• 5 Star Reads
  • Audiobooks
  • Books on Screen
  • Children’s Books
  • Christian
  • Fiction
  • Giveaways

5 Minutes For Books

  • Home
  • About
    • Who Are We? Reviewer Bios
    • 5 Star Reads
    • Disclosure
    • Privacy Policy
    • About Us
  • Join In
    • 5 Minutes for Books Bookclub
    • Children’s Classics
    • Kids’ Picks
    • What’s on Your Nightstand
  • Link To Us
  • Contact
    • Advertise

Accidents of Marriage {with #Giveaway}

September 10, 2014 by Elizabeth

5M4B disclosure

accidentsAccidents of Marriage opens with a glass broken, kicked across the floor in a moment of childish pique, and it foreshadows a story of a family walking on eggshells. Maddy is a social worker who meets regularly with a group of abused women, yet she rationalizes her own husband’s rages. She fell in love, years ago, with Ben, a passionate lawyer who works for the poor and disenfranchised, yet who has progressively given in to his anger as time passed. Maddy copes by keeping bags of pills squirreled away throughout the house and alternatively giving in to Ben in order to keep the peace and standing up to him to protect their 3 children; Emma, 15, Gracie, 9, and Caleb, 8.

This fragile peace is shattered one rainy day when Ben, once again giving in to his temper, manages to involve them both in a car accident that leaves Maddy in a coma, fighting for her life, leaving everyone unsure whether she will recover. Maddy’s background is Jewish and Ben’s is Catholic, and the children are left floundering, on their own, desperately searching for comfort without any real direction. And when she is finally out of hospital and facing a long and overwhelming recovery, the family realizes that reality has changed for them in ways they can’t define yet and won’t for years.

Accidents of Marriage takes us deep into family life, and at times it’s painful to read–the sordid quarrels, the incredible stress and pressure on the family–but brilliantly done. It’s told from 3 points of view; Ben’s, Maddy’s, and Emma, their teenage daughter who is largely left to cope with younger siblings and running a house after her mother’s injury. Author Randy Susan Meyers manages to make us feel compassion for all her characters, even those making bad choices. Like I said, sometimes it’s disturbing and depressing, but this a book with characters that feel all too real, and it’s not one that will be easily forgotten.

This isn’t a book of easy answers. The accident forces everyone to face things that have long been ignored. Everyone has to look at Ben’s rages: Ben himself, who is left shaken by the consequences of his temper; Maddy, who has to decide if she can trust him; Emma, who’s caught in the middle; and even both sets of grandparents, all of whom bring their own issues to the table.

Accidents of Marriage is an excellent book. It’s well-written, with characters who are absolutely real and who sneak into your own life a bit too. It puts a marriage under a microscope, and I’m sure most of us will recognize bits of ourselves there if we’re honest. It ends on a realistic note but I found hope there too.

I highly recommend it, and I’m thrilled to announce one of you can win a copy of your own. Follow the directions below.

Find out more at the TLC Book Tour page.

Enter to win

Start off by leaving a comment and marking it done in the widget. You can also earn some additional entries.

Entry-Form

Filed Under: Elizabeth, Fiction

« Breaking the Silence
My Mother’s Secret: a Novel Based on a True Holocaust Story {with #Giveaway} »

Comments

  1. vickie couturier says

    September 10, 2014 at 2:25 pm

    brings back memories of my first marriage

  2. anne says

    September 10, 2014 at 2:30 pm

    A most enthralling and captivating novel which interests me greatly.Thanks.

  3. shelly leatham says

    September 11, 2014 at 5:46 am

    sounds like a good read! thanks for the chance to win

  4. Katie says

    September 11, 2014 at 11:16 am

    This sounds like a very interesting read!

  5. Angela Saver says

    September 11, 2014 at 4:09 pm

    This sounds like a book I would really enjoy! Thanks for the chance to win it!

  6. Linda Kish says

    September 11, 2014 at 8:57 pm

    As Vickie said, it brings back memories of my first marriage, too. It sounds like such a good book.

  7. samantha wagner says

    September 11, 2014 at 11:01 pm

    It sounds like a really good read, would love to see how everything turns out.

  8. Nancy says

    September 12, 2014 at 2:09 am

    This sounds like a sad but interesting book about rough family dynamics.

  9. Liza Vladyka says

    September 12, 2014 at 7:44 am

    i like books from this gere

  10. trish says

    September 12, 2014 at 5:27 pm

    I love books with characters that sneak into my life! There’s something magical about that.

    Thanks for being on the tour!

  11. michelle koerner says

    September 12, 2014 at 5:33 pm

    this sounds like a very interesting book and i bet a lot of people could relate.

  12. katelyn throw says

    September 13, 2014 at 7:04 pm

    I would love to read this book. Hoping for the chance to enjoy it.

  13. Emily Smith says

    September 14, 2014 at 2:49 pm

    Sounds like a good book to read. Thanks for the chance to win.

  14. Nancy says

    September 15, 2014 at 9:01 am

    Sounds like a discomforting yet engrossing read, thanks.

  15. danielle says

    September 17, 2014 at 10:35 am

    I’d love a chance to read this

  16. Anita Yancey says

    September 17, 2014 at 6:50 pm

    I don’t think I could live with someone who has that much rage. But it sounds like an interesting read. Thanks for having the giveaway.

  17. Julie Smith says

    September 22, 2014 at 1:03 pm

    Having been in an abusive situation in my mid-twenties and having counseled abuse victims in my thirties, I feel a lot of identification with the female protagonist in this novel. I remember being very ashamed and embarrassed because my outside persona was so strong and I couldn’t believe that I found myself in this situation. This novel sounds like one that could help shed some light on domestic abuse and its consequences.

  18. Angel Wells says

    September 23, 2014 at 6:05 pm

    Sounds interesting to read. Thanks for the giveaway.

  19. Bridget says

    September 24, 2014 at 11:28 am

    I can’t wait to read this!

  20. Dominica H. says

    September 24, 2014 at 5:30 pm

    This sounds like a very captivating story.

Connect with us

  • Facebook
  • Pinterest
  • Twitter

Welcome to 5 Minutes for Books. We are a team blog dedicated to sharing reviews and information about children's lit, fiction, memoir, and more. Read More…

Reviews

5 Minutes for Books

Jennifer Donovan
Managing Editor

MEET OUR TEAM



Connect With Us


Pinterest

Community

Cybils Logo Draft 3

Disclosure:

Find out about our relationships with publishers and affiliate networks in our full disclosure statement.

Recent Posts

  • Tending the Fire that Burns at the Center of the World
  • Central Places
  • Vera Wong’s Unsolicited Advice for Murderers
  • The House of Eve
  • Bright and Deadly Things

Categories

Privacy Policy    |     Disclosure Policy
Terms & Conditions
© 5 Minutes for Mom

Let’s Socialize

  • Facebook
  • Pinterest
  • Twitter

Pinterest is Our FAVORITE!

Find and Follow Us at
pinterest.com/5min4books

Copyright © 2023 · Tasteful theme by Restored 316