MAN AND WIFE

This is the second book I've read from Tony Parsons, and he is quickly becoming my favorite author. I have to say that I liked this one even more than the first, Man and Boy (as great as that was). I am a woman, and although I'm sure men can relate very closely to Harry, I loved this book. Harry Silver is a very human, likeable character and Tony writes in such a way that you feel you are right there with him and his characters. Without giving too much away, this book takes over from the first one and gives us insight into the "blended" families that are so common. I feel I know each of the characters so well, and was so sad to have finished the book so quickly. Tony, please give us more Harry Silver...

I read Man and Boy and was so excited for the next book. True to form, in Man and Wife, Mr. Parsons continued with his insightful documentation of the emotional turmoil he went through during his divorce. I secretly hoped in his second work, he and "Gina" would get back together. This series is so real, I recommended it to a man fighting over custody of his son. It documents with clarity what children of divorce should know about thier parents anguish, making decisions with and without regard to their children's emotional outcome. It put into words, what causes a man to want to stray and sometimes with horrible outcomes. Such a sensitive author! Bravo!

First the bad: This book is a lot like 'Man and Boy' and it does have a lot of plot elements. It is not a long deep look at one day or one relationship. Now the good: This book is a lot like 'Man and Boy.' It is the most riveting, yet real, book on relationships this 36-year-old divorced guy has ever read. The relationships between me and my Dad, me and my Mum, and the new 'blended' families of ex- and step- fathers wives and girlfriends. There are some truly wonderful pages. It's a framework to measure yourself with, a metric to begin to ask questions about yourself with. I am never going to take 'The Grand Tour' of teenage lovers turning into newlyweds into babies and boys and retirement together and grand parenting. It is too late for me now. Instead it's Tony Parsons' world of wanting and understanding too late. Emotional guys trying to do right and somehow not getting there yet. The book aims deep inside and hits the target. Somewhere between the heart and the gut.

"Man and Wife" is an excellent novel and once I started it I couldn't put it down! Andrew Klavan gets better with every novel and he's definitely made it to my favorite author list. I HIGHLY recommend it to anyone who wants a story of suspense that keeps you on the edge of your seat right to the last page. In my opinion this novel is a definite MUST READ!!