow his own novel’s doctrine. On top of not practicing what he preaches about marriage, the book also points out that he’s a humble religious humanitarian, yet his house (cough, MANSION) is detailed to be very extravagant.
So both MCs aren’t very likable.
3. The negotiation of the addition of the same-sex couple is barely detailed. They have one conversation about it and Heather doesn’t even get to finish her persuasive argument all the way through. Then it’s never touched on again—her whole reason for being there never. gets. touched. on. again. Besides the very ending summary where the entire story really seems to be pointless (aside from Heather’s marriage slightly improving over time).
If it wasn’t already obvious, I am not a fan.
I was expecting a cute and quirky romantic comedy story. What I got was some weird, almost-adulterous short story that I’m not entirely sure what the point of it was.
Heather (Hollywood executive) goes to Alabama to try and persuade Brock (author whose marital self-help book is being turned into a romcom movie) to consent on some changes the production company wants to make to the structure of the movie (namely, they want to add a same sex couple in the storyline for more inclusivity).
On this overnight trip, Brock shows Heather a little bit of specialized attention, including putting sunscreen on her face, and she immediate becomes obsessed with the idea of sleeping with him/cheating on their spouses with each other (Brock and Heather and BOTH married).
1. Why does the woman have to turn into an obsessed, willing home-wrecker simply because a man touched her arm and put sunscreen on her face?
2. Brock is obviously a hypocrite and doesn’t follow his own novel’s doctrine. On top of not practicing what he preaches about marriage, the book also points out that he’s a humble religious humanitarian, yet his house (cough, MANSION) is detailed to be very extravagant.
So both MCs aren’t very likable.
3. The negotiation of the addition of the same-sex couple is barely detailed. They have one conversation about it and Heather doesn’t even get to finish her persuasive argument all the way through. Then it’s never touched on again—her whole reason for being there never. gets. touched. on. again. Besides the very ending summary where the entire story really seems to be pointless (aside from Heather’s marriage slightly improving over time).
If it wasn’t already obvious, I am not a fan.
June 11, 2019
I don't often read contemporary fiction about marriage. Maybe it's because, after nearly 25 years, my husband and I have a good thing going and I don't like thinking about the alternative. Who knows. Either way, I picked this free Audible Original based primarily on its narrator, Diane Lane. She does an excellent job!
In this short story, Heather is a hard-charging Hollywood executive tasked with getting Brock, a self-help author, to change his perspective on a decision about the movie version of his book. She visits him in Alabama for a short meeting. And it's her perspective that changes based on how she perceives him in real life.
Sittenfeld takes on many topics in this short story, chief among them hypocrisy and infidelity. The payoff was more subtle than the story arc indicated it might be, and I found that disappointing. Heather and Brock aren't especially likable, but the author develops strong commentary on the state of marriage in the 21st century.
Overall, it kept me interested for the short time it lasted but it wasn't stellar.
In this short story, Heather is a hard-charging Hollywood executive tasked with getting Brock, a self-help author, to change his perspective on a decision about the movie version of his book. She visits him in Alabama for a short meeting. And it's her perspective that changes based on how she perceives him in real life.
Sittenfeld takes on many topics in this short story, chief among them hypocrisy and infidelity. The payoff was more subtle than the story arc indicated it might be, and I found that disappointing. Heather and Brock aren't especially likable, but the author develops strong commentary on the state of marriage in the 21st century.
Overall, it kept me interested for the short time it lasted but it wasn't stellar.
January 29, 2019
I 'read' this because it was available for free this month on Audible, and I've always wanted to read something by Curtis Sittenfeld. But I just didn't get what the whole point was, or what we were supposed to take away from it.
This short story follows Heather, who works for a movie studio in California, as she travels to Alabama to meet with Brock, best-selling author of the hit book, Atomic Marriage, in which he details steps on how to keep your marriage from failing. It's being turned into a movie, and Heather wants to convince this evangelical to allow one of the three couples featured in the movie to be a gay couple, as he still owns the creative rights. While meeting with the author, she actively attempts to further erode her marriage. And due to that, I just didn't like Heather at all.
All in all, this was one of the better Audible originals they've offered for free, and that says something. If they decided to change it and make members start paying for these, I don't think I would.
This short story follows Heather, who works for a movie studio in California, as she travels to Alabama to meet with Brock, best-selling author of the hit book, Atomic Marriage, in which he details steps on how to keep your marriage from failing. It's being turned into a movie, and Heather wants to convince this evangelical to allow one of the three couples featured in the movie to be a gay couple, as he still owns the creative rights. While meeting with the author, she actively attempts to further erode her marriage. And due to that, I just didn't like Heather at all.
All in all, this was one of the better Audible originals they've offered for free, and that says something. If they decided to change it and make members start paying for these, I don't think I would.
November 22, 2025
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March 25, 2019
Kort fortalt er dette en novelle om en dame som besøker en mann som skal ha skrevet en selvhjelpsbok ved samme navn som denne novellen. Historien manglet en god avslutning, og kunne godt fungert som en introduksjon til en lengre roman.
January 5, 2019
Marriage can certainly be a minefield, so the term “Atomic Marriage” immediately caught my interest. I think humans are capable of surprising themselves and each other. I thought this was an interesting short- story and Dianne Lane does a terrific job narrating.
January 27, 2019
I really enjoyed this short listen on Audible and had a half smile on my face for the entire 58 minutes. I found it be satirical in a way as it poked fun at the hypocrisy in both liberals and conservatives while providing some thoughtful musings on the strangeness that is marriage.
January 19, 2019
Yea, this was dumb.
January 27, 2019
Got this one free on audible. The narration by Dianne Lane was excellent, however the story was a little flat
December 31, 2019
I don’t know why I enjoyed this one so much—perhaps because the previous books I read were duds—but I enjoyed this story about the “vicissitudes” of a conservative marriage guru.
January 29, 2019
Starts off well enough and ends abruptly. Definitely should have been longer... Bright side: it's never bad when you want more of a book!
February 19, 2020
I saw how low-rated this story is and thought, well, ya get what ya pay for...and then I totally enjoyed it! Great premise, mild suspense, not unduly drawn-out. Like a good marriage, really.
April 2, 2019
I was going to read this for my novella in the Reading Women 2019 Challenge but realize now that it is definitely too short to be a novella. However, this short story was a very good read. I really enjoyed the premise behind Atomic Marriage. Atomic Marriage is the name of a book written by a man who gives advice about how to maintain a marriage. When, the protagonist of our story meets him she expects to hate him, but finds a complex man whose own marriage is still on rocky ground just as her own is. Definitely worth the listen!
February 5, 2019
Not even the length of a novella. Took less than an hour to listen to - and it was pretty boring and uneventful and predictable and basically awful. Glad it was free.
January 15, 2019
I'm glad it was free. It was part of the pick 2 free offer that Audible gives its members.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 493 reviews