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Mrs MisMarriage
Harvard literature scholar Audrey Lee's perfect life loses the plot when her brand new boyfriend, the dapper MBA Paul Chang, gets down on one knee and of all the silly and ridiculous things, proposes marriage!
Suddenly, Audrey is fairy-tale trapped and wed-locked into a life she never wanted, that of an expat wife and home-maker in her hometown, Singapore. And that's when a number of attractive men pop up, all interested in her, enough to make Audrey feel she may indeed be the Singaporean Madame Bovary or Lady Chatterley.
With Paul too absorbed in his career to care, plus a few mishaps making marital mayhem, Mrs Mis-Marriage is starting to feel that perhaps she is destined to live unhappily ever after!
Suddenly, Audrey is fairy-tale trapped and wed-locked into a life she never wanted, that of an expat wife and home-maker in her hometown, Singapore. And that's when a number of attractive men pop up, all interested in her, enough to make Audrey feel she may indeed be the Singaporean Madame Bovary or Lady Chatterley.
With Paul too absorbed in his career to care, plus a few mishaps making marital mayhem, Mrs Mis-Marriage is starting to feel that perhaps she is destined to live unhappily ever after!
- GenresRomance
240 pages, Paperback
First published November 1, 2011
1 person is currently reading
26 people want to read
About the author
Noelle Chua
1 book1 followerNoelle Chua, also known as Noelle Q. de Jesus, is now a freelance editor and writer, after working full-time for six years as deputy editor for several women's titles, including Female and Elle. Before relocating to Singapore, she was a copywriter for McCann-Erickson Philippines, going on to launch the Philippine edition of Cosmopolitan magazine in 1997. A Palanca Award (Philippine Literary Awards) winner for the short story, she has published short stories in literary magazines in the United States, the Philippines, Singapore and Malaysia. She also edited a book of short stories called Fast Food Fiction (Anvil Publishing Philippines 2003). She has a Bachelor of Arts degree in Interdisciplinary Studies from the Ateneo de Manila University in the Philippines and a Masters of Fine Arts in Creative Writing from Bowling Green State University in Ohio. Noelle is married with two children. Mrs MisMarriage is her first chick lit novel.
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Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews
March 14, 2011
Audrey Lee is one woman who could care less about marriage. She doesn’t believe in fairy tale endings and happily ever after. But when her boyfriend, Paul Chang, gets down on one knee, Audrey can’t say no. The two seem to have the perfect life- him with an MBA, working a successful career in their hometown of Singapore. She, a Harvard literature scholar who starts living the life on an expat wife- which includes never having to cook a meal or clean the house. But is that the life Audrey wanted for herself? The marriage turns rocky when Audrey gets suspicious that Paul may be having an affair. It doesn’t help that he is constantly away for business, seemingly married to his job instead of Audrey. With Audrey’s boredom, coupled with all the men that are suddenly interested in her, the marriage is on a loose thread. Can Audrey and Paul survive their first year as newlyweds?
Mrs. Mismarriage was a very entertaining and down to earth read by Noelle Chua. The main character was easily relatable, and even though I have never been married, I could understand the feelings and the fights that were happening. I especially loved the little marriage facts at the beginning of each chapter. I think Chua did a great job at showing the work two people must put into a marriage. Though what Paul and Audrey went through was extremely difficult, I didn’t feel that Chua was trying to scare readers away from ever getting married. Instead, she showed the love two people have can keep them together, and how to forgive mistakes. This was my first “Asian-lit” book, and I highly enjoyed it and would recommend to others.
Mrs. Mismarriage was a very entertaining and down to earth read by Noelle Chua. The main character was easily relatable, and even though I have never been married, I could understand the feelings and the fights that were happening. I especially loved the little marriage facts at the beginning of each chapter. I think Chua did a great job at showing the work two people must put into a marriage. Though what Paul and Audrey went through was extremely difficult, I didn’t feel that Chua was trying to scare readers away from ever getting married. Instead, she showed the love two people have can keep them together, and how to forgive mistakes. This was my first “Asian-lit” book, and I highly enjoyed it and would recommend to others.
May 13, 2013
The book has so many typos.
September 13, 2012
Reminded me how much I don't know a lot about relationships, much more getting married. Haha this book scares me, good read though.
October 13, 2020
Not my cup of tea. It was a mistake for me to pick this book up, but I was in the mood for something light hearted. Trouble was that Audrey was a downer for most of the book. She didn't know what she wanted in life. She wasn't happy with what she had. She has so many good things in her life and yet she makes big mistakes.
I shelved this DNF because although I read the end, I skipped a lot from about the half way point until the last couple of chapters. Normally I can read a 300-500 page book in under a day. I had gone at least 3 days without making much progress.
There were some funny spots, but most of the humor fell flat for me. Mostly it just felt sad.
There is a lot about good and bad marriage. It's clear that lack of communication can destroy a marriage that should have everything else going for it.
Mature themes: there is lots of sex and lots of talk about sexual things, like a sex store, but not much description of actually doing it.
