A Great Marriage

A Novel

By: Frances Mayes

Narrated by: Sid Sagar, Will Watt, Cassandra Campbell, Eileen Stevens, George Newbern, Dan Bittner, Carrington MacDuffie, Karissa Vacker, Xe Sands, Annie Q. Riegel

Length: 11 hrs

Publisher's summary

When a perfect wedding is called off just days before the big event, it sends two people—and their families—reeling, in this poignant novel from the #1 New York Times bestselling author of Under the Tuscan Sun and Women in Sunlight

“A moving immersion in love and loss.”—People

A great marriage is an elusive thing, and only a few know the secret to making one.

Dara Willcox, in New York for a weekend, meets Austin Clarke at an art gallery. If love at first sight can happen, it happens to them. These two vivid, ambitious people are on different courses—he’s British, working temporarily in New York. She’s from North Carolina, set on law school. They don’t care. They will make their lives together happen. At their April engagement dinner at Dara’s family home, her mother, Lee, sets a beautiful table, and the family and close friends gather to celebrate. Rich, Dara’s father, raises a toast. Suddenly, Lee spills the wine, a brilliant red stain splashing onto the tablecloth and onto Austin.

Days later, Austin hears unsettling news from London that wrecks their plans. Dara abruptly cancels the wedding. She refuses to reveal the reason, not even to her best friends or her parents or grandmother, disrupting their family tradition of openness. As everyone knows, Lee and Rich have a great marriage, and Charlotte, her grandmother, had a colossal one, to the late Senator Mann. Charlotte literally wrote the book on the subject: She’s the author of international bestsellers on what makes a good or possibly a great marriage.

While Dara escapes to California and Indigo Island, South Carolina, Austin, back in London, faces a major tragedy, the consequences of which are life-altering. But it’s Lee, Dara’s mother, whose impulsive visit to London alters their fate.

With her signature warmth, humor, and incisive style, beloved author Frances Mayes creates a multigenerational probe into the complexity of love and the great mystery ride of marriage. A novel of casual choices and fateful consequences, A Great Marriage introduces two unforgettable families and the arrival of a stranger who rearranges their futures.

©2024 Frances Mayes (P)2024 Random House Audio

Critic reviews

“A grand love story with plenty of surprises . . . The pleasure of this book is in its rare combination of eloquent writing, human insights, and page-turning storytelling.”—Kirkus Reviews, starred review

“Mayes’ talent for creating engaging, empathetic characters coping with the challenges of modern love is on full display in this supremely satisfying escapist love story.”—Booklist​

If you love Frances Mayes’ work, this will be a complete treat.

LOVED all of the “nods” to Francese’s life experiences, from “Sister” the cat to the stunning, surprise wedding. She has created a complete gem. I shed a tear when the pastor showed up unexpectedly, anticipating the outcome. Loved every moment. 😊💕

A story that is not for our time

Since this was a new release I thought it was a recent writing, but some details revealed that it is decades old. That explains why the woman's role is subservient in the storyline. These are the sort of values I grew up on, which are no longer relevant (thank goodness.)

Couldn’t put it down

This was the first book that I have read in a very long time that I didn’t want to put down and I didn’t want it to end.

life is not easy...

But who said it would be? Wonderful weave of a story about optimism, unselfish devotion, commitment and the grit to overcome the obstacles that life presents to all of us. Recommend as a easy read with surprising depth.

Great Book

Awesome and lovely. Engaging with twists and turns. The actors/readers added much to the story.

Like a old pair of slippers

Francis has the extraordinary talent of describing characters and locations. I feel like I have known this family for eons. The human dynamics, absurd but plausible situations and empathy for foibles is soothing in my fast paced world. Any travel writing by Francis will always be appreciated. A real pleasure listening to the audiobook with the accents and personalities represented was a bonus! I only wish it was longer, I wasn’t ready to end my visit. Thank you.

Lush descriptions

If you like vivid descriptions, this book has it - about EVERYTHING. While I do enjoy being able to imagine the world the author has created, I felt that this book was a bit over the top. The plot was predictable, the story was SLOOOW, the characters all just a little too perfect.

Not my cup of tea, I would probably not read another book by this author.

Performance-wise - a very large cast who each did ok, but as a rule their voices were too slow, oh so soothing (even when a bit more excitement/anxiety might be called for). Came across as a bit too twee.

Just ok

I was expecting something great and it was just ok. Disappointed and sad I spent my money on it.

Joy….

This book inspired joy in me! I loved everything about it. The writing itself was beautiful, poetry like. I was drawn to the characters and global relationships, the narrators did a masterful job (I have decided to listen to everything narrated by George Newburn!)
It was so heartwarming and appealing to the human condition, hope in the midst of hardship, that I was reminded why I love books so very much!

Loved the Setting

I loved the setting, inspired by coastal North Carolina. My favorite part of the novel was delighting in the restoration of the Indigo, an inn that was in left in an abandoned state.

I don’t want to spoil anything, and I am sure that this will be an unpopular opinion, but I didn’t like the ending. As someone who has suffered from infertility, I had complex feelings about how neatly it was all wrapped up.