I shelved this DNF because although I read the end, I skipped a lot from about the half way point until the last couple of chapters. Normally I can read a 300-500 page book in under a day. I had gone at least 3 days without making much progress.
There were some funny spots, but most of the humor fell flat for me. Mostly it just felt sad.
There is a lot about good and bad marriage. It's clear that lack of communication can destroy a marriage that should have everything else going for it.
Mature themes: there is lots of sex and lots of talk about sexual things, like a sex store, but not much description of actually doing it.
February 16, 2020
Added a star because it was set in Singapore.
Audrey moves back to Singapore because her husband, Paul, has found a job here. Paul then spends long hours working - feeling neglected and living the life of a rich expat wife, Audrey then struggles with the marriage. There's a complete lack of communication which leads to the marriage breaking down.
I'm not sure why I read this but it was definitely fluff and light on the romance. There's interesting parts about how there a few Singaporeans / little interaction with Singaporeans in expat circles - but that's not developed. There's some talk about the lack of communication between Audrey and Paul - but that's not explicitly mentioned even though they manage to have lots of sex.
1/5 stars (+1 for Singapore)
Audrey moves back to Singapore because her husband, Paul, has found a job here. Paul then spends long hours working - feeling neglected and living the life of a rich expat wife, Audrey then struggles with the marriage. There's a complete lack of communication which leads to the marriage breaking down.
I'm not sure why I read this but it was definitely fluff and light on the romance. There's interesting parts about how there a few Singaporeans / little interaction with Singaporeans in expat circles - but that's not developed. There's some talk about the lack of communication between Audrey and Paul - but that's not explicitly mentioned even though they manage to have lots of sex.
1/5 stars (+1 for Singapore)
July 7, 2021
Fluffy marriage-in-trouble chick lit set in Singapore. It was intensely readable, but not particularly memorable; I think a big part of the problem was that I had difficulty getting my head around Audrey, who made a lot of weird decisions and then seemed very unhappy with them yet unable to figure out resolutions. (Why did she simply marry Paul and move to Singapore rather than finishing her master's? Why didn't she look for a job in Singapore?) I felt like we never got a good explanation of why Audrey made those choices, and it made it hard to empathize with her unhappiness. All the same, the narrative voice was really fun and I'll definitely be looking for more of Chua's books.
March 25, 2019
Learned a lot from this book. So many quotable quotes worth sharing.
July 6, 2013
Audrey Lee is a perfect woman who has it all. He has a husband who love her, a semi-detached home, a live-in maid, a money, everything. But Audrey always feel that there is something in her marriage. Audrey is not a kind of marriage woman. She loves Paul Chang, her husband, but she feels strange when she call Paul as her husband. Di saat mereka, sebagai pasangan newlywed, harusnya bermesraan, Audrey malah merasa semakin jauh dengan suaminya. Mereka tidak berbicara dan Paul sibuk dengan pekerjaannya.
Audrey merupakan Singaporean Girl yang juga kandidat doktor di Harvard. Namun ketika Paul melamarnya, dia terpaksa mengorbankan pendidikannya dan pulang kampung ke Singapura, eventough she never want to comeback to her hometown. She wants to live outside Singapore.
Di saat Audrey memikirkan perkawinannya, dia harus dihadapkan pada kenyataan bahwa Paul sering terlibat chatting dengan Indie Girl, a girl named India. Audrey curiga. Dan tanpa disengaja, Audrey juga terlibat sesuatu yang nantinya disesalinya.
In this day and age, being in love with someone and being married to someone, they are two different things.
This is my first Asian Lit. Ketika membeli novel ini, gue nggak nyangka jika novel ini ditulis oleh penulis Singapura dan berlatar di Singapura. It surprises me. Melihat review di Goodreads yang positif, gue jadi tertarik membaca buku ini. And I love it.
Mrs. MisMarriage is a light reading. Tentang Audrey yang anti menikah tiba-tiba menjawab iya saat Paul melamarnya. I love her quote.
When someone you love asks you to marry you, no matter what you think or know or feel, you step right up to that insanity, you look itin the eye and you act. When something like that happens, you would do just like I did. You know you would. You would say, “Yes.”
She’s right. Ketika selama ini lo memikirkan something, boleh saja banyak what if berkeliaran di kepala lo. But by the time lo benar-benar menghadapi situasi itu, your hearts know the answer. Just like what Audrey did.
Novel ini terasa begitu mengalir. Khas chicklit. Dengan beberapa bahasa slang ala Singapura dan dialog Singlish, kadang novel ini terasa lucu. My boss is Singaporean and I think Audrey is just like her, Petrina Leong, haha. Membaca novel ini sesuai sama gambaran Singapore yang selama ini kita tangkap. Tentang MRT, HDB, dan keseharian mereka. Sayang, budaya kiasu yang Singapura banget kurang dibahas di novel ini. mungkin karena novel ini berangkat dari kehidupan Audrey, an expat wife. Meski dia berada di negaranya, dia terasa terasing karena lingkungannya berbeda dengan kehidupan Singapura yang dulu dirasakannya. Audrey feels it. Lagian gimana mau gambarin budaya kiasu? Lha Audrey sendiri nggak kerja.
Jangan khawatir untuk takut menikah karena membaca buku ini. Justru bagus karena pernyataan “being in love with someone is different with being married to someone”, juga kehidupan perkawinan yang bisa membuat ada jarak di antara suami dan istri jika salah satu pihak memilih untuk tidak jujur itu benar banget.
I love the ending meski akhirnya Audrey kembali jadi woman who has it all. Sweet tapi nggak lebay haha. Karakter minornya juga porsinya pas meski karakter minor ini cukup banyak. Indonesia juga disebut-sebut. Selain Bali dan Bintan, porsi Indonesia yaitu para caregiver di keluarga ekspat. Miris.
After all, I enjoy my first experience. Can’t hardly wait to read another Asian Lit. Any recommendation?
Audrey merupakan Singaporean Girl yang juga kandidat doktor di Harvard. Namun ketika Paul melamarnya, dia terpaksa mengorbankan pendidikannya dan pulang kampung ke Singapura, eventough she never want to comeback to her hometown. She wants to live outside Singapore.
Di saat Audrey memikirkan perkawinannya, dia harus dihadapkan pada kenyataan bahwa Paul sering terlibat chatting dengan Indie Girl, a girl named India. Audrey curiga. Dan tanpa disengaja, Audrey juga terlibat sesuatu yang nantinya disesalinya.
In this day and age, being in love with someone and being married to someone, they are two different things.
This is my first Asian Lit. Ketika membeli novel ini, gue nggak nyangka jika novel ini ditulis oleh penulis Singapura dan berlatar di Singapura. It surprises me. Melihat review di Goodreads yang positif, gue jadi tertarik membaca buku ini. And I love it.
Mrs. MisMarriage is a light reading. Tentang Audrey yang anti menikah tiba-tiba menjawab iya saat Paul melamarnya. I love her quote.
When someone you love asks you to marry you, no matter what you think or know or feel, you step right up to that insanity, you look itin the eye and you act. When something like that happens, you would do just like I did. You know you would. You would say, “Yes.”
She’s right. Ketika selama ini lo memikirkan something, boleh saja banyak what if berkeliaran di kepala lo. But by the time lo benar-benar menghadapi situasi itu, your hearts know the answer. Just like what Audrey did.
Novel ini terasa begitu mengalir. Khas chicklit. Dengan beberapa bahasa slang ala Singapura dan dialog Singlish, kadang novel ini terasa lucu. My boss is Singaporean and I think Audrey is just like her, Petrina Leong, haha. Membaca novel ini sesuai sama gambaran Singapore yang selama ini kita tangkap. Tentang MRT, HDB, dan keseharian mereka. Sayang, budaya kiasu yang Singapura banget kurang dibahas di novel ini. mungkin karena novel ini berangkat dari kehidupan Audrey, an expat wife. Meski dia berada di negaranya, dia terasa terasing karena lingkungannya berbeda dengan kehidupan Singapura yang dulu dirasakannya. Audrey feels it. Lagian gimana mau gambarin budaya kiasu? Lha Audrey sendiri nggak kerja.
Jangan khawatir untuk takut menikah karena membaca buku ini. Justru bagus karena pernyataan “being in love with someone is different with being married to someone”, juga kehidupan perkawinan yang bisa membuat ada jarak di antara suami dan istri jika salah satu pihak memilih untuk tidak jujur itu benar banget.
I love the ending meski akhirnya Audrey kembali jadi woman who has it all. Sweet tapi nggak lebay haha. Karakter minornya juga porsinya pas meski karakter minor ini cukup banyak. Indonesia juga disebut-sebut. Selain Bali dan Bintan, porsi Indonesia yaitu para caregiver di keluarga ekspat. Miris.
After all, I enjoy my first experience. Can’t hardly wait to read another Asian Lit. Any recommendation?
June 13, 2010
I would give it 4.5 stars!
I loved the happy ending, but especially the beginning. It gave me a lens into the thoughts/feelings of newlyweds and that is priceless! I loved the way Chua wrote with candour and candidness, very much akin to real life. Props.
I loved the happy ending, but especially the beginning. It gave me a lens into the thoughts/feelings of newlyweds and that is priceless! I loved the way Chua wrote with candour and candidness, very much akin to real life. Props.
December 26, 2011
Reviewed at Mama Kucing Books & Ravings: Mrs MisMarriage by Noelle Chua
Am pretty surprised that I quite like this book
Am pretty surprised that I quite like this book
July 11, 2013
Surprisingly interesting. Got this book from a friend 2 years or a year ago, I guess. But for some reason, I refused reading it for a number of times. Currently, I'm still on the process of reading and absorbing each and and every scenarios of the story. Gonna finish it real soon! :)
April 2, 2014
Happy ending though
Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews